On May 4th, the Chiles flag football team (16-2) beat Niceville (16-3) with a final score of 21-7 at Stan Goldstein field in Tallahassee to advance to the regional finals of the FHSAA 3A regional finals.
Chiles High School opened its FHSAA 3A regional semifinal with an early spark, taking a 7-0 lead on a double-pass touchdown to Kaitlyn Fagan with 6:30 left in the first quarter, followed by a successful one-point conversion run by Kendall Sadberry. The defense immediately backed it up with a critical fourth-down stop late in the opening quarter to keep Niceville off the board heading into the second.
Momentum continued in the second quarter when Charlotte Reynolds intercepted a pass for Chiles, setting up another quick score as Sadberry punched in a rushing touchdown to make it 14-0. Niceville responded later in the quarter with a passing touchdown to cut the lead to 14-7, but Chiles regained control right after halftime when Sadberry added another rushing score to push the lead to 21-7. Defensively, Sadberry also came up big with an interception in her own end zone to prevent a Niceville scoring chance, and Chiles sealed the game despite a late fourth-quarter interception, holding on for the 21-7 win and a trip to the state championship.
Stats
Sadberry led the way with 124 passing yards and added two rushing touchdowns, finishing as the central dual-threat option for Chiles. The passing game was spread across multiple targets, with senior Kaitlyn Fagan providing the biggest impact through the air, recording 62 receiving yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Ellis Smeltzer also contributed a passing touchdown, while the offense finished with 194 passing yards and 51 rushing yards, consistently moving the ball and capitalizing in key scoring situations.
Defensively, Chiles controlled the game with pressure and playmaking, holding Niceville to just seven points while forcing two interceptions. Sadberry added a pick on top of her offensive production, and senior Charlotte Reynolds returned an interception for 25 yards to swing momentum. The defense totaled 24 flag pulls and limited explosive plays throughout the game, with multiple players contributing pass breakups and steady containment.
With this win the Timberwolves will face off against the top seeded Ponte Vedra (16-0) in the regional finals looking to give the Sharks their first loss of the season. That game will be held in Ponte Vedra on May 7th.
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