JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The high school football playoffs are in the third round. The winners from Friday night’s regional final games will earn a trip to the state semifinals next week. Here’s a glance at this week’s matchups.
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Regional finals
Region 1-6A
(2) Mandarin (11-1) at (1) Gainesville Buchholz (11-1), 7:30 p.m.
Road here: Mandarin beat Crestview, 42-14; beat Pace, 42-35; Buchholz beat Oviedo, 49-41; beat Nease, 29-17.
Winner gets: Regional final winners will be reseeded by FHSAA rankings points after third-round games. The other regional final games are: Mitchell-West Boca Raton; Southridge-West Broward; Armwood-South Lake.
Glance: The road to the state semifinals has run through Gainesville since 2021. The Bobcats have been to the final four for four consecutive seasons and beaten a local team each time in this round to get there (Nease in 2021, Bartram Trail in 2022 and ’23 and Oakleaf in 2024). Can the red-hot Mustangs shake that up? They’ve been on the warpath since a loss to IMG Academy. WR Brysen Wright had three TDs on five catches against Pace. He’s up to 10 receiving TDs this year. Running mate Tian Wyche has been a gamebreaker, too. He’s had 28 catches and 11 have gone for TDs. QB Knox Annis has passed for 2,086 yards and 22 TDs this year. RB Shaunqueze Foster surpassed the 1,100-yard rushing mark and has 15 scores on the ground. The defense was tested by Pace last week, and it will have to buckle up against the Bobcats. LBs Izzy Ratliff (89 tackles), Cory Matthews (82 tackles, 10.5 TFL) and Keisean Douglas (77 tackles, 13 TFL) and DL Kindrid Outland (57 tackles, 20 TFL) do the heavy lifting for Mandarin. Brody Jennings, Wright and Tamajh Mitchell have combined for 10 INTs. … The Bobcats are strong all over. QB Andrew Whittemore has 17 passing TDs and eight rushing TDs. WR Justin Williams will be wearing a bullseye for the Mandarin defense. The Gators commit scored two TDs in the final 20 seconds against Nease, one on a rushing TD and one on a pick-six to blow open a tie game. He’s got 1,059 receiving yards and 12 TD catches to go along with six rushing TDs. Buchholz has won six consecutive games in the playoffs against local teams (Nease twice, Bartram Trail twice, Oakleaf and Ponte Vedra once), with its last loss coming to Bartram Trail in 2016.
Region 1-5A
(2) Daytona Beach Mainland (9-2) at (1) Ponte Vedra (10-2), 7 p.m.
Road here: Mainland beat Middleburg, 34-13; beat Mosley, 36-31; Ponte Vedra beat Niceville, 31-30 (OT); beat Beachside, 38-3.
Winner gets: Regional final winners will be reseeded by FHSAA rankings points after third-round games. The other regional final games are: Edgewater-Lakeland; St. Thomas Aquinas-McArthur; Riverdale-Manatee.
Glance: The Sharks have been in this round just two other times, losing to Wakulla in 2011 and beating Clay in 2016. This has been the Ponte Vedra revenge tour. They beat Niceville in the opening round after losing to the Eagles in OT last year (21-20) in the playoffs. They hammered Beachside last week after losing to the Barracudas in the regular season. QB Cole Rosendahl picked the Barracudas apart with four TDs last week and us up to 30 on the season. RB Alex Winkles eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark last week (1,035, 11 TDs). The offense is strong at receiver, too, with Jack Berquist and Davitt Doherty combining for 18 TD catches. The big boost for the Sharks comes on defense. LB Talan Babin has looked sharp since returning from an injury (68 tackles in 9 games). JP Dolan and Reece Beck are wreckers who have combined for 20 sacks and 25 tackles for loss. In the secondary, four players have two picks or more, headlined by Fionn Day’s five. … Mainland’s last playoff game against a local team was St. Augustine in the 2023 Class 3S state title game, a 21-19 win over St. Augustine. Mainland is 9-4 all-time against local teams in the playoffs, and 4-0 against teams from St. Johns County.
Region 1-4A
(2) Fort Walton Beach Choctawhatchee (11-1) at (1) St. Augustine (11-1), 7 p.m.
Road here: Choctaw beat Pensacola Booker T. Washington, 49-6; beat Columbia, 27-20; St. Augustine beat Arnold, 70-21; beat Ed White, 44-12.
Winner gets: Regional final winners will be reseeded by FHSAA rankings points after third-round games. The other regional final games are: Jesuit-Port Charlotte; Archbishop McCarthy-Plantation American Heritage; Jones-Lake Wales.
