JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – West Nassau is in uncharted football territory.
May as well have some fun and maybe bring home a state championship.
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As the Sunshine State Athletic Association has grown in membership and visibility, the competition has jumped dramatically.
When West Nassau (12-1) hits the field Friday night in the highest level of the SSAA, it will be facing a giant by the association’s standards.
Delray Beach American Heritage (9-3) racked up 38 playoff wins while playing in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s state series before moving into the SSAA last year. It won state championships in 2007, ’09 and 2011, and played in four other title games.
That’s elite level competition.
The Warriors have all of three state series wins in program history, but that resume won’t matter come Friday night.
West Nassau and head coach Gunnar Cox know that as long as they keep playing like they’ve been playing — focused, driven and wrecking teams offensively — that they’ve got a shot. They’ve been gearing up and working towards this ever since their season ran aground last year.
“It’s a little bit of everything. It’s a surreal moment. I was telling the seniors when we were doing our walk through today, I told them, this is your last time. And I even told the underclassmen, this could be your last time playing in the championship game,” Cox said. “We don’t know how next year and the year after it’s going to go. So, it’s a little jittery, but at the same time, you know, it’s super exciting. I told the kids the most important thing is, have fun. Have an enjoyable experience. But I’m telling the kids, we’ve got a chance to win this game.”
West Nassau had the talent last year to play deep into the SSAA postseason. But rival Fernandina Beach pulled an upset in the opening round of the playoffs, and it left a bitter taste the mouths of players and coaches. Cox said they staff used that loss as a teaching moment. The Warriors have been on a rampage since that loss, losing just once (18-0 to Yulee) this season.
“I think the kids understand that. That’s the great thing about high school sports, especially football. It’s really any given game,” he said. “You could be the better team on paper but are you the better team that night? And I think it really, especially hit my seniors hard. And they understand that every game when the playoffs start, could be your last. So, it really made the kids work harder. It’s made my staff work harder. It’s made me work harder and made me appreciate all the things that’s happened.”
Sunshine State Athletic Association Atlantic League state championship
West Nassau (12-1) vs. Delray Beach American Heritage (9-3)
Where: Villages Charter School, 7 p.m.
Road here: West Nassau beat Stanton, 48-12; beat Umatilla, 45-36; beat Fernandina Beach, 20-10; American Heritage beat Bayside, 35-7; beat Satellite, 41-9; beat Space Coast, 53-18.
Glance: The Warriors are riding the wave of the best season in program history, blowing past the previous mark (10). They’ve been a battering ram on the ground, a four-headed monster out of the backfield that includes Smo Green, Avery Griffin, Skyler Freeman and Andi Ataiza. The quartet has racked up 44 rushing TDs and 3,563 yards. The defense has been solid, with LBs Hunter Gentry, Seth Gentry and Nate Batrous leading the tackling charge. They’ve also been in the backfield to rack up a combined 23 tackles for loss.