Florida, Georgia teams face off in Border Classic high school football in Brunswick

It's the Sunshine State against the Peach State.

Six Jacksonville-area teams are among the Florida high school football representatives headed north of the border this week in Brunswick for the inaugural Georgia vs. Florida Border Classic.

The series consists of seven games matching Florida teams against Georgia opponents, all of them scheduled for Glynn County Stadium in Brunswick. Games will also be streamed online through television station WJXT, with select games set for TV broadcast. Organized by High School 9:12 and presented by Baker's Sports, the series in effect takes the place of the Bold City Showcase, an early-season football contest held since 2019 at Bolles' Skinner-Barco Stadium.

Northeast Florida high school football Week 3: Jackson-Fletcher among top games to watch

More: Jesuit's road trip to Columbus headlines top Week 3 high school football games

Get local high school sports in your inbox: Sign up for the Times-Union's new First Coast Varsity newsletter for high school sports

Following Thursday night's doubleheader pitting West Nassau against McIntosh County and Creekside against Glynn Academy, five games remain on the agenda at Glynn County Stadium: University Christian vs. Charlton County, Bolles vs. Brunswick, Madison County vs. Fitzgerald, St. Augustine vs. Coffee and Baker County vs. Richmond Hill.

Here's a brief look ahead to each.

West Nassau (1-1) vs. McIntosh County Academy (1-1)

4:30 p.m. Thursday

Georgia opposition meant trouble last week for the Warriors, who allowed 56 points against Charlton County. Christopher Crews and Russell Weeks lead the West Nassau ground game, with more than 140 yards each. Twins JaReese and TyReese Campbell energize McIntosh County Academy on both sides of the ball.

Creekside (2-0) vs. Glynn Academy (2-1)

7:30 p.m. Thursday

The Knights are one week removed from a 62-point offensive explosion against Nease. Creekside's two running backs, Nicky Williams (245 yards, 7 TD) and Danny Approbato (209 yards, 2 TD), are putting up big numbers to support the quarterback rotation of senior Wilson Edwards and sophomore Sean Ashenfelder. Glynn Academy's defense could be vulnerable, giving up 30.3 points per game so far.

University Christian (2-0) vs. Charlton County (3-0)

4:30 p.m. Friday

Four-year starter Orel Gray makes highlights happen on both sides of the ball week after week for University Christian. He scored again last week against Hilliard, while Alan Woods also made repeat trips to the end zone. Charlton County's Jaylen Lilley is already up to 461 yards and six touchdowns, and gained 1,331 yards during his junior season.

Bolles (2-0) vs. Brunswick (2-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday

The high-profile matchup of the group is 11-time Florida High School Athletic Association champion Bolles' meeting with the home-county Pirates, who went 10-0 in the regular season last year. Brunswick already owns one victory over Florida opposition this season, topping Jackson in the season opener. There's top talent in the trenches: Brunswick offensive lineman Jamal Meriweather is headed for UCF and defensive lineman Ka'Shawn Thomas has committed to Wake Forest, while Bolles' Brendan Black (Iowa State) and Cooper Fordham (Louisiana-Lafayette) are also going to the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Madison County (2-0) vs. Fitzgerald (3-0)

1 p.m. Saturday

The lone matchup with no Jacksonville-area connections matches two state champions: Madison County won the Class 1A title in Florida last year, while Fitzgerald earned the Class 2A Georgia High School Association championship. Tucker Pruitt, son of former University Christian and Union County champion coach Robby Pruitt, leads the Purple Hurricanes.

St. Augustine (1-1) vs. Coffee (1-1)

4 p.m. Saturday

St. Augustine's offense is a multiple threat. Junior Devonte Lyons danced for 257 yards last week against St. Petersburg Gibbs, and if defenses pack the box against him, Jackets receivers are averaging 17 yards per catch. Coffee keeps the ball on the ground more often than not, looking for senior Antwain McDuffie (32 rushes, 208 yards, four TD).

Baker County (1-0) vs. Richmond Hill (2-1)

7:30 p.m. Saturday

The weekend concludes in a battle of Wildcats. Senior running back Cam Smith is the constant on a Baker County team much changed from last year's state semifinalists, and he ran for a 70-yard score last week against Oakleaf. Richmond Hill is holding opponents to 10 points per game, led by four sacks from junior Brian Ruland.

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX, and sign up for the First Coast Varsity newsletter at https://profile.jacksonville.com/newsletters/first-coast-varsity/.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school football: Bolles, Creekside among Border Classic teams