Choctaw, Niceville, RBCS girls enter regionals
Coming off what was a heart-breaking loss to Arnold in last week’s District 2-3A tournament final, Choctawhatchee girls soccer coach Jeff Rynearson wondered about his team’s state of mind prior to Monday’s workout.
On Friday, Choctaw fell short in its bid for the program’s first-ever district title. After taking a 3-1 lead over Arnold, Choctaw allowed three unanswered goals in an eventual 4-3 loss. In the moments that followed, Rynearson said his players “were devastated,” giving some reason for concern as he arrived for the Indians practice on Monday.
“I didn’t know what to expect, (Monday) was the first time I had seen them since the loss,” Rynearson said.
As it turned out, Choctaw showed up to practice with a chip on its collective shoulder, something Rynearson hopes will help carry it to a win in tonight’s Region 1-3A quarterfinal at West Florida.
“Their spirits were good,” Rynearson said. “They seemed very determined and very purposeful in everything we did.”
Choctaw (15-5-2), Niceville (16-3-2) and Rocky Bayou Christian (6-11-2) will enter regional quarterfinal play today hoping it is just the first step in what will turn out to be a lengthy postseason run. All games are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. tonight.
Like Choctaw, the Knights will be forced to travel for tonight’s Region 1-A quarterfinal against Tallahassee Maclay after finishing as the District 1-A runner-up. And, just like the Indians, the Knights are coming off a tough loss, falling to Franklin County on penalty kicks after playing to a scoreless draw in regulation.
Following what he dubbed a “great practice” on Monday, Knights coach Brian Alldredge said Rocky Bayou will once again rely heavily on the stellar play of its defense and goal keeper Christiana Serban.
“We know we’re walking in against a superior opponent, we just have to leave it on the field and try as hard as we can,” Alldredge said.
Niceville will host Tallahassee Chiles at Twin Oaks tonight in its Region 1-4A quarterfinal. Tonight marks Niceville’s 13th-consecutive state playoff appearance.
It didn’t come easy.
Injuries have wreaked havoc with Niceville’s lineup throughout this season, forcing coach Michael Denton to experiment with various lineups and strategies. But it all appears to have fallen into place for Niceville, which breezed through last week’s District 1-4A tournament to capture its 11 th district crown since 2000.
“It’s just been a matter of us trying to figure out what to do,” Denton said. “We’ve had to alter some things and it’s clicking right now at the right time.”
Follow Travis Downey on Twitter: @TravisDnwfdn
