The Choctawhatchee Indians will face off against the Rickards Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in Choctawhatchee's favor as the squad sits on eight straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Rickards has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.
Choctawhatchee is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing South Walton: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Indians blew the Seahawks out of the water with a 38-6 final score. Considering the Indians have won six matchups by more than 27 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Von'Tavius Keller
| 10/03/25 @ South Walton | 2 |
| 11/22/24 vs Escambia | 3 |
Choctawhatchee's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Von'Tavius Keller, who rushed for 94 yards and two TDs, and Tamen Zabetakis, who rushed for 82 yards on only seven carries. That's the most rushing touchdowns Keller has posted since back in November of 2024.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Choctawhatchee proved: they limited South Walton to a paltry -0.5 yards per carry. The team can thank Ellis Alloway for the heroic effort on defense: he. Choctawhatchee's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 4.45 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 7.93 on average over their last five games.
Choctawhatchee's defense didn't let JD Brown, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for six sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Alloway and Mario Alloway, who racked up four sacks between them. Mario has been hot, having also posted five or more total tackles the last five times he's played.
Meanwhile, Rickards played a tough contest on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were dealt a 56-14 loss at the hands of Bishop Kenny. The game marked the Raiders' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Choctawhatchee's win bumped their record up to 7-0. As for Rickards, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-5.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Choctawhatchee has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 192.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Rickards struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 195.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Choctawhatchee took their victory against Rickards in their previous matchup back in October of 2024 by a conclusive 31-7 score. Do the Indians have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Raiders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
