JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – High school football season is back, and with it, our weekly predictions on games in the area. News4Jax sports editor Justin Barney reveals his weekly high school football picks every Thursday. A glance at all Week 7 games. All games Friday at 7 p.m. unless indicated. District games indicated by an *.
Last week: 21-11. Season: 146-54 (.730).
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Week 7 schedule, Florida
Thursday, Oct. 7, all games 7 p.m. unless indicated; district games indicated by an *
Fernandina Beach (1-5) at Santa Fe (0-6): Pirates go on the road for their second W. N4J pick: Fernandina Beach 23, Santa Fe 21.
Harvest (1-3) at Gainesville Oak Hall (3-1): Harvest won last week, but this is a big step up. N4J pick: Oak Hall 27, Harvest 13.
Hilliard (5-0) at Providence (3-3): Red Flashes just don’t lose regular season games. N4J pick: Hilliard 28, Providence 20.
Friday, Oct. 8
Baldwin (3-1) at Jackson (3-3), 6:30 p.m.: Tigers keep the Indians struggling on offense. N4J pick: Jackson 28, Baldwin 8.
Bartram Trail (4-1) at Ponte Vedra (3-3): Bears prep for Creekside with a win over another St. Johns County program. N4J pick: Bartram 31, Ponte Vedra 17.
Bishop Snyder (3-2) at Deltona Trinity Christian (1-4): Cardinals with a bounceback victory here. N4J pick: Snyder 33, Trinity Christian 13.
(canceled) Clearwater Academy International (5-1) at Bolles (6-0), 7:30 p.m.: Could be Bolles’ most challenging opponent of the regular season. N4J pick: Bolles 28, Clearwater Academy 20.
Cedar Creek Christian (0-5) at Central Florida Christian Academy (3-1): Tough one on the road for Cedar Creek. N4J pick: CFCA 34, Cedar Creek 6.
Columbia (4-2, 2-0) at Riverside (6-0, 2-0), 6:30 p.m.*: The Generals have owned this series recently and have the area’s best defense. N4J pick: Riverside 28, Columbia 10.
Creekside (6-0) at Atlantic Coast (2-3), 6:30 p.m.: Beat goes on for Knights. N4J pick: Creekside 27, Atlantic Coast 17.
Crescent City (3-2) at Keystone Heights (6-0): Indians just don’t know how to lose. N4J pick: Keystone 34, Crescent City 20.
Episcopal (4-1) at Middleburg (4-1): Very good matchup here. Would be the biggest win of the season for the Broncos. N4J pick: Middleburg 34, Episcopal 21.
(canceled) Flagler Palm Coast (2-3) at Orange City University (4-0): Bulldogs can’t find a way to win on the road. N4J pick: University 30, FPC 20.
Foundation Academy (4-1) at North Florida Educational (3-2): Lions clip the Eagles at home. N4J pick: Foundation 35, NFEI 21.
Fletcher (2-3) at Ribault (1-5), 6:30 p.m.: Senators have found their groove. N4J pick: Fletcher 21, Ribault 13.
Gainesville Eastside (0-5, 0-2) at Clay (3-2, 1-0)*: Blue Devils got a scare last week, but not here. N4J pick: Clay 34, Eastside 14.
Halifax (0-5) at Eagle’s View (4-1): Warriors roll in this one. N4J pick: Eagle’s View 33, Halifax 13.
Mandarin (2-4) at White (4-0), 6:30 p.m.: Tough matchup and a close one. N4J pick: White 27, Mandarin 23.
Newberry (3-2) at University Christian (3-2), 7 p.m.: Christians get back on winning track after their bye. N4J pick: UC 32, Newberry 14.
Palatka (1-3) at West Nassau (1-3): Warriors got their first win last week in a squeaker. N4J pick: Palatka 28, West Nassau 27.
Parker (4-2) at Menendez (2-3): Braves have a nasty defense but need to start putting together good offensive outings. N4J pick: Parker 28, Menendez 0.
Plantation American Heritage (2-2) at Trinity Christian (5-1), 7:30 p.m.: Torn on this game after last week. N4J pick: American Heritage 21, Trinity 20.
Ridgeview (1-4) at Baker County (4-2): Wildcats with an easy W here. N4J pick: Baker County 35, Ridgeview 6.
St. Augustine (3-2) at Nease (5-1): Torn on this game. History says the Yellow Jackets. N4J pick: St. Augustine 23, Nease 21.
St. Joseph (0-4) at Christ’s Church (4-2): No problem for the Eagles in this one. N4J pick: Christ’s Church 20, St. Joseph 6.
Sandalwood (2-4) at Raines (3-2), 6:30 p.m.: Coin flip game for me. Edge to the host Vikings. N4J pick: Raines 27, Sandalwood 25.
Stanton (0-5) at Wolfson (1-5), 6:30 p.m.: Wolfpack notch their second win of the year. N4J pick: Wolfson 28, Stanton 7.
Suwannee (3-3) at Madison County (3-2), 7:30 p.m.: Boot Hill is always a tough place to play. N4J pick: Madison County 30, Suwannee 20.
Tocoi Creek (1-3) at Gainesville P.K. Yonge (2-3): The Toros make it two! N4J pick: Tocoi Creek 20, P.K. Yonge 19.
Union County (5-0) at Dixie County (3-2), 7:30 p.m.: Tigers stay perfect here. N4J pick: Union 28, Dixie County 21.
Westside (1-5) at Valdosta (2-4), 8 p.m.: Money game for the Wolverines. N4J pick: Valdosta 45, Westside 0.
Zarephath Academy (1-4) at Zephyrhills Christian (4-1): Eagles have a big challenge on the road. N4J pick: Zephyrhills Christian 31, Zarephath 13.
Others (home team in CAPS, local teams in bold)
TAYLOR PIERSON (2-2) over Interlachen (1-4); Lake Howell (1-5) over MATANZAS (1-5).
Off: Bishop Kenny, Bradford, Englewood, First Coast, Fleming Island, Fort White, Oakleaf, Orange Park, Paxon, Young Kids in Motion, Yulee.