Shalimar beats Fort Walton Beach to retain Battle of the Bridges trophy.

FORT WALTON BEACH — In football, speed kills.

On Saturday, the Choctaw Wildcats boomer team, which is made up of 4- and 5-year-olds, beat the Fort Walton Beach Buccaneers 33-14 at Steve Riggs Stadium to retain the coveted "Battle of the Bridges" trophy, which will sit in Shalimar Mayor Mark Frank's office for the next year.

Before Saturday's bout, both teams entered the sixth matchup in series history with a combined 7-0 record, with Fort Walton Beach outscoring opponents 208-6 through the season's first four games.

As both teams prepared for the game, local dignitaries were on hand to be part of the pre-game ceremonies. Along with Fort Walton Beach Mayor Dick Rynearson and his wife, Jane; Shalimar First Lady Luoma Franks; President of Future Starts Sports Clinic Chris Torres; and Billy Bowlegs and his merry crew were on hand for the coin toss, which Shalimar won and elected to receive the ball after the half.

The scoring began late in the first quarter as a long touchdown run put Fort Walton Beach ahead. On the next Shalimar possession, the Wildcats answered with another long run. As the first half winded down, Shalimar took one more trip to the endzone to enter halftime with a 20-7 lead.

Shalimar received possession after the break and scored on their first two possessions of the second half to secure a victory. Fort Walton Beach scored as well, but the Wildcats rushing attack was too much for the Buccaneers defense to handle, and Shalimar walked away with a 33-14 win.

After the game ended, Okaloosa County Commissioner Trey Goodwin presented the "Bridges Trophy" to the First Lady of Shalimar, Luoma Franks.

"It's fantastic," said Franks after the game. "I knew (the trophy) was coming home. I love the kids who represent Shalimar, but I love all the kids. I love community sports and I'm so pleased. They were all out here fighting; it was a hot day and they did great."

Sharing Frank's joy in the win was Shalimar head coach John Cagel, who said not only was the win special for the Town of Shalimar, but winning in Fort Walton Beach gave the win a bit more meaning.

"I thought they played outstanding, you know it was a lot of these boys first time playing a game in the heat. It was a 2 p.m. game. It was hot. I know that got a little bit to our boys but they kept pushing. I am so proud of them," said Cagel. "They show up. They work hard, you know, we've been working out for months for this game and these boys showed up today and showed their worth."

After the game, the Northwest Florida Daily News caught up with a young football player who left last year's game in a life flight helicopter bound for Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.

Midway through last year's game, Kyrie Robinson Jr. was tackled out of bounds on an offensive drive and was kept on the ground for at least 20 minutes after an apparent helmet-to-helmet collision. Kyrie was awake and alert as paramedics attended to him, but he was released the following day and returned to practice that Monday.

Kyrie told the Daily News that the injury was caused by a loose helmet that made contact with his neck, causing severe pain, which prompted the helicopter ride to Pensacola.

"I was scared at first, you know, but it was fun and a smooth ride," said Robinson about the helicopter flight.

At the time of the injury, Robinson's father, Kyrie Sr., was on his way to the game after clocking out from his shift at work and learned about the injury from a phone call from his grandmother.

"I had more of a hard time than he did," said Robinson Sr. "I'm like, 'Don't be scared. You're going to be tough.' "

Robinson Jr., who plays wide receiver and running back, says that his plans involve him playing football for Choctaw High School with the hope that his high school success will allow him to receive an offer from Florida State, LSU, Georgia or Colorado before playing professionally with the San Francisco 49ers.

"He reminds me of me," said Robinson Sr. "I tell him all the time, because I used to play football, be your own person. Don't base yourself off of me because (his son) is already better than I was. If you know that this is what you want to do, this is the path you want to take, then take it. But first things first is school."

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Shalimar beats Fort Walton Beach to retain Battle of the Bridges trophy.