- Over 25 schools, including 20 in the Mainstreet area, will attend the Mainstreet Daily News High School Football Media Day hosted by Saint Francis Catholic Academy.
- Buchholz Bobcats return key starters and face a new Class 5A-District 3 schedule; they rank in the top 125 nationally.
- FHSAA eliminated the Rural classification, placing Chiefland, Williston, and Hawthorne in Class 1A-District 4 for the new season.
Over 25 schools will be attending today’s Mainstreet Daily News High School Football Media Day, including 20 teams in the Mainstreet coverage area.
Hosted by Saint Francis Catholic Academy, the day begins and ends with a pair of champions.
Oak Hall School of Gainesville gets the day started at 8:30 a.m. with seniors Darius Medley (RB/WR/DB) and B.J. Johnson (QB/WR/DB), along with juniors Will Staples (C/LB) and Brad Wise.
Last year, the Eagles won the Sunshine State Athletic Association (SSAA) Class 3A championship.
“We have a good core group of returners from our championship season,” said OHS coach R.J. Fuhr.
The day will conclude with FHSAA Rural state champion Hawthorne and head coach Cornelius Ingram, who stepped down but then returned to lead this year’s team.
Hawthorne will be joined in the 4 p.m. hour by P.K. Yonge and new head coach Israel Wilcox. The Hornets and the Blue Wave are two of the eight Alachua County teams in attendance.
In addition to Oak Hall, other county teams include Santa Fe (Alachua) and Gainesville Quarterback Club Coach of the Year Earnest Graham, five-time state semifinalist Buchholz and Bosshardt Realty Big School Coach of the Year Mark Whittemore, Eastside, Newberry and host SFCA.
It will be a new district (Class 5A-District 3) and another tough non-district schedule for Buchholz, which is ranked in the top 125 in the country.
The Bobcats (12-2) return eight starters on offense, including rising junior quarterback Andrew Whittemore, who threw for over 2,100 yards last season as a sophomore. They will also have seven starters back on defense.
“Looking forward to a competitive year,” Whittemore said.
All six teams from the Tri-County area will be at media day, including Bell, Bronson, Chiefland, Dixie County (Cross City), Trenton, and Williston, which will have a new head coach.
Last year, the Trenton football team made the FHSAA playoffs under first-year head coach Bryant Frye. The Tigers lost to Taylor County (Perry) in the first round of the Rural state playoffs and finished the year at 7-4. It was their first postseason appearance since 2019.
This year, the Tigers make the move to the SSAA and compete in the Atlantic division. A total of six starters are back on offense this season, including running back Wyatt Vanlandingham and fullback Zayne Braswell.
Last year as a junior, Vanlandingham rushed for 655 yards on 102 carries for an average of 6.4 yards per carry with eight touchdowns. Meanwhile, Braswell rushed for 429 yards on 90 carries, an average of 4.8 yards per carry with three touchdowns.
Vanlandingham and Braswell will both be at media day today, along with quarterback Brant Bivens.
A total of six starters also return on defense for the Tigers, led by Zane McCardle. The junior, who will also attend Monday’s media day, led Trenton with 91 tackles last year as a sophomore.
Another topic on Monday will be the FHSAA eliminating the Rural classification and Chiefland and Williston joining Hawthorne in the new Class 1A-District 4.
That’s one of the changes coming to high school sports this school year.
Plus, there are several coaching changes.
Cedderick Daniels, who was previously the defensive coordinator at Rural state champion Hawthorne, takes over for Williston. He was a part of three state titles with the Hornets.
Last year, the Red Devils finished 10-2 under then head coach Robby Pruitt, who is now at Union County.
Williston lost the season opener against Chiefland, 36-35, in double overtime, followed by 10 straight wins. They defeated Lafayette in last year’s Rural Regional semifinals before losing the following week, 30-8, at eventual state champion Hawthorne.
The Red Devils are a very young team this season. They are returning just three varsity offensive starters from a year ago and four on defense. They will shift from a Wing-T to a spread offense under Daniels.
Daniels takes over for Robby Pruitt, who is now the head coach at Union County (Lake Butler), while former Union County coach Andrew Thomas is now the head coach at Dixie County.
Marion County schools Belleview, Dunnellon, Forest (Ocala), Lake Weir (Ocala), Trinity Catholic (Ocala) and Vanguard (Ocala) will also attend Monday’s event.
Monday’s media day is the unofficial kickoff of the high school football season, which begins on Aug. 14 for the SSAA.
The regular season for FHSAA member schools begins on Friday, Aug. 21.
Monday’s media day schedule:
8:30 a.m.
Oak Hall School (Gainesville)
9 a.m.
Chiefland
Lafayette (Mayo)
Trinity Catholic (Ocala)
10 a.m.
Belleview
Buchholz (Gainesville)
Newberry
Trenton
11 a.m.
Bell
Branford
Interlachen
Keystone Heights
12 p.m.
Bradford (Starke)
Dunnellon
Lake Weir (Ocala)
1 p.m.
Forest (Ocala)
Suwannee (Live Oak)
Dixie County (Cross City) – 1:30 p.m.
2 p.m.
Fort White
Santa Fe (Alachua)
Vanguard (Ocala) – 2:30 p.m.
Williston
3 p.m.
Eastside (Gainesville)
Saint Francis Catholic Academy (Gainesville)
Union County (Lake Butler)
4 p.m.
Bronson
Hawthorne
P.K. Yonge (Gainesville)