JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The second round of the high school football playoffs are Friday night. News4JAX takes a look at the Class 1A through 3A matchups here. All games are Friday.
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Regional semifinals
Friday, Nov. 21
Region 1-3A
(5) West Florida (7-4) at (1) Raines (10-0), 6:30 p.m.
Road here: West Florida beat Yulee, 24-16; Raines beat Baker County, 43-6.
Winner gets: Godby or Bishop Kenny in the regional finals. Raines would host either team.
Glance: The Vikings are darn good, especially on defense. They’ve allowed 46 points all year, and that’s even more impressive considering 14 of those points came in the Madison County game on kickoff returns for TDs. Reigning offensive player of the year TJ Cole is a star, and he leads a very, very good offense, but this team is deeper than just Cole. He’s got support from everywhere, notably on defense and special teams. Raines has nine defensive TDs and four punt return TDs. That’s more output on just defense and special teams than a handful of local teams scored all season. Cole’s primary target, Ziyon Butler, is closing in on a 1,000-yard receiving season. He’s got 13 TD grabs. Ethan Sherman and Kelvin Brown Jr. have accounted for 15 TD catches. But going back to the defensive side of the ball, that’s where the Vikings are going to continue lighting teams up. They are ferocious from the front with Troy Butler and Ge’Terius Brown to the middle (Tony Williams) to the back with Shareef Jackson. West Florida tends to slug it out in lower-scoring games and keep it on the ground behind RBs Charles Benson and Xavier Finley, both of whom have rushed for 14 TDs. Jaguars corner Christopher Oliver has seven picks.
(7) Godby (5-6) at (3) Bishop Kenny (9-2), 7 p.m.
Road here: Godby beat Bay, 56-43; Bishop Kenny beat Wakulla, 43-19.
Winner gets: West Florida or Raines in the regional final. Bishop Kenny would host West Florida but travel to face Raines.
Glance: The Crusaders got a major assist when Godby upset Bay in the opening round to give Kenny a second-round home game. Had No. 2 seed Bay won, the Crusaders would have been making the long road trip on Friday night. Kenny has been excellent this season with a simple strategy — run it behind one of the area’s top backs in Caleb Mattison (1,284 rushing yards, 22 TDs) and mix in the marksman passing of Gavin Hawkins (69% completion percentage, 1,520 yards, 22 TDs). TE James Davis III and WR Carter Harris have totaled 39 catches for 819 yards and 12 TDs. Davis also doubles as Kenny’s top pressure guy (5 sacks, 9 TFL). LBs Gunnar Rogers (68 tackles, 11 TFL) and Aidan Piper (47 tackles, INT, fumble recovery) and DB Ashton Green (32 tackles, 2 INT) are tops on the Crusaders in bringing down the ball carrier. Kenny is 1-2 all-time in the playoffs against Godby, winning last year (36-26) and losing games in 2012 (64-29) and ’14 (35-14).
Region 1-2A
(4) Florida High (5-6) at (1) Bolles (10-1), 7 p.m.
Road here: Florida High beat Baldwin, 42-31; Bolles beat Walton, 63-13.
Winner gets: Pensacola Catholic or South Walton in the regional final. Bolles would host either team.
Glance: RB Xander Edwards was lethal in the playoff opener, scoring four TDs on just eight carries. He’s at 1,992 rushing yards. This game should be an invitation for the Bolles offense to put up some numbers. The Seminoles are being outscored by opponents (35.3 to 28.1) and the Bulldogs are averaging 45 a game. QBs Jaden Weatherly and Luke Toland have combined for 21 TD passes. WR Naeem Burroughs has pulled in 11 of those and has 900 yards receiving. Camden Tietze and TE Corbyn Fordham have added 11 TD catches between them. LB/S Simeon Caldwell leads the defense in tackles (82). DL Asher Ghioto has 65 tackles, 28 for loss and a team-high 20 sacks. He’s joined on the line by Chance Faucheaux and James Gibbs. Those two have combined for 16 sacks. DB Santana Starks has four of the team’s 11 interceptions.
Region 2-2A
(5) Berkeley Prep (5-4) at (1) Bradford (10-1), 7:30 p.m.
Road here: Berkeley Prep beat Villages Charter, 35-28; Bradford beat Avon Park, 55-6.
Winner gets: Calvary Christian or Cocoa in the regional final. Bradford would host either team.
