CRESTVIEW — It was as ugly as it was thrilling: a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, seven forced turnovers, a 21-10 football game.
Even if you were a fan of Crestview, who wound up on the latter half of that score, you had to admit the Sept. 5 regular-season matchup with Choctaw was worth the price of admission.
Unless, of course, you consider that the game didn’t matter, aside from filling a Friday night slot on the schedule and a tally in a column labeled ‘L’ or ‘W.’
EXPECT HIGH STAKES, TENFOLD
Choctaw and Crestview were not in the same district last season. As such, no matter the proximity or rivalry that students and fans may have placed on the game, it held no postseason implications.
This is no longer the case, as District 3-6A is now an Okaloosa-exclusive club comprising Crestview, Niceville, Choctaw and Fort Walton Beach.
“I think that’s a good thing, having all local teams in your district,” Crestview coach Tim Hatten said. “I think it makes the rivalry game a little more intense. We always have good games but the stakes are a little higher playing local teams.”
The stakes are now tenfold what they were. Crestview has been in the same district as Niceville as long as Hatten has been coach, so he knows what it’s like to play a game when rivalry meets playoff-altering.
“We always have good games with the local teams,” he said. “The difference now is playing Fort Walton Beach and Choctaw because now those games have so much more meaning than what they had in the past, whereas before it was just a local game.
"We’ve always had a pretty intense rivalry with Niceville … it’s interesting.”
'IT'S GOING TO BE FUN'
The move was lauded by a number of coaches, who noted the schools will save money and time on travel, as they no longer have to travel to Tallahassee or Panama City or, in some cases, even farther, for district games.
Granted, this is just three games per year, and Hatten noted that all four schools will still travel for regular-season games, but that’s on each team’s own accord, not mandated by the state.
Hatten, while pleased with the realignment, was also intrigued by the idea of a potential six-team district with Crestview, Tate, Chiles, Lincoln, Leon and Niceville.
“I would have liked that district as well,” he said. “You can spin it five different ways. I’m glad we have a local district. We were going to play each other anyways. It’ll be good to have more meaning to it. It’ll be interesting. It’s going to be fun.”
Travis Mewhirter is a sports reporter for the Northwest Florida Daily News. Send him an email, contact him on Twitter or call 315-4432.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Rivalries renewed: Crestview's District 3-6A unites Okaloosa quartet