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

clayton freeman, florida times-union
·8 min read

While the three-day Border Classic in Brunswick naturally grabs much of the spotlight this week, there's still plenty of high school football remaining in the 904 area code on Friday night.

Gateway Conference matchups take center stage. Six contests match Duval County public schools, all at the school district's standard 6:30 p.m. kickoff time: Englewood at White, Jackson at Fletcher, Raines at Sandalwood, Riverside at Mandarin, Stanton at Ribault and Westside at Atlantic Coast. There are also a pair of district contests on deck, with Baldwin heading to Fernandina Beach and Trinity Christian meeting NFEI.

The battles of note are many: Bartram Trail's second visit to Daytona Beach in as many weeks, this time to take on Mainland; Parker's clash at Joe Hodge Stadium against Hawthorne, last year's state runner-up at Class 1A; and Bradford's bid to extend its perfect start against the ground assault of Middleburg.

Here's a look at more key storylines and matchups to watch on Friday night.

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Week 2 in review: Riverside, Jackson, Ribault among last week's victors

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FLETCHER RETURN FOR JACKSON'S FOY

Jackson running back J'Nethen Jackson (8) dives for the goal line against Fletcher in the teams' 2021 meeting.
Jackson running back J'Nethen Jackson (8) dives for the goal line against Fletcher in the teams' 2021 meeting.

Not so long ago, Christopher Foy was helping guide Fletcher's football fortunes as an assistant coach. Now, the third-year Jackson head coach is returning to Jacksonville Beach in a visitor's role when the Tigers enter Jack Taylor Stadium.

Foy's Tigers, who shut down Westside's offense last week in a 21-6 win, field one of the city's most athletic defensive units, with South Carolina commit and Super 11 linebacker Grayson Howard as the headline attraction but hardly the only standout on a unit that also includes Brian Hooks in the secondary and Jeremiah Lovely on the defensive line.

The Senators won't make it easy: Fletcher quarterback Marcelis Tate is coming off a 330-yard night against Tallahassee Chiles, with 146 of those yards going to receiver Anthony Vaglienti, to edge Tallahassee Chiles 30-28. Jackson won last year's meeting 16-9, with help from a Howard interception and a touchdown catch by Terrance Holland.

VIKINGS, SAINTS SQUARE OFF

Sandalwood running back Jordan Bean (left) is wrapped up by a host of Raines defenders during the teams' 2021 game.
Sandalwood running back Jordan Bean (left) is wrapped up by a host of Raines defenders during the teams' 2021 game.

They're two of Jacksonville's most consistent public school programs: Since 2003, Raines and Sandalwood have combined for 32 seasons at or above .500. But both teams, coming off defeats last week, need a win Friday to stay on the right side of that boundary.

Raines contained Trinity Christian for more than a half in a flag-marred game that ended with 50 flags and 503 combined penalty yards, as calculated by Trinity's statistical staff. Despite the defeat, QB Roman Doles rushed for almost 200 yards on the night for the Vikings.

Sandalwood's passing game has yet to get rolling (32 percent completion), but running back Jordan Bean is in the hunt for another 1,000-yard season with 190 through his first two games. The Vikings have won this matchup in five of the last six years, including a 20-14 meeting last fall.

RIVERSIDE DEFENSE MEETS MANDARIN AIR GAME

In 2022, Riverside is taking the old slogan "defense wins championships" to a different level.

The Generals are off to a 2-0 start under new head coach Antwan Nicholas, and it's almost entirely the result of efforts on the defensive side. Riverside has gained only 257 combined yards through two games, but topped Westside 12-6 and Parker 7-6 in grinding, zero-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust struggles. Last week, red-zone stands helped Riverside edge Parker, even though the Braves outgained them 351-130 and won the turnover battle.

Mandarin, fueled by the ace aerial pair of sophomores Tramell Jones (26 of 36, 419 yards, 6 TD/0 INT) and Jaime Ffrench (12 catches, 204 yards, 3 TD) could stretch Riverside's defense to the limit. The Mustangs' last win in the infrequently-contested series was on Oct. 30, 1998, a 31-27 result.

CAN RAMS KEEP UP FAST START?

Englewood at 3-0? That's something that hasn't happened during any of the current Rams' lifetimes, but they can make it a reality with victory against White.

Not since 1991 has Englewood opened a season at 3-0, when they opened the year by topping Parker, Eau Gallie and Bishop Kenny and halted a 22-game losing skid in the process. The Rams haven't even started 2-0 since 2015.

Jalen Scarver and J'Sean Scarver have led a Rams defense that has held its first two opponents to 13 combined points, but White presents a stiffer test. Tavales Thomas, Benny Lewis and Wake Forest-committed Davaughn Patterson combine in what might be the Gateway Conference's deepest backfield.

