- Buchholz defeated Santa Fe 35-10 with Andrew Whittemore passing three first-half touchdowns to Dominick Harvey.
- Josh Menefee scored two rushing touchdowns in the second half to help Buchholz secure the victory.
- Buchholz's defense limited Santa Fe’s Jasiah Powell to under 10 yards, overshadowing his 167-yard average.
In the return of the “War on I-75” rivalry and a matchup of two unbeaten teams between Buchholz and Santa Fe on Thursday night, the Bobcats once again showed the Raiders who’s the boss in Alachua County.
Junior quarterback Andrew Whittemore threw three first-half touchdown passes to senior wide receiver Dominick Harvey, and junior running back Josh Menefee helped wear down the Raiders in the second half while running for two scores as the Bobcats defeated Santa Fe, 35-10, in Alachua on Thursday night in the first meeting since 2020 for the two schools.
“We were so much more explosive tonight, and we wanted to take those chances,” Buchholz coach Mark Whittemore said. “Hitting Dom (Harvey) on the strike over the middle was really important. We are showing that we can be multiple, that we can run it and throw it.”
After a Santa Fe punt on the opening possession, Andrew Whittemore hit Harvey on the strike across the middle and Harvey broke a few Raiders tackles and waltzed to the end zone for a 71-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Bobcats lead only two and a half minutes into the game.
Santa Fe (5-1) answered that score with one of their own to tie the game 7-all on their next possession. Junior quarterback Gavin Peterson kept the ball on third down and ran into the end zone from 23 yards out to even the game with 3:59 left in the opening quarter.
On its next possession, Buchholz (7-0) converted a fourth-and-5 inside the Santa Fe 10-yard line as Andrew Whittemore found Harvey open on an out route on the right sideline. Harvey caught the pass a yard shy of the first down but dragged tacklers with him into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown and a 14-7 lead.
“We actually threw it short knowing that he would do that,” Mark Whittemore said. “He’s not shedding tackles by just average players; he’s shedding tackles from really good ones. There’s a reason he’s committed to FAU.”
On the next possession, Andrew Whittemore again found Harvey open down the right sideline and he completed a 52-yard touchdown hookup for a 21-7 Buchholz lead.
The Bobcats led 21-10 at the half, but on the opening drive of the third quarter, Andrew Whittemore again hooked up with Harvey on a 60-yard play, setting up Menefee’s first touchdown from seven yards out and a 28-10 advantage.
Menefee’s 14-yard touchdown run accounted for the only points of the fourth quarter and completed the scoring.
Meanwhile, Buchholz’s defense shut down Santa Fe senior running back Jasiah Powell. Powell, who was averaging almost 167 yards a game, was held to under 10 yards by the Bobcats’ defense.
“If you look at the stats, we have gained over 1,000 yards on the ground while our opponents have gained around somewhere in the 200s,” Mark Whittemore said. “That’s something that Buchholz always does. We play really good defense and we run the ball.”
Buchholz travels to Matanzas (Palm Coast) next Friday in a District 3-5A game, while Santa Fe will try to get back on the winning track at Citizens Field against Eastside in a District 5-3A matchup next Thursday.
