Last night the high school football season officially got underway for a handful of teams in the area.

It was a dress rehearsal of sorts for most as Kickoff Classics are underway.

The defenses dominated in Buchholz’s 7-2 win at Spruce Creek (Port Orange).

The Bobcats, who advanced to their third straight state semifinal last year, welcomed the return of head coach Mark Whittemore for his second stint.

“This was obviously a defensive struggle but that’s a positive thing,” Whittemore told Charles Jones, founder of Central Florida Preps “You want to start off the year playing great defense frankly. If we would have run all over the place it’s kind of scary thinking about the future. Usually, you want your defense to start off strong.”

Last year Spruce Creek finished 7-4 with a loss to eventual state semifinalist DeLand.

“Spruce Creek and Buchholz are very comparable from a talent standpoint this year, I believe,” Whittemore said. “It really showed that both of our defenses played quality football. They (Spruce Creek) played really good football in the secondary, they came off the ball up front really well, and I think we did the same thing, so it was kind of tit for tat when it came to both offenses going against some really scrappy defenses.”

Adam Gore returned to the sidelines for his third stint at Chiefland and led the Indians to a 38-7 win at home against Crystal River.

The Indians jumped out to a 32-0 lead at the half and were never tested in the game.

“I thought we sustained drives,” Chiefland head coach Adam Gore told Levy Citizen News Reporter/Editor Nick Anschultz. “That was good to see. (We’ve) got some holding we got to clean up. But that’s feet, that’s positioning. Overall, I thought (our) execution was not bad. It just felt good (for) the kids to come out and be able to hit somebody else – play against somebody else.”

Newberry cruised past Lafayette (Mayo), 38-6.

The Panthers scored on the third play from scrimmage with a 39-yard touchdown pass from Kobe Johnson to Hayden Moore. They built a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to a 4-yard TD pass from Collin Dunmore to La’harry Debose and increased it to a 24-0 lead on a Zane Spires’ 49-yard field goal.

Fort White built a 42-0 lead at the half and dominated North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville), 42-14.

Quarterback Jayden Jackson, the son of head coach Demetric Jackson, threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Tafari Moe on the third play of the game and the Indians never looked back.

Freshman QB Gavin Peterson ended the half with a 22-yard touchdown pass to his brother, Mike, with 30 seconds left in the second quarter.

Gainesville, which is more unified in 2024, won’t play a Kickoff Classic tonight. However, the Hurricanes defeated Trinity Catholic (Ocala), 14-7, and North Marion (Citra), 13-0, last Friday in two quarters of a refereed scrimmage.

P.K. Yonge will also not play a Kickoff Classic. The Blue Wave will open up the season next Friday at Santa Fe (Alachua), which will host Dixie County (Cross City) tonight in its Kickoff Classic.

Eastside, which seeks its third straight district title, travels to Carrollwood Day (Tampa), and Hawthorne, which enters its 10th season under head coach Cornelius Ingram and is seeking its third straight state title, will host Trinity Christian (Jacksonville).

Meanwhile, Oak Hall, which is one of multiple head coach-QB combos in Alachua County in recent years, will travel to Bell at 7 p.m. for a Week 0 game which will count as a regular season game, and St. Francis Catholic Academy will host Cedar Creek Christian (Jacksonville) at 7 p.m. That game also counts as the regular season opener.

“I expect us to go out there tonight as a team and be all in every phase of the game,” said Wolves’ coach James Langham. “Cedar Creek is a well-coached program and I have respect for them. However, our kids are hungry and playing ball as one team with a singular goal in mind, going 1-0.”

St. Francis, which enters its first season in the Sunshine State Athletic Association (SSAA), has “a great mix of young guys and older guys.”

“Offensively we should be dynamic and excited, and I think a lot of people are going to start to take notice of how we operate because we are very hard to stop,” Langham said. “Defensively we are physical this year, every yard has to be earned by the opposing team and they are going to feel it every single play.”

Here is tonight’s action:

Friday, Aug. 16
Oak Hall at Bell, 7 p.m.
Bronson at Lake Weir (Ocala), 7:30 p.m.
Cedar Creek Christian (Jacksonville) at St. Francis Catholic Academy, 7 p.m.
Columbia (Lake City) at Bradford (Starke), 7 p.m.
Dixie County (Cross City) at Santa Fe (Alachua), 7:30 p.m.
Eastside at Carrollwood Day (Tampa), 7 p.m.
Trenton, Crescent City at Branford, 7 p.m.
Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville) at Hawthorne, 7 p.m.
Baker County (Glen St. Mary) at Union County (Lake Butler), 7:30 p.m.
Keystone Heights at Ridgeview (Orange Park), 7:30 p.m.
University Christian (Jacksonville) at Williston, 7:30 p.m.