The high school football season is officially underway.
On Thursday night, a few area teams played in their Kickoff Classic, a preseason game to start the season.
Turnovers were a contributor as Santa Fe (Alachua) built a 14-0 lead and defeated GHS at home, 28-14.
According to new Santa Fe coach Earnest Graham, the Raiders played most of their varsity starters for a half. The third quarter was a mix of varsity and junior varsity players and the fourth quarter was fully JV.
With just two wins combined over the past four seasons (2-37 since 2021), Graham is looking to turn the Raiders around in his first year.
Santa Fe picked up some big transfers in running back Jasiah Powell (Buchholz) and Keimarion “Keke” Neal (Fort White), who will play running back and wide receiver.
Both contributed touchdowns on Thursday, with Neal adding a 75-yard catch and run for a score.
“It’s really crucial to have those guys,” said Tyler Gentry, who is expected to start at quarterback this season for the Raiders. “They’re all going to be great pieces for us. Like me and Jasiah, we’re a great 1-2 punch. Me and Kiki, we’re a great 1-2 punch. The best thing about us all is we all complement each other in different ways, to the point where if they’re stopping one, we go to the other. We have so many dimensions to our offense.”
This year’s GHS team will be young, with only three starters returning on both sides of the ball, but Scott said, “It’s the best locker room that we’ve had since I’ve been there.
“This is kind of what we’ve been moving towards and pushing for,” he said. “We hope they get to see the results because the process part, all of the things, all the work that you need to put in in order to be successful, they’ve done that part. Hopefully, we can see the results on the field and be able to finish this year because we got off to a good start last year, and the back half of the season was tough.”
GHS travels to Aubrey Rogers (Naples) next Friday, Aug. 22, for the season opener, while Santa Fe will kick off its season at home against Zarephath Academy (Jacksonville) on Aug. 29.
Class 6A Buchholz, which finished 10-4 last year, defeated Spruce Creek (Port Orange), 21-6, at Citizens Field on Thursday. The visiting Hawks finished 8-4 last season and advanced to the Class 7A state playoffs.
Buchholz, which has advanced to four straight semifinal appearances, aims for another deep playoff run.
“Every team has got its own chemistry, its own makeup,” said Buchholz coach Mark Whittemore. “We are senior and sophomore-heavy this year. The sophomores are a really talented class, and the seniors are a talented class. We feel like up front, on both sides of the ball, that’s where we’re going to make our hay. I feel like our O line and our D line are veteran and ready to compete.”
The Bobcats will open the regular season on Thursday, Aug. 21, at home against Class 4A regional finalist Vanguard (Ocala), which finished 11-2 last year.
Defense and special teams sparked Buchholz’s win in Ocala in 2024.
Hawthorne, which gears up for another state title run, seeks its sixth straight state championship game appearance.
“In my 11 years (as football coach), this ranks up there with one of the best offseasons, and I’ve had some really good offseasons,” said head coach Cornelius Ingram. “These young men hold themselves accountable, and we can do something with that.”
The Hornets, who finished 10-2 last year, will travel to Baker County (Glen St. Mary) tonight. They will host Discovery (Lake Alfred) at 7 p.m. in next week’s opener.
Tonight at 7:30 p.m., Eastside will host Newberry at Citizens Field.
The Panthers (10-3), who were one of five Alachua County teams to make the postseason last year, won their first district title since 2007 and advanced to the Class 2A-Region 2 Final.
They have two Division-I players on the offensive side of the ball in senior running back Kaleb Woods (6’, 195) and senior wide receiver Hayden Moore (6’2, 200).
Woods, who has offers from Wisconsin, USF and Pittsburgh, among 15 others, rushed for 1,090 yards and 13 touchdowns last year as a junior, along with five 100+ yard games.
