Win and Advance: Buchholz, Hawthorne, and Suwannee storm into second round of postseason

Buchholz 46, Creekside 13

On Friday night at Citizen’s Field, the Buchholz football team defeated visiting Creekside (St. Johns), 46-13, in the Class 7A state playoffs.  Senior running back Quan Smith scored three first quarter touchdowns as the Bobcats won their seventh straight game.  

The Bobcats are home this Friday to take on the undefeated (6-0) Navarre Buccaneers in the second round of the postseason.

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Suwannee 14, Parker 7

The Parker Braves took a 7-0 halftime lead, but could not hold it as the Suwannee Bulldogs rallied in the second half to advance to the next round of the playoffs with a 14-7 victory.

The win propels to an 8-2 record. The Braves fall to 2-6.

In the second round of the playoffs, Suwannee will travel to Pensacola this Friday to take on the Pine Forest Eagles, who are 3-4 on the season.

Mainland 24, Gainesville 21

The Gainesville Hurricanes kept things close in the first half, scoring two touchdowns and evening the Mainland Buccaneers 14-14 in the second quarter. But 10 third quarter points by Mainland proved the difference as the Bucs went on to defeat the Hurricanes 24-21

The win propels Mainland to a 7-1 record. Gainesville ends its season at 2-4. 

Ft. White 21, Branford 20

The Branford Buccaneers took a modest 14-7 lead into halftime, but could not close the deal, as the Ft. White Indians rallied in the second half to post a 21-20 win over the Buccaneers.

Branford ends its season at 6-2. Ft. White gets only its second win of the season (2-6). The Indians play the Union County Tigers next week in the second round of the playoffs.

Dunnellon 50, Eastside 0

Eastside lost at home on Saturday to Dunnellon, 50-0, in Class 5A. They finish the season with a 1-8 record.

Columbia 14, Ponte Vedra 0

The Columbia Tigers won their third straight game 14-0 shutout win against the Ponte Vedra Sharks. Touchdowns in the first and second quarters by the Tigers proved to be enough, as Columbia kept the Sharks scoreless throughout the game.

The win Columbia third straight victory after five consecutive losses to begin the season. Ponte Vedra ends its season at 5-5. The Tigers will travel to Daytona Beach Friday night to face the 4-4 Seabreeze Sandcrabs in the second round of the playoffs.

Bradford County 40, Keystone Heights 14

The Bradford Tornadoes took a modest 6-0 lead into halftime, but then broke the game wide open with 34 second half points to pound the Keystone Heights Indians 40-14 in the first round of the high school playoffs Friday night.

Keystone Heights ends its season with a 6-3 record. Bradford evens its record to 5-5. The Tornadoes will play South Sumter in the second round of the postseason.

Tri-County teams eliminated from postseason

The high school football season has officially come to an end for the Tri-County area.  Bell, Bronson, Chiefland, Dixie County, and Williston all lost on Friday night, while Trenton announced last Wednesday that it had to forfeit its playoff game due to COVID-19 protocols. 

Hawthorne 40, Chiefland 0

Chiefland lost at Hawthorne 40-0 in a Class 1A-Region 4 Quarterfinal.  The Hornets jumped out to a 20-0 lead by scoring on two of their first three possessions.  They took advantage of an Indians’ fumble and a shanked punt.  The Indians did threaten just before the half. However, tailback Paul Davis was kept out of the end zone on fourth and goal and the Indians never threatened again.  Chiefland, which finished with just 111 total yards of offense, finished the season at 1-8.  

With the win, Hawthorne is 7-2 on the season, and will play Ft. Meade in the second round of the postseason.

Wildwood 40, Bronson 0

Also, in Region 4, Bronson lost at home to Wildwood, 40-0, to finish 6-5. The Eagles did win their first playoff game in their 69-year history on November the 6th to earn their first home playoff game in school history. 

Fort Meade 47, Williston 0

On Saturday, Williston lost at home to Fort Meade, 47-0. The Red Devils finish the season with a 3-7 record.

Union County 42, Bell 0

The Union County Tigers scored 35 points in the first half and cruised to a 42-0 win over the Bell Bulldogs to advance to the next round of postseason Friday night. 

Bell finishes its year at 2-7. Union County improves to 7-3. They play the 2-6 Ft. White Indians in the second round of the playoffs next week.

Hilliard 22, Lafayette 21

The Hilliard Red Flashes rallied from an eight point deficit in the fourth quarter, and then used a touchdown and two-point conversion in overtime to defeat the Lafayette Hornets 22-21 in the first round of the playoffs Friday night.

The Hornets held a 7-6 lead after three quarters, a 14-6 lead in the fourth quarter, and a 21-14 lead in overtime before falling behind at the close.

The loss ends Lafayette’s season with a 5-5 record. Hilliard remains undefeated (8-0). They play Madison County in the second round of postseason next week.

Madison County 48, Dixie County 19

The Madison County Cowboys scored 26 first half points, and kept the offensive surge flowing to defeat the Dixie County Bears 48-19 in first round playoff action Friday night.

The Bears were never closer than a 14-13 deficit after the first quarter.

With the loss, Dixie County ends its season with a 5-3 mark. Madison County is 8-2 and plays Hilliard in the next round of postseason.

Gadsden County 38, Santa Fe 0

The Gadsden County Jaguars put on an offensive and defensive clinic, shutting out the Santa FeRaiders 38-0 in the first round of the postseason Friday night. Santa Fe plays the Gadsen County Jaguars next Friday to open its postseason.

The loss ends Santa Fe’s season at 2-6. 

High School Football On Local Radio

Join Sunstate for the Friday Night High School Football Game Of The Week live starting at 7 pm when the Newberry Panthers take on the Wildwood Wildcats in the second round of the playoffs this Friday night, only on 106.9 I Am Country!

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