Von Keller, Dante Whidbee, run game shine in rout of Niceville
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FORT WALTON BEACH — On a night when Choctaw rushed for 376 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-28 rout of Okaloosa rival Niceville at Joe Etheredge Stadium, several plays could be plucked as the highlight.
Carter Marracco's 59-yard run to paydirt on the opening drive set the tone. Von Keller's 81-yard up the middle was show-stopper, a 14-point swing that occurred just two plays after Niceville dropped a touchdown. And Baker Giles' lofted strike to Ryne Burks for a 26-yard touchdown deserves mention, as does Isaiah Matthews pick-six to make it 28-0 in the first half.
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Yet, on a night when Keller went off for 197 yards and three scores on just 13 carries and Marracco turned five touches into 90 yards and a score, the image of Dante Whidbee breaking six tackles, a pair of ankles and carrying an Eagle into the end zone summed up the dominance Choctaw's O-line and ground game showed to best their northern Okaloosa County rival in convincing fashion.
Whidbee, a senior who ended last year's breakout year by sacrificing his body (and breaking his collar bone) on a 60-yard run in the playoffs, got the handoff 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage at Niceville's 21, shook off a tackler at his shoes and broke a Niceville linebacker's ankles with an inside juke. He then bounced off three tackles at the 10 before an Eagle got hold of his jersey at the 5, his legs never stopped churning as Whidbee carried the tackler 6 yards as he fought off another tackle all the way to the end zone.
"It was a good run," said the humble Whidbee. "I just had to keep moving my feet, make it difficult for them to bring me down. Just basic running stuff."
Yet there was nothing basic about Choctaw's ground game.
The offensive line flexed throughout. Whidbee supplied the muscle, Marracco's speed was untouchable and Keller looked refreshed after ankle and back injuries sidelined him following a 2,000-yard sophomore season. Last week's postponement at district foe Escambia was a blessing in disguise for a Choctaw team that extended itself against a three-game brutal stretch to start the season.
"Probably in hindsight, looking back last week was good for us to be off and let those guys rest," Choctaw head coach Frank Beasley said. "Dante's been dealing with a minor injury, Carter got us started with the scoring early and Von really took off and is finally healthy. Those three guys are really dynamic and our offensive line is starting to play and gel together really well. Coach (Alton) Plott, our offensive line coach, does an outstanding job with those guys and Rhino Burks is becoming a guy in the run game and the passing game that has become an asset, and that's really difficult.
From 0-2 to 2-2, Choctaw is just being Choctaw.
"We always grow," Beasley said. "I don't know what it is, but we came out in July and thought we we were ready to go. Here we go again. We have to grow and we have to do those things and we have to figure ourselves out. I've poked and prodded in what we do in July and fall camp and it just kind of rolls this way. We're getting better, and that's what we want to do is peak week 8, 9 and 10 and get better through district play. That's big for us."
Keller's emergence Friday nightcould be a game-changer for a team already blessed with two No. 1 tailback options.
""A hundred percent back, like my sophomore season I'm back," Keller said. "It's super fun to be a part of this three-headed backfield, it's too much fun. Our offensive line, those guys put in work every day in the weight room and outside sweating their butts off. We had a lot of fun tonight."
The 49 points comes after scoring just 54 points in the first three games. And it was needed against a Niceville team that got 177 passing yards, 84 rushing yards and three touchdowns from Deagan McCoy and 121 yards from four-star Jakobe Gilayard in equaling Choctaw 21-21 in the second half.
Choctaw didn't have to throw, but they did feature three different QBs under center in the win. Giles got the most snaps and looked comfortable, completing 3-of-6 passes for 42 yards and a score and running for three first downs.
"We really look at it like our running back situation," Beasley said. "We spend a lot of time talking to both guys, Isaiah and Baker, about the situation and if we have two good QBs, we'll play two good QBs like we play three running backs."
Choctaw travels to district foe Milton next week, while Niceville hosts district foe Tate.
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Von Keller, Dante Whidbee, run game shine in rout of Niceville