10 Big Bend football matchups you're not going to want to miss this fall

It's hard to believe that we are just about a month out from the start of the high school football season.

While the official start of practice opens Monday - contact is allowed five days later -  it's never too early to get hyped up about some of the matchups this season.

Of course, you'll have the classic games between Big Bend squads, but teams from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and St. Johns will be making stops in Tallahassee to take on the best the Big Bend has to offer. Here are 10 matchups you're not going to want to miss this fall.

Trinity Catholic at Florida High (Aug. 26)

The regular season opens up with a rematch of the 2021 3A Region 1 championship game that was one of the Seminoles' closer finishes last season. Florida High walked away with a 17-12 victory in Ocala.

Florida High is bringing a ton of top-notch talent to the gridiron in Rhyder Poppell, Micahi Danzy, Brooks Hickman, Donvan Barnes, and many others. In addition, first-year starting quarterback sophomore Jeremy Johnson will have a test against the Celtics. Trinity Catholic will have a new QB but brings back its top rusher in Beau Beard (786 yards).

More: Welcoming in large, young core, a state championship is still the goal for Florida High

Munroe at Wakulla (Sept. 9)

This is one of two Munroe games you're going to want to keep an eye on this fall as the Bobcats have loaded up this offseason. In addition to the offensive battle between Wakulla's Hayden Klees and Xavier Blake, and Munroe's Preston Waldron and Ostin Perkins, to name a few, the defensive matchup is going to be spectacular.

Munroe senior cornerback Makari Vickers, one of the top prospects in the Big Bend, meets up against Wakulla senior defensive end Todd Williams. Williams put up some huge numbers for the War Eagles last season, recording 106 tackles and 14 sacks. He's also boasted offers from Minnesota, South Florida, Central Michigan, and others.

This will be the kind of match-up that both teams are looking for when it comes to making a solid schedule.

More: Christmas in July: Top 10 way too early prospects for All-Big Bend Defensive Player of the Year

Bartram Trail at Lincoln (Sept. 15 at Cox)

This was not only a good game last season, but Lincoln spoiled a possible 3-0 start for the Bears. After going down 31-14, the Trojans' rallied for 23 straight points to come back and upset Bartram Trail on their home turf. These two teams were packed with talent and are going to have some to flex this fall.

Lincoln is bringing back one of the top linebackers in the country in senior Raylen Wilson (139 tackles), one of its top rushers senior Fredrick Alexander (400 yards in eight games), and a slew of transfers. One of the biggest names coming in is Godby senior wide receiver Kenneth Kelly. Bartram Trail was also hit with the senior bug but brings back junior Laython Biddle (409 rushing yards) and senior Zeke Cromwell (76 tackles).

Both teams didn't have a lot of players that exploded in stat lines, meaning that there was a lot of depth on both sidelines. Since this is a Thursday game, it's going to be a great tune-up to Godby/Rickards the day after.

More: The obstacle is the way: Lincoln focused on building itself into state champion caliber program

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Godby at Rickards (Sept. 16 at Cox)

It doesn't matter where either team is at, what their record is, or how good they are, this game is always going to be one of the best of the season. Everything really goes out the window in this game and it's anyone's to win. Last season, an 0-7 Godby team gave Rickards, who was 4-1, a run for their money, seeing Rickards sneak away with a 21-16 win.

The Raiders are working with a very young defense, but welcoming an electric offense to the field made up of quarterback senior Jakari Winters, wide receiver senior Rico Watkins and wide receiver senior Keyon Brown. For Godby, there are some question marks after graduating a handful of players and seeing some transfer out. Quarterback sophomore Christian Sims is going to be a key piece leading a young team.

Even if this game isn't close, you've still got the battle of the bands and just the general environment at this game that makes it special. It truly is a Tallahassee staple.

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Miami Edison at Rickards (Sept. 23 at Rickards)

Late September is going to be bumpin in the Big Bend as Rickards welcomes Miami Edison to the Dead Sea following its rivalry week. It's always been a big deal when a South Beach school makes the trip up to Tallahassee as showdowns against Miami Northwestern and Carol City have drawn big crowds in the past. With this game having that similar feel, Rickards made the decision to have this game on the blue turf.

Defensive development continues to be the big question for the Raiders by this time, but either way, you're going to see a lot of talent in this game. Four-star senior wide receiver and Miami commit Nathaniel Joseph will be matched up against four-star senior athlete and UMass commit Tristen Sion.

Four-star defensive lineman Dinellson Exume will be tasked with shutting down Winters at QB, and an exciting Raiders offense. Both teams are coming off near .500 seasons, so it should be a pretty balanced matchup.

