In their run of four straight trips to the state semifinals, the Buchholz Bobcats haven’t always won their district title.
One of the 21 seniors honored on Thursday night at Citizens Field, Justin Williams, made sure there was no doubt who the Class 6A-District 3 champ would be in 2025.
UF commit Williams had four touchdowns and Buchholz jumped out early and never looked back in pummeling rival Bartram Trail (St. Johns), 50-16, to clinch the 6A-3 title for the Bobcats and win their seventh game in a row.
Williams scored three of his touchdowns in the first 12:45 of the game. First, he took a jet sweep 29 yards to the end zone for a 7-0 Bobcats lead with 8:26 left in the opening quarter.
After Bartram Trail (2-7, 1-2 3-6A) went three-and-out, Buchholz (8-1, 3-0) again drove right down for another score, as this time sophomore quarterback Andrew Whittemore found Williams wide open for a 15-yard touchdown. The extra point wasn’t attempted and Buchholz led 13-0 with 3:39 left in the opening period.
After the Bears again went three-and-out, Buchholz again marched right down to another Williams score, this time a 13-yard run straight up the middle, and the Bobcats led 20-0 45 seconds into the second quarter.
“Despite their (Bartram Trail’s) record, we were truly pretty nervous about playing them,” Buchholz coach Mark Whittemore said. “They have some pretty good players and it’s a rivalry game and you know how those can be.”
But Buchholz made sure there was no doubt about their fifth straight win over the Bears. After a Bartram Trail field goal made it 20-3, a long kick return set up a short drive finished off by a five-yard run by sophomore Josh Menefee, increasing the lead to 27-3. Buchholz led 30-3 at the half.
In the second half, Williams added a 16-yard score in the third quarter. Andrew Whittemore threw for and ran for a touchdown and the Buchholz defense intercepted three passes by Bartram Trail quarterback Coleson Baum in the second half.
“We had two weeks to prepare for them, so you saw some efficiency on both sides of the ball,” Mark Whittemore said. “That was our biggest game offensively of the year.”
Andrew Whittemore continued his improved play at the quarterback position, with three total touchdowns and no turnovers.
“Andrew Whittemore grew up and made some significant strides tonight,” Mark Whittemore said. “As a coaching staff, we had hopes that he would be where he is right now, and believed he had the tools physically and mentally to be there, and sure enough, things have worked out.”
High School Football Scores
Thursday, Oct. 23
Buchholz 50, Bartram Trail (St. Johns) 16
Williston 15, Newberry 14
Friday, Oct. 24
Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) at Bell, 7 p.m.
Bronson at Christ’s Church Academy (Jacksonville), 7 p.m.
First Coast Christian (Jacksonville) at Cornerstone Academy, 7 p.m.
Hawthorne at Melbourne Central Catholic, 7 p.m.
Keystone Heights at Palatka, 7 p.m.
North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville) at Oak Hall, 7 p.m.
P.K. Yonge at Trinity Catholic (Ocala), 7 p.m.
Saint Francis Catholic Academy at Countryside Christian, 7 p.m.
Vanguard (Ocala) at GHS, 7 p.m.
Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) at Suwannee (Live Oak), 7:30 p.m.
Moore Haven at Trenton, 7:30 p.m.
Clay (Green Cove Springs) at Columbia (Lake City), 7:30 p.m.
Fort White at Hamilton County (Jasper), 7:30 p.m.
Hudson at Union County (Lake Butler), 7:30 p.m.
Lafayette (Mayo) at Branford, 7:30 p.m.
North Marion (Citra) at Eastside, 7:30 p.m.*
Santa Fe (Alachua) at Bradford (Starke), 7:30 p.m.
West Nassau (Callahan) at Dixie County (Cross City), 7:30 p.m.
OFF – Chiefland
*at Santa Fe High School (Alachua)
