Choctaw flag football wins region, set to host Clay next in search of elusive state title

Three wins down, three to go.

Nipping at the heels of a state title for a decade now, Choctawhatchee flag football is looking primed to pull off the inevitable this season. Tuesday's 33-20 Region 1-1A championship win over Florida High, a powerhouse which entered the the Elite 8 with a 13-1 record, 11 shutouts and a 443-51 margin of victory, affirmed Choctaw's validity as a threat to take down seven-time defending champion Robinson.

The Big Green now host Clay in the Section 1 championship 7 p.m. Friday at Steve Riggs Stadium for a spot in the Final 4.

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Clay is 13-1 and has outscored playoff foes 58-6 to pad a 297-20 margin of victory on the season. The 20 points allowed is the lowest in 1A and includes 12 shutouts and a 6-0 road record. The Blue Devils did get a scare in the region semifinals with a 12-6 nailbiter over Stanton. Clay has not reported stats on MaxPreps.

Choctaw, meanwhile, is 15-1 and has outscored playoff foes 90-20 to pad a 413-73 margin of victory on the season. With quarterback Diaris Morales healthy at quarterback, the Big Green are unbeaten with an 8-0 record at home (currently Steve Riggs Stadium because of construction at Joe Etheredge Stadium). The dual-threat Morales has 39 touchdowns and 2,404 passing yards and another 447 rushing yards. Her favorite target, Morgan Grace, has 20 touchdowns and over 1,000 yards in her many roles. KK Hardy follows with seven touchdowns and Bri Rivers has six touchdowns.

Defensively, the Big Green has nine shutouts and has just once allowed more than 12 points. Trinity Thomas has 32 sacks on the season after two in the region finals, while Hardy has a team-best 11 interceptions, Grace has seven picks and Peyton DiBendedetto has six. Ariana Gonzalez, who had 10 flag pulls in the region finals, leads the team with 86 flag pulls.

Of course, Robinson remains the team Choctaw expects to eventually face. The Knights are 21-0, ranked No. 1 in the state and country and are outscoring foes 122-0 in the playoffs and 716-52 on the season. They host 11-0 Wildwood in the Class 2 championship Friday.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Choctaw flag football wins region, set to host Clay next in search of elusive state title