JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – From prominent alumni to community leaders, the city is rallying behind the Raines High School football team ahead of Saturday’s state championship game in Miami.
A crowd gathered at the school Friday morning to send the team off in style after fundraising efforts helped make the trip for the team and the band possible.
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Raines is 13-0 and is the No. 1 seed against Miami Northwestern (11-2) for the Class 3A state championship. The game will be at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Pitbull Stadium at Florida International University in Miami.
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Since the Vikings secured their spot in the title game with a win over Sarasota Booker, the enthusiasm among alumni and the general community has been high.
Winning is a tradition for the Raines football team.
Raines has been to the state championship game five times in its decorated history, winning Class 3A titles in 1997, 2017 and ‘18. It finished as state runner-up in 1973 and 2015.
“This is our tradition,” said Jimmie Hackley, a former Raines track star and owner of Jimi Hack. “I mean, I wouldn’t expect nothing less. It is Coach Masline’s turn again to get back there and do what he needs to do to finish the job that we set out to get done this year. So he’s gonna do that.”
This is a battle between coaches as much as it’s a battle between the teams.
Masline is taking on former NFL quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Both are alums of their own schools.
Masline graduated in 2008 and went on to play at Alabama State.
Bridgewater went to Louisville before becoming a first-round pick for the Minnesota Vikings. He spent time with six NFL teams before retiring earlier this year.
Again, the big game is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Miami. If you can’t go, the game will be streamed on the NFHS Network. Cost for a monthly pass is $11.99.