High school football ‘23 picks: Bradford, Mandarin among Week 2 winners

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – High school football season is back. That means our football predictions are back, too.

News4JAX sports editor Justin Barney will reveal his picks for the week each Thursday. All game times are 7 p.m. unless indicated. Super 10 rankings in parentheses.

Last week: 33-5 (.868). Season: 33-5 (.868).

Florida schedule, Week 2

Friday, Sept. 1

• Beachside (0-1) at Fernandina Beach (1-0): Barracudas are going to be good this season. N4J pick: Beachside 28, Fernandina Beach 20.
• (8) Bolles (0-1) at (4) Mandarin (1-0), 6:30 p.m.: Tough one here. Mustangs nearly won this game last year and they’re much better this time around. N4J pick: Mandarin 35, Bolles 33.
• (5) Bradford (1-0) at Baldwin (1-0), Saturday, 6:30 p.m.: Offense never got in synch last week for the Tornadoes, but that defense is still wicked. N4J pick: Bradford 28, Baldwin 7.
• Charlton County (0-2) at West Nassau (0-1): Indians get in the win column in a Florida-Georgia showdown. N4J pick: Charlton County 31, West Nassau 21.
• Creekside (0-1) at Nease (1-0): Knights put up 48 last week against a state semifinalist from a year ago. If that defense cleans some things up, watch out. N4J pick: Creekside 38, Nease 20.
• Daytona Beach Seabreeze (0-1) at Bartram Trail (1-0): Don’t be fooled by Bartram’s close win last week. Ponte Vedra is tough, and that’s a rivalry game. N4J pick: Bartram Trail 33, Seabreeze 13.
• Eagle’s View (1-0) at Harvest Community (0-1): Eagle’s View gets stays unbeaten after this one. N4J pick: Eagle’s View 21, Harvest 13.
• Englewood (1-0) at Menendez (1-0), 6:30 p.m.: A good clash of teams on the rise. N4J pick: Menendez 28, Englewood 21.
• Father Lopez (0-1) at Cedar Creek Christian (0-1): Green Wave notches the W. N4J pick: Father Lopez 31, Cedar Creek Christian 7.
• Fleming Island (1-0) at NFEI (1-0): A game that popped up due to Hurricane Idalia. Both teams with big wins in Week 1. Credit to NFEI and coach Jamaal Fudge for getting the Eagles on the field in this one. N4J pick: Fleming Island 35, NFEI 14.
• Fletcher (0-1) at Tallahassee Chiles (0-1): Senators won this is a tight one last year. Same thing here. N4J pick: Fletcher 27, Chiles 25.
• Gainesville Eastside (1-0) at Keystone Heights (0-0), 7:30 p.m.: Rams edge the Pirates in their opener. N4J pick: Eastside 31, Keystone 30.
• Gainesville Oak Hall (1-0) at Bishop Snyder (1-0): Oak Hall with a win in Jacksonville. N4J pick: Oak Hall 35, Bishop Snyder 14.
• Hilliard (0-1) at Cambridge Christian (1-0): Tough opener for the Red Flashes and this is a tough road trip. N4J pick: Cambridge Christian 28, Hilliard 20.
• Interlachen (0-1) at Providence (0-1): Stallions were oh-so-close to a road win in Week 1. N4J pick: Providence 27, Interlachen 14.
• Joshua Christian (0-0) at Rocky Bayou Christian (1-0): Long road trip here. N4J pick: Rocky Bayou 30, Joshua Christian 7.
• Matanzas (1-0) at Tocoi Creek (1-0): Toros are building something special. N4J pick: Tocoi Creek 34, Matanzas 20.
• Orange Park (0-1) at Episcopal (1-0): Eagles got a scare last week from Zarephath. N4J pick: Orange Park 31, Episcopal 30.
• Palatka (1-0) at Port Orange Atlantic (0-1): Panthers rekindling their fast start from 2022. N4J pick: Palatka 27, Atlantic 7.
• Ponte Vedra (0-1) at Florida High (0-0): Sharks visit the Class 2S state runner-up Seminoles. N4J pick: Florida High 33, Ponte Vedra 13.
• Ribault (1-0) at Atlantic Coast (1-0), Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.: Trojans and Stingrays both coming off big Week 1 wins. N4J pick: Ribault 20, Atlantic Coast 19.
• Ridgeview (0-1) at Clay (0-1): Blue Devils win a Clay County showdown. N4J pick: Clay 27, Ridgeview 13.
• Riverside (1-0) at Parker (0-1): Braves gave Atlantic Coast a battle last week. Generals get to 2-0 here. N4J pick: Riverside 28, Parker 14.
• St. Joseph (0-1) at Windermere (1-0): Road trip ends with a loss for Flashes. N4J pick: Windermere 28, St. Joseph 10.
• Sandalwood (0-1) at White (0-1), 6:30 p.m.: Commanders win a physical one. N4J pick: White 21, Sandalwood 14.
• Titusville (1-0) at Yulee (1-0): Hornets could be in position for their best season in years. N4J pick: Yulee 30, Titusville 21.
• (1) Trinity Christian (1-0) at Plantation American Heritage (1-0), 7:30 p.m.: Tough road trip for the area’s No. 1 team. N4J pick: American Heritage 33, Trinity Christian 28.
• Umatilla (0-1) at Crescent City (0-1): Raiders have no trouble in this one. N4J pick: Crescent City 28, Umatilla 14.
• (10) University Christian (0-1) at Tallahassee North Florida Christian (0-1): UC back in the win column with an tough win over its playoff rival. N4J pick: UC 28, NFC 14.
• Westside (0-1) at Jackson (0-1): Tigers took Nease to OT last week. N4J pick: Jackson 24, Westside 7.
• Williston (1-0) at First Coast (0-1): Buccaneers get a late replacement game ... and a win. N4J pick: First Coast 33, Willison 27.
• Wolfson (0-1) at Paxon (0-1): Golden Eagles get back to .500. N4J pick: Paxon 30, Wolfson 10.
• Young Kids in Motion (1-0) in Motion at American Collegiate (1-0): The Rough Riders with no trouble here. N4J pick: American Collegiate 33, Young Kids in Motion 7.
• Zarephath Academy (0-1) at Hollis Christian (0-1): How about Zarephath’s showing last week against Episcopal? Big time progress for the young program. N4J pick: Zarephath 33, Hollis Christian 7.
• OFF: Baker County, Bishop Kenny, Christ’s Church, Columbia, Duval Charter, Flagler Palm Coast, Fort White, Impact Christian, Middleburg, Oakleaf, Raines, St. Augustine, Stanton, Suwannee, Union County.