JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – High school football season is back and so are our weekly predictions.
News4Jax sports editor Justin Barney reveals his weekly high school football picks each Thursday. All games are 7 p.m. unless indicated.
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Last week: 19-11. Season: 97-38 (.719).
Week 6 picks
Thursday, Oct. 8
Hawthorne (3-0) at Bradford (1-4): Rough start for the Tornadoes continues. N4J pick: Hawthorne 30, Bradford 14.
St. Joseph (0-3) at Providence (2-2): Done picking against the Stallions. N4J pick: Providence 33, St. Joseph 13.
Friday, Oct. 9
Baker County (4-0) at Parker (2-2), 6 p.m.: Braves are dangerous, but Wildcats just aren’t letting teams score. N4J pick: Baker County 33, Parker 12.
Bishop Kenny (1-3) at Orange Park (0-4): Raiders let one slip away last week. Kenny is better than its record indicates. N4J pick: Kenny 34, Orange Park 14.
Daytona Beach Father Lopez (1-2) at Wolfson (0-4), 6 p.m.: Wolfpack has had trouble putting points on the board. Can they do it this week? N4J pick: Wolfson 15, Lopez 14.
Deltona Trinity Christian (3-2) at Bishop Snyder (1-4): Cardinals get close but miss out on a win. N4J pick: Trinity Christian 16, Snyder 14.
Eagle’s View (1-3) at Cedar Creek Christian (2-3): I think the Warriors have too much offense for the Saints. N4J pick: Eagle’s View 33, Cedar Creek 14.
Englewood (1-2) at Menendez (1-2): Falcons win their second straight game. N4J pick: Menendez 35, Englewood 14.
Episcopal (2-1) at Pine Ridge (0-2): Eagles missed out on a game last week due to an opponent’s COVID-19 situation. They win big here. N4J pick: Episcopal 35, Pine Ridge 7.
Fernandina Beach (3-2) at Paxon (1-2), 6 p.m.: Pirates bounce back after a rough loss to Jackson last week. N4J pick: Fernandina Beach 34, Paxon 7.
Flagler Palm Coast (2-1) at St. Augustine (1-2): Tough game to pick, but edge goes to the Yellow Jackets at home. N4J pick: St. Augustine 27, Flagler Palm Coast 23.
Fleming Island (4-0) at Oakleaf (2-2): Knights have played the more challenging schedule but have struggled with turnovers. Golden Eagles haven’t lost a regular season game since October 2018. N4J pick: Fleming Island 24, Oakleaf 20.
Hilliard (5-0) at Branford (3-1), 7:30 p.m.: The Red Flashes won twice against Branford last year, including a 34-33 playoff thriller. The hot start continues. N4J pick: Hilliard 28, Branford 21.
Jackson (3-1) at Baldwin (4-0), 6 p.m.: Tigers are much improved, but I’ve been burned twice now in picking against the Indians. What’s the saying, ‘fool me once, shame on you,’ ‘fool me twice and I’m the idiot?’ Something like that. N4J pick: Baldwin 24, Jackson 20.
Madison County (4-1) at Columbia (0-2): Tough start to 2020 continues for the Tigers. N4J pick: Madison County 23, Columbia 20.
Mandarin (1-2) at Trinity Christian (2-1), 7:30 p.m.: Conquerors have been a different team since the second half of their win over Columbia in Week 4. Mustangs' defense is good, but not sure they can score with Trinity. N4J pick: Trinity 30, Mandarin 14.
Middleburg (0-4) at Ridgeview (3-1): Panthers knocked off one county rival last week and collect another here. N4J pick: Ridgeview 35, Middleburg 21.
Nease (1-2) at Creekside (2-2): This game last season was a thriller. Knights look to rebound from a tough finish in the fourth quarter last week against Fleming Island. N4J pick: Creekside 33, Nease 20.
Ocala Trinity Catholic (2-1) at Bolles (3-1), 7:30 p.m.: Should be a good test for the Bulldogs before a faceoff with Baker County. N4J pick: Bolles 34, Trinity Catholic 17.
Ponte Vedra (4-0) at Bartram Trail (3-1): A great St. Johns County matchup that’s been filled with tight games in recent history. Edge to the more battle-tested Bears. N4J pick: Bartram Trail 31, Ponte Vedra 27.
Raines (1-3) at Sandalwood (3-0), 6 p.m.: Saints won in a tight one last week and have some momentum. Vikings have struggled to stay consistent. N4J pick: Sandalwood 28, Raines 20.
Ribault (1-2) at Fletcher (3-1), 6 p.m.: The Senators are the best team not ranked yet in our Super 10. Challenge awaits against the Trojans, who are coming off of a big win last week. N4J pick: Fletcher 27, Ribault 22.
Suwannee (3-2) at Palatka (0-5): Bulldogs QB Jaquez Moore had a ridiculous game last week in a loss to Buchholz (487 total yards, 6 TDs). Can Panthers slow him down? N4J pick: Suwannee 38, Palatka 14.
West Nassau (1-3) at Clay (3-0): Warriors have tailed off and the Blue Devils have shaken off their 2019 cobwebs and been rolling. N4J pick: Clay 30, West Nassau 24.
White (2-2) at Atlantic Coast (1-2), 6 p.m.: Should be evenly matched here. Edge to the Stingrays. N4J pick: Atlantic Coast 24, White 20.
Yulee (2-3) at First Coast (1-1), 6 p.m.: Big win by the Buccaneers last week against West Nassau. N4J pick: First Coast 33, Yulee 21.
Zarephath Academy (1-3) at West Oaks (0-4): First-year Zarephath notches its second win in program history here. N4J pick: Zarephath 27, West Oaks 13.
Saturday, Oct. 10
Keystone Heights (2-1) at Crescent City (0-3): Both schools are coming off of COVID-19 delays. N4J pick: Keystone 30, Crescent City 6.
OTHERS (home team in CAPS, local teams in bold)
MATANZAS (1-2) over Lake Howell (1-2); Pierson Taylor (2-1) over INTERLACHEN (2-2), 7:30 p.m.; UNION COUNTY (3-1) over Alachua Santa Fe (1-3), 7:30 p.m.
Off: Christ’s Church, Fort White, Lee, NFEI, Stanton, University Christian, Westside.