Glance: The Tornadoes are ridiculously good on defense and have been since Jamie Rodgers arrived in Starke. They’ve allowed 63 points this season. If the offense can continue to play like it did last week, watch out. QB Cy Cubbedge was decisive leading the offense last week, throwing a pair of TDs in a 12-for-18 night. He let the ground game do the heavy lifting as Jarell Harris (75 yards, 3 TDs) and Damarion Dodd (70 yards, TD) battered Avon Park. DL Nate Raymond (81 tackles, 24 for loss, 11 sacks) is the wrecker, but he’s got playmakers everywhere on defense to help. On the line, that help comes from Parviele Lee (80 tackles, 15 for loss) and Danny Torres (71 tackles, 10 for loss). LBs Cohen Cioffi (86 tackles), Kingston Booker (88 tackles, 7 for loss) and Justin Hall (94 tackles, 8 for loss) are high-tier backers. In the secondary, Jy’quez Cason is a veteran and has a team-best three picks and Caiden Carn follows with a couple. … Berkeley Prep has traditionally been strong, including a 13-2 finish and win over Miami Norland for the Class 2M state championship in 2023. The Buccaneers also won the 3A state title in 2021.
Region 1-1A
(5) Impact Christian (8-3) at (1) University Christian (8-3), 7:30 p.m.
Road here: Impact beat Episcopal, 36-0; UC beat Trinity Catholic, 55-14.
Winner gets: Maclay or Trinity Christian in the regional final. Impact would travel to face either team; UC would host either team.
Glance: A rematch of a regular season game, won 42-16 by UC. These teams also met in the playoff opener last year, with UC winning 33-12. Can the Lions change things around this time? They looked excellent last week in winning their first-ever playoff game, crushing Episcopal in a running clocker. The Christians are good, with a four-headed monster on the ground in the form of Harrison Leddy, Xavier Billings, Jon Asbey and Ty Keister. That quartet has combined for 28 TDs on the ground. QB Khalil Thompson is the passing QB, with Keister the guy who can throw it or run it. Unlike several years ago when the offense went through player of the year Orel Gray, this UC team is so balanced that it’s difficult to put a target on just one player. At WR, Zay Hilliard, Trevon Burch, Jacoby Walker and Amare Mack have 15 TDs among them, with the reception total between 18 and 24. They spread it out very well. Mack and Hilliard have five picks on defense. The LBs are strong for the Christians, with Matt Hammett (84 tackles, 13 TFL) and Uriah Caguimbal (80 tackles, 21.5 for loss) leading the way. One reason to think Impact has more than a puncher’s chance in this game is Michigan State commit Eliyjah Caldwell-Hardy. He’s a game changer. Caldwell-Hardy has rushed for 912 yards on 63 carries (13 TDs) and pulled in seven receiving TDs (27 catches, 710 yards). On defense, he’s second on the team in tackles (74). WR Alexander Lee is clutch, too, turning seven of his 22 catches into TDs and also picking off six passes on defense. QBs Andrew Wright Jr. and Haiden Dees have combined to toss 20 TD passes. On defense, Jahnare Wells has four picks. Edge Lashawn Powell leads the Lions rush with 13 tackles for loss and 13 sacks.
(3) Maclay (8-3) at (2) Trinity Christian (7-4), 7 p.m.
Road here: Trinity beat Providence, 42-16; Maclay beat NFEI, 39-18.
Winner gets: Impact or UC in the regional final. Trinity would host Impact but travel to face UC.
Glance: Trinity turned around a difficult start (1-4) and hasn’t lost since. This was a second-round game last season and wound up a close one (28-21 Trinity win). The Conquerors crushed Providence last week and should fare well against Maclay. The younger players in the Trinity system have grown up and aren’t nearly as young their classes suggest. Sophomore QB Terel Dallas has developed into a quality two-way player, accounting for more than 1,500 yards rushing and passing. WR Marquez Hicks, Arryon Brookins and Chris Grissett have been the top targets (10 combined TDs) for Dallas and QB Hicks Zarah. On defense, Trinity is young but productive. The top 11 tacklers include just three seniors. DL Adrian Williams (8 tackles for loss, 3 sacks) is the top penetrator on the line. LBs William Strigglers (43 tackles) and Jacob Weldon (30 tackles, 6.5 for loss) lead the team in tackles. DB Zakhari Greene, a sophomore, has a team-best four picks.