Gainesville, FL — 10-and-Oh: Niceville wins double OT thriller, advances to region finals. Down 28-21 in the final minute of the fourth quarter against Buchholz and facing fourth-and-9, Trey Wainwright and Azareyeh Thomas got the call: Nike Special. Down 35-28 in overtime, Dom Annichiarico got the call on fourth-and-goal: Heavy Package. Tied at 35, Charles Labee got the call on fourth-and-goal: 28-yard field goal. Up 38-35, Niceville’s defense got the call: Deliver a stop. Niceville’s electric, sensational, clutch victory at Buchholz — a 38-35 Region 1-7A semifinal triumph that had coaches and players spilling onto the field after the Bobcats’ game-tying field goal sailed wide right — wasn’t because a two-way star destined for Alabama or Clemson or wherever he chooses made THE Play of the Year. It wasn’t because the program’s record-holder with touchdowns in a game did what he’s done all season. It wasn’t because a defense with four shutouts on the year bent but never broke, putting its ego aside when everything seemed to go wrong against a Division I-laden offense. (17) passes during the Niceville vs Milton football game at Milton High School on Friday, Oct. 30, 2020. It wasn’t because Wainwright and his 79% accurate left arm threw his 30th and 31st touchdowns of the year, or Dramarian “Juice” McNulty delivered an interception and receiving touchdown. It wasn’t because Nathan Stepp, T.W. Key and Labee were in perfect harmony for five must-have extra points and the game-winning field goal in the second overtime. It wasn't one single component. It was many. Together, now 10-0 and bound for the region finals for the second straight year, Niceville is among the eight best teams in the state because there’s trust. Trust in the process. Trust in sharing the same goals. Trust that, even in adversity, everyone can be called on to deliver. “It’s that next-play mentality,” said 6-foot-5 left tackle and defensive end Austin Firestone, who couldn’t even walk after the game after playing 100-plus snaps. “You never know if it’s going to be to the fourth quarter, first overtime, second overtime, third overtime — you’re going to rely on the guy next to you and he’ll make a play.” Friday affirmed that. It also affirmed that, yes, despite all the critics questioning if the Eagles’ endurance because of the nine consecutive running clocks, Niceville is a four-quarter — and overtime — team. “The Flyin' N is here for four quarters, baby,” Niceville coach Grant Thompson told his team in the post-game huddle. “That is the mark of a championship team — when you get the dub, and you don’t play your best. “Let’s go!” He’s right. During a year where they outscored their first nine opponents on average by a 50-11 margin, the Eagles looked a bit jet-lagged. And for the first time all year they trailed in the fourth quarter, 28-21, amid a roller coaster ride. Shawn Parker’s 16-yard touchdown run — his 10th of the year — put the Eagles up 7-3 and Thomas’ 65-yard touchdown run later staked the Eagles to a 14-6 lead, yet Buchholz (8-2) had an answer every time. After tying the score at 14-all on a 40-yard Quan Lee touchdown grab from sophomore quarterback Creed Whittemore, Whittemore and Lee hooked up for a 3-yard touchdown for a 21-14 Bobcats lead. Following a Wainwright 44-yard touchdown to McNulty, Smith capitalized on a 60-yard Lee punt return with a 3-yard score for a 28-21 lead with 7:17 left. Enter Thomas — and a clutch defense — with the heroics. With Niceville facing fourth-and-9 at Buchholz’s 36 and the clock hitting 59 seconds on the snap, Wainwright rolled to his left and felt the pass rush. But that was the plan, Thomas wide open on the on the right side. “It’s fourth down, the game’s on the line and I saw him open, so I just didn’t want to miss him,” Wainwright said. He didn’t. Thomas busted up the sideline, broke a tackle and cut back to his left, a sea of green grass in front of him. One final stiff arm propelled him into the end zone with 41.1 seconds left, Labee’s chip shot knotting the score at 28 to send the Eagles into overtime. “We work on that play in practice and we knew if it’s going to be a