Thoughts from the conclusion of the regular season of Northeast Florida football

It's hard to fathom the 2022 regular season is already over.

It seems like it was just yesterday we were compiling our "Best of the Best" list, releasing our Super 11 selections, and introducing the Next 11.

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• Honor Roll: Jaguars honor Super 11, girls flag football players during final home preseason game

Now, the next five weeks will determine which programs will be etched into the statewide history books.

Ahead of playoffs beginning, here are a few thoughts from the conclusion of the regular season around Northeast Florida:

Conquerors, Bears perfect, establish dominance

For Trinity Christian and Bartram Trail, perfection through the regular season has been achieved.

The Conquerors did it by committee. Whether it was their defense shining, their star gunslinger, or their backfield duo who laid claim to the “state’s best” mantle from week one.

Every week they emerged as the better team after facing some of Northeast Florida’s toughest teams.

Even when quarterback Colin Hurley was kept out of the district decider due to an injury, Super 11 running back Treyaun Webb put on a proverbial superhero's cape and delivered Trinity the district crown.

Webb ripped an insane run in the fourth quarter, pushing through defenders for a more than 90-yard touchdown run to seal the title.

Bartram’s Super 11 star gave them an edge in every game and helped deliver them the district crown, too.

Sharif Denson tightened the seatbelt, keeping Buchholz from completing a single pass to receivers when he was the primary defender.

It was a trend that the Bears have seen throughout the season as teams fret targeting the four-star defensive back's side of the field.

With Denson and the Bears’ defense keeping points off the scoreboard, juniors Laython Biddle and Riley Trujillo ran up the score on offense.

Trujillo, an ESPN300 rated quarterback grew into his own, dropping dimes to his receivers and keeping drives alive with his legs.

Biddle made multi-touchdown games a routine thing, punching in touchdowns from near-and-far.

Not to mention one of the most automatic kickers in the state in Liam Padron tacking on extra points and field goals to further push the score.

Both programs enter the playoffs at the top of their region and as favorites to make deep playoff pushes.

Jackson, Kenny cement feel-good stories of 2022

Two programs emerged as district champions and etched their names into the history books against premiere Jacksonville programs.

Bishop Kenny downed Bolles for the first time since 1977, outlasting the Bulldogs on the river in an instant classic.

James Resar fumbled a snap near the goal line, but turned the miscue into a highlight, dashing towards the pylon and beating the Bulldogs defense there for the game-winning score.

It was a finish more than 40 years in the making as fans stormed the field and celebrated a milestone that won’t soon be forgotten.

A similar result happened for Jackson as they topped Raines to claim their first district title in more than a decade.

Jackson found themselves trailing at halftime but sparked a second half comeback at the Graveyard and walked away as district champions.

The Tigers deployed seniors to play both sides of the ball and fought through all adversity to down Raines on its home turf.

After the game, head coach Christopher Foy said it came down to “togetherness” and senior Super 11 selection Grayson Howard lauded Foy for changing the fortunes of Jackson for the better.

Both programs cemented their feel-good stories into the lore of Duval football for years to come.

Young stars emerge into the spotlight

Young stars shined across the First Coast during the regular season.

Oakleaf’s Drake Stubbs continued to establish himself as a dominant defensive player.

The standout sophomore safety will lay claim to one of the top defensive players in Northeast Florida in the future.

For Ribault’s Timothy Cole and Bolles’ Naeem Burroughs, the transition to playing varsity football seemed seamless.

Cole’s dual-threat abilities sprung him into the starting role for the Trojans as a freshman. He was a key player in first-year head coach Aaron Pinckney’s mission to turn the Trojans in a new direction.

Burroughs exploded onto the scene, posting a ridiculous stat line in the first game of his freshman year for the Bulldogs.

He logged 178 yards on six receptions for two touchdowns in Bolles’ victory against St. Augustine to open the regular season — further confirming the thinking that he’ll be a star by the time his senior season lands.

But the young pairing that shined the brightest resides at Mandarin. The Mustangs combination of sophomores Tramell Jones and Jaime Ffrench torched Northeast Florida all season.

Jones had his breakout last year, landing a starting role and All-First Coast selection during his freshman season.

This year it was Ffrench’s turn, stepping into a larger role due to the departure of other receivers and capitalizing on his opportunity.

After a three-touchdown performance against Bolles, head coach Toby Bullock said he felt like Ffrench was the best player on the field.

He was right. Ffrench dominated the game against a traditional powerhouse and forced teams to have to gameplan for his playmaking abilities for the remained of the season.

The future is really bright for Northeast Florida's youngsters.

Juston Lewis is a sports reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @JustonLewis_.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Thoughts from football on the First Coast and Northeast Florida