After back-to-back district championships and three-straight regional finals appearances, Frank Beasley’s Indians look poised to continue their recent stretch of success. After coming up one game short of the 4A Final Four in the last three campaigns, Choctaw seems to have the pieces in place to break through this season.

RELATED: Meet Frank Beasley – The Man Behind the Choctaw Indians Incredible Turnaround.

Choctaw spent the start of their fall campaign competing at padded camp in Coffee County against some of the best teams in the state of Georgia. With a few crucial underclassmen and transfer additions, it was the perfect opportunity to test the waters of solid competition as a team. Coach Beasley cited this high-intensity week as a big growing point for the team

“Some of the most intense practices we’ve had have been leading up to Coffee County,” Beasley remarked. “That was good. It was good for us.”

With a little over three weeks until the Indians take the field against Gulf Shores in the first game of the regular season, the outlook is very positive.

“I’m really pleased with where we’re at,” said Beasley. “We obviously have a long way to go. We just need to stay humble and stay hungry. They have not backed off this summer.”

The Outlook on Offense

The Choctaw offense returns nearly all of its production at the quarterback position from a season ago. The duo of rising senior Tamen Zabetakis and rising junior Carter Marracco accounted for all but four of the Indians’ 1,252 passing yards in 2024. Both return as signal callers in 2025 with different play styles.

Zabetakis will likely throw the ball more frequently than his counterpart. In just seven games last campaign, he threw for 726 yards and seven scores. According to his coach, the senior has been throwing the football extremely well this summer and looks poised to make a big jump this season. 

Marracco will be the ‘Swiss Army Knife’ for Choctaw this season. Taking reps at quarterback, running back and even receiver last year, it will likely be more of the same this season.

“Carter is a really versatile athlete who does a lot of great things with the ball in his hands,” said Beasley. “He’s been playing running back, and we were moving him at wide receiver, but he’ll also get some reps at quarterback because he can run so well. He’s really embraced that.”

Supporting the versatile quarterback duo will be junior running back Von’Tavious Keller. Keller was a workhorse in his sophomore season, carrying the ball 271 times across 13 games for 1,774 yards and 21 touchdowns. Keller finished the season with the 13th-highest ground total across all classifications in the state of Florida. When asked what some of his goals were for the upcoming season, the answer was simple. “2k year,” said Keller. Only two athletes in the state ran for 2,000 yards last season, but Choctaw’s tailback is ready to push for that mark in 2025. 

A returner flying under the radar is the class of 2027 tight end Ryno Burks. Burks made just three grabs for 12 yards last season, but looks ready to affect the game in more ways than one for the Indians this season. His head coach has very high praise for him and believes it is his year to break out.

“No one talks about our tight end,” said Beasley. “He’s going to be on a Division I football team.”

Newcomers and Underclassmen Set to Bolster Indians

The Indians had four receivers over 150 yards last year. All four of them graduated. One of the big offseason questions for Choctaw was, ‘Who’s going to catch the ball?’ The question seems to be answered in the form of a few transfers and underclassmen who are performing beyond their years.

Coach Beasley’s team has seen the addition of Gulf Breeze transfer DJ Spence and Pine Forrest transfer Zion Legree at the wide receiver position. Spence and Legree both racked up 500+ yards receiving in their previous seasons. Sophomores Rahmeir Montgomery and Keithan Osborn are two young receivers who will also be looking for extended playing time in the Choctaw offense in 2025.

Choctaw has also added two transfers in former Gulf Breeze lineman Peyton Youssef and Devonte Johnson to a young offensive line that has been gelling extremely well over the summer.

“I was really pleased with the way they performed,” Beasley said of his offensive line at Coffee County Camp. “They got to get a lot of live reps, and they just got better, and better, and better. They have a chance to be pretty special.”

The Outlook on Defense

Even with the departure of Tristan Jackson to Division I football at Houston, the Indians’ defense is one to watch in 2025. Last year’s team held opponents to under two scores in 10 of their 13 games. Led by defensive coordinator Terrence Brooks, it looks to be more of the same for Choctaw this season.

Perhaps two of the most notable returners for the Indians this season will be linebackers Ellis and Mario Alloway. The rising senior brothers were almost identical in every statistical category last year, with both tallying over 70 total tackles, 15 tackles for a loss and eight sacks. Another senior linebacker, Jabari Weeks, will also be a player poised to put up big numbers this year. Weeks finished fourth on the team with 67 total tackles, while adding three sacks and two fumble recoveries.

“Everybody has just been working,” Weeks said of his defensive teammates. “We’re just going to continue to improve ourselves. This coming season, we have a target on our backs and we’re going to prove ourselves.”

Another set of brothers look ready to star as ball hawks for Coach Beasley’s squad. Rising senior Alante Reese and rising junior Amir Reese will be crucial pieces in the Choctaw secondary. The Reese’s contributed 108 tackles and six interceptions last season to go along with six pass deflections each.

The Schedule

The Indians’ 2025 schedule is identical to last season’s. Choctaw will open against Gulf Shores, a foe from the state of Alabama, at home on Sep. 23. They will have district games against Arnold, Rickards and Fort Walton Beach in weeks six, eight and nine. The star-studded matchup that most in the area have circled on their schedule is the week five game at Niceville, where the Indians will look to get their first win over the Eagles since the 2012 season.

Choctaw appears to be on a trajectory for another successful season in 2025, with hopes of taking their previous success to another level.