High school football Games to Watch: Northeast Florida kicks off 2022 season

The regular season is officially here.

From near the Georgia state line (Zarephath Academy at West Nassau) to the verge of the Alabama border (Young Kids in Motion at Lighthouse Private Christian in Gulf Breeze), the 2022 high school football season kicks off with almost three dozen Friday night games for Northeast Florida teams.

The questions are many. Will Raines earn a coveted Duval County victory against a Miami opponent when Monsignor Pace invades the Graveyard? Will Bradford coach Jamie Rodgers win on his return to Macclenny to meet Baker County, the team he led to a state final? Can Bishop Kenny continue its 2021 momentum at First Coast? Who wins the contest of Clay County teams with speedy senior receivers, Taylor Bradshaw (Oakleaf) or Nolan Chambers (Orange Park)?

Here's a look at some more opening-week storylines to watch.

Season previews: Independents

Season previews: Class 1M/1S/1R

Season previews: Class 2M

Season previews: Class 2S

Season previews: Class 3S

Season previews: Class 3M/4M

Season previews: Class 4S

Super 11 stars collide

It's a contest that might be continuing on Saturdays for years to come.

On one sideline: Nease quarterback Marcus Stokes, committed to Florida.

On the other: Jackson linebacker Grayson Howard, committed to South Carolina.

The pair of SEC prospects, both selected to the Times-Union's Super 11 for the highest-rated preseason recruits, face off Friday night in St. Johns County.

For Jackson (0-1), the game is a chance to return to the win column after dropping its season opener 23-13 in Brunswick. Because the game was played in the territory of the Georgia High School Association, it is regarded as official under the rules of the GHSA, which opened its regular season one week earlier.

Rematch time for Bulldogs, Jackets

St. Augustine has had a playoff-less winter to think about a season of several near-misses, and among the moments leaving a sting was last year's Sept. 10 loss at Bolles.

The Jackets led late before the Bolles pass rush of Jack Pyburn and Hayden Schwartz sparked a turnaround, two touchdowns in five minutes and a 32-27 Bulldogs win. That denied St. Augustine its first victory against Bolles since 1978, although the schools have met only sporadically.

The scene shifts to Foots Brumley Stadium this year, and St. Augustine returns rusher Devonte Lyons, who had a breakout night against Bolles with 199 all-purpose yards. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are hungry to qualify for a fourth consecutive state final four, and eager to unleash several young receivers to join junior quarterback D.J. Moore.

Duval Diamonds: Class of 2024 recruits to watch for Northeast Florida high school football

The Next 11: Northeast Florida high school football prospects in the Class of 2023

Neighbors Conquerors, Commanders square off

Even though only about a 10-minute drive separates Trinity from White, this isn't the kind of matchup that happens every day for the Conquerors, who seldom face off against Duval County public schools.

It's even less frequent that they lose. But that was the result in their most recent meeting with a Gateway Conference program, a 28-20 loss to Riverside on Oct. 22.

No Gateway team had topped Trinity since First Coast edged the Conquerors 13-6 on Aug. 31, 2007. Although kickoff classics don't count in the standings, Trinity endured another battle with a Gateway program last week, edging Parker 7-6 in one half of varsity play.

The game matches a pair of returning quarterbacks, Colin Hurley for Trinity Christian and Isiah Teal for the Commanders. White lost its kickoff classic to 2021 Class 1A runner-up Hawthorne.

Opening-week district game... really?

Your eyes aren't deceiving you.

That really is a district game in Week 1 for two Gateway Conference schools, when Westside travels to the Backyard to take on Riverside. The schools are part of a three-team District 3-2M, along with White.

The opening week district matchup is a jolt for those accustomed to the traditional pattern of Florida High School Athletic Association scheduling, which for many years typically arranged district games on Weeks 6, 8 and 10. Whichever team loses Friday will already be playing catch-up in the bid for a playoff berth.

Both defenses yielded 40 or more in their kickoff classics, with Bartram Trail shutting out Riverside and Fleming Island topping Westside.

Riverside, the former Lee High School, has controlled the series against Westside, the former Forrest High, for more than a decade. The Generals have won the last six meetings, including a 38-0 shutout last Oct. 28.

Battle of the UCs

In the mid-1990s, a Union County-University Christian game would have ranked near the top of any season's big-games list.

University Christian captured five FHSAA titles in eight seasons, four of them under head coach Robby Pruitt. Then, Pruitt moved to Union County and won three straight championships there, amassing a 52-game winning streak.

Today's UCs don't quite own those resumes, but both are coming off playoff seasons and return experienced seniors in the backfield, led by Rayvon Durant for Union County and Orel Gray for University Christian.

Union County won its first 12 games before losing to Chiefland in a Class 1A regional final, while University Christian reached its 11th consecutive postseason in Class 2A.

