High school football ‘22: Four games to watch, full schedule for Week 4

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s Week 4 of the high school football season. We take a look at the top four games, the next four options and the full schedule for teams in north Florida and south Georgia.

All games are 7 p.m. unless indicated. District games indicated by an *. Super 10 rankings are in parentheses.

RELATED | Week-by-week schedules, results for the 2022 season

RANKINGS | Our updated News4JAX Super 10

PICKS | Week 4 high school football predictions

First Four

(5) Bolles (2-1) at (1) Trinity Christian (3-0), 7:30 p.m.

Always one of the must-see events of the regular season between private school powers with a combined 20 state championships. They played five times from 1997-2000 (Bolles went 4-1 in those) and not again until 2017 (Trinity is 4-2 on the field since the series resumed). The last two meetings have been all Bolles, with a 35-0 in 2021 and a 36-12 victory in 2020. The Bulldogs are coming off a tough loss at Brunswick, a 20-3 game where turnovers proved their undoing. QB DJ Moore is still growing into the passer role (376 passing yards, 3 TDs) after handing it off a ton last year. RB Emmett Grzebin (292 rushing yards, 3 TDs) is the featured back and capable of a big performance. Freshman WR Naeem Burroughs (13 catches, 240 yards, 2 TDs) has got a target on him after a huge Week 1 game against St. Augustine. The defense has some weapons and has created quite a bit this season (11 takeaways) LB Trent Carter and DBs Spencer Surface and Kavon Miller have a combined 68 tackles. They’ll be tested by the multifaceted attack of the Conquerors. QB Colin Hurley is coming off of his best performance of the season (4 TD passes, no turnovers) in a rout of NFEI. WR Miles Burris had a monster game in that one (6 catches, 157 yards, 2 TDs). The bread and butter of Trinity, however, is the ground attack. RBs Treyaun Webb (315 rushing yards, 6 TDs) and Darnell Rogers (299 rushing yards, 5 TDs) are home run backs. Bolles turned this game in a running clock blowout in the second half last year, swamping the Trinity OL and not allowing Hurley to get comfortable. Can it have that same success this season?

Bolles-Trinity Christian football series

Fletcher (1-2) at Nease (0-3)

Not a make-or-break game but it feels like an inflection point for these teams. The Panthers played well on the defensive side of the football in a 19-14 loss to Fleming Island last week. If Nease can marry that defense with the offense it showed against Creekside then the Panthers can shake themselves from this nightmare start following a 9-4, regional final season. QB Marcus Stokes (133 rushing yards, 4 TDs; 483 passing yards, 2 TDs) gives the Panthers a playmaker but the consistency hasn’t been there for the team as a whole. Fletcher QB Marcelis Tate (704 passing yards, 5 TDs; 123 rushing yards) has evolved quite a bit since his sophomore season. WR Anthony Vaglienti (20 catches, 256 yards, 4 TDs) has been Tate’s primary target,

Gainesville Buchholz (2-0) at (4) Creekside (3-0)*

An excellent early season clash for the Knights against one of the region’s best teams in Buchholz, a state semifinalist last year. The Bobcats have been a thorn in the side of the Knights, winning six of seven meetings in lopsided fashion (average score is 32.9-13.8). Creekside’s lone win came in 2019 at Buchholz (21-17). Can the Knights flip that script? RB Nicky Williams and his offensive line have been exceptional this season, with no bigger performance than last week’s 21-20 comeback win over Glynn Academy in a torrential downpour. Williams has 501 rushing yards and 10 TDs, a credit to tough running and excellent blocking. Danny Approbato has been a change-of-pace back for the Knights (212 rushing yards, 2 TDs) and averaging 7.3 YPC. Creekside isn’t giving the ball away and is getting good production from its defense (plus 5 in the turnover battle). S Anthony Akel had a stellar game against Glynn (13 tackles), including a fumble recovery that helped flip the game in the second half. LBs Colton Leavell (17 tackles) and Nathan Hernandez (15 tackles) lead the Knights. This is the first of a brutal five-game stretch that includes Mandarin, Oakleaf, Bartram Trail and Fleming Island.

Oakleaf (2-1) at Fleming Island (3-0), 7:30 p.m.*

Are the Golden Eagles the best team in Clay County this season? This game will determine that. Oakleaf leads this series 6-5. The teams are 2-2 in the last five meetings. RBs Sam Singleton (291 rushing yards, 5 TDs), Musthafa Marshall (144 rushing yards) and Tayshaun Smith (106 rushing yards, 2 TDs) lead a powerful ground attack. QB Cibastian Broughton can throw it (451 passing yards, 6 TDs, no INTs) and move on the ground (208 rushing yards, 3 TDs). S David Smith (20 tackles) and LB Abram Wright (20 tackles, 6 TFL, 1.5 sacks) are the headliners on a tough Fleming defense. The Golden Eagles will have a radar on Oakleaf RB Devin Outlaw (405 rushing yards, 7 TDs) to try and limit his big plays. QB Drew Ammon has been a greater threat of the pocket this season (141 rushing yards, 2 TDs, 10.1 YPC) than last year so Fleming will have to contend with his arm and his feet.

