Northeast Florida high school football Week 2: Raines-Trinity, Mandarin-Bolles games to watch
Labor Day is just around the corner, but high school football won't be stretching a long weekend into Friday.
More than two dozen games headline the First Coast football schedule. For some, like Columbia's trip to Union County or Atlantic Coast's game at Ribault, it's a chance for the winner to dodge the dreaded 0-2 start.
Several others will be taking on challenges from outside Northeast Florida: Bartram Trail encounters a Daytona Beach Seabreeze team with the quality to contend in Class 3S, Fleming Island heads to the Panhandle to meet Tallahassee Rickards, Ponte Vedra tussles with Class 2S No. 1 Florida High and St. Augustine meets St. Petersburg Gibbs at Foots Brumley Stadium. And Oakleaf's Devin Outlaw, who ran for 256 yards in the season opener, tries to climb the rushing charts further at Baker County.
Take a look ahead to some key storylines to watch on Friday night.
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RAINES TAKES ON TRINITY
Raines has reigned as a Jacksonville public-school power almost since the school's 1965 opening. Trinity has climbed the private-school ranks over the last three decades under the long tenure of 300-game winner Verlon Dorminey. When these two get together, it's big, especially with a Super 11 matchup of Treyaun Webb against Kenton Kirkland on deck.
The Conquerors have come out on top each of the last three years, but it was close last fall, a 24-18 Trinity triumph while playing without a then-injured Webb. Darnell Rogers rushed for 250 yards to power the offense that night.
Rogers and Webb are on fire again to begin the new season, combining for 381 yards and six touchdowns in the season opener against White, but can the Conquerors' defense — which gave up 40 points and 342 rushing yards — slow teams down? Running back Mark Miller, scorer of two touchdowns on the opening night against Monsignor Pace, and Roman Doles are ready to take on the challenge.
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ORANGE MEETS ORANGE
Not much distance separates the orange and blue of Bolles from the orange and green of Mandarin, but Friday is the first time the schools will face off since a 52-7 Bulldogs blowout in 2007.
This game ranks among the biggest tests yet for Mandarin sophomore quarterback Tramell Jones, who threw for 190 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in the Mustangs' 27-24 win against Fletcher. The reason? Bolles' defense gobbles up footballs, forcing six turnovers against St. Augustine. Sophomore Jalen Ross picked off a pair of passes against the Jackets.
Few Gateway Conference schools take on the Bulldogs head-to-head, and fewer still beat them. Raines defeated Bolles in 2005, 2011, 2013, 2014 and twice in 2015, but the last Duval County public school other than the Vikings to overcome Bolles in regular season play was Lee — then coached by Corky Rogers — on Oct. 5, 1984.
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ST. JOHNS COUNTY CLASH
Creekside and Nease both enjoyed their best seasons for a decade last year, but only one of them kept the momentum rolling into Week 1.
The Knights, 8-3 last season, crushed 2015 state finalist Viera 49-0 on a banner night for Creekside's young running backs, sophomore Danny Approbato and junior Nicky Williams. It was a different story for Nease, downed 30-10 by Jackson.
The 2021 Class 7A regional finalists had a tough day moving the ball, with Florida-committed quarterback Marcus Stokes completing 5 of 20 passes. But Stokes has a good history against Creekside, recording a career-high 340 passing yards when the teams met last season. Creekside has won the last four meetings, including a wild 58-51 matchup in 2019.
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TURNAROUND TEAMS TANGLE
Along with Nease, no other teams in Northeast Florida turned things around in 2021 quite like Bishop Kenny and Middleburg. The two programs face off in St. Nicholas on Friday while opening the season in different directions.
Bishop Kenny overpowered First Coast on both sides of the ball in a 27-0 blowout, while Middleburg couldn't hold an early lead in a 24-7 loss to Class 1A runner-up Hawthorne. For Middleburg, already 0-1, the schedule doesn't get easier, with Bradford and Ponte Vedra looming in the coming weeks.
One trend to watch: Super 11 Broncos running back Mike Mitchell also excelled as a receiving option out of the backfield against Hawthorne, gaining 65 yards through the air.
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STAMPEDE AT SANDALWOOD?
A busy night ahead for the chain crew at Dennis Bartley Field: White and Sandalwood can both run, and run, and run.