Welcome to the gridiron

Beachside's official debut — weather canceled the Barracudas' jamboree at New Smyrna Beach last week — highlights the St. Johns County contests.

The Barracudas travel to Tocoi Creek in a battle of Northeast Florida's two newest public schools. The host Toros charged past Paxon in a kickoff classic shutout last week.

Meanwhile, another all-county clash pits Bartram Trail against Ponte Vedra in a meeting of the last two St. Johns schools to advance to a state final. Liam Padron's field goal gave the Bears a 26-24 win in a classic last fall.

Facts and figures

Longest winning streak entering the season: Four games, Trinity Christian.

Longest losing streak entering the season: 11 games, Stanton.

Longest active winning-season streaks: 33, Bolles; 12, Bartram Trail and University Christian; 8, Lee/Riverside; 7, Baker County and Fleming Island.

Longest active losing-season streaks: 17, Paxon; 8, Palatka; 7, First Coast; 5, NFEI and Yulee.

Longest playoff streaks (not counting teams that reached only play-in round in 2020): 29, Bolles; 27, Trinity Christian; 12, Raines; 11, Columbia and University Christian; 7, Bradford and Lee/Riverside.

Milestone watch (coaches): Beachside's Pete Duffy is two wins from 200; Columbia's Demetric Jackson is four wins from 100; Orange Park's Marcus Wimberly is seven wins from 100.

Milestone watch (rushers): Fleming Island's Samuel Singleton needs 380 yards to reach 3,000 for his career; Trinity Christian's Treyaun Webb needs 629 yards for 3,000; Orange Park's Joseph Restall needs 663 yards to reach 3,000; Baker County's Cam Smith needs 1,040 yards to reach 3,000; Union County's Rayvon Durant needs 1,350 yards for 3,000.

Milestone watch (passers): Hilliard's Lyle Bennett needs 428 yards to reach 4,000 for his career; Nease's Marcus Stokes needs 808 yards to reach 4,000; Trinity Christian's Colin Hurley needs 771 yards for 3,000; White's Isiah Teal needs 1,104 yards for 3,000; Oakleaf's Drew Ammon needs 1,209 yards for 3,000; Union County's A.J. Cortese needs 1,219 yards for 3,000.

Milestone watch (receivers): Yulee's Zack Drawdy needs 628 yards to reach 2,000 for his career; Episcopal's Corey Scott needs 647 yards to reach 2,000; Orange Park's Nolan Chambers needs 586 yards to reach 1,500 for his career; Oakleaf's Taylor Bradshaw needs 696 yards for 1,500.

Milestone watch (miscellaneous): Nease's Marcus Stokes needs 1,126 total yards to reach 5,000 for his career; Columbia's Tyler Jefferson needs 1,726 total yards to reach 5,000; University Christian's Orel Gray needs 400 all-purpose yards for 3,000; Bradford's Manny Covey needs 642 all-purpose yards for 3,000; Parker's C.J. Dorsey needs five interceptions to reach 15 for his career.

Friday's football schedule

Baldwin at Wolfson, 6:30 p.m.

Beachside at Tocoi Creek, 7 p.m.

Bishop Kenny at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Bolles at St. Augustine, 7 p.m.

Bradford at Baker County, 7 p.m.

Cedar Creek Christian at Leesburg First Academy, 7 p.m.

Charlton County at Yulee, 7:30 p.m.

Christ's Church at Episcopal, 7 p.m.

Eagle's View at Branford, 7 p.m.

Fernandina Beach at Providence, 7 p.m.

Fleming Island at Clay, 7 p.m.

Harvest Community at Impact Christian, 7 p.m.

Hawthorne at Middleburg, 7 p.m.

Hilliard at Tallahassee FAMU, 7 p.m.

Jackson at Nease, 7 p.m.

Mandarin at Fletcher, 6:30 p.m.

Monsignor Pace at Raines, 6:30 p.m.

Oakleaf at Orange Park, 7 p.m.

Palatka at Umatilla, 7 p.m.

Parker at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Paxon at Englewood, 6:30 p.m.

Ponte Vedra at Bartram Trail, 7 p.m.

Ridgeview at Menendez, 7 p.m.

Sandalwood at Ribault, 6:30 p.m.

St. Joseph at Gainesville Oak Hall, 7 p.m.

Stanton at Bishop Snyder, 7 p.m.

Suwannee at Flagler Palm Coast, 7:30 p.m.

Taylor County at Fort White, 7:30 p.m.

TDH Academy at North Florida Educational, 7 p.m.

Trinity Christian at White, 6:30 p.m.

Union County at University Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Viera at Creekside, 7 p.m.

Westside at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

Young Kids in Motion at Lighthouse Private Christian, 7 p.m.

Zarephath Academy at West Nassau, 7 p.m.

BYE: Keystone Heights

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville high school football: 2022 Week 1 kickoff, games to watch