Buchholz advances to state semifinals behind punishing ground attack

Buchholz's Trace Johnson launches the ball as Bartram Trail defenders close in on Friday.
Buchholz's Trace Johnson launches the ball as Bartram Trail defenders close in on Friday.
Photo by Seth Johnson

Make those two successful bear hunts for the Buchholz Bobcats football program in 2023 and back-to-back region titles.

A rushing onslaught provided by running backs Myles Graham and Quinton Cutler paced the Bobcats to a 37-17 win over Bartram Trail in the Class 4S Region 1 Final, giving Buchholz (13-0) its third-straight regional championship and its third win in two years over the Bears (8-5).

Cutler rushed for 201 yards and two scores, including a 48-yarder to begin the game’s scoring, and Graham added 135 yards and three scores.

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“A two-headed monster,” said Buchholz head coach Chuck Bell. “Thunder and lightning.”

Buchholz's Quinton Cutler runs for a first-half touchdown against Bartram Trail on Friday.
Photo by Seth Johnson Buchholz’s Quinton Cutler runs for a first-half touchdown against Bartram Trail on Friday.

Bartram Trail took a 7-6 lead behind a 63-yard pass from UCF commit Riley Trujillo to Joe Davoli, and a field goal by Liam Padron made it 10-6 with two minutes left in the first quarter. Buchholz’s Jay Giunta added a field goal of his own to make it a one-point game.

Buchholz faced a rare deficit at the half, down 10-9.

“We said the first time against them that we expected a 12-round fight. We got a first-round knockout,” Bell said, referencing his team’s 44-7 win over the Bears in the regular season on Oct. 19. “Nobody’s an instant knockout twice in a row. We knew it’d be a different type of game no matter how prepared we were, no matter how ready to go.”

From there, the Bobcat defense, led by Graham and fellow UF commit Kendall Jackson, stifled the Bears’ dynamic duo of Trujillo and running back Laython Biddle. Bartram Trail was held scoreless until early in the fourth quarter when Trujillo found a wide-open Conner Winn for an 80-yard score.

Between those two scores, Buchholz dominated on the ground after passing miscues. Trace Johnson threw three interceptions and had two touchdown passes called back due to penalties.

Graham put Buchholz back in the lead in the third quarter with a 66-yard rush, and his 48-yard score to begin the fourth quarter gave the Bobcats a 23-10 lead.

He added a 14-yard score, and Cutler iced the game with a 75-yard score.

“We’re just a dynamic duo,” Graham said. “I don’t see any defense stopping us. It’s really our o-line too.”

With the win, Buchholz returns to the Class 4S State Semifinals and will host perennial powerhouse Lakeland (10-3) next Friday night at Citizens Field.

“It’s really special to me, especially to this team group of seniors,” said Jackson, who will now play in his third state semifinal in three years as a starter. “We just want to be able to make our coaches proud, make our people proud.”

Buchholz's D.J. Hicks gets taken down after a reception in the first half against Bartram Trail on Friday.
Photo by Seth Johnson Buchholz’s D.J. Hicks gets taken down after a reception in the first half against Bartram Trail on Friday.

Friday, Nov. 24

Class 4S-Region 1 Final
No. 1 Buchholz 37, No. 3 Bartram Trail 17

Class 2S-Region 2 Final
No. 1 Bradford (Starke) 43,
No. 3 Baker County (Glen St. Mary) 0

Class 1R-Region 3 Final  
No. 1 Madison County (Madison) 17, No. 3 Union County (Lake Butler) 14

Class 1R-Region 4 Final

No. 2 Hawthorne 34, No. 1 Williston 16

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