JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Nine area high school football teams are playing on through Thanksgiving.
Ponte Vedra crushed Beachside, St. Augustine hammered Ed White and University Christian handled Impact Christian on Friday night in the all-local showdowns.
Gainesville Buchholz pulled away from Nease 29-17 and Mandarin topped Pensacola Pace in a 42-35 shootout to move on in Region 1-6A. Brysen Wright had three touchdown receptions from Knox Annis as the Mustangs (11-1) pulled away. Buchholz’s Justin Williams scored the go-ahead touchdown with 16 seconds left and then had a pick-six after that to move on.
In 1-5A, Ponte Vedra atoned for a regular season loss with a 38-3 demolition of rival Beachside. The Sharks (10-2) will host Daytona Beach Mainland in next week’s regional final.
In 1-3A, Raines stayed perfect with a 54-0 blowout of West Florida to set up a regional final rematch with Bishop Kenny. The Vikings dominated on the ground, with multiple rushing touchdowns from Tadarius Washington, and Tony Williams turned a fumble into a touchdown for the Vikings (11-0). They’ll host Bishop Kenny, a 55-37 winner over Tallahassee Godby. Caleb Mattison had a pair of rushing touchdowns in the third quarter to help ignite Kenny’s furious closing stretch.
In Region 1-2A, Bolles had another big game from Xander Edwards to pull away from Florida High 51-37. The Bulldogs (11-1) will host Pensacola Catholic in the regional final. In Region 2-2A, Bradford topped Berkeley Prep 24-14 to move on to the regional final and a showdown with Cocoa.
In Region 1-1A, Trinity Christian overcame a sluggish opening half to race past Maclay 56-28. The Conquerors (8-4) will travel to face University Christian, a 28-6 winner over Impact Christian. UC built a quick 20-0 lead and ended the Lions’ season for the second straight season.
West Nassau falls in SSAA final
In the Sunshine State Athletic Association’s Atlantic League championship game, Delray Beach American Heritage raced to a three-score lead in the first quarter and then hung on to beat West Nassau 51-41 to claim the title.
The Warriors (12-2) turned a blowout into a close game, getting within 30-22 at halftime and then pulling with 30-28 entering the fourth quarter.
Regional semifinals
Friday’s results
Region 1-6A
Region 1-5A
(1) Ponte Vedra 38, (4) Beachside 3
Region 1-4A
(1) St. Augustine 44, (4) White 12
(2) Fort Walton Beach Choctawhatchee 27, (3) Columbia 20
Region 1-3A
(1) Raines 54, (5) West Florida 0
(3) Bishop Kenny 55, (7) Godby 37
Region 1-2A
(1) Bolles 51, (4) Florida High 27
Region 2-2A
(1) Bradford 24, (5) Berkeley Prep 14
Region 1-1A
(1) University Christian 28, (5) Impact Christian 6
(2) Trinity Christian 56, (3) Maclay 28
Sunshine State Athletic Association
Atlantic League state championship
Delray Beach American Heritage 51, West Nassau 41
Regional finals
Friday, Nov. 28
Region 1-6A
(2) Mandarin (11-1) at (1) Gainesville Buchholz (11-1)
Region 1-5A
(2) Daytona Beach Mainland (9-2) at (1) Ponte Vedra (10-2)
Region 1-4A
(2) Fort Walton Beach Choctawhatchee (11-1) at (1) St. Augustine (11-1)
Region 1-3A
(3) Bishop Kenny (10-2) at (1) Raines (11-0), 6:30 p.m.
Region 1-2A
(2) Pensacola Catholic (11-1) at (1) Bolles (11-1)
Region 2-2A
(3) Cocoa (7-4) at (1) Bradford (11-1), 7:30 p.m.
Region 1-1A
(2) Trinity Christian (8-4) at (1) University Christian (9-3)