Northeast Florida Week 7 high school football: Fleming Island-Bartram Trail heads top games
Yes, Week 6 of high school football in Northeast Florida is barely over. And, yes, Week 7 is already here.
For many teams, it's a speedy turnaround. More than two dozen Jacksonville-area squads took the field either Monday or Tuesday for games postponed by Hurricane Ian, and several of those same teams are in action Friday night. Tocoi Creek (at Menendez), Palatka (at home against Space Coast), Sandalwood (at Parker) and Nease (at St. Augustine) have fewer than 72 hours to rest after Tuesday night football.
Key storylines include Riverside's opening of its renovated stadium, where the Generals will take on unbeaten state champion Trinity Christian; Columbia's game against Orange Park at Ridgeview, a key contest in a topsy-turvy District 3-3S in which no teams are above .500; and Episcopal's trip to Englewood, where both teams are fighting back from Monday night losses.
Still to come Saturday: the Northwest Classic between Ribault and Raines.
Monday night rewind: Bolles, Baker County, Middleburg among winners
A Viking never forgets: Raines turns up intensity on Riverside ahead of Northwest Classic
Long-awaited win: Jackson picks up first district victory in nearly a decade, extend win streak to five
Halftime highlights: Northeast Florida high school football's highs, lows at 2022 halfway point
GOLDEN EAGLES, BEARS COLLIDE
It's a game people have been circling for a long, long time, and after the hurricane delay, it's finally here.
Fleming Island, with a week off to prepare for Bartram Trail, is loaded with future college talent in almost every sector of the field, from Super 11 running back Samuel Singleton to Cibastian Broughton to Jhace Edwards to Abram Wright. It's a similar story for the Bears, who have shown they can win games 17-3 or 59-37. Throwing the ball anywhere near Bartram Trail corner Sharif Denson, also a Super 11 selection, risks big trouble.
As two of the newer suburban schools from opposite sides of the St. Johns River, Bartram Trail and Fleming Island have built something of a cross-county rivalry across multiple sports. When they meet on the gridiron, the Bears have won nine times out of ten, including a 51-42 thriller in 2018 highlighted by 394 all-purpose yards from running back A.J. Jones.
SENATORS SEEK TO HALT COMMANDERS' MARCH
Two of the Gateway Conference's first-half contenders face off on the Westside as Fletcher meets White.
Can the Senators keep up with Tavales Thomas, Davaughn Patterson and the Commanders' ground game? So far, only Trinity Christian has managed to match White's pace, and the Commander defense has barred off the end zone for the last nine quarters. Fletcher's offense brings nice balance, with a power back in Dre Harold and one of the county's top aerial combinations in quarterback Marcelis Tate and receiver Anthony Vaglienti.
Don't be shocked if it's a nail-biter: Until Fletcher's win over Parker Monday, the Senators' first five games were decided by a combined 21 points. White hasn't defeated the Senators since 2006, although the teams have only met four times since then.
ST. JOHNS COUNTY FOES CLASH
Nease-St. Augustine is the oldest active public school rivalry in St. Johns County, and for most of its history, it's been all Yellow Jackets. St. Augustine leads 31-6 in the series, contested every year since 1987. The Jackets even denied Tim Tebow victory throughout his illustrious Nease career.
Will this year's pattern be different? The Panthers are struggling at 1-5, and even last year's regional finalist squad couldn't overcome St. Augustine, which triumphed 28-21 behind two touchdowns from tailback Devonte Lyons. But as long as Nease can put the football in the hands of Florida-committed quarterback Marcus Stokes, they've got a chance. Stokes picked up more than 200 total yards in Tuesday's 51-31 home loss to Sandalwood.
St. Augustine's Lyons has kept the Yellow Jackets moving as expected, gaining 661 yards so far. Also well worth watching: the development of sophomore quarterback Locklan Hewlett, who connected on two TD passes last week.
Inside the rivalry: Last 10 meetings
Sept. 14, 2012 St. Augustine 36, Nease 14
Oct. 4, 2013 St. Augustine 42, Nease 0
Oct. 3, 2014 St. Augustine 58, Nease 0
Oct. 23, 2015 Nease 23, St. Augustine 20 (OT)
Oct. 21, 2016 St. Augustine 34, Nease 14
Oct. 20, 2017 St. Augustine 35, Nease 23
Oct. 19, 2018 Nease 14, St. Augustine 13
Oct. 18, 2019 St. Augustine 55, Nease 45
Oct. 23, 2020 St. Augustine 49, Nease 16
Oct. 8, 2021 St. Augustine 28, Nease 21
CAN BISHOP KENNY REPEL SHARK ATTACK?
At 6-0, the Crusaders are charging at full speed ahead toward a Class 2S playoff berth, but Ponte Vedra might be the most difficult opponent in their path for a while.
Defenses know that BK's James Resar is the focal point, but stopping him is another matter. The Iowa-committed junior averages 7.1 yards per rush and has thrown for 11 touchdowns, with Jackson Burnett, Jayden Harris and J.P. Donovan as prime targets. Wherever Bishop Kenny goes with the football, Ponte Vedra's Trooper Price likely won't be too far away; the Sharks' senior linebacker, newly committed to Colgate, leads the team with 62 tackles.
Bishop Kenny, which won only one game in 2019 and one in 2020, is seeking its first 7-0 start since going unbeaten for the regular season in 2013. Ponte Vedra won this series four years in a row from 2015-18, including a 365-yard, four-touchdown night from future Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Football Nick Tronti in 2015.