More: Flagships: Inside Rickards Tristen Sion, Rico Watkins' commitment to UMass football

More: Rickards looking to veterans to bring up younger group after graduating large senior class

Madison County at Florida High (Sept. 23)

Nine minutes southeast from Rickards, the Seminoles will be hosting the Cowboys in what has turned into a classic matchup. In the past, we've seen great performances out of this game against two of the top smaller programs in the Big Bend. Last season, Madison County snapped Florida High's 4-0 record in a 21-14 win, which helped them get out of a losing skid.

Both these teams are in different places from last season, but similar now. Both are working with large young groups to fill senior holes but still have some strong pieces. Florida High is bringing back a deep rushing and receiving core, and Madison County returns its starting quarterback, senior Jamie Hampton, and top utility player, senior Jonathan Akins. Akins, who is committed to Maryland, will be one to watch in general this entire season.

With this being the midway point of the season, this will be a very healthy matchup for both teams and should produce a great game.

More: While Madison County has a new look with new coach, younger players, state title standard remains

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Crestview at Chiles (Oct. 7)

You might wonder why this game is on here because it seems really random. These teams are very similar in the fact that they're both programs on the rise and are coming back to the field as veteran teams.

Crestview went 6-4, but a midseason 0-3 slump kept them out of the playoffs. Chiles went 4-6 but could've easily gone 6-4 as well. The Timberwolves are returning big pieces in senior running back Tre'avis Jones, junior kicker Bobby Engstler, defensive lineman Rayqwon Smith, a very deep offensive line, and an overall deeper team.

The same can be said for the Bulldogs as nearly its entire roster returns, which includes its top rusher and scorer senior Jason Jones (758 yards, 13 TDs), starting quarterback senior Jerome Brazen (1239 passing yards, 12 TDs), and top defender senior Jake Edwards (67 tackles). Crestview is losing some players at receiver, but that is also an area Chiles is working on as well.

Not only is this going to be a good matchup, but it'll be an important one for both teams.

More: Chiles bringing older squad to the gridiron following impressive spring season showing

Munroe at Gadsden County (Oct. 7)

Editors note: Munroe is now playing at Florida High on Oct. 7 and Gadsden County is now playing at Rickards on Oct. 7 

For the first time ever, we are going to see the Battle for Gadsden County on the gridiron. Last season when the Jaguars were trying to raise their RPI score to get into the playoffs they did tweet at Munroe to try to setup a game, but it didn't end up happening. This year, it's set in stone.

Gadsden County is in a rebuilding phase after seeing Corey Fuller resign for a job at Florida State, and seeing a handful of players transfer out of the program. Senior running back Cedric Byrd is the biggest piece in this process, and will most likely help a younger core forward. Munroe on the other hand is packing a ton of talent and is expected to have another historic season.

The last time the Bobcats played at Gadsden County they defeated University Christian for the program's first-ever playoff win. We might see the little brother of the county win this one over, but in rivalry games you never know what could happen.

More: 4-star cornerback Makari Vickers transfers to Munroe, highlighting Bobcats' recruiting

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Dillard at Lincoln (Oct. 28 at Cox)

This is another South Florida vs. Big Bend matchup that's going to be an entertaining one. Dillard, one of the top programs in the state, travels up to Cox two weeks before the playoffs to take on the Trojans. Similar to the Rickards/Edison game, this is going to be a matchup packing a lot of talent.

Wilson is the biggest name coming out of Lincoln, complemented by a handful of returning players and transfers. Four-star running back Christopher Johnson, three-star wide receiver and Florida Atlantic commit Arthur Jenkins, three-star wide receiver and Oregon State commit Tastean Reddicks, and four-star safety and Miami commit Antione Jackson are a few of the names that you're going to want to look out for on this star-studded Panthers roster.

Lincoln will have its hands full, but with this being a tune-up for the postseason, we're going to see what this Trojans team is going to look like in nearly full form. Lincoln has a ton of great pieces that just need to get that experience and development. This will definitely be a game that needs to sit before we know how good it'll be.

North Florida Christian at Munroe (Oct. 28)

In what could be a prelude to the Suburban 1 Region 1 championship game, we are going to see some of the top Big Bend small school talent battle it out right before the playoffs. The Eagles make the short drive north to Quincy to take on the Bobcats in a very highly anticipated matchup.

Vickers will once again go up against senior wide receiver Traylon Ray while the rest of the defense will be tasked with shutting down quarterback JP Pickles, running back Devon Jackson, and a very fast NFC offense. The same can be said for what NFC's defense will go up against in four-star wide receiver and Stanford commit Ahmari Borden, quarterback Waldron, running back Keishawn Mashburn, and many more.

From what I've seen so far in the offseason, this is going to be a fantastic game. I really cannot wait to see these two teams' matchup.

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Jack Williams covers prep sports for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @jackgwilliams. 

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: 10 Big Bend football matchups you're not going to want to miss