JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The second round of the high school football playoffs are this week. Here is a glance of the matchups for local teams in the Rural and Class 1A-3A classes. Breakdowns for teams in Classes 4A, 5A and 6A will be published Wednesday and Georgia matchups will be published Thursday.
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Region 1-3A
(4) Wakulla (8-3) at (1) Raines (10-0), 6:30 p.m.
(3) Bishop Kenny (8-3) at (2) Tallahassee Godby (7-3), 7:30 p.m.
Road here: (1) Raines d. (8) Bay, 53-14; (4) Wakulla d. (5) Menendez, 28-14; (2) Godby d. (7) Suwannee 34-28; (3) Bishop Kenny d. (6) Baker County, 42-21.
Winners get: (4) Wakulla-(1) Raines would get the (3) Bishop Kenny-(2) Godby winner in the regional finals on Nov. 29. Raines would host any team. Bishop Kenny would host Wakulla.
Region glance: Kenny’s romp over Baker County was its first playoff win since 2014 and it stretched the winning streak out to five games. The Crusaders needed to play perfect down the stretch to win their district via tiebreaker and did just that. They’ve got playoff history against Godby, losing to the Cougars in 2012 and 2014. The big three to know for Kenny — QB Derek Heideman, RB Caleb Mattison and WR JP Donovan. Heideman had target practice against a solid Wildcats defense, strafing it for six touchdowns. Donovan caught three of those and Payton Burnett hauled in the other three. Doing that against Godby will be more difficult but this Kenny team is in a groove. … Raines got to 10-0 with a blowout of Bay. The Vikings know Wakulla well. The War Eagles are 2-0 against Raines in the playoffs, winning tough, physical games in 2019 and 2021. This is a different level Vikings team. QB Timothy Cole has a top-shelf group of receivers in Adron Walker, Ziyon Butler, Kaleb Lampkins and Andreus Cox. Cole and RB Tadarius Washington have racked up more than 1,200 yards on the ground and nearly two dozen TDs. The defense is stout at all three levels, with Jyon Simon and King Massey on the line, Tony Williams in the middle and Eddie Hinton in the back. Raines has championship focus now and should continue to barrel through this region.
Region 1-2A
(7) Walton (7-3) at (3) Bolles (9-1), 7:30 p.m.
Road here: (3) Bolles d. (6) Taylor County 49-0; (7) Walton d. (2) Pensacola Catholic, 28-24.
Winner gets: (1) Gadsden County-(4) Florida High in the regional finals on Nov. 29. Bolles would host Florida High but travel to face Gadsden.
Region glance: The Bulldogs are 2-0 in the playoffs all-time against Walton and should be a healthy favorite here as they’ve worked a few injured players like RB Emmett Grzebin back into the lineup. Grzebin and RB Tyrone Neal (715 rushing yards, 10 TDs) are a tough duo packaged together. Freshman RB Xander Edwards (471 rushing yards, 8 TDs) has really emerged, too, giving Bolles a legitimate three-headed ground attack for the first time in years. WRs Naeem Burroughs and Chase Collier are also back. Burroughs tore Taylor County apart last week for 141 yards and a couple TD catches. That’s much needed as the region opposition picks up. The Bulldogs were fortunate from a travel aspect that Walton pulled an upset of No. 2 seed Pensacola Catholic last week to spare Bolles a long road trip this week. On defense, CJ Ennis and Santana Starks have combined for nine picks. LB Troy Holloway (79 tackles) and DL Asher Ghioto (team-best 19 TFL, 7 sacks) are also team stat leaders for the Bulldogs.
Region 2-2A
(3) Newberry (9-2) at (2) Bradford (9-1), 7:30 p.m.
Road here: (2) Bradford d. (7) Villages, 35-0; (3) Newberry d. (6) Palatka, 24-7.
Winner gets: (1) Cocoa-(5) Berkeley Prep in the regional finals on Nov. 29. Bradford would host Berkeley Prep but travel to face Cocoa.
Region glance: This is a difficult assignment for the Tornadoes at home. Newberry handled Bradford in this game during the regular season (21-7), an outing where the Tornadoes just couldn’t get their offense moving. A big part of that is Newberry’s defensive line where Jarquez Carter and Mykah Newton are game wreckers. Combined, they have 57 tackles for loss and 24 sacks. Jamie Rodgers and the Bradford staff need to find a way to scratch out yardage against the Panthers. Bradford’s strength is still its defense where it has allowed just 6.9 ppg this year. RBs Gino Addison and Iyen Addison, QB Zach Paulk and WR Jyquez Cason are the playmakers for the Tornadoes, and they’re conditioned to play in tough yards and a field position game. Versatile playmaker Jeremiah McKenzie will pop up somewhere on the field and make a play, be it on offense or defense. Bradford just can’t afford to turn it over or give up negative offensive plays. The Tornadoes had two turnovers against Newberry in the regular season, allowed seven sacks and had 11 plays go for loss.
Region 1-1A
(4) University Christian (6-5) at (1) Providence (8-3), 7 p.m.
(3) Tallahassee Maclay (8-3) at (2) Trinity Christian (8-3), 7 p.m.
Road here: (1) Providence d. (8) Ocala Trinity Catholic 26-7; (4) University Christian d. (5) Impact Christian 33-12; (2) Trinity Christian def. (7) P.K. Yonge by forfeit
Winners get: (1) Providence-(4) University Christian would face either (2) Trinity Christian or Maclay (3) in the regional final on Nov. 29. Providence would host Trinity or Maclay. UC would host Maclay but travel to face Trinity.