“Caleb’s taken a growth in maturity,” Johnson said. “I think that’s the biggest thing this summer is he’s locked in. He’s so special. We’re going to move him around a lot this year, so he’s going to play more than running back. We’re going to find ways to get him the ball. He’s so electric and I can’t wait to see. He’s going to have another 1,000-yard year out of the backfield, though.”
Moore, who had 44 catches for 940 yards and 12 TDs as a sophomore, still finished with 982 yards and 12 TDs on 51 catches as a junior despite being injured early in the year and missing two games.
He also had a punt return and a kick return for scores.
“He’s a great kid,” Johnson said. “All the accolades you can say about him. He works hard. He’s coachable, he’s a great teammate to everybody in the locker room. And he’s a really, really good ball player on top of it. Big, physical. He’s another guy we’re going to move around a lot and find ways to give him the ball as much as we can because we have to.”
Eastside (7-4), which has 23 wins under head coach Harold “Gator” Hoskins in just three seasons, is seeking its fourth straight playoff appearance.
With six starters returning on offense and seven on the defensive side, Eastside will be in the mix for another league title and postseason berth.
“The guys have got that winning mentality,” Hoskins said. “I think before we got there, it wasn’t a losing mentality, but it wasn’t that ‘we’re going to win’ mentality. Now we’ve kind of built that culture over there. They know that we’re going to compete every single day and we’re going to go hard, and hey, if you want it, go out there and get it.”
Eastside hosts Belleview next Friday. The game will be broadcast on 106.9 FM “I am Country.”
Newberry travels to University Christian (Jacksonville) to start the regular season.
P.K. Yonge will not play a preseason game.
Following a 3-7 campaign in 2023, the Blue Wave (5-5) earned a postseason bid and a No. 7 seed in last year’s FHSAA Class 1A state playoffs.
“Last year, we made some improvements,” said third-year coach Willie Jackson, who is one of four former Gator football players on Alachua County sidelines this year. “We could have won more games, but we had a couple of things, injury here, injury there, kids getting acclimated. The team that I had last year, none of those kids were starters on their team, wherever they arrived from, or even the ones that were here, they never started games, so that was basically a new team.”
The Blue Wave will travel to Lake Weir (Ocala) next Friday.
Tonight’s games do count for teams participating in the Sunshine State Athletic Association (SSAA).
Oak Hall, which welcomes the return of head coach R.J. Fuhr after a one-year hiatus, hosts Bell at 7 p.m.
Last year, the visiting Bulldogs finished 9-4 and advanced to the SSAA Atlantic 1A state championship game.
“Bell will be a tough opener with them returning most of their starters from a 9-win season last year,” Fuhr said. “Our team has worked hard, and I’m proud of this young team and also proud of our captain’s leadership.”
The Bulldogs return rising junior Landin Williams, who rushed for 152.4 yards per game last season.
“Bell will want to run the football, and they are big and experienced up front, so our defense will have to rise to the occasion,” Fuhr said. “On the other side of the ball, we have to trust our systems and be patient.”
Kickoff Classics
Thursday, Aug. 14
Buchholz 21, Spruce Creek (Port Orange) 6
Santa Fe (Alachua) 28, GHS 14
Friday, Aug. 15
Bell at Oak Hall, 7 p.m.*
Bradford (Starke) at Cocoa, 7 p.m.
Bronson at Old Plank Christian Academy (Jacksonville), 7 p.m.*
Hawthorne at Baker County (Glen St. Mary), 7 p.m.
Ridgeview (Orange Park) at Keystone Heights, 7 p.m.
Suwannee (Live Oak) at Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville), 7 p.m.
Fort White at Trenton, 7:30 p.m.
Branford at Dixie County (Cross City), 7:30 p.m.
Chiefland at Crystal River, 7:30 p.m.
Newberry at Eastside, 7:30 p.m.
Oakleaf (Orange Park) at Columbia (Lake City), 7:30 p.m.
Union County (Lake Butler) at Port St. Joe, 7:30 p.m.
Williston at University Christian (Jacksonville), 7:30 p.m.
*Regular season game