HORNETS BUZZ INTO BALDWIN
Baldwin's upset of 2021 state semifinalist Baker County two weeks ago shows the District 5-2S race is open. Can Yulee join the chase?
Few teams in Northeast Florida can match Yulee's passing production, where Chris Turner (72 of 101, 897 yards, 10 TD) and Zack Drawdy (25 catches, 407 yards) are combining for big-time yardage. The risk Friday: One miscue in the air against Baldwin can be deadly. Baldwin's defense with Leon Kirkland, Octavius Barnes and Cortez Martinez averages nearly three interceptions per game and will be more than ready to gobble up anything off-target.
A Baldwin victory — they beat the Hornets 22-17 when the teams last met in 2020 — likely paves the way for a district championship. If Yulee wins, it's a whole new ballgame, maybe even allowing Baker County to claw back into the race.
ARLINGTON RIVALS MEET AGAIN
The traditional rivalry of old Arlington against East Arlington always draws the pregame buzz for Sandalwood-Parker week, even when both teams have combined for three victories.
Not much has gone right of late for Parker, denied in its last five games by 13 turnovers and red-zone miscues. Still, they're productive on the ground, as the numbers show for running back Darrell Sawyer (659 yards). And so, too, is Sandalwood's power run game. Jordan Bean ran for 261 yards Tuesday night against Nease, and he's back for another round against the rival Braves.
Parker had a spell of dominance in this series during the late 1980s and early 1990s during the tenure of the late Fred Pickard, but for the most part, the Saints have been the team in command. Since 2003, Sandalwood has beaten Parker in 11 of 12 meetings, including a run of eight in a row going back to 2009.
Inside the rivalry: Last 10 meetings
Oct. 12, 2007 Sandalwood 28, Parker 9
Oct. 17, 2008 Parker 34, Sandalwood 19
Nov. 13, 2009 Sandalwood 35, Parker 14
Sept. 30, 2011 Sandalwood 56, Parker 8
Sept. 28, 2012 Sandalwood 7, Parker 6
Nov. 8, 2013 Sandalwood 58, Parker 14
Nov. 7, 2014 Sandalwood 42, Parker 6
Sept. 25, 2015 Sandalwood 45, Parker 13
Sept. 23, 2016 Sandalwood 60, Parker 6
Aug. 23, 2019 Sandalwood 20, Parker 14
Friday's games
FLORIDA
Episcopal (4-1) at Englewood (3-2), 6:30 p.m.
Fletcher (4-2) at White (4-1), 6:30 p.m.
Sandalwood (2-3) at Parker (1-5), 6:30 p.m.
Trinity Christian (5-0) at Riverside (2-4), 6:30 p.m.
Westside (1-4) at Mandarin (3-2), 6:30 p.m.
Wolfson (2-3) at Stanton (0-5), 6:30 p.m.
Yulee (3-1) at Baldwin (4-1), District 5-2S, 6:30 p.m.
Atlantic Coast (0-5) at Spruce Creek (1-3), 7 p.m.
Clay (2-3) at Middleburg (2-4), 7 p.m.
Columbia (2-3) vs. Orange Park (1-4), at Ridgeview, District 3-3S, 7 p.m.
Eagle's View (1-3) at Cedar Creek Christian (3-1), 7 p.m.
Fleming Island (3-1) at Bartram Trail (5-0), District 3-4S, 7 p.m.
Gainesville Oak Hall (5-0) at Harvest Community (2-2), 7 p.m.
Gainesville St. Francis (1-4) at St. Joseph (1-4), 7 p.m.
Keystone Heights (1-4) at Crescent City (1-3), 7 p.m.
Nease (1-5) at St. Augustine (3-3), 7 p.m.
Paxon (1-4) at Fernandina Beach (1-3), 7 p.m.
P.K. Yonge (1-4) at West Nassau (1-5), 7 p.m.
Ponte Vedra (2-3) at Bishop Kenny (6-0), 7 p.m.
Providence (2-3) at Hilliard (3-2), 7 p.m.
Ridgeview (1-5) at Gainesville Eastside (3-1), 7 p.m.
Space Coast (1-3) at Palatka (5-0), 7 p.m.
TDH Academy (1-4) at Zarephath Academy (1-4), 7 p.m.
Tocoi Creek (4-2) at Menendez (3-3), 7 p.m.
Westminster Academy (4-0) at Bishop Snyder (4-1), 7 p.m.
Young Kids in Motion (2-2) at Christ's Church (0-5), 7 p.m.
Dixie County (2-3) at Union County (3-1), 7:30 p.m.
Mayo Lafayette (4-1) at Fort White (2-3), 7:30 p.m.
North Florida Educational (2-3) at University Christian (6-0), District 1-1M, 7:30 p.m.
Suwannee (3-3) at Alachua Santa Fe (1-5), 7:30 p.m.
TRU Prep Academy (1-2) at Bolles (3-3), 7:30 p.m.
GEORGIA
Camden County (4-2) at Richmond Hill (3-3), 7:30 p.m.
Glynn Academy (2-4) at South Effingham (2-2), 7:30 p.m.
Lakeside Evans (3-2) at Brunswick (6-0), 7:30 p.m.
Savannah Jenkins (1-4) at Ware County (4-0), 7:30 p.m.
Turner County (1-5) at Charlton County (3-2), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday's games
Ribault (3-3) at Raines (4-1), 2 p.m.
BYE: First Coast, Jackson
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's Week 7 top games, matchups, schedule
