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High school football ‘23 championship picks: Two area teams will bring home titles

St. Augustine football players break through the banner before a state semifinal game against Dunbar. (Ralph Priddy, News4JAX)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – High school football season is back. That means our football predictions are back, too. With state championship games beginning Thursday, here’s our final predictions of the season.

Last week: 4-1 (.800). Season: 352-92 (.793).

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Class 4M

  • Mandarin (11-3) vs. Miami Columbus (12-2), Friday, 3 p.m.: Same opponent. Same day five years later. Mandarin has become the first area team to win four straight playoff games on the road. They’ll make it five here. Mustangs and coach Toby Bullock lift the trophy again. N4J pick: Mandarin 33, Columbus 31.

Class 3S

  • St. Augustine (13-0) vs. Daytona Beach Mainland (13-1), Thursday, 3 p.m.: The Yellow Jackets have that throwback feel to me. They have all season long. So many similarities for me in this team and the only other St. Augustine team to win a state championship, the 15-0 team in 2005. This is the best defense the Yellow Jackets have faced, but they’ll find a way around it. N4J pick: St. Augustine 32, Mainland 28.

Class 2S

  • Bradford (14-0) vs. Cocoa (13-1), Friday, 8 p.m.: I have gone back and forth on this one since last week’s struggle against Pensacola Catholic. If the Tornadoes can turn this into a slugfest, they can win. But I have doubts that they can keep pace with Cocoa if this game turns into a track meet. N4J pick: Cocoa 34, Bradford 24.

About the Author
Justin Barney headshot

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.

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