Booster Stadium in Ocala has proven to be a tough place to play for the Buchholz football team.
Two years ago, it took a 37-yard field goal by Reed Rousseau with 14 seconds to play to snap a four-game road losing streak against Vanguard.
But on Friday night, the defense and special teams made big plays, and the offense scored 17 unanswered points to lead the Bobcats (1-0) to a 24-7 win on the road and their third straight win in the series.
After a 3-and-out on their first possession, Vanguard was forced to punt the ball from inside its own 20-yard line.
Vanguard punter Jaxson Lee had his punt blocked by junior Chris Johnson and it rolled out of bounds at the 1-yard line.
“Chris has progressed in our defense a lot over the last three years,” said Buchholz defensive coordinator Chuck Bell. “Coming in as a running back who had never really been a defensive specialist for us but after losing all of the guys that we did on the defense last year I thought it was important to put a guy that is one of our elite athletes at safety and so Chris is kind of leading the charge for us in the secondary playing physical, playing fast. That blocked punt set the tone for the first half. Without that blocked punt it’s a lot hairier so Chris played his butt off.”
On the next play, sophomore running back Jasiah Powell punched it in for a 7-0 lead with 9:55 still to play in the opening quarter.
“It’s still a dogfight but that gave us that padding early and that quick score, so yes it definitely helped,” said Buchholz head coach Mark Whittemore, who returned to the sidelines for his second stint on Friday. “Special teams played really well tonight for the Bobcats.”
However, the Knights (0-1) answered, driving 70 yards and scoring on a fumble recovery in the end zone by Nasir Allen to tie the game at 7-7 with 8:28 to play in the first quarter.
Buchholz, which never trailed in the game, turned it over on its next possession but after stopping Vanguard on fourth down at the Bobcats’ 38-yard line, the Bobcats put another score on the board.
They went on a 76-yard scoring drive, which was highlighted by a 29-yard catch by tight end Anthony Sanchez, a Newberry transfer, down to the Vanguard 10-yard line.
On the next play, quarterback Trace Johnson connected with fellow junior wide receiver Justin Williams on a 10-yard scoring pass to give the Bobcats a 14-7 advantage with 3:17 to play in the quarter.
Vanguard failed to convert on a 4th-and-1 and Buchholz put together another long scoring drive which started at their 30-yard line as Williams had receptions of 34 and 13 yards during the possession.
“He’s (Williams) a really, really good player,” said Whittemore. “He’s got an Ole Miss offer so he’s an SEC-caliber player.”
Junior kicker Jay Giunta capped the drive with a 21-yard field goal with 10:04 to play in the half for a 17-7 lead.
Vanguard was able to start one final drive from its own 35-yard line and the Knights got inside the Buchholz 5-yard line with less than 20 seconds to play in the half.
However, Buchholz sacked quarterback Matthew Dial and kept the Knights out of the end zone.
“I can’t say enough about what Chuck (Bell) and his staff, Rob Kade and Reid Fleming, and the rest have done with their guys,” Whittemore said. “It goes without saying we’ve got a walk-on at Florida, we have a premiere player in Myles Graham, runner-up for player of the year, so plugging those type holes with Kendall Jackson and everybody, we’ve kind of managed to raise up a new crop here and hopefully the ’24 season will show that we’re not just a four-year type cycle team that we can make this thing last for a while.”
In the third quarter, with just under eight minutes to play, Vanguard moved the ball into Buchholz territory.
However, Chris Johnson came up big again with a fumble recovery at the 23-yard line.
“Defensively it’s awesome to see us getting stops, getting fourth down stops, getting turnovers,” Bell said. “A lot of people doubted what we would do defensively this year, replacing nine starters, and it seems like our guys are answering the bell.”
Still, down just 10 with 5:39 to play, Vanguard began one last drive at its own 36-yard line.
Once again, the Bobcats made another big play on defense as senior Taylor Carter made a diving interception at the 41-yard line to help put the game on ice.
Buchholz, which ended the scoring on a 7-yard slant pass from Jackson to Newberry transfer Keil McGriff with 2:04 to play, will travel to 4S regional finalist Vero Beach (0-1) next Friday.
Friday, Aug. 23
Buchholz 24, Vanguard (Ocala) 7
Hawthorne 51, Anclote (Holiday) 0
Gainesville 38, Braden River (Bradenton) 7
Eastside 41, Belleview 3
P.K. Yonge 36, Santa Fe (Alachua) 23
Oak Hall 28, Branford 20
Newberry 44 University Christian (Jacksonville) 20
Chiefland 18, Williston 10
Bradford (Starke) 13, Baker County (Glen St. Mary) 7
Union County (Lake Butler) 14, Yulee 13
Bell 34, Trenton 24
Columbia (Lake City) 13, Suwannee (Live Oak) 0
Keystone Heights 29, Interlachen 0
Taylor County (Perry) 20, Fort White 14
Franklin County (Eastpoint) 56, Bronson 8
Lafayette (Mayo) 38, Dixie County (Cross City) 12
Lake Weir (Ocala) 64, Saint Francis Catholic Academy 0