- The weekly high school football broadcasts on 106.9 FM and Mainstreet Daily News enter their seventh and sixth years respectively for the 2026 season.
- Key games include Buchholz versus Vanguard on Aug. 21 and Santa Fe at Newberry, showcasing top teams with playoff ambitions and historic rivalries.
- Notable coaching changes include Ashour Peera at Gainesville High School and Ross Baker at Bradford for the 2026 football season.
It’s funny how things fall into place.
Tonight marks my seventh year broadcasting a weekly high school football game on 106.9 FM “I am Country.” It’s also the sixth year of our weekly high school football broadcasts on Mainstreet Daily News (MDN).
This is my broadcast partner’s, former Gator Hank Rone, fifth year behind the microphone, and this year marks the fourth year since Hank and I broadcast Buchholz’s instant classic on radio at Vanguard (Ocala) in 2022. Reed Rousseau kicked a 37-yard field goal with 14 seconds to play for a 24-21 win at Booster Stadium in Ocala.
Three, two, one go…
Each week we will broadcast a high school football game on radio and a game on MDN (audio only). We are excited to kick off our 2026 coverage in Marion County, along with an Alachua County showdown, as part of our broadcasting two high school football games each week.
Here is a week-to-week look at the schedule.
Friday, Aug. 21
Buchholz at Vanguard (Ocala), 7:30 p.m. (106.9 FM) – The visiting Bobcats (12-2) advanced to their fifth straight state semifinal last year and head into the season with a talented junior class and playoff ambitions. Buchholz has won four in a row in the series after Vanguard won the previous four games and seven of eight. The host Knights finished 9-3 last season, including a 15-13 loss last year, and advanced to the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs.
Santa Fe (Alachua) at Newberry, 7:30 p.m. (MDN) – Join Cam Parker (Play-by-play) and former University of Wisconsin football player/coach Mac McCray (Color) for this Alachua County rivalry and showdown of 2025 FHSAA Class 2A state playoff teams. Last year, the visiting Raiders (7-4) won their first four games of the season to double their total from the previous four seasons combined. The host Panthers (5-6) have won five in a row in the series.
Thursday, Aug. 27
Forest (Ocala) at Eastside, 7 p.m. (MDN) – It’s another Alachua County vs. Marion County showdown as former Gator John Brantley, who won a state title at Trinity Catholic (Ocala), is back at his alma mater with the Wildcats. He’ll return to Gainesville to take on Harold “Gator” Hoskins and the defending district champion Rams from Citizens Field. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since Forest defeated Eastside, 20-18, in 2016.
Friday, Aug. 28
Newberry at Hawthorne, 7:30 p.m. (106.9 FM) – Two years ago was like a heavyweight fight as the Panthers and the Hornets played one of the most physical games of the season. Newberry came up just short of the goal line on a 2-point conversion run in a 28-27 overtime loss to the Hornets, who have won six in a row in the series.
Friday, Sept. 4
GHS at Suwannee (Live Oak), 7:30 p.m. (106.9 FM) – This is the first meeting between the Hurricanes and the Bulldogs since Gainesville’s 21-13 win in 2006. Wins were hard to come by for both teams, who combined for just three wins in 2025.
Buchholz at Eastside, 7:30 p.m. (MDN) – The Bobcats led last year’s game at Citizens Field from start to finish and continued their dominance in the series. Although the Rams closed the gap with a 29-19 loss, it was the 12th straight win in the series for the Bobcats.
Friday, Sept. 11
Lecanto at GHS, 7:30 p.m. (106.9 FM) – The Hurricanes have a new head coach in former UF staffer Ashour Peera. The Hurricanes are taking it quarter by quarter this season. It’s the Class 4A-District 5 opener against the visiting Panthers, who dominated GHS, 42-0, last year for their second straight win in the series.
Thursday, Sept. 10
Miami Northwestern at Hawthorne, 7 p.m. (MDN) – This is the first meeting between the Class 3A state runner-up Bulls and the Rural state champion Hornets. This clash of the titans was originally scheduled to be played at The Villages Charter School on Saturday, Sept. 12, but was moved to Hawthorne because Sept. 12 falls on Rosh Hashanah.
Friday, Sept. 18
Eastside at GHS, 7 p.m. (MDN) – This city showdown has become lopsided as of late. On Senior Night last year, the Rams routed the Hurricanes, 63-0, for their fourth straight win in the series. The ‘Canes were outscored, 174-0, during that stretch. Prior to the losing and scoreless streak, GHS won 13 in a row in the series.
Newberry at Middleburg, 7 p.m. (106.9 FM) – This is the first meeting between the two schools. The host Mustangs, who finished 8-3 last season, are the only Clay County team that has made four straight playoff appearances.
