- Trenton (5-1) and Branford (6-2) will play a key SSAA playoff-contending football game with both teams averaging about 33 points per game.
- Trenton's running back Wyatt Vanlandingham has 784 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns this season, while Branford's Cameron Anderson leads with 721 yards and 11 touchdowns.
- Only eight of over 20 SSAA teams qualify for playoffs, making each game crucial for Trenton and Branford's postseason hopes.
The high school football regular season is winding down for teams in the Sunshine State Athletic Association (SSAA).
Unfortunately, the SSAA has not sent updated rankings, so member schools don’t know exactly where they stand. However, that won’t change the approach for Trenton and Branford, who will go head-to-head tonight in a key SSAA game.
Trenton enters with a record of 5-1, including four straight wins since a 20-19 loss at home to Dixie County (Cross City) on Aug. 28.
Offensively, the Tigers average 33.8 points per game and allow just 13 points per game.
“I think the offensive and defensive line are the staple of our success at this point,” said second-year Trenton coach Bryant Frye. “They created the lanes for our backfield on offense and wreaked havoc on defense for opposing offenses to this point.”
The loss to the Bears happened very late in the game, but Frye said that game is in the rearview mirror.
“We are not looking in the past right now; we have to control what is in front of us,” he said. “It was a loss that we keep in the back of our minds, and the players and coaches understand what is at stake, and although that loss hurts emotionally, we are moving forward and just focusing on one week at a time. Since the early loss, the coaches and players have refocused on the ultimate goal and that is to make the playoffs.”
Branford, which is 6-2, has similar numbers. The Buccaneers are averaging 33.4 PPG and giving up an average of 13.4 PPG.
“I’m pleased with where our kids are at this point,” said first-year Branford coach Will Dettor. “Coming in new to the program, it takes a while to install offenses, defenses, and other things, but our kids have done a great job embracing what we are doing and trusting the process we are trying to instill in them. We still have a long way to go, but overall, I’m pleased with our progress.”
Branford has also won four in a row since a 27-14 loss at Bell on Sept. 4.
“Our kids practice hard; they have a lot of pride in this program,” Dettor said. “Bell played great that night, but our kids were disappointed in our result that night, as were we as coaches. We felt like we let one slip away that night, let some distractions creep in. We have been very focused down the stretch and talk a lot about that game and learning from our mistakes.”
Both teams use a ball-control offense led by their rushing attacks.
Trenton’s Wyatt Vanlandingham is on pace for a 1,000-yard season. The senior has 118 carries for 784 yards for an average of 6.6 yards per carry. He also has 24 tackles and four tackles for a loss on defense.
“Wyatt is having a great season on both sides of the ball,” Frye said. “On offense, he would attribute his success to the offensive line blocking, as well as the defensive line’s ability to get off blocks and cause issues for opposing offenses. Wyatt has matured as a runner and understands his role in the offensive scheme.”
Senior Zayne Braswell is next with 479 yards on 63 carries (7.6 YPC). Vanlandingham leads the team with 10 rushing touchdowns, followed by Braswell with nine.
Senior quarterback Brant Bivens, who has 208 yards rushing (5.9 YPC), has completed 14-of-38 passes for 202 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions.
Branford, which went over 2,000 yards rushing last week, is led by freshman Cameron Anderson with 721 yards on 77 carries (9.4 YPC) with 11 touchdowns.
“Cam is a great young man and works hard in the classroom; his teachers rave about him,” Dettor said. “He is so raw. Cam reminds me of a player I coached in Georgia named TJ Thomas. He was a little undersized like Cam, but he approached the game, his training, and his studies like a man on a mission. TJ became FCS Freshman of the Year at Elon, and then transferred to the University of Minnesota, where he has rushed for almost 400 yards so far this year and helped them beat Michigan last weekend. Cam has all the same tools, and it will be fun to watch how he develops over the next few years.”
