5 takeaways from Mosley's thrilling upset win over Niceville

The Dolphins improved to 7-0 on the season after defeating their rivals for the second straight season

Mosley plays Navarre at Tommy Oliver Stadium in Panama City, Sept. 12, 2024. Mosley won the game, 36-7. (Tyler Orsburn/News Herald) / Tyler Orsburn/News Herald / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA- Mosley head coach Tommy Joe Whiddon must be a pretty good poker player, because he never showed his hand through the first six games of the regular season.

That was up until Friday night's showdown against rival Niceville. Then, he decided it was time to show all of his cards.

Whiddon unleashed Lo'Kavion Jackson against Niceville, with the Mississippi commitment rushing for 266 yards and scoring five touchdowns in a 37-28 victory at Tommy Oliver Stadium.

High School On SI Florida was on hand for the contest and gives you five takeaways from the Dolphins' victory over the Eagles:

Heading into the mega matchup of Florida Panhandle powers, usage of arguably Mosley's top player in Lo'Kavion Jackson beyond playing safety came into mind for Dolphins' head coach Tommy Joe Whiddon. It came placing the athlete in the backfield next to quarterback Sammy Freitas. Jackson scored on multiple touchdown runs in the first half and continued his run making big plays in the latter two quarters as well. The Mississippi State commitment looked ever bit the part of being one of the top players in Northwest Florida. Jackson's final line, unofficially, was 14 carries for 266 yards and five touchdowns. Also played a major role on defense as well.

2. Dolphins' front seven slowed down Niceville's Connor Mathews

.@MosleyDolphinFB defense standing tall here on Niceville’s first possession pic.twitter.com/ggvSH49A96

— Andy Villamarzo (@Andy_Villamarzo) October 12, 2024

Talk about the kind of defensive job Mosley's front seven was able to do against one of the Florida Panhandle's top running backs in Connor Mathews. The Dolphins were able to limit the UMass commitment to just eight carries for 46 yards on the night. By far was the lowest production Mathews has had this season

3. Niceville's Johnny Lewis Jr. showed off elusiveness

Niceville responds as @JohnnyLewisJr16 scores on this 42-yard scamper to pay dirt @Niceville_FB 14, @MosleyDolphinFB 13, 2nd Q 4:42 #flhsfb @SBLiveFL pic.twitter.com/eagOshdITM

— Andy Villamarzo (@Andy_Villamarzo) October 12, 2024

We knew heading in that Johnny Lewis Jr. would play some kind of role in this game and the dual-threat quarterback did so more so as a runner for Niceville. One of Lewis' best plays on the night came on a quarterback keeper play, in which the senior bolted up the right sidelines, 42 yards to pay dirt. Niceville kept the Mosley defense off balance between switching in and out Lewis and Kane Lafortune at quarterback. Seeing what kind of dynamic Lewis, who finished with 132 yards rushing, brings to the offense makes the Eagles that much more dangerous.

4. Mosley earned themselves a seat at the state table

Tommy Joe Whiddon, Mosley’s head football coach, addresses his players after the Navarre game at Tommy Oliver Stadium in Panama City, Sept. 12, 2024. Mosley won the game, 36-7. (Tyler Orsburn/News Herald) / Tyler Orsburn/News Herald / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Once the latest rankings roll out come Tuesday morning, we have a feeling Mosley will be a team, along with another club on the night, making its debut in the High School On SI Top 25 Florida high school football rankings. We address this ahead of time because the Dolphins showcased another dimension to their game. A dangerous one at that in Jackson, a future Power 4 level player that will be difficult to stop for just about any defense. Seeing this Mosley team up close and personal, Jackson along with quarterback Sammy Freitas, who himself rushed for 103 yards, makes for arguably the best tandem of any backfield in the 850.

5. East Carolina commit Eddie Love Jr. playing some defense was a nice surprise

.@EddieLove22 (@ECUPiratesFB commit) on the pass breakup here pic.twitter.com/ZFWO0fjxK5

— Andy Villamarzo (@Andy_Villamarzo) October 12, 2024

Who would've thought we'd see the running back play more time in the defensive backfield than the offensive one? Eddie Love Jr. has returned to the lineup, but coach Thompson had a little surprise for Mosley as he threw the running back out on defense to play cornerback. Playing in the defensive backfield paid off throughout as Love kept tabs on Carson Griffin, making a couple pass breakups along the way. To think that we'd see Love playing a lot more on defense than offense definitely was something we didn't think we'd see at any point in the season.

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl