Santa Fe football dedicated to getting better

The Santa Fe (Alachua) football program turned a corner in 2025.

Under first-year head coach Earnest Graham, the Raiders won seven games and advanced to their first state playoff appearance since 2020.

“It was really just a culture shift really from Coach Graham coming in, and just the belief of all the guys being willing to come in every day, early mornings, late nights, and just putting in the work consistently, and really believing that we could be that team that can be a playoff team,” said senior defensive end Cole Chong-you.

That’s a far cry from a 2-37 record since 2021 prior to Graham’s arrival.

“It was an exciting year, man,” said offensive coordinator Karl Harmon. “For Santa Fe, big turnaround, community involvement, community support, just really putting down our game plan and figuring out what we’re going to do each week was just a blessing. Everything came together wonderfully, and results are out there on the field.”

Those results showed up immediately as Santa Fe raced out to a 4-0 start.

“I think it was just one of those years where we were coming out trying to prove to ourselves that we could play good football, just kind of readjusted some structure and some discipline into the program, and we just went out and competed every week, only your best every week,” said defensive coordinator Jason Powell.

With seven starters returning on offense and eight returning on defense, the Raiders are poised for another postseason appearance.

The offense should have a chance to put up even more points this season after averaging 28.7 points per game.

Powell’s son, Jasiah Powell, returns for his senior campaign after rushing for 1,353 yards (6.6 yards per carry) with 18 touchdowns as a junior and was named a big school first team All Area selection.

At 5’10, 215 pounds, he is tough to bring down, but there is one thing that he has done to improve his game.

The offense got a boost when quarterback Gavin Peterson transferred in from Bartram Trail (St. Johns).

“He’s really good, explosive,” said Dantre Little (5’10, 168), an athlete who played quarterback during their playoff game.

Peterson (6’1, 170) is the son of former Gator and Santa Fe star Mike Peterson Sr., and he is the nephew of Adrian Peterson, a Raiders alum who went on to play at Georgia Southern.

Both played in the NFL.

The rising junior threw for 850 yards and ran for another 891 yards with 10 touchdowns as a sophomore at Bartram Trail.

The offensive line returns four starters, including strong tackle Oscar Leon (6’4, 300).

Defensively, the Raiders allowed 18 points per game last season, including 20 or more points six times, but Jason Powell said the “defense should be pretty good.”

Cole Chong-You (6’ 225), an honorable mention All Area selection, will help anchor the defensive line after leading the Raiders with 10 sacks last season.

In the secondary, Elon James returns at free safety.

“He’s probably going to play some cornerback and safety this year for us,” Jason Powell said.

Plus, Braylin Jones is back

“He’s probably our best defensive player on the team,” Jason Powell said on Jones. “He can play on each level, the D-line, linebacker; he can play as safety if we need him to, so he’s our hybrid guy that we can do different things with each week.”

They will also have one of the best kickers in the area in Mayer Steen, who was 33-of-36 on extra points and 8-for-8 on field goals, including a long of 47 yards.

The bar has been raised, and last year’s success has helped restore the standard for Raiders’ football.

“I think it helped get the community back believing in what we were doing or what we were trying to do, and what Santa Fe football has been in the past,” said Jason Powell. “It helps the local kids want to stay in Alachua at Santa Fe High School, looking forward to something when they are growing up.”

Santa Fe moves up to Class 3A-District 5 and will compete with Belleview, Dunnellon, Eastside and North Marion (Citra) for a district title.