'Our guys know what's at stake': Mosley and Niceville football primed for rivalry showdown

Friday night's Class 5A District 1 championship game will mark the 32nd meeting between Niceville and Mosley — and this year, the matchup means a ton.

Friday's game is the highest-ranked matchup between the two teams as the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) has Niceville ranked as the No. 8 team in the state and No. 2 in Class 5A. Mosley is ranked No. 25 in the state and No. 5 in Class 5A.

The rivalry dates back to the 1974-75 season, when the Dolphins defeated the Eagles 34-21. Nearly 50 years later Niceville has gotten the better of Mosley leading the all-time record 25-6, having decades-long dominance (1989-99, 2002-05, 2009-13, 2017-23) against the Dolphins.

Mosley head coach Tommy Joe Whiddon has a deep connection to the rivalry, with his father being a long-time assistant coach at Niceville, but more notably, Whiddon himself played as the Eagles' quarterback in the early 2000s.

Whiddon joined the Niceville coaching staff in 2013 as a quarterbacks coach and later on as an offensive coordinator.

"All of our guys know what's at stake for this ball game and the storylines and relationships that go along with it," Whiddon said. "We have all been playing each other since the ninth grade and every time that we play it's been a tough, physical football game."

Last season the Dolphins overcame a 21-7 first-half deficit to defeat Niceville 29-28. Quarterback Sammy Frietas found receiver Jack Massey for the game-winning touchdown and aims to replicate that connection on Friday.

"I want to go out there, execute the offense, play our game, win our one-on-one matchups and everything should take care of itself," Freitas said. "We have some run plays dialed up for me, but I focus on using my arm. But I will use my legs if I have to."

Freitas leads all quarterbacks in Bay County having thrown for 1,258 yards, 16 touchdowns and two interceptions. Massey has a knack for getting open and is coming off a Milton game where he had five receptions, 183 yards and two scores.

"Niceville goes man coverage a lot, but I think we have better guys than they do, so the key for us will be to win our one-on-one matchups," Massey said. "I know they have been watching a lot of film and seeing a lot of my tendencies, but I have been working hard and I have come back even better than last year."

Niceville's defense has given up an average of 18 points per game and is led by linebacker Maddox Hayles. The Navy commit has 70 tackles and two sacks and is paired with a 6-foot-4 defensive lineman Joshua Stephens.

The Dolphin's offense is potent, averaging 43 points per game and operates in a balanced but "pick your poison" fashion. Junior running back Sammy Chisolm leads the team with 83 carries for 535 yards and five scores. A new revelation and key contributor is senior running back Lo'Kavion Jackson, who up until this year had not played football since his freshman season.

The ultimate X-factor, Jackson, a Mississippi State commit, has 21 carries, 339 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns on the season which equates to a touchdown every two carries. He also has 35 tackles, four sacks and two forced fumbles on the defensive side.

Despite the offense's historic pace, the Mosley defense is where Whiddon hangs his hat on and recognizes the challenge the Niceville running game poses. Running back Conor Mathews has rushed for 817 yards and eight touchdowns on the season, followed closely by quarterback Johnny Lewis Jr. (479 yards, 7 scores).

"They have a formidable running game with Mathews, Eddie Love and Johnny Lewis Jr. and an offensive line that plays hard," Whiddon said. "We are going to have to rally to the ball and get guys to the ground because we can't let three or four-yarders turn to seven or eight, and we can't let seven or eight-yarders get taken to the house."

Edge rusher and Rutgers commit Raedyn Bruens has led Mosley's defense, which only gives up an average of 14 points per game. Bruens leads the team with eight sacks, while the linebacker duo of Wyatt Fleming and Sawyer Schultz total 50 and 55 tackles respectively.

Bruens, who has faced plenty of double and triple teams this season is prepared for the offensive line to hone in on him once again but believes his relentless motor can best the Eagles.

"We hope to come out there and stop the run, we are practicing against it every day, studying and learning it in film, Bruens said. "It all comes down to being prepared and knowing what they have coming for us during the game."

Banji Bamidele is a sports reporter for the Panama City News Herald. He can be reached at abamidele@gannett.com or through X, formerly known as Twitter, @AdebanjiBamide1 .

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: 'Our guys know what's at stake': Mosley and Niceville football primed for rivalry showdown