Mike Ridaught
This Friday night’s game between P.K. Yonge and host Santa Fe (Alachua) has been moved to tonight at 7 p.m. due to Hurricane Ian.
Santa Fe won its first game of the year this past Friday with a 14-7 win against visiting Gainesville High.
Junior quarterback James Smith threw his first two touchdowns of the season and senior defensive back Dontrell Jenkins intercepted two passes and added two pass breakups, including the game-winner in the end zone with eight seconds left.
“I knew we had a chance watching the film,” Santa Fe coach Joe Szymanski said on his Monday night coaches show. “We had a lot of kids out so I wasn’t as confident if we were at full strength, but I knew we had a chance because the kids had practiced hard all week. Our kids had been closer and closer playing as a team and doing what we expect them to do so we knew that we had a chance Friday night and we just had to go out and finish the ball game.”
They were able to put an end to a 4-game losing streak and although it isn’t an annual series, it had been decades since the Raiders last defeated the Hurricanes.
The Class 2S Raiders (1-4) have played a tough schedule this season, falling at Newberry (3-1) late in the season opener, followed by a loss in overtime at Lanier (GA).
They also lost at Palatka, which is currently 4-0, and at home to Class 2S North Marion (Citra). The Colts (4-1) just suffered their first defeat last Friday at home to Suwannee (Live Oak).
Meanwhile, P.K. Yonge (0-3), which is loaded with youth, is seeking its first win of the year following a 46-6 loss at Hawthorne this past Friday. The Hornets (4-0), who had their home game moved to Tuesday against Gibbs (St. Pete), are currently ranked third in the state in class 1R by MaxPreps.
Like Santa Fe, the Class 1S Blue Wave have played a tough early schedule including losses to Class 2S Eastside (2-1) and Union County (Lake Butler). The Tigers (3-1) moved up to No. 2 in the 1R rankings following a 45-0 win at Newberry last Friday.
“Our team has done a great job of keeping their focus on our team goals,” said P.K. Yonge coach Kevin Doelling. “We’ve had a tough schedule to start the year and they haven’t let that get them down. As every coach would, I’d like to see us execute better. If we don’t start doing a better job in that regard, the team we line up against doesn’t really matter.”
Both teams will be playing another game within a four-day period.
“It’s definitely not easy, especially after playing a team like Hawthorne the week prior,” said Doelling, whose team will play at Mount Dora Christian on Monday in a weather makeup game. “We’ll end up playing four games in 14 days which is definitely a concern. We’ll continue to do as much rehabilitation as time permits to ensure our boys are physically able and ready.”
On Monday, Szymanski said his staff began breaking down the film of P.K. Yonge over the weekend.
“Luckily, we have a great coaching staff and today (Monday) we went out and we did like a semi kind of install, walk through practice,” he said. “We had a little bit of contact but not a whole lot. We wanted to keep them focused but at the same time we didn’t want to overcoach them and get too much work in today because we have a game tomorrow (Tuesday).”
Doelling said a “better team effort and execution” will be the key for the Blue Wave to get this first victory of the season.
“This game is fun when you get to play freely without overthinking things,” he said. “We’ll win if we fly around with some excitement to play the game and execute in all three phases.”
Coverage of the game can be found online (audio only) at MainStreetDailyNews.com beginning at 6:45 p.m.
The weather has impacted all games in the area, including the Florida-Eastern Washington college football game, which has been moved to Sunday at noon in Gainesville.
The Gainesville High football game at Menendez (St. Augustine) has also been moved to tonight. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.
Here are the updated high school football schedule in Mainstreet’s coverage area.
Tuesday, Sept. 27
Gainesville at Menendez (St. Augustine), 6 p.m.
P.K. Yonge at Santa Fe (Alachua), 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 30
Columbia (Lake City) at Orange Park – rescheduled for Friday, Oct. 7, and moved to Ridgeview (Orange Park), 7 p.m.
Branford at Lafayette (Mayo) – postponed (TBD)
Chiefland at Trenton – canceled
Taylor County (Perry) at Suwannee (Live Oak) – postponed (TBD)
Union County (Lake Butler) at Wildwood (TBA)
OFF – Buchholz, Dixie County (Cross City), Fort White, St. Francis Catholic Academy
Monday, Oct. 3
P.K. Yonge at Mount Dora Christian, 5 p.m.
Bell at Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) 6 p.m.
Oak Hall School at Bronson, 6 p.m.
Eastside at North Marion (Citra), 6:30 p.m.
Newberry at Williston, 7 p.m. – Game will be broadcast on 106.9 FM “I am Country” and online (audio only) at IamCountryRadio.com beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Bradford (Starke) at Keystone Heights, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 4
Gibbs (St. Pete) at Hawthorne, 7 p.m.