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Current high school football playoff scenarios, stat leaders on Emerald Coast

seth stringer, northwest florida daily news
·3 min read

The FHSAA's latest playoff ranks revealed a great deal of hope for area teams — both state title contenders and squads simply looking for a chip and a chair.

With three weeks remaining in the regular season, here's how the playoff brackets would look today:

  • In 1R, Baker (2-5) and Freeport (1-6) would miss the playoffs based on their respective Nos. 7 and 8 seeds in Region 1. The top six seeds in the region make the playoffs, and currently Baker trails Vernon by .68 points headed into Thursday's home matchup versus Freeport.

  • In 1S, Rocky Bayou (3-5) would miss the playoffs based on its No. 5 seed in Region 1. The top four seeds in the region make the playoffs, and the Knights trail fourth-seeded Munroe by a wide 3.866 margin.

  • In 2S, South Walton and Walton have already shored up district titles. District 1 champ Walton (7-0) is seeded first in Region 1 and would host eighth-seeded Gadsden County in the first round, while District 2 champ South Walton (5-3) is seeded seventh and would travel to second-seeded Wakulla.

  • In 3S, Choctaw leapfrogged Escambia for the No. 3 seed in Region 1 with Friday's 24-20 win over the Gators at Joe Etheredge Stadium. The Big Green (5-2) would currently host sub .500 Columbia in the 3/6 matchup. Fort Walton Beach (4-3) is seeded 10th and 2.68 points behind eighth-seeded Middleburg (3-4) for the final playoff spot.

  • In 4S, Niceville (6-1) and Navarre (5-2) are slotted for the 3/6 matchup, but a lot figures to change as the Raiders and Pace battle for a District 1 title and Niceville aims for a District 2 crown. In an absolutely monstrous region where even 5-3 programs are outside the top 12, Crestview (1-6) is 17th and has been eliminated from the postseason after advancing to the Sweet 16 last year.

With that out of the way, let's focus on the stat leaders in the area (provided by MaxPreps):

USA Today HS Football Poll: Walton sixth in 2S, Niceville 4th in 3S

Walton County pride: SoWal, Walton win district titles

No Tabb, no problem: Choctaw scores last-second touchdown to down district rival Escambia

Passing TDs

QB Carson Hawk throws during the South Walton- Fort Walton Beach football game at South Walton.
QB Carson Hawk throws during the South Walton- Fort Walton Beach football game at South Walton.

  1. Carson Hawk, South Walton: 19

  2. Jesse Winslette, Choctaw: 14

  3. Wells Bettenhausen, Walton/Cam Fernandez, Freeport: 12

Passing Yards Per Game

Walton QB Wells Bettenhausen passes during a football practice at Walton High School.
Walton QB Wells Bettenhausen passes during a football practice at Walton High School.

  1. Wells Bettenhausen, Walton: 240

  2. Carson Hawk, South Walton: 217

  3. Cam Fernandez, Freeport: 168

QB Rating

Indians QB Jesse Winslette passes during the Choctaw- Escambia football game at Choctaw.
Indians QB Jesse Winslette passes during the Choctaw- Escambia football game at Choctaw.

  1. Wells Bettenhausen, Walton: 113.3

  2. Jesse Winslette, Choctaw: 112.7

  3. Carson Hawk, South Walton: 106.1

Rushing Yards Per game

Choctaw RB Cole Tabb looks for yardage against the Eagles defense during the Choctaw-Niceville football game played at Niceville.
Choctaw RB Cole Tabb looks for yardage against the Eagles defense during the Choctaw-Niceville football game played at Niceville.

  1. Cole Tabb, Choctaw: 151.7

  2. Eddie Love Jr., FWB: 147.3

  3. Connor Mathews, Navarre: 130.6

Rushing TDs

Walton DB/RB Nuke McKenzie carries the ball during a football practice at Walton High School.
Walton DB/RB Nuke McKenzie carries the ball during a football practice at Walton High School.

  1. Connor Mathews, Navarre: 17

  2. Nuke Mckenzie, Walton: 15

  3. Eddie Love Jr., FWB: 11

Yards Per Carry (minimum 90 carries)

Vikings RB Eddie Love, Jr., breaks tackles as he advances the ball during the South Walton- Fort Walton Beach football game at South Walton.
Vikings RB Eddie Love, Jr., breaks tackles as he advances the ball during the South Walton- Fort Walton Beach football game at South Walton.

  1. Cole Tabb, Choctaw: 9.6

  2. Eddie Love Jr., FWB: 9.0

  3. Connor Mathews, Navarre: 7.5

Receiving Yards Per Game

Walton WR Dalton Kolmetz makes a catch during a football practice at Walton High School.
Walton WR Dalton Kolmetz makes a catch during a football practice at Walton High School.

  1. Dalton Kolmetz, Walton: 97.9

  2. Terence Marshall, Navarre: 77

  3. Isaiah Johnson, Choctaw: 77

TD Receptions

Choctaw WR Isaiah Johnson lays out for a pass at the goal lineduring the Crestview-Choctaw football game at Crestview. The ball just slipped through his fingertips.
Choctaw WR Isaiah Johnson lays out for a pass at the goal lineduring the Crestview-Choctaw football game at Crestview. The ball just slipped through his fingertips.

Dalton Kolmetz, Walton: 7

Isaiah Johnson, Choctaw: 7

Zay Parks, Crestview: 7

Tackles Per Game

Niceville Maddox Hayles and Nathaniel Krider sack Choctaw QB Jesse Winslette for a loss during the Choctaw-Niceville football game played at Niceville.
Niceville Maddox Hayles and Nathaniel Krider sack Choctaw QB Jesse Winslette for a loss during the Choctaw-Niceville football game played at Niceville.

  1. Daniel Boatwright, Walton: 15.1

  2. Gavin Trainor, South Walton: 13

  3. Maddox Hayles, Niceville: 11.7

  4. Owen Smith, Freeport: 11.6

  5. Mason Clark, Freeport: 10.6

  6. Tristan Jackson, Choctaw: 10.3

INTs

Walton DB Malcolm Byrd makes an interception during a football practice at Walton High School.
Walton DB Malcolm Byrd makes an interception during a football practice at Walton High School.

  1. Malcolm Byrd, Walton: 4

  2. Jonathan Boyd, Choctaw: 4

  3. Uriah West, Niceville: 2

  4. Trainor Wise, Freeport: 2

Sacks

Choctaw RB Cole Tabb tries to fend off the tackle of Niceville LB Demontre Allen during the Choctaw-Niceville football game played at Niceville.
Choctaw RB Cole Tabb tries to fend off the tackle of Niceville LB Demontre Allen during the Choctaw-Niceville football game played at Niceville.

  1. Zavier Hamilton, FWB: 7

  2. Camden Zodrow, Walton: 6

  3. Ison Newcomb,, FWB: 6

  4. Demontre Allen, Niceville: 5.5

  5. Marcuise Taylor, FWB: 5

  6. Maddox Hayles, Niceville: 4.5

  7. Kaden Saunders, Freeport: 4

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Current high school football playoff scenarios, area stat leaders