Mike Ridaught
On Friday night at Citizen’s Field, the Buchholz football team picked up its first win of the season with a 54-0 win against city rival Eastside.
Senior running back Quan Smith had over 100 yards rushing in the first half and finished with four touchdowns, and the Bobcats’ defense forced three turnovers in the opening quarter as Buchholz led 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Eastside, which dropped to 0-3, will host Clay (Green Cove Springs) this Thursday night at7 p.m. Buchholz, which lost starting quarterback Jack Hevesy indefinitely due to an arm injury, travels to Suwannee (Live Oak) on Friday night.
Bell Bulldogs 39, First Academy 13
Bell High School won its first game of the season on Friday night. The Bulldogs defeated First Academy-Leesburg, 39-13. The ‘Dogs built a 26-0 lead at the half to improve to 1-2.
Senior quarterback Caden Hastings was all over the field – helping his team offensively and defensively. He only threw four passes, but he completed three of them for 61 yards, including an 11-yard scoring pass to senior Rhett Rankin. He had a long pass of 43 yards to senior Tanner Potts.
But where Hastings did the most damage was on the ground. He rushed for a team-best 133 yards on only six carries and ran for two touchdowns.
In fact, the Bulldogs almost had three players over the century mark.
Senior Blake Carpenter had 87 yards rushing on nine carries with a touchdown, and senior Jayson Marino finished with 78 yards on nine carries with a scoring run.
As a team, Bell rushed for 352 yards and averaged 10.4 yards per carry.
Defensively, Hastings led his team with nine tackles, including six solo tackles and two tackles for a loss. Sophomore Elliot Spears finished with eight tackles and two tackles for a loss. Sophomore Jacob Sheffield led the team with two sacks. Senior Tanner Potts, junior Hayden Brown, and Marley Padilla each had an interception.
St. Stephens 42, Bronson 24
Bronson lost at home to St. Stephens Episcopal (Bradenton), 42-24. It was another big game for Eagles’ running back Xavier Guyton, who rushed for 208 yards on 21 carries and scored all four touchdowns. He now has 723 yards rushing in four games.
Bronson, which dropped to 2-2, is back at home for a fifth straight time this season on Friday against Cornerstone Charter from Belle Island.
Suwannee 38, Bradford 20
The Suwannee Bulldogs cruised to a 31-0 halftime lead and then held on, defeating the Bradford Tornadoes 38-20 in week four action of high school football.
The win gives Suwannee a 3-1 record on the season. Bradford falls to 1-3.
Wildwood 35, Trenton 0
The Wildwood Wildcats scored 29 first half points, and cruised against the Trenton Tigers 35-0 in week four high school football action Friday night.
The win keeps Wildwood unbeaten at 3-0 this year, while Trenton fell to 1-3.
The Tigers are at home next Friday against the Dixie County.
Williston 28, Hamilton County 26
Williston defeated Hamilton County (Jasper) in overtime, 28-26. Both teams scored in overtime, but Williston’s 2-point conversion was the difference to improve to 2-2 on the season.
The Red Devils are at home next Friday against the Newberry Panthers.
Trinity Christian 20, Columbia 13
Columbia High School opened their season with a heartbreaking loss. The Tigers took a 20-13 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Trinity Christian Conquerors of Jacksonville scored 15 unanswered points in the final period to win 28-21 in week four action of high school football.
The win gives Columbia an 0-1 record on the season. They are currently ranked #10 in the Prep Zone Power Poll. Trinity Christian improves to 1-1.
The Eagles return home next week to take on the Gainesville Hurricanes, who are 1-2 on the season after losing to Ocala Trinity 38-7.
PK Yonge 20, Santa Fe 13
The PK Yonge Blue Wave 20-13 lead into halftime and held on, defeating the Santa Fe Raiders 20-13 in week four high school football action.
The win gives PK Yonge a 2-2 record on the season. Santa Fe falls to 0-3.
The Blue Wave will be on the road next week against Hawthorne, while Santa Fe travels to Union County.
Newberry 37, Taylor 14
The Newberry Panthers took a 31-0 lead into halftime and never looked back, defeating the Taylor Wildcats of Pierson 37-14 in week four action of high school football.
The win improves Newberry to 3-1 on the season. Taylor falls to 1-1.
The Panthers take on the Williston Red Devils next week, who are 2-2 on the season.
Lafayette 37, West Oaks 22
The Lafayette Hornets took a 14-6 lead into the locker room at halftime and never looked back, scoring 23 more in the third quarter and cruising past the West Oaks Flames of Orlando 37-22 in week four action of high school football.
The win improves Lafayette to 2-1 on the season. West Oaks fall to 0-3.
The Hornets return home next week to take on the Branford Buccaneers, who are 3-0 on the season.
Branford 41, Bishop Snyder 6
The Branford Buccaneers took a 28-6 lead into the locker room at halftime and never looked back, blasting the Bishop Snyder Cardinals of Jacksonville 41-6 in week four action of high school football.
The Buccaneers remain unbeaten on the season, improving to 3-0 on the year. Bishop Snyder fell to 1-3.
Branford travels to Bell next week to take on the Bulldogs, who are 1-2 on the season.
Catch the Dixie County (Cross City) at Trenton Game of the Week on I am Country 106.9 FM this Friday night starting at 7pm.
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Mike Ridaught is the founder and publisher of ThePrepZone.com, the foremost website for high school sports in northeast Florida.