Sophomore running back Ollie James is next with 560 yards on 77 carries (7.3 YPC) with six touchdowns and junior quarterback Trent Land averages 6.0 YPC with 548 yards on 92 carries and seven TDs. Land has also completed 35-of-74 for 455 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions.
“Our offensive line has been playing very well,” Dettor said. “They definitely have played a big role in our offensive success. They are a bunch of great young men, committed to what we are doing here at Branford. We have a nice mix of older and younger players, which have given us depth like seniors Braedyn Browning and Preston Knight, along with younger players such as Gauge Schultz and Micah Bussey.”
Frye is confident in his defense, especially against the run.
“I would say that over the last three games (Umatilla, Chiefland, Bell) our defense has only given up 69 total rushing yards against some good opponents,” he said. “That makes offenses have to change their game plans a lot. Our defense has limited offenses to just a few scores and that allows our offense the ability to get going throughout the game. I believe that both offense and defense are well balanced for us and the coaches and players work hard on game plans for each team. We still have a bunch of room for improvement, but our team is focused and understands what the goal is.”
With the way the playoffs are set up in the SSAA, only eight teams from a 20-plus team region get into the postseason, so the margin for error is razor thin.
“Branford is a really good football team,” said Frye, who led the Tigers to an FHSAA playoff appearance last year, their first since 2019, in his first season. “We are both trying to make the SSAA playoffs, and this game could potentially hurt one of our chances to make it. We are just looking week to week at this point in the season and we will be putting all of our focus on Branford and not getting caught looking ahead. We have three games left and all are important to our players and staff on ultimately reaching our goal of playing in the SSAA playoffs.”
Branford, which also made the FHSAA playoffs last year, has won four in a row in the series, including a 30-13 victory at Trenton last season.
“When Trenton and Branford get together, it is always a great matchup,” Dettor said. “It is North Florida small-town Friday Night Lights at its best. Coach Frye and the Tigers do a great job over there, and like us here in Branford, they have a lot of pride in their program and community.”
Trenton still has two games left after tonight. The Tigers will travel to Lafayette (Mayo) next Friday and then close out the regular season at home against Crescent City on Oct. 23.
Branford is off next week. The Bucs will conclude their regular season at Lafayette on Oct. 30.
“Every game counts,” Dettor said. “We have been very vocal with our players that for us the playoffs started two weeks ago. Win out the rest of the regular season, and we should be in. Slip up, and we will most likely miss out.”
Friday’s game will air on 106.9 FM “I am Country” beginning at 7 p.m. with Mainstreet Daily News sports director Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play) and former Gator football player Hank Rone (Color) calling the action. You can also listen to the game online at IamCountryGainesville.com.
Thursday, Oct. 8
Baker County (Glen St. Mary) 42, Suwannee (Live Oak) 0
Buchholz 48, Matanzas (Palm Coast) 0
Fernandina Beach 25, Union County (Lake Butler) 8
Madison County 42, Fort White 26
Saint Francis Catholic Academy 62, Florida School for Deaf & Blind (St. Augustine) 0
Santa Fe (Alachua) 44, Eastside 14
University Christian (Jacksonville) 59, Williston 6
Friday, Oct. 9
Cornerstone Academy at Ocala Christian Academy, 7 p.m.
Gainesville at Lake Weir (Ocala), 7 p.m.
Oak Hall School at Old Plank Christian Academy (Jacksonville), 7 p.m.
Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) at Bronson, 7 p.m.
Bradford (Starke) at Newberry, 7:30 p.m.
Dixie County (Cross City) at Keystone Heights, 7:30 p.m.
Hawthorne at Chiefland, 7:30 p.m.
P.K. Yonge at Interlachen, 7:30 p.m.
South Marion (Ocala) at Bell, 7:30 p.m.
Trenton at Branford, 7:30 p.m. – Game will be broadcast on 106.9 FM “I am Country” and audio online at IamCountryGainesville.com beginning at 7 p.m.
OFF – Columbia (Lake City)