High School

Mosley earns a seat at the playoff table after a big rivalry win over Niceville

The Dolphins wrapped up winning the Class 5A, District 1 title and the team guarantees a playoff spot this fall

Andy Villamarzo

Mosley plays Niceville at Tommy Oliver Stadium in Panama City, Fla., Oct. 11, 2024. Mosley won the Class 5A-District 1 championship game, 37-28. (Tyler Orsburn/News Herald)
Mosley plays Niceville at Tommy Oliver Stadium in Panama City, Fla., Oct. 11, 2024. Mosley won the Class 5A-District 1 championship game, 37-28. (Tyler Orsburn/News Herald) / Tyler Orsburn/News Herald / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

PANAMA CITY- When the clock hit all zeroes on Friday night after Mosley's 37-28 victory over rival Niceville, you couldn't tell this was a Dolphins' team that viewed this as just another game.

It was much more than that and then some.

Looking back at it, Mosley was looking for some validation from not only the rest of Northwest Florida, but the rest of the state after reading what many had to say about their opponents, the Eagles. From Niceville being the top team on the Florida Panhandle to crowning them Class 5A, District 1 champions, Mosley had plenty of bulletin board material at its disposal.

Defeating Niceville meant so much more because last season's 29-28 win to some may have looked like some kind of admiration because of how each of the program's 2023 finished. Mosley made sure they put an exclamation mark on what is a season defining win over a very good Niceville bunch.

Mosley head coach Tommy Joe Whiddon had to calm his team down after the game and remind them that it could be the first of multiple meetings with Niceville.

"I don't want to disrepect anyone else in our region. There's good teams out there," Joe Whiddon said. "Obviously we feel confident about our team and we have a lot of respect out there for (Niceville).

Obviously if we get a chance to play them again, both teams are in a good spot and it'll be a big game. We're going to stay in the moment and take it one game at a time. Just what this win means for us and our program and where we're trying to go. This was a big game for both of us. We circled this game back in January. I'm proud of our team, proud of our program from where we've brought it from. What a night."

The history behind Mosley's football program isn't a long list of deep playoff runs, but rather a shorter one. The Dolphins arguably best team in program history is the 1981 club that finished as a state runnerup. Since then, two region final appearances and a couple second round exits.

A big reason why that could very well change this fall is the play of senior two-way star Lo'Kavion Jackson, who was a major reason why Mosley upended Niceville on Friday night.

The Mississippi State commitment, ranked a 3-star safety per 247Sports, rushed unofficially for 266 yards on 14 attempts, scoring five touchdowns. Having one of the top two-way players in the state is a nice luxury for the Dolphins to have as they clinched a playoff berth after winning the Class 5A, District 1 crown.

Jackson is a secret no more for opponents moving forward, but Joe Whiddon knew he had a weapon to bust out on offense against Niceville.

"We knew" Joe Whiddon said about his secret weapon in Jackson. "If you have been to our games, you saw it. We have him stuffed in our back pocket, waiting for a night like tonight. To me, he showed why he's the best player in Northwest Florida. (Jackson) was dominant on both sides of the ball. The offensive line did great."

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

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Andy Villamarzo
ANDY VILLAMARZO

Andy Villamarzo has been a sports writer in the Tampa Bay (FL) Area since 2007, writing for publications such as Tampa Bay Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Suncoast News, Tampa Beacon, Hernando Sun to name a few. Andy resides out of the Tarpon Springs, FL area and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in the summer of 2022 covering the Tampa Bay Area. He has quickly become one of Florida's foremost authorities on high school sports, appearing frequently on podcasts, radio programs and digital broadcasts as an expert on team rankings, recruiting and much more.

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