Familiar foes square off yet again

Kyle McDorman was just a seventh-grader when Niceville hosted the country’s No.1-ranked team, Lakeland, five years ago in the state semifinals.

Yet still to this day, the scene at Eagle Stadium on that December night remains a crisp in his mind as the cool night air that filtered through the bleachers all those years ago. Niceville fell to Lakeland 28-21 as the Dreadnaughts went on to an eventual state title, but the electricity generated by the home crowd throughout the night left an indelible mark on McDorman

As top-ranked and unbeaten Niceville (10-0) prepares for tonight’s 7:30 p.m. kickoff of the Class 4A regional semifinal against bitter rival Fort Walton Beach (6-4), McDorman expects a similarly raucous crowd to be on hand tonight.

“I think it’s going to be like the Lakeland game a few years ago,” McDorman said. “I was in the stands for that game, it was big and there were a lot of people. It was really loud.”

For the third time this season, two familiar foes will do battle once again but unlike the preseason meeting in the Kickoff Classic or the late-October meeting at Steve Riggs Stadium – both won by Niceville – this one carries with it the ultimate in terms of importance. To the victor goes advancement to the regional finals and a step closer towards a possible state title game.

To the loser, the countdown towards spring training begins in earnest.

Fort Walton Beach arrives in Eagle Stadium to the surprise of most everyone outside of the Vikings’ locker room having last week upset then seventh-ranked Pine Forest 42-39 in overtime. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Thompson led the way, throwing for 334 yards and six touchdowns while the Vikings’ defense forced three pivotal turnovers and forced the Eagles’ to settle for a field goal in the extra period.

Now, Vikings coach Mike Owens guides a resilient squad into what he readily called “the biggest challenge of their football careers.”

“We know what we’re up against,” Owens said. “They know they have the biggest challenge of their football careers and possibly, the biggest challenge of my coaching career, the No. 1 team in the state for the second time, when it counts.

“It’s a big challenge.”

Vikings’ senior receiver Carter Liufau said despite the added incentive of playing a rival such as Niceville, the team’s mindset this week will be no different than it was a week ago.

“We know just like any other playoff game you have to play it like it’s your last,” Liufau said. “We’re just glad we get another shot at (Niceville).”

For the Eagles, who enter tonight’s game on the heels of last week’s 52-30 win over Pace, the old cliché that speaks to the difficulty of beating the same team twice in a season – much less three times – hasn’t kept anyone up at night.

“It didn’t affect Pine Forest,” Hicks said, “they beat us twice last year. Usually the best team wins.”

In the regular season Niceville established itself as the best team in District 2-4A, outscoring Mosley, Fort Walton Beach and Crestview by a combined 155-74 en route to the district crown. But tonight, regular season accomplishments are a thing of the past as two area rivals clash one final time, this time, with their respective seasons and playoff lives hanging in the balance.