Oakleaf-Fleming Island football series

Next four

(2) Bartram Trail (3-0) at Tallahassee Lincoln (3-0), Thursday: The Bears have flashed a strong defense this season. They lost this game a year ago (37-31) in a shootout. Easily Bartram’s toughest matchup to date.

Spruce Creek (1-2) at (6) Jackson (3-1), 6:30 p.m.: Another big challenge for the Tigers against a team that would have never been on their schedule for most of the past decade. Shows how far coach Christopher Foy has brought this team in a short period of time.

Stanton (0-3) at Paxon (0-3), 6:30 p.m.: The Brain Bowl is always a battle. Paxon has won the last two in this series. Stanton’s last win came over the Golden Eagles in 2019 (35-24). That’s one of just two wins Stanton has since 2019 (the other is a 42-20 win over Zarephath Academy). Will that 13-game losing skid end this week?

(8) White (2-1) at Parker (1-2), 6:30 p.m.: The Commanders have a tough ground game (Benny Lewis, Davaughn Patterson, Tavales Thomas and Isiah Teal have combined for 732 yards and 3 TDs). RB Darrell Sawyer III (374 yards, 3 TDs) leads Parker’s offense, which has struggled to get going. The Braves have a stout defense but have managed just 5 TDs in 3 games.

Week 4 schedule, Florida

All games 7 p.m. unless indicated; district games indicated by an *

Thursday, Sept. 15

Bartram Trail (3-0) at Tallahassee Lincoln (3-0)

Clay (1-2) at Gainesville (0-3)*

Friday, Sept. 16

Baldwin (2-1, 1-0) at Baker County (2-0, 0-0)*

Bolles (2-1) at Trinity Christian (3-0), 7:30 p.m.

Bradford (2-0) at Gainesville Eastside (2-0)

Cedar Creek Christian (2-0) at Bishop Snyder (2-1)

Christ’s Church (0-3) at University Christian (3-0), 7:30 p.m.*

Eagle’s View (0-2) at St. Joseph (1-2)

Fernandina Beach (1-2) at Interlachen (3-0), 7:30 p.m.

First Coast (1-1) at Riverside (2-1), 6:30 p.m.

Fletcher (1-2) at Nease (0-3)

Fort White (1-2) at Hamilton County (0-2), 7:30 p.m.

Gainesville Buchholz (2-0) at Creekside (3-0)*

Hollis Christian (0-3) at Bishop Kenny (3-0)

Impact Christian (1-1) at Keystone Heights (0-2)

Lafayette (2-1) at Hilliard (2-1)

Madison County (2-1) at Columbia (1-2), 7:30 p.m.

Mandarin (2-1) at Atlantic Coast (0-3), 6:30 p.m.*

Matanzas (1-2) at Flagler Palm Coast (2-0)

Melbourne (2-1) at Orange Park (0-2)

Oakleaf (2-1) at Fleming Island (3-0), 7:30 p.m.*

Ponte Vedra (0-2) at Middleburg (0-3)

Providence (1-2, 0-0) at NFEI (2-1, 0-1)*

Ribault (2-1) at Westside (1-2), 6:30 p.m.

Ridgeview (1-2) at Tocoi Creek (2-1)

St. Augustine (1-2) at Menendez (2-1)*

Spruce Creek (1-2) at Jackson (3-1), 6:30 p.m.

Stanton (0-3) at Paxon (0-3), 6:30 p.m.

Union County (1-1) at Gainesville PK Yonge

West Nassau (1-2) at Episcopal (2-0)

West Oaks (0-2) at Young Kids in Motion (1-1)

White (2-1) at Parker (1-2), 6:30 p.m.

Wildwood (2-1) at Suwannee (1-2), 7:30 p.m.

Wolfson (1-2) at Harvest Community (2-0)

Zarephath Academy (1-2) at Lakeland Victory Christian (1-2)

Saturday. Sept. 17

Yulee (2-1) at Tradition Prep (0-2)

Off: Beachside, Crescent City, Englewood, Palatka, Raines, Sandalwood

Week 5 schedule, Georgia

All games at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 16

Islands (0-3) at Brunswick (3-0)

Pierce County (3-0) at Charlton County (3-1)

Somerset Academy (1-2) at Camden County (2-2)

Off: Glynn Academy, Ware County