Niceville advances to Class 4A state championship

ORLANDO — It isn’t often that a team can turn a state semifinal playoff game into its own exhibition of excellence, but that was exactly what unfolded Friday night at Frank Lough Field.

Niceville scored on six of its first seven possessions, and Roy Finch ran for a pair of touchdowns and a hard-earned 137 yards as the visiting Eagles stamped their ticket to next Saturday’s state championship at the Citrus Bowl with a 34-20 win over Orlando Edgewater.

“I can’t put it into words, I’m stuttering over myself,” Finch said. “We worked so hard this week and had a great focus. We just wanted to play our best.

“We’re coming back to Orlando next week.”

Niceville (13-0) will face Dwyer in next week’s Class 4A state final. Dwyer defeated Armwood 41-15.

Finch may have served as the headliner but there was little doubt Niceville’s 13th win was a total team effort. Niceville’s defense held Edgewater (10-4) to just 92 total yards in a first half that saw the Eagles dominate.

“That was the best game we’ve played defensively all year,” Niceville coach John Hicks said.

After scoring on the fourth snap from scrimmage on a 70-yard touchdown pass from Kyle McDorman to Kody Williams, Niceville took advantage of two costly Edgewater fumbles and a timely defensive stop in a one-sided second quarter.

Following a McDorman interception late in the first quarter, Niceville’s defense stood tall, forcing Edgewater to punt after a quick three-and-out. Niceville’s offense cashed in, marching 86 yards on a grueling 11-play drive that ended when Finch scored his first touchdown of the night on a 32-yard scamper.

Edgewater’s ensuing possession came to an abrupt halt when running back Saun Raigne fumbled and Niceville defensive end Parker Willingham pounced on the loose ball at the Edgewater 25.

Just four plays later, Finch punched it in from 1-yard out to give Niceville a 21-7 lead with 7:52 remaining before half. Willingham made his presence felt once more on Edgewater’s next possession, crashing through for a critical third-down sack that resulted in a loss of 7 yards and forced the Eagles to punt.

Niceville would chew up over 4:30 off the clock in pushing the ball to the Edgewater 8 where Tanner Hansen connected on a 25-yard field goal to give the Eagles a 24-7 lead and seemingly place the cherry on top of what had already been a highly successful second quarter.

But Edgewater muffed the handle on the ensuing kickoff and Niceville’s Hayden Meyer recovered at the Eagles’ 15, leading to an eventual 24-yard field goal as time expired by Hansen that gave Niceville a 27-7 lead at the break.

McDorman finished with two touchdowns, one interception and 135 yards passing.