JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The second round of the high school playoffs is here. A glance at playoff games in the Suburban and Rural divisions. All games are Friday at 7:30 p.m. unless indicated.
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Region 1-4S
(4) Ponte Vedra (8-3) at (1) Gainesville Buchholz (11-0), 7:30 p.m.
Road here: Ponte Vedra d. Creekside, 49-36; Buchholz d. Mosley, 59-0.
Winner gets: (3) Bartram Trail or (2) Niceville in the regional finals. Ponte Vedra would travel to face either.
Glance: The Sharks flipped a two-game losing streak in a big way, crushing Creekside in the opening round after a disappointing loss in Week 11. TE Landon Okla is becoming a better player by the week. He had three catches for three TDs last week and is up to eight TD catches this season. He’s been another reliable target for QB Ben Burk, who has thrown 21 of his 22 TD passes to Okla, Cole Madson, Ryan Smith and Griffin Owen. RB Brian Case (1,128 rushing yards, 20 TDs) has been excellent out of the backfield. LB Maddux Babin (3 INT) and S Ridge Richardson (90 tackles) lead a better-than-you-think defense. Ponte Vedra went on the road in Week 2 and pulled an upset of Florida High (23-22), so a heavily favored opponent won’t trouble the Sharks. But Buchholz is the region’s best team by a wide margin. It battered Bartram Trail 44-7 in the regular season and has gone to back-to-back state semifinals. The task is steep for Ponte Vedra.
(3) Bartram Trail (7-4) at (2) Niceville (9-2), 8 p.m.
Road here: Bartram d. Navarre, 67-55; Niceville d. Nease, 56-21.
Winner gets: (4) Ponte Vedra or (1) Gainesville Buchholz in the regional final. Bartram would host Ponte Vedra but travel to Buchholz.
Glance: Offense. Offense. Offense. Difficult to beat teams when they put up 67 in a game like the Bears did last week. Bartram amassed 698 yards of offense, 618 of that coming on the ground. RB Laython Biddle had a staggering game, 333 rushing yards and six TDs in an effort that ranks among the best ever by an area back. Biddle has 1,915 rushing yards and 25 TDs and has a shot to win the state rushing title. Chris Wheatley-Humphrey of South Broward has 2,076 yards and leads the state. That defense needs some work, though, especially as the playoff road toughens up. While an obscene number of points and yards is wild, Bartram can’t expect to do that every game out. Niceville crunched Nease last week with a 21-point first quarter that was set up by two takeaways and a blocked punt for a TD.
Region 1-3S
(5) Escambia (8-3) at (1) St. Augustine (10-0), 7 p.m.
Road here: Escambia d. Pine Forest, 13-7; St. Augustine d. Middleburg, 52-14.
Winner gets: (3) Choctaw or (2) Tallahassee Lincoln in the regional final. St. Augustine would host either.
Glance: With the exception of a couple first-half turnovers (including a fumble into the end zone), the Yellow Jackets looked sharp last week. The defense was wicked, with LB Drake Lusk playing lights out. He had a pair of interceptions and a couple tackles for loss. RB Devonte Lyons ripped off a 95-yard TD run last week, a jaunt that put him over 1,000 rushing yards this season. QB Locklan Hewlett and backup Dylan Cook have been next level this year, with just three combined interceptions mixed in with 35 TD passes. It’s been next to impossible for teams to cover the assortment of WRs Carl Jenkins Jr., Trenton Jones, Myles Simmons and Somourian Wingo. As the competition increases by the week, can teams like a Lincoln or a Mainland or a Lake Wales or a Vanguard slow the Yellow Jackets down enough? Escambia has a stout defense (11.9 ppg), but St. Augustine has wrecked a few defenses this season.
Region 2-2S
(4) Gainesville Eastside (8-3) at (1) Bradford (11-0), 7:30 p.m.
Road here: Eastside d. Palatka, 28-27; Bradford d. Port Orange Atlantic, 42-0.
Winner gets: (3) Baker County or (2) Yulee in the regional final. Bradford would host either.
Glance: The Tornadoes are on a mission. Their defense can make a case as the state’s best. QB Daejon Shanks is capable of big things on the offensive side of the ball. Chalil Cummings has eight TD catches. Torrin Brazell is a gamechanger on the defensive side of the ball and had a TD catch last week. LBs Devon McBride and Chason Clark are the top tacklers on the team, followed by S Jeremiah McKenzie and LB Duke Lewis. Bradford has leaned on its defense all season and it has delivered. Can it carry the Tornadoes to a state championship? On paper, Bradford looks more than able. It can’t afford to look past any team, but within the region there doesn’t seem to be an offense strong enough to solve that defense.
(3) Baker County (7-3) at (2) Yulee (9-2), 7:30 p.m.
Road here: Baker County d. Baldwin, 38-21; Yulee d. Keystone Heights, 36-10.
Winner gets: (4) Gainesville Eastside or (1) Bradford in the regional final. Baker County and Yulee would both host Eastside, but both would travel to face Bradford.
Glance: The latest installment of a district rivalry resurfacing in the postseason. Baker County is 3-0 against Yulee the last two years (31-30 and 16-6 last year and a one-sided 32-14 win this season. The Wildcats have figured out what’s worked under Kevin Mays (strong defense and a potent ground game) and tuned it to perfection. RB Benny Lewis is on the doorstep of 1,000 rushing yards (948 and 10 TDs). Baker County is allowing just 14.2 ppg behind tackling machine LBs Seth Chestnut (122 tackles) and Case Foster (107 tackles). There is always a good speed rusher (DE Phillip Jackson has 12 sacks) and always a good DB (freshman Rhett Rhoden has 7 picks). Yulee has a very good offense, but can it solve a Baker County squad that it struggled with just weeks ago? QB Nikao Smith (2,027 passing yards, 19 TDs) has WRs in DJ Mason and Tyson Wharton who are at 512 yards or higher receiving. RB Teonte Artis-Croxton (708 rushing yards, 9 TDs) provides support out of the backfield. The Yulee defense is also very good, with three players — Shamarion Gibbs, LJ Jacobs and Rylan Hale — combining for 13 of Yulee’s 16 interceptions. DE Braylen Ricks has a whopping 31 tackles for loss and nine sacks for the Hornets.
Region 3-1R
(3) Union County (7-3) at (2) Fort White (9-1), 7:30 p.m.
Road here: Union County d. Hilliard, 58-8; Fort White had a bye.
Winner gets: (4) Lafayette or (1) Madison County in the regional final. Fort White and Union would both host Lafayette, but both would travel to face Madison.
Glance: One of the Indians’ best season’s ever comes with Demetric Jackson Sr. back at the helm after coming over from Columbia. They’ve done it with a suffocating defense (11.6 ppg), a big time RB in Dakota Fisher (1,127 rushing yards, 19 TDs) and a lethal QB in Jayden Jackson (1,467 passing yards, 21 TDs). DB Tafari Moe has a team-best four picks for the Indians. The Tigers reached the state semifinals last year. They’ve been more balanced this season, QB Trenton Klein, RBs Drew Simmons and Ras Woodall have combined to rush for 16 TDs and more than 1,300 yards. The winner likely collides with top-seeded Madison, which is the heavy favorite to reach the state semis.