Glance: The fourth straight playoff meeting and third consecutive matchup in the regional final. St. Augustine has won the last two regional final games in this series. Expect a physical battle much like last year’s showdown, won in a 13-6 slugfest. Choctaw has been excellent on defense and has yet to give up more than 20 points in a game this year. The Yellow Jackets have been sharp this season on offense, with QB Brenton James up to 35 TD passes (2,678 yards, 67% passer). His main targets are very good players, including Somourian Wingo (814 receiving yards, 13 TDs) and Julio Santiago (932 receiving yards, 9 TDs). RB Durell Preston and Trendell Anderson have 23 rushing TDs combined and more than 1,200 yards. Where they’ve made big strides is on defense. The Yellow Jackets choked out Ed White’s prolific regular season offense last week, racing out to a 37-0 lead before calling off the dogs. The Commanders averaged 53.7 points a game in the regular season, but were fortunate to get 12 against St. Augustine. LB Mason Beane (123 tackles, 13 for loss) is all over the field. LB Marquell Elmore has a pick-six in the playoffs. CBs Ka’ron Robinson, Reshad Medock and Brandon Whitfield Jr. all have two picks apiece for this aggressive defensive unit. Choctaw is 10-11 all-time against local teams in the playoffs.
Region 1-3A
(3) Bishop Kenny (10-2) at (1) Raines (11-0), 6:30 p.m.
Road here: Bishop Kenny beat Wakulla, 43-19; beat Godby, 55-37; Raines beat Baker County, 43-6; beat West Florida, 54-0.
Winner gets: Regional final winners will be reseeded by FHSAA rankings points after third-round games. The other regional final games are: Booker-Nature Coast Tech; Miami Central-Miami Northwestern; Bishop Moore-Eau Gallie.
Glance: A rematch of a regional final last year, won in a 44-15 blowout by Raines. Will this game be any different? The Vikings are honing in on a return trip to the state semifinals and have seldom been tested this year, save for a tough, physical game against Madison County that they still won by 13. Bishop Kenny runs the ball very well behind RB Caleb Mattison (1,653 rushing yards, 27 TDs). He’s arguably the area’s second-best back behind Bolles’ Xander Edwards. He’s had a sensational postseason, including a career-best game against Godby (369 rushing yards, 5 TDs). He had 222 yards rushing a week earlier. QB Gavin Hawkins has been very efficient throwing the ball (1,692 passing yards, 68% passer, 24 TDs), with his top target WR James Davis III (622 receiving yards, 8 TDs). Mattison will have the full attention of Raines’ swarming defense, which has tormented teams from the get-go. DE Troy Butler has 18 tackles for loss and leads a vicious pass rush. Raines is so good at taking advantage of turnovers that Kenny will need to play a flawless game to stave off a running clock. Raines has 14 TDs this season on defense and special teams. The Vikings have allowed just 46 total points this year and 14 of those were on special teams. QB TJ Cole has passed for 31 TDs and been backed by a powerful ground game lead by Tadarius Washington and Tisean Haynes, with that duo over 20 rushing TDs this year.
Region 1-2A
(2) Pensacola Catholic (11-1) at (1) Bolles (11-1), 7 p.m.
Road here: Pensacola Catholic beat Bozeman, 48-0; beat South Walton, 34-7; Bolles beat Walton, 63-13; beat Florida High, 51-27.
Winner gets: Regional final winners will be reseeded by FHSAA rankings points after third-round games. The other regional final games are: Sarasota Cardinal Mooney-Lakewood; Bradford-Cocoa; Immaculata-LaSalle-Cardinal Gibbons.
Glance: The Bulldogs have been to the state semifinals in five of head coach Matt Toblin’s seven seasons. They are poised to make it six out of seven this week. The lone miss was last year in a regional final loss to Gadsden County. Bolles shouldn’t find itself in the position it was last year when moving the ball was a problem. RB Xander Edwards has been the area’s top offensive player, as evidenced by his 2,220 rushing yards and 36 TDs. He’s averaging more than 10 yards per carry behind the area’s top offensive line. Bolles is more than just ground and pound. WR Naeem Burroughs has 986 receiving yards and 13 TDs. Camden Tietze is at 596 yards and nine TDs. QB Jaden Weatherly has 19 TDs passes and just three picks this season, and he’s closing in on 2,000 yards through the air (1,723). The defense has been much better since a 40-35 loss to St. Augustine. LB Simeon Caldwell (92 tackles) leads Bolles on defense. DLs Asher Ghioto, Chance Faucheaux and James Gibbs and LB Christian Hayes are tackle-for-loss machines. That quartet has racked up 66 tackles for loss and 40 sacks. In the secondary, CB Santana Starks has a team-best six interceptions. … The Crusaders lost to Bolles 55-0 in their only playoff meeting in 2009. Their last meeting against a local team in the postseason came in a 2023 OT thriller at Bradford, a 22-21 loss.
