- Suwannee beat Gainesville 15-14 after a second-half touchdown and 2-point conversion to improve to 3-0 while Gainesville fell to 0-3.
- Gainesville scored first half touchdown via a 32-yard screen pass from McClellan to Gardner, followed by a 2-point conversion catch by Sy Jones.
- Gainesville will face Lecanto at home in the 4A-District 5 opener while Suwannee will host Palatka next Friday.
On Friday night at Paul Langford Stadium in Live Oak, the Gainesville football team was one half away from earning its first win of the 2026 season.
However, Suwannee’s touchdown on its first drive of the second half and subsequent 2-point conversion gave the host Bulldogs a 15-14 win to improve to 3-0.
GHS, which led 8-7 at the half, fell to 0-3.
“Hats off to Suwannee and the job that they did,” said first-year GHS coach Ashour Peera. “I mean, they fought just as hard. Not taking anything away from them, but we had plenty of opportunities where we could have won the game, and like I said before, we’re still learning how to finish a game, and it takes all four quarters.”
Suwannee took advantage of a bad snap on a punt on Gainesville’s first possession of the game and junior Marco Rojas recovered at the Hurricanes’ 10-yard line.
On the next play, sophomore running back Travon Fead scored from 10 yards out and senior Jace Moran, a University of Florida baseball commit, converted the extra point for a 7-0 lead just over four minutes into the game.
Suwannee’s third possession began on the GHS 36-yard line after the ‘Canes were stopped on fourth-and-4. But Gainesville’s defense held and forced a turnover on downs.
One minute into the second quarter, GHS junior Samuel Warren sacked Suwannee junior quarterback Haigen Johnson for a 7-yard loss, ending another Bulldogs drive in Gainesville territory.
GHS was unable to convert a fourth-and-1 at the Suwannee 32-yard line, but on their next possession, the Hurricanes got on the scoreboard, marching 56 yards on just five plays.
Eastside transfer running back Javaris Gardner ran for eight and 11 yards, and junior quarterback Joshua McClellan added a 5-yard run.
On first down, McClellan connected with Gardner on a 32-yard screen pass down the Gainesville sideline for a touchdown with 2:38 remaining in the half.
“You know you’ve got to be able to set that up, and it took us a while to install and then make it part of our repertoire,” Peera said. “It was just good timing by our offensive coordinator Jason Robinson in sliding that play in, and Javaris did his thing. He reads it right, he’s got good vision, and he knew how to play off of his block and make that play.”
With Gainesville kicker/punter Sebastian Jimenez out of the lineup, GHS decided to go for two.
The Hurricanes made consecutive big plays as McClellan rolled to his right, then threw back left across his body to junior Sy Jones for the 2-point conversion and an 8-7 lead.
“You know he was confident out there,” said Peera, who drove to Jacksonville after the game to pick up Jimenez and his mom from the airport. “We like to see that. We have confidence in him. The thing we tell these guys is, if we weren’t confident in you, we wouldn’t throw you out there or call the play. So, you know he knew we had his back, and he took care of it.”
Suwannee took the lead for good in the third quarter with a 63-yard scoring drive that was set up by a 46-yard pass from Johnson to senior Kamari Lovett.
On second-and-goal at the 11-yard line, Johnson completed the drive with an 11-yard scoring pass to Lovett. Suwannee went for two and Johnson completed the pass to senior wide receiver Ajari Williams for a 15-8 lead with 5:45 remaining in the third quarter.
Gainesville did answer on its next possession, though.
Gardner returned the kickoff 69 yards to the Suwannee 30-yard line, then finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 22 seconds left in the quarter, but McClellan was stopped short on the 2-point conversion attempt.
GHS did force a punt on Suwannee’s next possession when junior Trezon Richardson sacked Johnson for a 4-yard loss.
Four penalties on Gainesville’s final drive led to a punt, and Suwannee took possession with 4:20 left and ran out the clock.
“I was pleased with their performance,” Peera said of his defense, which held Suwannee scoreless in the final quarter. “Only thing that was missing tonight, I believe, were some turnovers. We gave them a turnover. They cashed in on it. That ended up costing us. But both sides, I thought, protected the ball well and executed well.”
Suwannee will host Palatka next Friday, while Gainesville will seek its first win of the season at home against Lecanto at 7:30 p.m. in the 4A-District 5 opener. The game will be broadcast on 106.9 FM “I am Country.”
“I felt we won two of those quarters, and we gave up two, and unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to win the game, but progress was there,” Peera said.
Friday, Sept. 4
Bell 27, Branford 14
Bradford (Starke) 56, Zarephath Academy (Jacksonville) 0
Bronson 14, Halifax Academy (Daytona Beach) 6
Buchholz 49, Eastside 7
Chiefland 49, Crystal River 28
Countryside Christian 32, Shorecrest Prep (St. Petersburg) 12
Newberry 14, Cocoa 13
Columbia (Lake City) 27, Madison County 13
Hawthorne 38, Hernando (Brooksville) 0
Hilliard 49, Keystone Heights 0
Mount Dora Christian Academy 36, P.K. Yonge 6
Oak Hall School 30, Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) 23
Saint Francis Catholic Academy 32, Geneva Classical Academy (Lakeland) 8
Santa Fe (Alachua) 17, Chatfield (Littleton, CO) 0
Suwannee (Live Oak) 15, Gainesville 14
Trenton 43, Impact Christian Academy (Jacksonville) 8
Paxon (Jacksonville) 26, Williston 25
OFF – Dixie County (Cross City), Fort White, Union County (Lake Butler)