White accumulated 342 yards on the ground in their 48-40 loss against Trinity Christian, paced by Benny Lewis (146 yards) and Wake Forest-bound two-way ace Davaughn Patterson (91). And Sandalwood racked up 259 in a weather-disrupted 15-6 win over Ribault, 135 of those coming from senior Jordan Bean, compensating for a passing game that failed to complete any of its attempts.
Sandalwood has won the last four meetings.
LOCKDOWN LINEUPS
It might only take a touchdown or two to bring home the victory at Paxon Friday night, the neutral site that will host Parker's game against Riverside while work continues on the Generals' Backyard.
Both Parker and Riverside's defenses were spotless in the season openers. Parker held Atlantic Coast to zero points and only 87 yards in a 14-0 win; Riverside limited Westside to 57 yards in their 12-6 win, with the Wolverines' only points coming against the offense on a pick-six.
Riverside won the contest 28-3 last fall, but this time they'll have to deal with Braves running back Darrell Sawyer, who picked up 160 yards in Parker's opening-night victory.
WEEK 2 SCHEDULE
All times 7 p.m. unless noted
Thursday's game
Keystone Heights (0-0) at Gainesville Eastside (1-0)
Friday's games
Atlantic Coast (0-1) at Ribault (0-1), 6:30 p.m.
Baldwin (1-0) at Bradford (0-0), 7:30 p.m.
Bartram Trail (1-0) at Daytona Beach Seabreeze (0-1)
Bishop Snyder (1-0) at Gainesville Oak Hall (1-0)
Cedar Creek Christian (1-0) at Halifax Academy (1-0)
Clay (0-1) at Ridgeview (0-1)
Columbia (0-1) at Union County (0-1), 7:30 p.m.
Episcopal (1-0) at Orange Park (0-1)
Fernandina Beach (1-0) vs. Beachside (0-1), at Bartram Trail
Fleming Island (1-0) at Tallahassee Rickards (0-1)
Florida High (1-0) at Ponte Vedra (0-1)
Harvest Community (1-0) at Eagle's View (0-1)
Jackson (1-1) at Westside (0-1), 6:30 p.m.
Lakeland Victory Christian (0-1) at Christ's Church (0-1)
Mandarin (1-0) at Bolles (1-0), 7:30 p.m.
Menendez (1-0) at Englewood (1-0), 6:30 p.m.
Middleburg (0-1) at Bishop Kenny (1-0)
Nease (0-1) at Creekside (1-0)
Newberry (1-0) at Fort White (0-1), 7:30 p.m.
North Florida Educational (1-0) at Stanton (0-1)
Oakleaf (1-0) at Baker County (0-0)
Ocala Forest (0-1) at First Coast (0-1), POSTPONED to Sept. 9 at Ocala
Parker (1-0) vs. Riverside (1-0), at Paxon, 6:30 p.m.
Paxon (0-1) at Wolfson (0-1), 6:30 p.m.
Port Orange Atlantic (0-1) at Palatka (1-0)
Providence (0-1) at Interlachen (1-0), 7:30 p.m.
Raines (1-0) at Trinity Christian (1-0), 7:30 p.m.
Rocky Bayou Christian (1-0) at TDH Academy (0-1)
St. Joseph (0-1) at Father Lopez (0-1)
St. Petersburg Gibbs (0-1) at St. Augustine (0-1)
Suwannee (0-1) at Hamilton County (0-0), 7:30 p.m.
Tallahassee Chiles (0-1) at Fletcher (0-1), 6:30 p.m.
Tocoi Creek (1-0) at Matanzas (1-0)
Trenton Riverside Christian (0-0-1) at Impact Christian (0-1), Thursday
University Christian (1-0) at Hilliard (1-0), 7:30 p.m.
West Nassau (1-0) at Charlton County (2-0), 7:30 p.m.
White (0-1) at Sandalwood (1-0), 6:30 p.m.
Young Kids in Motion (1-0) at Zarephath Academy (0-1), 6 p.m.
Yulee (0-1) at Titusville (1-0)
GEORGIA
Glynn Academy (2-0) at Camden County (0-2), 7:30 p.m.
Ware County (1-0) at Baldwin (Ga.) (0-2), 7:30 p.m.
BYE: Brunswick
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school football: Jacksonville, Northeast Florida Week 2 game previews
