Week 3 brought plenty of highlights. From Choctaw earning its first win to Florida High ending South Walton’s hopes of a perfect season and Mosley making quite the statement at Eagle Stadium, it was action-packed from start to finish.
Here’s how it all played out.
Choctaw 21, Pace 14
Carter Marracco scored two touchdowns and Amir Reese hauled in a go-ahead score as Choctaw held off Pace 21-14 in a physical back-and-forth battle to avoid an 0-3 start. The Indians led 7-0 at halftime before Pace tied it, and the teams traded leads throughout the fourth quarter.
After Pace took a 14-13 lead on a 64-yard Makael Williams touchdown run with 2:42 left, Baker Giles found Reese for the go-ahead touchdown. Marracco added the two-point conversion to seal it.
Baker 20, Holmes County 14
The Gators had a resilient district win Friday night. Baker opened 7-0 on a touchdown run from Dawson Mitchem, but the Blue Devils scored 14 unanswered. The Gators responded with two unanswered rushing touchdowns of their own, adding another from Mitchem and one from Chasen Lawrence to win 20-14.
Freeport 36, Gulf Breeze 35
The Bulldogs had a terrific overtime win against Gulf Breeze. Despite being up 21-7 at halftime, the Dolphins rallied to score three unanswered touchdowns to take a 28-21 lead. Freeport managed to tie it up and force overtime. Gulf Breeze scored first, but Freeport got the touchdown and the two-point conversion to win 36-35.
Destin 59, North Bay Haven 37
The Sharks had a terrific game, especially in the fourth quarter. Kellen Ramsey had an elite day at the office, and Jayden Phillips added two great touchdowns as Destin won 59-37 and improved to 2-1. Destin’s 59 points also set the program record for most points scored in a single game, breaking the previous record of 53 set two weeks ago against Port St. Joe.
Pine Forest 38, Crestview 29
Crestview stormed back from a 32-7 deficit with 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter Thursday night, but Pine Forest recovered an onside kick and returned it for a touchdown to seal the 38-29 win at Jack Foster Stadium. Jalen Robinson broke free for a 74-yard touchdown run, and Brock Spears threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns to fuel the rally before the Bulldogs fell to 0-3.
Mosley 28, Niceville 9
Mosley earned its fourth straight win over Niceville, topping the Eagles 28-9 at Eagle Stadium on Friday night. Samuel Chisholm scored two rushing touchdowns for the Dolphins, while Niceville’s best early scoring chance was wiped out when Jakobe Gilyard fumbled just before the goal line in the first quarter. Deegan McCoy hit Malachi White for a 37-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter for the Eagles’ lone score. Niceville fell to 1-2.
Florida High 18, South Walton 15
Florida High pulled off the upset in the Hawks Nest on Friday night to hand the Seahawks their first loss of the year. South Walton took an early 6-0 lead when Connor Rooney had a pick-six, and the Seahawks added a safety to make it 8-0. Florida High got on the board before halftime when Brysin Brown hit Messiah Anavira for a touchdown and then converted the two-point attempt to tie it at 8-8.
South Walton responded midway through the third quarter when JD Brown hit Max Madden on a screen, and Madden took it 50 yards to pay dirt to make it 15-8 Seahawks. Florida High answered in the fourth quarter with a forced fumble on Brown that was returned for a touchdown to tie the game at 15. With 1:15 left, the Seminoles kicked the go-ahead field goal to take an 18-15 lead. South Walton managed to drive to the Florida High 30, but back-to-back sacks ended the drive as the Seminoles held on to win 18-15.
West Florida Tech 31, Fort Walton Beach 15
West Florida Tech handed Fort Walton Beach a 31-15 loss Friday night, dropping the Vikings to 1-2. The Jaguars struck first with Zayvion Davis scoring a touchdown on the reverse.
The Vikings were within striking distance at halftime, down only 10-7 after Elijah Donson had a rushing touchdown, but West Florida Tech pulled away with three more touchdowns in the second half while Fort Walton Beach managed only one to fall 31-15.
