Choctaw mauls Mosley, 45-19

PANAMA CITY — To this point of the season, the District 2-6A football race largely has filled the void created by the NBA lockout.

The rant is familiar: You only have to pay attention to the final two minutes of a professional basketball game to see the outcome decided.

That wasn’t the case Thursday night at Tommy Oliver Stadium as Choctawhatchee blitzed Mosley 45-19. Still, it was a key two-minute span at the end the first half that really doomed Mosley.

The Dolphins (3-3, 1-2) were leading 13-3 following Daniel Rebstock’s 7-yard burst with 5:53 left in the second quarter. The Indians (5-2, 3-1) took over at their 20 following a touchback on the kickoff.

They responded with a 16-play drive, four times converting on third down and once on fourth down to score on quarterback Luke Clark’s 13-yard TD pass to Chase Whitehead just 1:28 before intermission.

That wasn’t the backbreaker. Mosley fumbled the ball away with 31 seconds showing, and on fourth-and-6 Clark found Phillip Sherman open down the seam for a 28-yard touchdown pass with just 2.8 seconds left.

That helped turn a 13-3 Mosley lead into a 17-13 Choctaw edge in what felt like an eye blink. The Indians never let up from that point, Clark throwing three touchdown passes and Josh LeMay rushing for 189 yards and two long TD sprints.

The victory thrust Choctawhatchee into a frontrunner role in a district that had been frenetic in almost every 2-6A encounter prior to Thursday. The Indians are all but guaranteed one of the two playoff berths at stake, and even with a loss in their district finale would qualify for a shoot-out.

Mosley, now 1-2 in 2-6A, can still stake a claim for the postseason by winning out against Crestview and Navarre, then would face a shoot-out on Nov. 7 as a tie-breaker.

The Indians’ solid offensive line protected Clark and paved the way for 429 total yards. They had their way against a Mosley defense that had been outstanding in its past four games.

On this night, the Dolphins couldn’t make the key stop when needed to get off the field. It seemed that Choctawhatchee took advantage every time.

Early on it looked as though the Dolphins might dictate on their Homecoming. They marched the opening kickoff 76 yards in 10 plays, Ryan Rogers scoring from the 9 behind Cameron Sauls’ block.

LeMay got loose for a 49-yard gain, but the Indians had to settle for Skyler Feckner’s 25-yard field goal, and Mosley went to work again. This time it moved 65 yards, Rebstock and fullback David Craig that key players in the march. Rebstock went in easily from the 7 to make it 13-3.

By the time Mosley converted its next first down of the game, however, Choctaw was in charge 31-13 after scoring on its first two possessions of the third quarter.

Clark got his third TD pass, a 26-yard hook-up with Devin Borders and LeMay went 49 yards untouched with 3:12 still left in the third quarter.

Clark connected with seven different receivers to finish 13-22 for 161 yards. Rogers paced Mosley with 101 yards rushing and Zach Rhodes lofted a 25-yard scoring pass to Nat Dixon for the Dolphins’ final touchdown.

The District 2-6A logjam might begin to break up tonight when Crestview meets Navarre and Fort Walton Beach takes on Niceville.

Then again, just like the NBA, it might take nothing short of mediation to decide which schools move on to the playoffs.