Fleming Island, FL — All apologies to the nine previous running clocks dotting Niceville’s undefeated schedule, but Friday’s triumph was, well, how do you put it? Powerful? Compelling? Electrifying? Transcendent? How about all of the above. Here was 9-2 Fleming Island, fresh off three playoff victories over Tate, Chiles and Atlantic Coast by a collective 86-14 margin of victory. A powerhouse that hadn’t allowed any foe to score 30 points all season. That hadn’t been running clocked. You think Niceville, fresh off a 38-35 double-overtime scare at Buchholz, cared? Nope. The 35-0 lead early in the third quarter seemed to definitively answer that question. Shawn Parker and Roland Clay were putting guys on skates. Trey Wainwright was spinning it. Dom Annichiarico was a goal-line monster. Azareyeh Thomas was, well, being Azareyeh, the man that has Alabama and Clemson fawning. And Niceville’s first-string defense, angry over the 35 points surrendered to Buchholz, couldn’t be scored on. The results is a Final Four bid for the Eagles (11-0), their 35-18 win securing the program’s first region title since 2014 and a date and rematch with Edgewater (7-2) next Friday at Niceville's Eagle Stadium. “We saw closer to the level of play tonight that we’re accustomed to playing,” said Grant Thompson, now 23-1 in his two years at the Niceville helm since taking over for John Hicks. “I’m just so proud of our coaches and players for reaching our goals to play again at Eagle Stadium in late December.” Speaking of goals, before the season Thompson set a few milestones for his Eagles. Host playoff football. Win county in place of the departed district trophy. Win regionals. “In our weight room, winning regions means you get to put a big number on the wall," Thompson said. "The teams that make the Final Four get the big number and the playoff teams get a little number. So that big number was a big goal of ours.” Friday was full of big numbers. Wainwright finished 10-of-14 for 152 yards and three touchdowns, pushing his season total to 35 touchdowns and just three interceptions. And Niceville’s first-string defense — pulled early in the third quarter after Annichiarico’s 1-yard touchdown and Charles Labee’s point after — allowed just four first downs and 141 yards of total offense while forcing three sacks and three interceptions. “The defense just continues to play at a high level, which is awesome,” Thompson said. “That allows our offense to continue to put up points in a variety of ways.” Stat of the Night: 134 Parker had touchdown runs of 7, 40 and 94 yards, yet the latter two — totaling 134 yards — were called back due to suspect holding penalties. Even so, the senior ended the night with 78 yards on nine carries and his 10th touchdown of the season. That gives him 884 yards on the season as he’s just 232 rushing yards away from his second straight 1,000-yard rushing campaign. Thomas felt disrespected. Even after hauling his eighth touchdown of the season on an 11-yard grab in the second quarter to put Niceville up 21-0, the four-star prospect faced single coverage near the goal line. So he took advantage. Thomas made one slant to the outside, shed his man and made a diving catch over his right shoulder in the right corner of the end zone to give the Eagles a 28-0 halftime lead and pad his season total to 14 touchdowns. “They had me at single coverage, so I felt a kinda direspected,” he said. “So coach called the play for me and I made a play for my team.” But he wasn’t done. After the score, Thomas shared a little celebration — a perfectly synced low-five — with his mom, Stephanie, just inside the sideline ropes. “I heard my mom and I was like, ‘Hold up,’ ”Thomas laughed. “Then I looked and she was right there, so I just celebrated with her.” He’d finish with six catches for 63 yards and two scores and another 18 rushing yards, giving him nearly 1,100 all-purpose yards on the season. Defensive MVP: Preston Murphy, Niceville junior Murphy froze for a second, so alone in the backfield and so stunned that the ball had come his way. Fleming Island dialed up a screen on third down on the game’s opening drive, but Murphy didn’t bite on the initial fake and intercepted the gift thrown his way to set up Parker’s 7-yard touchdown. “I don’t think he saw me either to be honest. I kinda caught it and I froze and I was like, (shrug) I got the ball,” Murphy said. It was one of three turnovers for the defense, including a pair of fumble recoveries by Michael Carruthers inside the red zone in the second quarter and Keylon Leno in the third quarter. Every turnover not only led to the coveted hoisting of the Chucky doll, but a Niceville touchdown as well. “It means a lot for this whole defense,” Murphy said of the Chucky momento. “It’s something we’re all motivated for because we want to get the ball back for our offense and set the tone.” As for the shutout by the first-string, Murphy said the bounceback was expected. “I think our defense plays hard and we play smart,” Murphy said. “Coach Martin sets up a good game plan for us and we execute it.” Wainwright on putting up the 2020 Final Four big number in the weight room: “It’s huge because it’s gonna be there forever. When we’re old, we can come back to the stadium and watch our grandkids and whatnot and we’ll see that big number and know that was our year.” Up Next Niceville and Edgewater — both Eagles — is the rematch everyone’s been waiting for. Niceville will look to avenge last year’s 28-20 region finals loss Friday night at 7 at Eagle Stadium. Great Job Eagles 🦅🦅🏈🏈