Preview: Choctawhatchee Indians vs. Lincoln Trojans
Choctawhatchee has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will challenge the Lincoln Trojans at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Choctawhatchee had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They were the clear victor by a 37-14 margin over Columbia. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as Choctawhatchee just coasted through the last quarter.
Cole Tabb was his usual excellent self, rushing for 156 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.4 yards per carry. Tabb has been hot recently, having posted 100 or more rushing yards the last three times he's played. Isaiah Johnson was in the mix too, providing Choctawhatchee with two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Lincoln got themselves on the board against Matanzas on Friday, but Matanzas never followed suit. They took their matchup at home with ease, bagging a 49-0 victory over the Pirates. Given Lincoln's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 35th, while Matanzas is ranked 191st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Lincoln can attribute much of their success to Christian "deuce" Lawrence, who rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries, and Jashawn Washington, who gained 155 total yards and three touchdowns. Washington was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 51 yards. Another player making a difference was Christian Sims, who threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns.
Choctawhatchee has yet to lose a contest at home this season, leaving them with a 9-2 record. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 0-10 Fort Walton Beach and 3-7 Fairhope (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 44.5% over those games). As for Lincoln, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 9-2 record this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: Choctawhatchee has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 185.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Lincoln struggles in that department as they've been even better at 211.5 per game. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
Choctawhatchee came up short against Lincoln in their previous meeting back in October of 2021, falling 31-21. Thankfully for Choctawhatchee, Perry Fisher (who rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown, and also caught a touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
