Marty Lee started coaching with one small promise to himself all those years ago. If Lee could walk away at the very end of his coaching career at First Coast High School knowing that he’d made his mentors proud, then he’d have fulfilled that promise.

Illinois receiver and former Atlantic Coast High School star Pat Bryant II became the first local player to hear his name called in the NFL draft on Thursday night.

The spring signing period for high school athletes inking letters of intent is in full swing. A look at area athletes who are signing with colleges.

The push to pay all high school coaches better in Florida hit the state Capitol on Tuesday morning as members of the Florida Coaches Coalition spent more than five hours meeting with lawmakers and making their case for better pay.

Wednesday is national signing day around the country, with high school athletes signing letters of intent with college programs. Here are signees as reported by their schools. This list will be updated throughout the week.

The Florida Coaches Coalition has pushed for more reasonable coaching pay for three years and there have been small positives to think that help is on the way, possibly as soon as the 2026-27 budget year.

Raines star Jyon Simon is the Varsity 4 All-News4JAX defensive player of the year.

Raines quarterback TJ Cole, the Varsity 4 All-News4JAX offensive player of the year, flirted with area passing history and led Raines to the state championship game. As good as the individual success was — and it was very, very good — Cole says the job for the Vikings is not yet finished.

The Bulls brought down the curtain on the 2024 season with a 41-0, running clock romp over Raines in the Class 3A state championship game at Pitbull Stadium.

News4JAX sports editor Justin Barney reveals his prediction for the high school football championship. The game is Saturday night at 7:30 at FIU’s Pitbull Stadium in Miami.

With all the hype and pageantry around the Class 3A state championship game, Raines head coach Donovan Masline has kept one point front and center — when the game kicks off at 7:30 Saturday night, it’s just a regular football game.

The Raines football team is playing for a state championship on Saturday night in Miami. Here’s what you need to know about the showdown.

To fully appreciate the peaks, Donovan Masline knew he had to make it through the valley first. And 2020, for Raines, the most NFL-rich pipeline in the News4JAX coverage region, was a valley.

Troy Butler laid a hit into Ryan Downes near midfield. The ball spurted free. Jyon Simon grabbed it on the ground. Simon rose up immediately, holding the ball up high. Raines was 42 seconds and a victory formation away from the Class 3A state title game and now just a victory away from the fourth FHSAA football state championship in school history.

It was the end of the playoff line for St. Augustine and Trinity Christian in the high school football state semifinals on a chilly Friday night.

Three high school football teams are playing in the state semifinals on Friday night and after appearances in next week’s state championships. Here’s a glance at the matchups.

News4JAX sports editor Justin Barney reveals his predictions for the third round of the high school football playoffs. All game times are Friday at 7 p.m. unless indicated.

News and notables from Wednesday's early football national signing day.

Wednesday marks the first of the three-day early signing period for high school football players. Athletes can sign national letters of intent through Friday with their college program of choice.

Mandarin safety Drake Stubbs kept the hot streak going for the Florida Gators.

Raines, St. Augustine and Trinity Christian are the last area teams left standing in the high school football state playoffs.

The Vikings triggered a running clock Friday night for the third time in three playoff games. This time, a flurry of turnovers set off a 30-point second quarter in the Varsity 4 Game of the Week as Raines, the top team in the state in Class 3A, routed visiting Bishop Kenny 44-15 in the Region 1-3A final.

News4JAX sports editor Justin Barney reveals his predictions for the third round of the high school football playoffs. All game times are Friday at 7 p.m. unless indicated.

It’s the third round of the high school football state playoffs and eight teams are still standing. After this week’s games, the remaining teams in each classification will be reseeded by the FHSAA MaxPreps rankings points and state semifinal hosts will be determined. All games are Friday night.

Oakleaf coach Christopher Foy wanted his team to match the way Nease played: For one another, for their coaches, a team game.

Eight local teams in Florida and one in Georgia are still standing in the high school football state playoffs.

The second round of the Georgia High School Association football state playoffs arrive on Friday night. Only three area teams remain in the postseason — Brunswick, Pierce County and Ware County.

News4JAX sports editor Justin Barney reveals his predictions for the first round of the high school football playoffs. All game times are Friday at 7 p.m. unless indicated.

The second round of the high school football playoffs are this week. Here is a glance of the matchups for local teams in Classes 4A, 5A and 6A.

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.

Mandarin quarterback Tramell Jones is staying in-state, committing to the Florida Gators after a weekend visit to Gainesville.

The opening round of the high school football playoffs is in the books, with some history-making wins and some agonizing losses for area programs. Moving on to the second round were 15 teams from the News4JAX Florida coverage area and three from south Georgia.

The kick sailed wide left, and Oakleaf’s players flooded off the sideline and onto the field with nine seconds remaining Friday night, jumping up and down and lifting their helmets in the air. That celebration was 10 years in the making and worth every yard of the penalty that followed.

Three area high school football teams are playing for state championships this week at the Villages Charter.

