Niceville Eagles Win Razor-Close Victory Over Ponte Vedra

In Brief:

•🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Who: Niceville Eagles and Ponte Vedra Sharks

•🏈 What: A high school football playoff game decided in overtime

•🗓️ When: November 22, 2024

•📍 Where: Niceville, Florida

•🤔 Why: To secure a spot in the next round of the state playoffs

Ponte Vedra had ’em in the first half, for what it’s worth.

But the Niceville Eagles would defeat the Jacksonville-area squad in an overtime thriller, thanks to an interception by Justus Donahoo on a two-point conversion.

Ponte Vedra’s Quarterback, Drew Price, rolled out of the pocket to pass and end the game with a win for the visiting sharks, but a prescient slide in front of the waiting receiver in the end zone separated the Eagles from an agonizing end to their season.

The student section, and many adults stormed the field after play ended – and the groups had to be kept apart from the Niceville and Ponte Vedra players as they shook hands after the game to make sure no postgame chicanery had an opportunity to rear its ugly head.

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The First Half

…may well have been some of the worst offensive play of the Eagles season. A fumble and an interception highlighted a series of drives that ended in punts after the Eagles simply could not figure out a way around the Shark’s defense.

Luckily for the Eagles, Ponte Vedra had almost as hard a time on the offensive side of the ball as Niceville did. The Sharks would see success after success on chunk plays to wideouts for 20 or 30 yards, ending in punts after the motor on their offensive play shut off.

Ponte Vedra would have a seven-point lead over the Eagles, thanks to their short passing game and a suffocating defensive line.

Niceville played one-dimensional football for the majority of the game. The bright spot came in the first half when Niceville’s Connor Matthews gained about 50 yards and a touchdown, calling the snaps from the wildcat position on the field.

Ponte Vedra would add personnel in the box to counter his powerful running style after his breakout drive and reduce his effectiveness from its peak for the rest of the game.

The Second Half

A long pass from Kane Lafortune would add another score to the Eagles tally and tie up the two squads for the fourth quarter.

Frequent pressure on Ponte Vedra’s Drew Price forced passes to the sidelines and inefficient playcalling on the evening for the Sharks as things came closer to the wire.

Ponte Vedra would punt the ball back to the Eagles with less than forty seconds on the clock. Niceville would attempt to move into field position for a long field goal before their efforts were hampered by the lack of time left in regulation. With nine seconds left on the clock, they would attempt two heaves downfield for a chance to win on a touchdown. The first effort, a pass from Kane Lafortune, was bobbled and dropped by wideout Robert Stith. The second pass fell to the turf after a valiant effort from Mo Seck to haul the ball in and turn it into a six-point victory.

After that – the game went to overtime, Niceville got the ball first and the rest is history.

Who’s Next?

Niceville escapes this game by the narrowest of margins and will play its final game at home for the year on Black Friday against regional opponent Tallahassee Lincoln.

The Lincoln Trojans visited Niceville Earlier this year and nearly came back from a multi-score deficit to take a late lead and nearly beat the Eagles. The Eagles would win that contest 38-35 at the last minute.

Should the Eagles earn their second win on Friday, Niceville will head to Pitbull Stadium (Dale!) in Miami for the final four and state championship rounds of the playoffs.

If they win it all – it will be Niceville’s second state championship and their first title win in 36 years.