In the spirit of the latest science fiction horror movie ‘NOPE’, we highlight some of the horric outcomes this week on the Power Rankings. There was Creekside’s 49-0 win over Viera, Oakleaf’s 45-8 win over Orange Park, Terry Parker’s blanking of Atlantic Coast 14-0, and Hilliard’s 40-20 over Famu High. But the question is, did these teams make this week’s Duval Sports Power Rankings? The answer? NOPE! At least not this week. So let’s check out who did make the list, on the Week 2 Duval Sports Power Rankings. Week 1 Power Rankings
#1. Bolles (1-0)- The Bulldogs showcased their new offense with a 34-13 convincing victory over St. Augustine (0-1) last week. Quarterback DJ Moore (junior) tossed 3 touchdowns and passed for 238 yards. Freshman Naeem Burroughs excelled in his Varsity debut catching two of those touchdowns and finished with 178 yards receiving. On defense Kavon Miller led with 10 tackles and an interception. Jalen Ross picked off two passes as Bolles picked up where they left off. Some people thought Coach Matt Toblin and staff wouldn’t be prepare to adjust their offense to their new personnel in 2022. NOPE, they certinaly have and that’s what makes them the best staff in the area. Bolles takes on Mandarin (1-0) today in a battle of two young quarterbacks. Last week ranked #1
#2. Fleming Island (1-0)- Coach Damenyum Springs and his Golden Ealges soared in week 1 defeating rival Clay 49-7. Defenses thought they could simply key on running back Sam Singleton to stop Fleming Island’s offense, NOPE. It was complete contribution across the board for Fleming Island, as six different Golden Eagles scored touchdowns. Singleton ran for 66-yards and 2 touchdowns. Quarterback Cibastian Broughton tossed a touchdown and ran for another as well. The offense racked up over 400 yards while the defense only yeilded 7-points. A perfect mixture of success. Fleming Island travels down I-10 to Tallahassee to face Rickards (0-1) today. Last week ranked #2
#3. Trinity Christian (1-0) – The Conquerors were in an early season dog fight agaisnt Ed White in week 1, and some thought they would fall. NOPE; Trinity prevailed 48-40. It was an interesting game for Trinity, as many didnt predict the game to be that close. The question looms, is Ed White that good, or is Trinity not that good? I’ve settled on the fact that Ed White is just that good, and Trinity showed why they should move up in this week’s power ranking after that big victory. Senior Treyaun Webb and Junior Darnell Rogers combined to rush for nearly 400 yards and 6 touchdowns between them in week 1. Their defense also caused three turnovers and scored on a pick 6 by defensive back Jaykob Jones. That will be their recipe for success going forward.
#4. Columbia (0-1) – The Tigers fell to Buchholz (Gainesville) in the season opener 31-14. Was that a good measure of Columbia’s ranking here in Northeast Florida? NOPE; Buchholz is one of the best teams in the state. Columbia will have a better meaure this week versus Union County (0-1). If they struggle in this tussle of Tigers, then coach Demetric Jackson should be worried. There were flashes of play-making ability by Columbia. There was quarterback Evan Umstead who found wider receiver Dailyn Bradley for a score. Tyler Jefferson would hit Bynton Edge for a 75-yard touchdown as well. It will be interesting to see if Columbia will use two quarterbacks this season and if that will help or hurt them. Last week ranked #3
#5. Ed White (0-1) – I’ve seen at least two other local High School rankings this week and both have Ed White outside of their top 10. Baffling, considering the Commanders were only 20-yards away from sending their game versus defending state champion Trinity Christian into overtime last week. After putting up 451 yards of total offense, including 147 yards by junior running back Benny Lewis, and 102 yards (2 TDs) by Davaughn Patterson, should Ed White be unranked in any Northeast Florida Top 10? NOPE. Senior quarterback Isiah Teal scored 2 rushing touchdowns, and the opportunistic defense blocked a punt, caught an interception and returned a fumble for a touchdown. Their a complete team. This week, Coach Lawrence Johnson returns home to face Sandalwood (1-0) where he both played quarterback and coached as an offensive coordinator. Last week ranked: #5
#6. Raines- Dade County thought they could come to Duval County and win. NOPE; The Vikings got a hard faught victory over Monsignor Pace last week 19-13. Roman Doles tossed a touchdown to Terrelll Sheppard and Mark Miller rushed for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns in the contest. All together, Doles found five different receivers, passing for over 100 yards in the rain. Very impressive. The Vikings defense was led by Jamari Whitehead who registered 10 tackles and 2 sacks. Now Coach Masline and crew travel to Hammond Blvd to face Trinity Christian, in a game where they will be looking for revenge after last year’s week 1 defeat at home to the Conquerors. They’ll be talking about this one after it’s over tonight. Last Week Ranked #7
#7. Jackson (1-0) Jackson improved to 1-0 on the season with an impressive visctory over Nease Friday night. Quarterback King Johnson tossed and ran for a combined 2 touchdowns in the game. J’nethen Jackson scored as well on a touchdown run. Terrance Holland is a name to look out for. He caught a touchdown, 2-point conversion, and closed the game out with an interception. It’s a great start to the season for Coach Christopher Foy, by getting a 30-10 win over Nease who advanced to the regional final in 2021. Did anyone pick Jackson to beat Nease? NOPE; Well except for Duval Sports, who had the Tiger ranked higher than the Panthers in our week 1 Top 10. Now Jackson travels to Westside this week looking to start the season 2-0. Last Week ranked #8
#8. University Christian (1-0) Last week the biggest debate on Duval Sports was whether to put University Christian at #10 or Union County? Union County got the nod, seeing that they advanced to the playoffs with a 13-1 record in 2021. Well, the two playoff teams faced each other in week 1 and UC completely destroyed any argument about who belongs in the Duval Sports Top 10. A 33-14 victory by the Christians saw senior standout Orel Gray generate 171 rushing yards, 3 TDs, and an INT. Coach David Penland III has two seniors in Gray and Desirrio Riles leading the team this year. They have more starting varsity experience than any other senior in the area. That showed in week 1. Ranked Last Week? NOPE
#9. Bartram (1-0) The Bears defeated Ponte Vedra 13-7 last week. Was it pretty? NOPE; Bartram could only muster 34 yards passing and used eight different rushers. Nevertheless, Bartram will take the “W” especially when they ran for over 200 yards in the contest. The biggest beneficiary was junior quarterback Riley Trujillo, who rushed for a touchdown and tossed a touchdown to senior Taylor Rhodes in the game. Still, Coach Darrell Sutherland can’t be pleased with that showing against the Sharks who have several players including their quarterback, playing both ways. They’ll look to put forth a better showing against Seabreez (0-1). Last Week Rank: #6
#10. Menendez (1-0) This was another tough one, but we’re going with Menendez at #10. Does anyone else have them ranked in their Top 10? NOPE; But the Falcons exploaded with a resounding win over Ridgeview in their season opener 43-0. Sophomore Christian Coleman had two rushing touchdowns and rushed for 146 yards in his season debut. Watch out for him this year! Junior Kani Harris added another touchdown and also caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Petellat. Coach Matt Potak went 5-5 last year with signature wins over very good teams like Terry Parker. So this year they are looking to make the next step toward the playoffs. Last Week Rank: Unranked
Outside looking in: Creekside (1-0),Terry Parker(1-0), Mandarin (1-0), Bradford (0-0), Oakleaf (1-0)
Feature image by Laura Anderson
