- Williston football won the Levy Cup 30-12 against Chiefland in Coach Cedderick Daniels' debut in the FHSAA Class 1A-District 4 opener.
- Trenton defeated South Marion 29-2 with senior Zane Braswell rushing 117 yards and two touchdowns in their season opener.
- Bell rallied to beat Hamilton County with senior QB R.J. Leffler rushing 151 yards and scoring two touchdowns while perfect on PATs.
This week, there are four area football matchups pitting undefeated teams against each other.
This past Friday night in Chiefland, the Williston football team defeated the host Indians, 30-12, to win the annual Levy Cup in the FHSAA Class 1A-District 4 opener for both teams.
It was also the debut of new Williston coach Cedderick Daniels, who was previously the defensive coordinator at defending Rural state champion Hawthorne the past several years.
“I was pleased my guys didn’t fold,” Daniels said. “We went down early but didn’t quit. It was our first time on the field since the spring, so I expected some rust. Once we settled down, the game eventually slowed down for them.
Red Devils junior quarterback Kenan Bellamy completed 9-of-12 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Corey Carter had two of those scores. He finished with two catches for 101 yards.
Freshman Blake Washington had the other receiving touchdown. He finished with four catches for 187 yards, including a 94-yard reception.
“We made some adjustments at halftime and things worked out in our favor,” Daniels said. “Jaden Magee returned a fumble 99 yards, which gave us a spark we needed.”
Meanwhile, the Williston defense shut down the Chiefland rushing offense, allowing just 51 yards on 27 carries for an average of just 1.9 yards per carry (YPC). In addition to Magee’s return, junior Todd Brown added an interception.
This Friday night, Williston (1-0) will host South Sumter (Bushnell), which lost at Eastside, 42-15, in the first round of the Class 3A state playoffs last year. The visiting Raiders (1-0) opened the season with a 24-21 win against Wiregrass Ranch (Wesley Chapel).
“South Sumter is going to be a really big test for us,” Daniels said. “Ty (Lawrence) does a great job coaching his guys up. They look fast and physical on film. We are going to have to match their energy and play mistake-free football in order to win.”
Trenton (1-0) picked up its first win of the season with a 29-2 victory at home against South Marion of Ocala.
Senior Zane Braswell had seven carries for 117 yards, an average of 16.7 YPC, and two touchdowns to help lead the Tigers’ offense.
Senior Wyatt Vanlandingham also had a pair of rushing touchdowns and finished with 71 yards rushing on 14 carries. Senior quarterback Brant Bivens was next with 63 yards on five carries (12.6 YPC).
“Because of the weather delay the week before against Interlachen, we were hoping to get a full game in, and we were pleased with the effort from the players, and we really just were able to see how well this team would respond to it being their first full game,” said Trenton coach Bryant Frye. “As the game went on, we saw things that we did well and some things that we needed to work on this week.”
Trenton will host Dixie County (Cross City) this Friday night in a Sunshine State Athletic Association (SSAA) game. The visiting Bears (1-0) got their first victory of the Andrew Thomas era with a 41-6 win at home against Vernon.
Bears freshman quarterback Tycen Dawson threw just two passes and completed one of them for a touchdown and junior Colt Thomas completed 2-of-3 for 50 yards and two touchdowns.
Dawson also had a pair of rushing touchdowns and finished with 94 yards on just three carries, while Senior Keydran Teague finished with 50 yards receiving and two touchdowns on two receptions and junior Iyon Teague had two catches for 36 yards and a score.
Dixie County has already matched its win total of 2025 (1-9). The 41 points were the most for the Bears since a 41-32 win against Jefferson County (Monticello) in the 2024 FHSAA Rural Florida Invitational Tournament (FIT) playoffs.
Thomas, who won his 100th career game, 28-12, at Dixie County on Oct. 8, 2021, won a pair of Class state titles at Trenton in 2013 and 2015.
“This will be a rivalry game and with Coach Thomas coming back for the first time as a coach and it being one of our main rivals, we are looking forward to a great game,” Frye said.
Trenton won last year’s meeting 48-0 to snap an eight-game losing streak in the series.
Bell (1-0) will also have a chance to go to 2-0 when the Bulldogs travel to Interlachen.
