Choctaw battling injuries leading into Catholic game (with VIDEO)

FORT WALTON BEACH — The Choctawhatchee football team is still trying to get over its own Black Tuesday crash.

Black Tuesday in the Choctaw locker room, so named by Indians coach Greg Thomas, signified the Indians’ injury-plagued Green and White scrimmage on Aug. 25 that threatened to unravel their season before it even began.

Choctaw opens the season at 7:30 p.m. Friday at perennial playoff contender Pensacola Catholic (formerly Class 2A, now 2B) and the Indians aren’t exactly bringing their full complement of starters to the battle.

“It’s been kind of rough since it was the last scrimmage before the first game,” senior receiver Justin Savage said. “But we’ve had a lot of underclassmen step up.”

Among the victims of Black Tuesday were starting quarterback Jesse Adams, who’s out five to six weeks with a torn MCL, receiver Zach Morgan, who’s out at least another few weeks, starting running back Freddie Gray, who’s been ruled out of the game this week, and starting linebacker Alec Schubele, who remains questionable for Friday.

Into Adams’ spot steps sophomore Luke Clark, who Thomas said will likely start ahead of junior Arnold transfer Colton Kane at quarterback against Catholic.

“The thing Jesse had that they don’t have is game experience,” Thomas said. “We’re going to have to limit a lot of things and I think we have to be smart as a coaching staff to put them in the best possible situations.”

Improving upon what Thomas saw as a poor showing in a 28-7 loss to Milton in the team’s Kickoff Classic will be a chief priority.

“We put the ball on the ground 10 times combined between JV and varsity last week, and we’re not going to have a chance if we do that,” Thomas said. “I think our kids are kind of embarrassed about last week. I think everybody is ready to get the season started.”