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CRUSADERS TANGLE WITH TOROS

Circle this one as, just maybe, the biggest game so far in Tocoi Creek's brief history.

Both Bishop Kenny and Tocoi Creek enter the game at 2-0, and a victory for the Toros would go a long way toward establishing them as a postseason contender in their first year of district action. They're averaging more than 430 yards on offense after defeating Beachside and Matanzas, and senior Kaiz Ragland already has 375 yards from scrimmage this season.

The challenge is a substantial one for Tocoi Creek, because Bishop Kenny junior quarterback James Resar is coming off a six-touchdown game in last week's 45-25 win over Middleburg. BK, which won its first four games last fall, is looking for back-to-back 3-0 starts for the first time since 2013 and 2014.

SUPER 11 CLASH: FLEMING ISLAND-NEASE

Fleming Island players charge onto the field before their 2021 game against Nease.
Fleming Island players charge onto the field before their 2021 game against Nease.

It's the state's top quarterback prospect in the 2025 class in Nease's Marcus Stokes against one of its leading running backs in Fleming Island's Samuel Singleton, and whatever the records, that's always a big one.

Stokes' early season has had some up-and-down moments, but he helped Nease put up a big point total (41) against Creekside last time out. Unfortunately for the Panthers, Creekside unleashed a steamroller ground game to score 62 points themselves. That's a prospect that's appealing for the Golden Eagles, who field not only Singleton but also Musthafa Marshall, Tay'Shaun Smith and dual-threat QB Cibastian Broughton on the ground. All average nine or more yards per carry.

Nease got the upper hand last year as Stokes passed for 162 yards and rushed for 44, scoring three touchdowns in all in a 35-14 Panther win.

WEEK 3 SCHEDULE

Thursday's games

McIntosh County Academy (1-1) vs. West Nassau (1-1) (at Glynn County Stadium), 4:30 p.m.

Creekside (2-0) at Glynn Academy (2-1), 7:30 p.m.

Friday's games

FLORIDA

Alachua Santa Fe (0-2) at Palatka (2-0), 7 p.m.

Baldwin (1-1) at Fernandina Beach (1-1), District 5-2S game

Bartram Trail (2-0) at Daytona Beach Mainland (1-0)

Beachside (1-1) at Christ's Church (0-2)

Bishop Kenny (2-0) at Tocoi Creek (2-0)

Bishop Snyder (1-1) at Trenton Riverside Christian (0-1-1)

Bolles (2-0) at Brunswick (2-0), 7:30 p.m.

Chiefland (2-0) at Suwannee (1-1), 7:30 p.m.

DeLand (1-1) at Columbia (0-2), 7:30 p.m.

Eagle's View (0-2) at Cedar Creek Christian (2-0)

Englewood (2-0) at White (1-1), 6:30 p.m.

First Coast (0-1) at Ocala Forest (0-1)

Fleming Island (2-0) at Nease (0-2)

Halifax Academy (1-1) at St. Joseph (0-2)

Hawthorne (1-0) at Parker (1-1), 6:30 p.m.

Hilliard (1-1) at Paxon (0-2), 6:30 p.m.

Jackson (2-1) at Fletcher (1-1), 6:30 p.m.

Keystone Heights (0-1) at Fort White (0-2), 7:30 p.m.

Middleburg (0-2) at Bradford (1-0)

Orange Park (0-2) at Clay (1-1)

Pine Ridge (0-2) at Menendez (1-1)

Providence (0-2) at Wolfson (1-1), 6:30 p.m.

Raines (1-1) at Sandalwood (1-1), 6:30 p.m.

Ridgeview (0-2) at Lake Weir (0-2), 7:30 p.m.

Riverside (2-0) at Mandarin (1-1), 6:30 p.m.

Stanton (0-2) at Ribault (1-1), 6:30 p.m.

TDH Academy (0-2) at Oakleaf (1-1)

Trinity Christian (2-0) at North Florida Educational (2-0), District 1-1M

University Christian (2-0) vs. Charlton County (3-0) (at Glynn County Stadium), 4:30 p.m.

Westside (0-2) at Atlantic Coast (0-2), 6:30 p.m.

Zarephath Academy (1-1) at Yulee (1-1), 7:30 p.m.

GEORGIA

Benedictine (2-1) at Ware County (2-0), 7:30 p.m.

Dade Christian (0-0) at Camden County (1-2), 7:30 p.m.

Saturday's games

St. Augustine (1-1) vs. Coffee (1-1) (at Glynn County Stadium), 4 p.m.

Baker County (1-0) vs. Richmond Hill (2-1) (at Glynn County Stadium), 7:30 p.m.

BYE: Episcopal (2-0), Harvest Community (2-0), Impact Christian (1-1), Ponte Vedra (0-2), Union County (1-1), Young Kids in Motion (1-1)

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: High school football: Jacksonville, Northeast Florida Week 3 game previews