The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) football playoffs are still five weeks away from this Friday (Nov. 8), but there are two area teams who have a legitimate chance to finish the regular season unbeaten.
Rural teams Chiefland and Union County (Lake Butler), who play each other this season, and Class 2A Bradford (Starke), are all 5-0 heading into the second half of the season.
All three are highly ranked in the FHSAA’s first football rankings, which were released last Monday. The final rankings determine playoff seedings.
Bradford is ranked No. 1 in 2A with a rating of 19.366, followed by Taylor County (Perry), which travels to Chiefland next week, with a rating of 16.119.
Union County is second in the rural classifications (13.357) behind Jay (16.381). Chiefland (10.127) is ranked fifth and just one spot ahead of two-time defending state champion Hawthorne (9.164).
When Chiefland football coach James Corbin stepped down at the end of last season, that opened the door for Adam Gore to return for his third stint with the Indians.
So far, so good.
Following a season-opening 18-10 win at home against Williston, which had consecutive undefeated regular seasons, the Indians have yet to lose.
Chiefland (5-0) is unbeaten so far thanks to a combination of its running game and its defense.
The Indians are averaging 39.8 points per game and allowing just 6.0 ppg.
“I think we have been successful because we do not rely on one running back to get us the yards we need,” Gore said. “We have a couple of different guys that have been the leading rusher for us on different nights. That balance has been key for us. Our offensive line has clearly gotten better also.”
As a team, Chiefland is averaging 252 yards per game and 8.9 yards per carry, led by junior Demorri Sweet with 338 yards on 34 carries, and followed by senior Osten Jones with 248 yards on 25 carries, and junior Jon Adams with 225 yards on 17 carries.
Sweet and Jones lead the Indians with five rushing touchdowns each.
Meanwhile, the defense has pitched three shutouts this year through five games.
“We have a talented defensive line and that really is the strength of our defense,” Gore said. “We also have guys that are really coachable and trust the process. Playing physically with lots of effort is something we pride ourselves on.”
Last week’s game against Trenton was canceled due to Hurricane Helene, leaving the Indians with just four games left on the schedule.
Chiefland is at Dixie County (Cross City) this week. The host Bears are just 2-3 this year, but they edged the Indians, 19-18, last October.
They host 5-0 Taylor County on Oct. 11, followed by a trip to Keystone Heights on Oct. 18.
“I think the guys are happy to see hard work paying off,” Gore said. “We constantly preach not being complacent though. The first five games do not determine how the next five will go. We have to continue preparing and playing to our standard and let the wins or losses come as they will. Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure.”
If the Indians win their next three games, it could set up a regular-season finale between undefeated teams, assuming Union County wins out.
The Tigers, whose game against Paxon (Jacksonville) was scratched due to the storm (see editor’s note below), made a statement with a 46-19 win at home against Fort White on September 20.
They have outscored their five opponents, 162-32, along with three shutouts like the Indians.
Union County, which is led by sophomore Drew Simmons (126.8 yards rushing per game), also has a matchup of undefeated teams hurdle this week when the Tigers host 6-0 Zarephath Academy of Jacksonville at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Bradford stayed unbeaten with a 40-0 win against Keystone Heights on Wednesday in a 2A-District 5 game thanks to senior quarterback Zack Paulk’s three first-half touchdown passes.
It was the first shutout of the season for the Tornadoes, who are allowing just 8.2 ppg and are led by senior Jeremiah McKenzie (7.5 tackles per game).
The Tornadoes, who were in the Class 2S state championship game last year, were able to overcome homecoming distractions and a short week due to the storm.
“The success we’ve been able to have the last couple of years — we’ve talked to them about that a lot and about what can keep it going,” Rodgers told the Bradford County Telegraph. “There are so many distractions for young people. It’s not like it was 20 years ago. Everybody’s got cell phones. Everybody’s got social media platforms.
“It’s just hard. It’s hard to keep a group focused all the time. We’re not perfect at it, but our guys do a good job.”
Braford, which will host Palatka this Friday in another key district game, could play Newberry for the district title next Friday night. The Panthers (2-2, 1-0) play at Palatka tonight at 6 p.m.
Next Friday’s game should be the final hurdle to get over if the Tornadoes want to go undefeated during the regular season for the second consecutive season. Last year Bradford finished with program-record 14 wins.
Two years ago, Bradford lost its regular season finale at Suwannee (Live Oak), 10-7, but the Tornadoes won three straight games before falling to Cocoa in the 2S state championship game.
Editor’s note: Per Coach Adam Gore on 10/1, Chiefland’s superintendent is trying to ensure the game against Trenton gets played. He has spoken to the FHSAA and they have proposed some dates to Trenton for a makeup game.