Region 2-2A
(3) Cocoa (7-4) at (1) Bradford (11-1), 7:30 p.m.
Road here: Cocoa beat Newberry, 42-13; beat Calvary Christian, 34-33 (OT); Bradford beat Avon Park, 55-6; beat Berkeley Prep, 24-14.
Winner gets: Regional final winners will be reseeded by FHSAA rankings points after third-round games. The other regional final games are: Sarasota Cardinal Mooney-Lakewood; Bolles-Pensacola Catholic; Immaculata-LaSalle-Cardinal Gibbons.
Glance: Bradford is trying to get back to the state semifinals after stalling out in the second round last year. To do that, they’ve got to find a way to beat a team that has ended their season in two of the last three years. Bradford’s defense is legit. Head coach Jamie Rodgers has built Bradford into a title contender with a rugged defense that has allowed just 77 points all season. Berkeley Prep’s 14 points last week was a season-high allowed by the Tornadoes. For Bradford, the challenge has been generating enough offense once the season gets to this point. QB Cy Cubbedge has been very good this season (1,625 TD passes, 23 TDs), and he’s got a strong ground game behind him. RB Iyen Addison (956 rushing yards, 7 TDs) is the main runner. At WR, Kemontae Nixon (455 yards, 10 TDs) is the top target. But this game will be determined on how well Bradford can slow Cocoa. DL Nate Raymond has 81 tackles (24 for loss, 11 sacks). The LB corps of Cohen Cioffi, Kingston Booker and Justin Hall are all over the field. DB Jyquez Cason has three picks to lead the secondary. Cocoa hasn’t been as elite on offense as it has been in the past (25.5 ppg this year down from 39.9 last season) but they are a three-time defending state champion and won’t be easily bounced. They are 4-3 all-time in the playoffs against area teams, including 2-0 against Bradford. They played in the state semifinals in 2022 (31-21) and in the championship game in 2023 (20-6).
Region 1-1A
(2) Trinity Christian (8-4) at (1) University Christian (9-3), 7:30 p.m.
Road here: Trinity beat Providence, 42-16; beat Maclay, 56-28; UC beat Trinity Catholic, 55-14; beat Impact Christian, 26-8.
Winner gets: Regional final winners will be reseeded by FHSAA rankings points after third-round games. The other regional final games are: St. Petersburg Catholic-Cardinal Newman; Carrollwood Day-Clearwater Central Catholic; Chaminade-Madonna-Miami True North.
Glance: In the last 49 years, UC is just 4-24 against Trinity Christian. It has won just once against the Conquerors since the early 1990s. But that one win was very, very big. It came in the 2022 regional finals (36-27) and was an instant classic. Trinity has won the last two meetings, including in the playoff opener last year (27-6). Games between these two private school heavyweights have become significantly closer in recent years, with games over the last 10 seasons almost always tightly contested. Both teams have nine state championships. The Conquerors struggled for a half last week against Maclay, notably with penalties. They had more than a dozen and two of those erased TDs. Trinity can handle those against a team like Maclay which doesn’t have the depth of a UC, but the Conquerors won’t be able to navigate that many flags against the Christians. UC has two capable passing QBs (Khalil Thompson and Ty Keister), with the latter being more of a threat as a runner and the former able to air it out better. The ground game of UC is versatile, with Harrison Leddy, Jon Asbey, Xavier Billings, Keister and Trevon Burch combining for 31 rushing TDs. Amare Mack, Jacoby Walker, Burch and Zay Hilliard have no less than 353 receiving yards. Those runners and pass catchers give UC head coach David Penland III an assortment of options to call upon. The Christians are deep on defense, too. LB Matthew Hammett had a pick-six against Impact Christian last week and leads the team in tackles (88). He’s one of three UC players (Mack and Josh Lauchner are the others) to have three or more picks this year. The Christians also have six players who have five or more sacks, led by DL Geedarious Thomas with 8.5. … Trinity doesn’t have nearly that depth this year, but could it be stronger in its 1 on 1s? RB Micah Anderson leads the team on the ground, but head coach Verlon Dorminey hasn’t leaned on just a player or two this year. QBs Terrel Dallas and Hicks Zarah have flipped under center and both been productive. WRs Marquez Hicks, Chris Grissett and Arryon Brookins have been the big threats in the aerial game. CB Zakhari Greene has been the most successful secondary player for Trinity (4 INTs). LB William Striglers and DL Adrian Williams are defensive playmakers for the Conquerors.