It wasn’t easy as the ‘Dogs trailed Hamilton County (Jasper), 26-14, but rallied with a touchdown in the third quarter and then took the lead for good with a score in the fourth quarter.
The difference was in extra points as Bell was 4-for-4 and the Trojans were 2-for-4.
“The biggest thing that I was pleased with is that the boys showed toughness and resilience,” said Bell coach Joey Whittington, who enters his 14th season on the sidelines. “It was a battle all four quarters, and they stayed in the fight and never lost confidence. Hopefully that’ll lead to some good things this season.”
Senior quarterback R.J. Leffler completed 5-of-8 passes for 92 yards and carried the ball 21 times for 151 yards with two touchdowns. He was also perfect on his point after touchdown (PAT) kicks.
“R.J. did a good job running our offense and being there when his number was called,” Whittington said. “Crucial with him going 4-for-4 on PATs.”
Interlachen (1-0) opened the season with a 63-0 win at home against Keystone Heights.
“Interlachen is well coached and has a dynamic offense that can score a lot of points,” Whittington said. “We have to stay focused on our assignments to limit their big play ability, and we have to clean up our penalties.”
Bradford (Starke) and first-year head coach Ross Baker opened the season with a 65-0 home win against West Port (Ocala). The Tornadoes (1-0) will travel to Baker County (Glen St. Mary) this Friday.
The host Wildcats, who are coached by former Bradford coach Jamie Rodgers, won at Clay (Green Cove Springs), 31-19, to start 1-0.
High School Football
Friday, Aug. 21 (Scores)
Bell 28, Hamilton County (Jasper) 26
Belleview 28, Gainesville 26 (OT)
Bradford (Starke) 65, West Port (Ocala) 0
Branford 50, Eagle’s View (Jacksonville) 0
Buchholz 34, Vanguard (Ocala) 28 (OT)
Columbia (Lake City) 20, Bolles (Jacksonville) 19
Countryside Christian 28, Ocala Christian Academy 26
Dixie County (Cross City) 41, Vernon 6
Fort White 28, Eastside 13
Hawthorne 28, Bishop Moore (Orlando) 25 (OT)
Interlachen 63, Keystone Heights 0
Lake Weir (Ocala) 51, P.K. Yonge 0
Merritt Island Christian 1, Saint Francis Catholic Academy 0 (forfeit)
Oak Hall School 42, Bronson 14
Santa Fe (Alachua) 30, Newberry 16
Suwannee (Live Oak) 35, Crystal River 0
Trenton 29, South Marion (Ocala) 2
Union County (Lake Butler) 35, Rutherford (Panama City) 34
Williston 30, Chiefland 12
OFF – Cornerstone Academy
Thursday, Aug. 27
Forest (Ocala) at Eastside, 7 p.m. – Game will be broadcast on Mainstreet Daily News (audio only) beginning at 6:45 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 28
Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) at Oak Hall School, 7 p.m.
Branford at Wewahitchka, 7 p.m. CT
Cornerstone Academy at Florida School for the Deaf & Blind (St. Augustine), 7 p.m.
St. John Lutheran (Ocala) at Saint Francis Catholic Academy, 7 p.m.
Zarapheth Academy (Jacksonville) at Santa Fe (Alachua), 7 p.m.
Bell at Interlachen, 7:30 p.m.
Bradford (Starke) at Baker County (Glen St. Mary), 7:30 p.m.
Bronson at Cornerstone Classical Academy (Jacksonville), 7:30 p.m.
Dixie County (Cross City) at Trenton, 7:30 p.m.
Fort White at Chiefland, 7:30 p.m.
Gainesville at Buchholz, 7:30 p.m.
Lafayette (Mayo) at Suwannee (Live Oak), 7:30 p.m.
Lakewood (St. Pete) at Columbia (Lake City), 7:30 p.m.
Newberry at Hawthorne, 7:30 p.m. – Game will be broadcast on 106.9 FM “I am Country” & audio online at IamCountryGainesville.com beginning at 7 p.m.
Palatka at Union County (Lake Butler), 7:30 p.m.
P.K. Yonge at Keystone Heights, 7:30 p.m.
South Sumter (Bushnell) at Williston, 7:30 p.m