The high school football playoffs begin this week. Here is a glance of the matchups for local teams in Class 3A-7A divisions.

Elite 11 quarterback Tramell Jones broke off his long-time commitment to Florida State on Thursday, the latest jolt for the Seminoles in a miserable season.

News4JAX sports editor Justin Barney reveals his predictions for the first round of the high school football playoffs. All game times are Friday at 7 p.m. unless indicated.

The high school football playoffs begin this week. Here is a glance of the matchups for local teams in the Rural and Class 1A and 2A divisions. Breakdowns of games in Classes 3A-7A will be published on Thursday.

The high school football regular season is off and rolling. News4JAX Varsity 4 Super 10 is here. It will be published on Tuesday through the end of the regular season. Think we’ve got a team ranked too high or a program not ranked at all? Send us a message on Instagram (@Sports4Jax) or sports@wjxt.com.

The high school football playoffs kick off this week and News4JAX has picked out the top 10 games in the area for the opening round. Here’s why.

The high school football playoff field is set.

The high school football regular season is complete and Nease is perfect.

Coaches at public high schools in Florida have to look at the time they invest against their limited financial return and answer the same internal question every year. Is all of that still worth it? One group in the state is trying to do something about those poor wages. News4JAX takes a deep look into coaching salaries here.

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 Friday at 7 p.m. unless indicated.

The high school football regular season is off and rolling. News4JAX Varsity 4 Super 10 is here. It will be published on Tuesday through the end of the regular season. Think we’ve got a team ranked too high or a program not ranked at all? Send us a message on Instagram (@Sports4Jax) or sports@wjxt.com.

The high school football regular season is almost in the books.

Each senior is in the spotlight after their last football game at Ponte Vedra, with a walk down the field, lined with family, teammates and friends. But there was one senior showcased throughout Friday night’s Varsity 4 Game of the Week — Brian Case.

A busy Thursday night of high school football, capped with a little bit of history.

Varsity 4 has you covered every step of the way for Week 11 of the high school football season with two nights of action in the final full week of the regular season.

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 Friday at 7 p.m. unless indicated.

Varsity 4 has you covered every step of the way for Week 11 of the high school football season, including a big night of football on Thursday.

The high school football regular season is off and rolling. News4JAX Varsity 4 Super 10 is here. It will be published on Tuesday through the end of the regular season. Think we’ve got a team ranked too high or a program not ranked at all? Send us a message on Instagram (@Sports4Jax) or sports@wjxt.com.

Van Thang’s extra point, with 13 seconds left, virtually secured the District 4-4A title for White (6-3, 2-0) in a 21-20 victory over Riverside.

Top-ranked Raines, No. 2 Nease and seventh-ranked Mandarin all wrapped up district championships on an action-packed Friday night.

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 Friday at 7 p.m. unless indicated.

Varsity 4 has you covered every step of the way for Week 10 of the high school football season.

News4JAX hands out a list of questions to high school football players and coaches before the start of every season covering a variety of topics. This year, we received responses from 136 players and 39 from coaches. Both are asked to not vote for their own team or teammates or coaches on select questions. This is what they had to tell us.

The high school football regular season is off and rolling. News4JAX Varsity 4 Super 10 is here. It will be published on Tuesday through the end of the regular season. Think we’ve got a team ranked too high or a program not ranked at all? Send us a message on Instagram (@Sports4Jax) or sports@wjxt.com.

But when they did get on the field Friday night, the Yellow Jackets rolled and Bartram Trail still struggled to put together a complete game. The Jackets forced three first-half turnovers and turned around the game in the process with their quick-strike offense, downing the host Bears 48-21 in the Varsity 4 Game of the Week.

Bolles and Raines rolled in a pair of Super 10 high school football showdowns in Week 9 on Friday night.

Varsity 4 has you covered every step of the way for Week 9 of the high school football season. Check out the top four games and full schedule for this week of the season.

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.

The high school football regular season is off and rolling. News4JAX Varsity 4 Super 10 is here. It will be published on Tuesday through the end of the regular season. Think we’ve got a team ranked too high or a program not ranked at all? Send us a message on Instagram (@Sports4Jax) or sports@wjxt.com.

A Monday night edition of high school football had a slew of blowouts and an upset in the Super 10.

The Florida High School Athletic Association will push the start of the football playoffs back a week due to the barrage of weather-related issues, including a couple hurricanes, that schools around the state have endured this season.

An abbreviated night of high school football saw one big time shocker in the Super 10.

Varsity 4 has you covered every step of the way for Week 8 of the high school football season. Hurricane Milton has scrambled up the schedule, but here are the games that remain and the full schedule.

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 Friday at 7 p.m. unless indicated.

The high school football regular season is off and rolling. News4JAX Varsity 4 Super 10 is here. It will be published on Tuesday through the end of the regular season. Think we’ve got a team ranked too high or a program not ranked at all? Send us a message on Instagram (@Sports4Jax) or sports@wjxt.com.