Region glance: UC and Providence met in the district title game last month with the Christians outgunning the Stallions for a 52-42 win. UC RB Josh Bruton had one of the best games in Christians history, scoring six rushing TDs on a season-high 145 yards rushing. QB Harrison Miller has thrown eight of his 13 TD passes this season in the last two games. Amare Mack and Jenoa Alford have combined for 1,543 receiving yards and 15 TDs. On defense, DL Julius LaRosa has 11 sacks, 61 tackles and 13.5 TFL, leading the team in all three of those categories. UC is 8-3 in second-round playoff games under head coach David Penland III. … The Stallions’ win over Trinity Catholic last week was the first FHSAA postseason win since 2010. Providence was just 1-6 all-time in the playoffs before beating Trinity Catholic, a team it had lost big to in 2013 and ‘14 in the playoffs. Providence ended the regular season this year like it did last year, on a losing streak. But the Stallions snapped their three-game slide with the playoff win. They have QB Mason Williams (2,209 passing yards, 26 TDs) this year, which is a massive boost. Williams was banged up during the final month of his junior season and Providence wasn’t the same team. He’s also just 95 yards away from a 1,000-yard rushing season and has 16 TDs on the ground. RB Jaxon Harshman (747 rushing yards, 3 TDs), WRS Noah Johnson (1,047 receiving yards, 11 TDs) and Josiah Payton (431 receiving yards, 10 TDs) are all difference makers. On defense, edge Sam Hayward leads the team in tackles (53), sacks (9) and TFL (18). … Trinity hasn’t played since Oct. 31 and picked up a forfeit win over P.K. Yonge last week. This is one of the youngest teams longtime coach Verlon Dorminey has ever had and they’ve grown up substantially this year. QBs Terel Dallas and Hicks Zarah have combined to pass for 19 TDs and 1,321 yards and add 437 and seven TDs on the ground. RB Micah Anderson (410 rushing, 4 TDs) leads the ground game. Pass catchers have been top-heavy with Tre Williams, Marquez Hicks, David Wright and Lenox Hires combining for 18 TDs. The Conquerors are 1-0 against Maclay all-time in the playoffs. A win by Trinity and UC would set up those teams to meet in the postseason for the third consecutive season.
Rural
(6) Pahokee (7-3) at (3) Union County (9-1), 7:30 p.m.
(13) Williston (7-4) at (12) Fort White (7-4), 7:30 p.m.
Road here: (12) Fort White d. (5) Jay 23-2; (13) Williston d. (4) Chiefland, 10-0; (3) Union County d. (14) Holmes County 42-20
Winner gets: Fort White would face (1) Hawthorne-(9) Lafayette in state semifinals on Nov. 29. Fort White would travel to face either team. Union County would face (10) Blountstown-(2) Madison County in the state semifinals on Nov. 29. Union would host Blountstown but travel to face Madison.
Region glance: Two excellent matchups here. Pahokee is a powerhouse with a rich history. The Blue Devils have won six state championships and are making their 35th state playoff appearance, a number that ranks inside the top 15 in Florida history. The Indians have their work cut out for them, but they’re coming off a relatively comfortable win on the road in the opener. QB Jayden Jackson has accounted for 14 touchdowns, and has scored passing, rushing and receiving this year. LeCosta Byrd has 12 rushing TDs. WR Michael Peterson Jr. had a TD catch last week. Byrd also leads the defense in tackles (115). Williston is lead by iconic coach Robby Pruitt, who led University Christian and Union County to seven state championships before he turned 40. He won his 400th career game this season for the Red Devils. He led Union to a state-record 52-game winning streak and three consecutive state titles (1994-96). ... RB Drew Simmons (1,290 rushing yards, 16 TDs) and QB Trenton Klein are Union’s main weapons. Klein has 1,359 passing yards and 21 TDs and has added five more on the ground. WR Gavin Jenkins (550 receiving yards) leads the Tigers with six TD catches. Klein leads a strong Union defense, too (72 tackles, 21.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks).
Week 2 playoff schedule, Florida
All games Friday, Nov. 22
Region 1-6A
(5) Oakleaf (8-3) at (1) Nease (10-0), 8 p.m.
Region 1-5A
(4) Ponte Vedra (9-2) at (1) Niceville (10-1), 8 p.m.
(6) Fleming Island (8-3) at (2) Lincoln (9-2), 7 p.m.
Region 1-4A
(5) White (8-3) at (1) St. Augustine (9-1), 7 p.m.
Region 1-3A
(4) Wakulla (8-3) at (1) Raines (10-0), 6:30 p.m.
(3) Bishop Kenny (8-3) at (2) Tallahassee Godby (7-3), 7:30 p.m.
Region 1-2A
(7) Walton (7-3) at (3) Bolles (9-1), 7:30 p.m.
Region 2-2A
(3) Newberry (9-2) at (2) Bradford (9-1), 7:30 p.m.
Region 1-1A
(4) University Christian (6-5) at (1) Providence (8-3), 7 p.m.
(3) Maclay (8-3) at (2) Trinity Christian (8-3), 7 p.m.
Rural
(13) Williston (7-4) at (12) Fort White (7-4), 7:30 p.m.
(6) Pahokee (7-3) at (3) Union County (9-1), 7:30 p.m.
Georgia High School Association playoffs, Round 2
Class 5A
Coffee (9-2) at Brunswick (10-1), 7:30 p.m.
Class 4A
Ware County (6-5) at North Oconee (11-0), 7:30 p.m.
Class 2A
Pierce County (10-1) at Columbia (5-6), 7:30 p.m.