High School Spring Football: Choctaw's offense, Niceville's defense and more questions

Spring football kicked off Monday, putting area teams on the clock for 21 days of practice, drills, intra-squad scrimmages and, ultimately, a matchup to segue into the summer.

Coaches will tell you this part of the offseason is where games are won and lost come the fall. This is also where the successes and failures of 2023 are officially put in the past and where chemistry is built.

While we're quite a ways off from opening day on Aug. 23, it's never too early to identify the five biggest questions facing the Fort Walton Beach area's gridiron landscape this offseason.

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1. What does Choctaw look like without Cole Tabb, Jesse Winslette and Isaiah Johnson?

The day Choctaw fans have dreaded is here: Cole Tabb is graduating.

3A USA TODAY Player of the Year. Sixty-six touchdowns and 5,497 rushing yards. Record holder for rushing yards (single game, season and career) and touchdowns. It's an immeasurable loss, one compounded by the fellow graduation of three-year starting quarterback Jesse Winslette (1,910 passing yards, 29 touchdowns) and top receiver Isaiah Johnson (1,039 receiving yards, 14 TDs).

Out the door goes 95 percent of the offense. In steps Blake Peters — yes, the son of Jeff Peters, the quarterback of the 1990 AAAAA state champion Big Green — and a backfield featuring two freshmen in Von'tavius Keller and Dante Whidbee. While the two only combined for 40 carries last season, Whidbee did break out for 119 rushing yards on 14 carries against Booker T. Washington. We also saw Peters, in competition with Tamen Zabetakis, throw a dime to Johnson for a 70-yard score in the 41-0 rout of Fort Walton Beach.

Beasley said the new personnel will bring out changes to the playbook, but the offensive line is coming along and the team's adjusting. We shall see.

2. Is this the best Niceville defense since ... well, 1988?

Reigning Defensive POY Maddox Hayles. Alante Reese. Jon Bocchino. Harper Campbell. Uriah West. Nathaniel Krider. The returning core for Niceville's defense, fresh off a campaign where they willed the Eagles to a up-and-down Sweet 16 season, is undeniably stout.

Everyone swarms to the ball. Everyone makes plays. Everyone is bought in. Meanwhile the secondary, a problem area for Niceville last year, has tightened up with additions like Amir Reese.

3. Just how good is the area's running back landscape?

Navarre's Connor Mathews rushed for 1,500 yards (7.2 ypc) and 24 touchdowns in 11 games as a junior. Fort Walton Beach's Eddie Love Jr. rushed for 1,352 yards (8.9 ypc) and 14 scores in 10 games as a junior. Baker's Wyatt Straight rushed for 1,614 yards and 17 touchdowns (6.5 ypc) as a sophomore In the Gators' Wing-T offense. And there's reason to believe there'll be other 1,000-yard backs in the area.

Niceville's West shined in limited touches behind DJ Robinson and DJ Short, both gone to graduation, and he'll have Timberland Smith and Alante Reese competing for RB1 status behind one of the best Eagles' offensive lines ever. Crestview's Patrick Rodgers had 439 rushing yards and seven touchdowns as a freshman despite getting only getting 67 carries, while Destin's Will Bruckner also had 523 yards and eight scores as a junior for the breakout Sharks. Walton senior Peyton Seay (86 carries for 493 yards and three scores) will also step in for Nuke McKenzie, and in Freeport Dylan Louthain rushed for 434 yards and a score as a freshman last year.

Really, every team has a potential 1,000-yard back, and a few have the ability to top 2,000.

4. About that new playoff landscape, what's the best-case scenario for area teams?

While the Metro-Suburban classification brought more parity for the Panhandle, it did not produce Final 4 trips for area programs. And really, outside of Baker's state title run in 2020, the Final 4 is akin to winning a state title in today's transfer-filled climate.

This year, based in the turnover in the area, the transition back to the old method may be a rough one.

In 6A, Crestview and Navarre should be in contention in District 1-6A based on talent alone but, big picture, this ain't the powerhouses of Raider and Bulldog yesteryear. in 5A, Niceville should easily be the District 1 favorite with a stacked defense, offensive line, receiving corps and talent in the backfield, but questions remain about their aerial attack and winning the big game.

In 4A, Fort Walton Beach is still trying to find the right blend of schedule that will produce both regular-season wins and playoff pedigree, while Choctaw is just trying to to reload after the biggest turnover of any area school. In 2A, that District 1 draw against Pensacola Catholic will be brutal for Walton — which loses Nuke McKenzie, Dalton Kolmetz and Jawaun Campbell but returns quarterback Wells Bettenhausen (2,658 passing yards, 35 touchdowns — South Walton and Freeport, but we know Phil Tisa and the Seahawks will be ready to usher in that new stadium.

Meanwhile Destin remains independent out of the playoff race, Rocky Bayou moved out of the FHSAA umbrella and Baker is in rebuilding mode. It's an under-the-radar year for the area gridiron landscape, and that's probably just how area coaches like it.

5. What will the Garrett Bagley-led Navarre Raiders look like?

Jay Walls is irreplaceable. But if anyone were to step in for the man who led the Raiders to a 102-33 record, seven district titles and 10 playoff appearances, it'd be someone who bleeds Raider black, maroon and white. Enter Bagley, who for the last decade has built a weightlifting empire at Navarre, which has won seven girls state titles in the last 12 years, a boys title in 2019 and countless individual titles.

One of those is running back Connor Mathews, who'll be the face an offense missing quarterback Hunter Pfiester (1,917 passing yards, 602 receiving yards, 25 touchdowns) and receiver Terence Marshall (51 catches for 925 yards and nine scores). It's not an ideal situation, but the Raiders return most of their top tacklers in Vinny Villanova (105 tackles, two forced and recovered fumbles), Andre Spence (78 tackles, two interceptions), Josh Wilson (42 tackles, four sacks), Marquez White (64 tackles, two forced fumbles), Ezkiel Gaska (55 tackles, two forced fumbles) and Braxton Barr.

Navarre has always found an identity with its offensive line, special teams and linebacker play, so expect the Raiders to cash in on the weight room and shine in the areas that win ballgames. If history has taught us anything, there's no rebuilding in Navarre, just reloading.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: FHSAA high school spring football preview for the Fort Walton area