Thursday, Sept. 24
Forest (Ocala) at Buchholz, 7 p.m. (MDN) – The Wildcats make their second trip of the season to Citizens Field. This is the first meeting between the Wildcats and the Bobcats in five years. Buchholz blasted Forest, 75-7, in 2021 as former quarterback Creed Whittemore, Alachua County’s first-ever Mr. Football, accounted for five touchdowns and had 148 yards rushing on only five carries.
Friday, Sept. 25
Dunnellon at Eastside, 7:30 p.m. (106.9 FM) – The Rams escaped with a 16-14 win on the road in 2025. They built a 16-0 lead and held off a furious second-half comeback. In 2024, Eastside had a 14-12 upset win at home against the state-ranked Tigers. This is a key game in Class 3A-District 5 with potential playoff implications.
Thursday, Oct. 1
Buchholz at Santa Fe (Alachua), 7 p.m. (MDN) – This game has been dubbed the “War on I-75.” Buchholz is 8-1 against Santa Fe since 2004. However, this is the first time the Bobcats and Raiders have faced each other on the gridiron since Buchholz’s 52-0 victory on Nov. 5, 2020. Santa Fe is looking to build on its first playoff appearance since that year.
Friday, Oct. 2
Bradford (Starke) at Eastside, 7:30 p.m. (106.9 FM) – The visiting Tornadoes have a new coach this season (Ross Baker) following an 11-2 record and a trip to the Class 2A regional finals last year under former Bradford and current Baker County (Glen St. Mary) coach Jamie Rodgers. They have won the last five meetings against the Rams by an average margin of victory of 27 points.
Thursday, Oct. 8
Santa Fe (Alachua) at Eastside, 7:30 p.m. (MDN) – The Eastside vs. Dunnellon game on 9/25 is likely a district championship elimination game. Santa Fe hosts Dunnellon on Oct. 15, and Eastside travels to North Marion on Oct. 23, so this could be for the 3A-5 title. Eastside overwhelmed Santa Fe, 47-0, in their last meeting to win the district title, but that was three years ago.
Friday, Oct. 9
Trenton at Branford, 7:30 p.m. (106.9 FM) – We step outside our FHSAA coverage for a small school Sunshine State Athletic Association (SSAA) game. Both schools made the FHSAA playoffs last year before joining the SSAA. The visiting Tigers won seven games and made the playoffs for the first time since 2019 under first-year head coach Bryant Frye. Meanwhile, Will Dettor enters his first season with the Bucs, who have won four in a row in the series, including a 30-13 victory last year.
Thursday, Oct. 15
Dunnellon at Santa Fe (Alachua), 7:30 p.m. (MDN) – This Marion County vs. Alachua County showdown has district championship implications. They didn’t compete in the same district last year, as the host Raiders now make the jump from Class 2A to 3A. This is the first meeting between the two programs since Dunnellon’s 26-7 win in Alachua in the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs in 2018.
Friday, Oct. 16
Mount Dora at GHS, 7 p.m. (106.9 FM) – It’s Senior Night for GHS in this battle of the Hurricanes at Citizens Field. Historically, the two programs have never met on the gridiron because they were placed in different geographic regions and classifications. However, now they are in the same district (Class 4A-District 5).
Friday, Oct. 23
Oakleaf (Orange Park) at Buchholz, 7 p.m. (106.9 FM) – It’s Homecoming for the Bobcats, who are tough to be in “The Pit,” as Buchholz coach Mark Whittemore calls it. After a one-year hiatus, this game is back on the schedule as both teams are now in the same district (5A-District 3). Two years ago, the Cardiac Cats advanced to their fourth straight state semifinal with a 25-19 win against Oakleaf in the FHSAA Class 6A-Region 1 Final.
Newberry at Williston, 7:30 p.m. (MDN) – This is the Tri-County Game of the Week. Since 2004, this has been a tight series (Newberry leads 11-10). Last year, Newberry had a 14-0 lead at the half, but the Red Devils scored 15 unanswered second-half points for a 15-14 win. They decided to go for two with 6:41 remaining and held on for the 1-point win.
Friday, Oct. 30
Buchholz at Bolles (Jacksonville), 7 p.m. (106.9 FM) – With the FHSAA’s new Open Division championship in place, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that this game could be for a spot in the top eight. If not, they both are a legitimate threat to win it all in their respective classifications. The Class 5A Bobcats and the 2A Bulldogs split their two-game series in 2021 (Buchholz won 14-7) and 2022 (Bolles won 49-28). Bolles juniors Asher Ghioto and Xander Edwards are among the nation’s top high school football recruits.
Dunnellon at Hawthorne, 7 p.m. (MDN) – The Hornets blanked the Tigers, 26-0, on the road last year during their season-ending eight-game winning streak. Although they missed the playoffs, the Tigers reeled off four straight wins in the postseason to win the Florida Invitational Tournament (FIT) championship for Classes 1A-3A.