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•🦅 Who: Niceville Eagles vs. Middleburg Broncos
•🏈 What: First round of the 2024 FHSAA football playoffs
•🕢 When: Friday, 7:30 PM
•📍 Where: Eagles’ Nest, Niceville, Florida
•🎉 Why: Aiming to secure a home victory and advance in the postseason
The Niceville Eagles have drawn their first postseason opponent – and they will play that game at home this year.
The Eagles hold a respectable 9-1 record in the regular season and will host the Middleburg Broncos (7-3) to kick off their postseason.
The game begins at 7:30 PM at the Eagles’ Nest.
You can use the GoFan site to get tickets. The site does not have the tickets up for sale as of monday morning, but they should be up online in the immediate future.
“Very excited to host more football in the NEST,” said Niceville High School Principal Charlie Morello, “Our Friday Night Lights atmosphere is always electric, but with a playoff game – the vibe is next level!”
“I’m happy for our kids and the community for an opportunity to be at home,” Niceville’s Head Football Coach Grant Thompson told Mid Bay News, “There’s nothing like playoff football in Niceville, Florida.”
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Middleburg High School sits southwest of Jacksonville in suburban Clay County, Florida. The Broncos squeaked into the playoffs, earning an eighth seed in the tournament – as they won just one of their district games this season. They suffered all three losses to district opponents. Those losses were by a combined score of 138-45. The three district teams Middleburg lost to (Ponte Vedra, Beachside, and Fleming Island) made the playoffs and are the fourth, fifth, and sixth seeds in Niceville’s regional bracket.
Middleburg averages about 260 yards per game on offense and allows about 22 points per game. Niceville far outproduces those offensive numbers with more than 350 yards per game averaged – most of those on the ground. The Eagles put up 34 points per game.
The FHSAA slots teams into the Florida High School Football Playoff with complicated math that spits out a ranking based on their performance against other teams based on their relative strength.
That means teams like Middleburg, which sit near the bottom of their district table, can still make the playoffs. All they have to do is beat competitive teams to gain admission to the postseason.
Niceville’s distrct rivals Mosley and Lincoln have also made it to the postseason this year. Lincoln sits as the #2 seed and Mosley the #3 seed.
Mosley will play Fleming Island and Lincoln will play Mainland in their first round games. They are both favored to win those contests.
Should Niceville win against Middleburg – they will play the winner of Ponte Vedra and Beachside at home again.
Niceville is guaranteed home-field advantage through the regional finals, which is the third round of the playoff, which takes place November 29.
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