With host Tocoi Creek lined up for a 25-yard field goal to send the game into overtime Friday night, Nigel Eldridge broke through the line and swatted down the attempt with little more than a minute remaining. The Barracudas went into victory formation and celebrated a 29-26 triumph in the third edition of the Surf N’ Turf Bowl.

A busy Week 7 of the high school football season is all but in the books, with one very big game left on the schedule.

Top-ranked Raines and rival Ribault collide on Saturday afternoon in the annual Northwest Classic, one of the best sporting events in the area.

Varsity 4 has you covered every step of the way for Week 7 of the high school football season.

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 Friday at 7 p.m. unless indicated.

Citing the widespread damage from Hurricane Helene, the Georgia High School Association on Tuesday pushed back the start of the football playoffs by a week.

The high school football regular season is off and rolling. News4JAX Varsity 4 Super 10 is here. It will be published on Tuesday through the end of the regular season. Think we’ve got a team ranked too high or a program not ranked at all? Send us a message on Instagram (@Sports4Jax) or sports@wjxt.com.

It took games spaced apart across four days, but the sixth week of the high school football season is finally in the books. Headlined by Monday night wins by Super 10 wins from Bolles, Nease and Raines, the scrambled up week from Hurricane Helene is finally over.

It’s been an almost adversity-free season on the football field for Middleburg, unlike the past 20 years. But to finish off a negative two-decade streak, the Broncos had to respond to a difficult situation Friday night.

Varsity 4 has you covered every step of the way for Week 6 of the high school football season. We’ll have four games to watch, a couple of other notable games and the full schedule in our Thursday coverage. All game times are 7 p.m. unless indicated. Due to Hurricane Helene, the schedule covers three nights.

The Week 6 high school football predictions are a day earlier than normal due to Tropical Storm Helene.

The high school football regular season is off and rolling. News4JAX Varsity 4 Super 10 is here. It will be published on Tuesday through the end of the regular season. Think we’ve got a team ranked too high or a program not ranked at all? Send us a message on Instagram (@Sports4Jax) or sports@wjxt.com.

Verlon Dorminey emphasized to his Trinity Christian football team that they had to finish off games against good opponents, with no second-half lapses. It was very, very late in Friday’s game when his message was taken to heart.

It was a wild Week 5 of the high school football season as the halfway mark officially arrived. Here’s a glance at notables, scores and schedules from Friday night.

Verlon Dorminey has been the head coach of the Trinity Christian Conquerors for 34 seasons and he as no plan of retiring anytime soon.

News4JAX/Varsity 4 have you covered every step of the way for Week 5 of the high school football season. We’ll have four games to watch, the next four best and the full schedule in our Thursday coverage. All game times are 7 p.m. unless indicated.

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 Friday at 7 p.m. unless indicated.

The high school football regular season is off and rolling. News4JAX Varsity 4 Super 10 is here. It will be published on Tuesday through the end of the regular season. Think we’ve got a team ranked too high or a program not ranked at all? Send us a message on Instagram (@Sports4Jax) or sports@wjxt.com.

Week 4 of the high school football season is in the books and we've got all the scores and TV highlights in one place to catch you up on all the Friday night action.

Bradford wore down the Mustangs, displaying a three-headed Wildcat attack in the final quarter that allowed the host Tornadoes to rally and topple Mandarin 18-13 in the Varsity 4 Game of the Week.

News4JAX/Varsity 4 have you covered every step of the way for Week 4 of the high school football season. We’ll have four games to watch, the next four best and the full schedule in our Thursday coverage. All game times are 7 p.m. unless indicated.

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 Friday at 7 p.m. unless indicated.

The high school football regular season is off and rolling. News4JAX Varsity 4 Super 10 is here. It will be published on Tuesday through the end of the regular season. Think we’ve got a team ranked too high or a program not ranked at all? Send us a message on Instagram (@Sports4Jax) or sports@wjxt.com.

It was a wet and nasty Friday night for area high school football programs in Week 3.

The Varsity 4 Game of the Week between St. Augustine and Bolles has been canceled Friday night due to weather.

The high school football regular season cranks up in full this week and News4JAX/Varsity 4 have you covered every step of the way. We’ll have four games to watch, the next four best and the full schedule in our Thursday coverage. All game times are 7 p.m. unless indicated.

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 Friday at 7 p.m. unless indicated.

The high school football regular season is off and rolling. News4JAX Varsity 4 Super 10 is here. It will be published on Tuesday through the end of the regular season. Think we’ve got a team ranked too high or a program not ranked at all? Send us a message on Instagram (@Sports4Jax) or sports@wjxt.com.

Mandarin romped to a 47-0 win over Atlantic Coast in the battle for the Principal's Cup on Friday night during Week 2 of the high school football season. Photographer Kevin Nguyen captured the game in photos in this gallery.

Through two weeks of the high school football season, the heavyweights are beginning to emerge.

Ponte Vedra used a stout defense and a fast start to beat rival Bartram Trail 28-21 in the Varsity 4 Game of the Week. It's just the third win over the Bears in program history.