fourth quarter game, we’re going to go right to that play,” Thomas said. “I saw they all shifted right and I just stuck my foot in the ground and took it to the house. In practice we work on that stiff arm drill, so I just put it to use.” “He got the first down and I thought he’d go down,” added Wainwright, “but he just kept running and breaking tackles and eventually scored. It was awesome.” What’d you see, coach? “When you give the ball to Azareyeh, special things happen,” Thompson said. McNulty had no doubt in co-offensive coordinators David Hedges and Adron Robinson and his teammate. “It was the perfect play call and Azareyeh did what he’s supposed to do,” McNulty said. Yet in overtime, Buchholz’s Terrell Jackson took the wind out of Niceville’s sails with a 10-yard touchdown run — his first of the season — on a reverse. In stepped Annichiarico in the Heavy Package after Wainwright delivered a 6-yard run on second down to the 3-yard line. The 6-1 wall of muscle took the first handoff to the goal line, then punched it in on fourth down to set up Labee’s equalizer to force a second overtime. “I just knew I had to follow my blockers,” said Annichiarico, who has 11 scores on the season. “I had faith that the hole would be there and nothing was going to stop me from scoring for my team.” Come second overtime, though, Niceville got the ball first and Wainwright was sacked for the fourth time in the game. Pushed back to the Bobcats’ 11 yard line on fourth-and-goal, in stepped Labee. “I trust Nathan and (Key) with all my heart,” Labee said. “They’re phenomenal, so the only thing I know to do is to do my job and put my team in the best position to win.” Labee crushed it. Literally. “I thought I smashed it, honestly,” Labee said. “I knew it was good when it came off my foot.” Stepp, Labee's holder, wasn’t nervous. “It was a good snap, it was a good ball and Charles crushed it,” he said. “We just approached it like we approach every kick.” But the defense, after allowing 35 points, still had to deliver a stop. A stalled run up the middle, a short pass, a loss on an RPO play and two penalties pushed the Bobcats outside the 10, and the game-tying kick ultimately sailed wide right. “We was gonna do whatever we needed to do to stop them,” McNulty said. “They weren’t scoring.” “We fell down like two times and we got right back up and stopped them,” Thomas added. “We just said, ‘Let’s go win.’ ” That they did. Now get the buses ready. A trip to Fleming Island (10-2) awaits. STAT OF THE NIGHT: 299 That’s the miles — excluding rest stops and detours — listed on the itinerary to travel from Niceville High to Milton Lewis Stadium. Sure, it’s an easy drive spent mostly on Interstate 10 and Interstate 75, yet the nearly 600-mile round trip collectively doubles Niceville’s road trips to Choctaw, Milton, Pace and Crestview earlier in the season. Niceville showed a little jet lag early, but it got better as the night progressed, proved its endurance and proved in a season of routs that, yes, it can handle a deficit and a dose of adversity. OFFENSIVE MVP: Azareyeh Thomas, Niceville Who else? Thomas scored his seventh receiving touchdown on the aforementioned 36-yarder and fifth rushing touchdown on a 65-yarder up the right sideline. He ended the night with 200-plus all-purpose yards to push him over the 1,000-yard mark on the season. DEFENSIVE MVP: Justin Hendrix, Niceville In a sea of MVP-esque performances, Hendrix was that dude Friday. The senior middle linebacker pressured Whittemore, made tackles in the backfield, didn’t allow anything over the middle and was integral to three stands in the red zone, including the clincher in second overtime. He’s been an unheralded cog to Niceville’s defensive machine this season, proving more and more that Niceville’s depth is nearly as integral as its sheer star power. QUOTABLE “We’re all playing for the same goal, all for the Flyin’ N,” Labee said. “That goal is what we’ve been talking about all year and I think tonight you saw us all come together and synergize.” UP NEXT Niceville (10-0) travels to Fleming Island (10-2) on Friday for the Region 1-7A finals. 🏈🏈💰💰🏈🏈🦅🦅