HS Football: Niceville Welcomes South Sumter – Other Local Squads Prepare for Week 1.

In Brief:

Niceville Eagles kick off their season against the formidable South Sumter Raiders, who went 11-2 last year.
Coach Grant Thompson is eager to assess his team’s strengths and weaknesses against a tough opponent early in the season.
The article also previews other key local high school football matchups, including South Walton vs. Gulf Breeze and Crestview vs. Milton.

The Niceville Eagles will kick off their season this Friday against the formidable South Sumter Raiders.

South Sumter, which sits off I-75 between Tampa and Orlando, will prove to be a tough early season matchup for the Eagles – they went 11-2 last season and progressed to the third round of the playoffs before falling to Cocoa 34-14.

The Raiders will start someone new at quarterback this year, but return most of their top tailbacks and receivers from last season’s campaign.

Coach Grant Thompson spent Monday’s practice fine-tuning his initial game plan, from the first drive to the special teams. “I’m just excited. It’s finally here. This will be one of the biggest games in the state,”

Coach Thompson said of South Sumter, “We want to find out about our team. We want to play somebody really good. This team’s really good with a lot of good players. So, we’ll get a lot of answers about our team early, where we are, where we stand. You know, what we’re good at and what we need to get better at? So we think it’s a great opportunity for a season.”

The Eagles have plenty of offensive weapons this year to choose from, including superback Conor Matthews and Fort Walton transfer Eddie Love, Jr. Both backs must prove their excellence on the field friday to present a three-dimensional look and confound the Raider defense.

“These guys are a smaller classification than us, but they are the real deal,” Niceville Principal Charlie Marello said, “They are the toughest around, and we’re looking for the toughest teams to play,”

Coach Thompson also has significant depth at quarterback as well.

Hometown kid Kane LaFortune provides Ivy-league caliber play for the Eagles. Johnny Lewis, Junior – who also has several FCS-level offers – gives Thompson a taller, lankier option.

Other Games Around the Emerald Coast This Week Niceville Fans Should Care About

Not just the Eagles feature around here this weekend – you can check out all of our local teams schedules in one place, along with results, here.

South Walton’s Seahawks will visit the Breezers in Gulf Breeze for an inter-classification matchup. Gulf Breeze is one of Niceville’s district opponents this year. Expect a close-fought game between a South Walton team that has beat expectations for the last couple of years and a GB team that has spent the last three years underperforming but in a much larger classification.

Crestview will host one of Niceville’s fellow regional teams, Milton, in a contest in the Hub City. Expect Crestview head coach Thomas Grant’s team to prevail in that contest.

Other Local Games This Week’

Walton @ Marianna – Walton had one of the best seasons in recent memory during their 2023 campaign. Look for them to use that energy and the arm of, arguably, the best quarterback on the emerald coast to get some early wins. Wells Bettenhausen threw for 30 touchdowns last season – doubt that ends this year. Crestview fans had better keep a close eye on this one, as they host Walton next week.

Freeport @ North Bay Haven – Though it’s an away game, it is one against a traditionally weaker team in North Bay Haven. Expect the Bulldogs to come away with a win and a chance to tune up before they play Jay and Northview in the next couple of weeks.

Baker @ Florida A&M – The Gators will look to find themselves after a disheartening 2023 campaign in Northwest Okaloosa County. That quest begins against FAMU High School in Tallahassee. The Junior Rattlers were 1-8 last season and should provide a good stepping stone for the Gators.

FWB V. Tate – One of the few home games this week besides Niceville and Crestview. Fort Walton Beach will show what they can do without their top two players from last season. The Vikings last had a better-than-.500 season in 2012. If they want one, they must beat teams like Tate at home.

Choctaw V. Gulf Shores (Al) – Choctaw will host the Gulf Shores Dolphins this week, should the Alabama team not hit 5 o’clock/tourism traffic and get stuck in Pensacola. Choctaw has proven they are capable of big things in the postseason. We look forward to the results of this game.

Destin @ Northview – Destin, still on playoff probation (because they are a newer program) will visit Northview for their first game of the season. Baker fans will want to keep a close eye on this one.