It’s hard to believe we’re in week 3 of the high school football season already. If you’re like me, you have more quesions then answers at this point. Questions like, did you believe Tocoi Creek, Riverside, and Englewood would be 2-0 at this point? For Englewood, 2-0 has been hard to achieve. In fact, when was the last time Englewood started it’s football season 2-0? I’m glad you asked….. I’ll tell you at the end of this week’s Duval Sports Power Rankings. Check it out!
1.Trinity(2-0)- The Conquerors find themselves atop this week’s power rankings after an impressive 41-28 victory over Raines(1-1). You may wonder, how can Trinity jump two spots? I’m glad you asked… The Conquerors led by as much as four touchdowns at one point in the 4th quarter versus top 10 ranked Raines. The Vikings scored two late touchdowns to end the game. The defense is making play after play as Kyle Boylston registered his second interception in as many games, while the running game continues to plow through defenses. Treyaun Webb rushed for 100yds and 2 TDs while Darnell Rogers added 102 yards and a score. Sophomore quarterback Colin Hurley tossed 2 touchdown passes, adding another dimension to the offense. They have a game against NFEI which should act as a tune up for the following week, as they welcome Bolles on September 16th.
2. Fleming Island (2-0)- The Golden Eagles went down I-10 and took care of business against (0-2) Tallahassee Rickards 51-20. Cibastian Broughton has been on fire, passing for 310 yards and 5 touchdowns in the game. He also ran for another touchdown in the contest. The Golden Eagles also got 2 touchdowns on the ground from two different running backs. Senior Abram Wright got an interception and led the team with 6 tackles. Some may wonder why Fleming Island wasn’t able to jump to number 1? I’m glad you asked… Trinity has played tougher opponents it’s first two games in Ed White and Raines, (two Top 10 opponents). We’ll finally get to see the Golden Eagles tested a bit these next few weeks, as they travel to Nease (0-2) today, and host rival Oakleaf (1-1) the following week, followed by Bartram (2-0) after that.
3. Bolles (2-0)- So right off the bat, the question is why did Bolles drop from #1 to #3 after defeating Mandarin 27-20? I’m glad you asked… It wasn’t a pretty showing from Bolles, as Mandarin (1-1) seemed to expose a potential chink in their armor. However, the Bulldogs went back to their bread and butter in the running game. Sophomore Emmett Grzebin rushed for 165 yards and 3 toucdowns to lead the offense. On defense, Jake Shutters and Tanner Hogan both registered sacks. Bolles will have a big test in Brunswick this week, facing another great quarterback and passing game. Let’s see if they fix those issues in the secondary.
4. Ed White (1-1)- It was a homecoming for Coach Lawrence Johnson at Sandalwood (1-1) as his Ed White Commanders came away with a dominating 26-10 win over the Saints. Let’s start with the Commander defense. Darrius Mays registered 3 sacks while Jamari Allen had 2.5 sacks. In all, Ed White had 7 sacks in the game as they built a 20-3 first half lead. The offense was led by Isiah Teal who tossed 2 touchdowns, and the return of wide receiver Xavier Baldwin who caught 2 passes for 112 yards. Return from what? I’m glad you asked…Baldwin suffered a season ending injury last year mid-season, dealing a blow to their high powered offense. So White is certainly pleased to have him back in the line-up this year . A new comer in Tavales Thomas had a big game, rushing for132 yards and a touchdown. Ed White hosts undefeated Englewood (2-0) this Friday.
5. Jackson (2-0)- The Tigers can’t be caged as they move up two spots from #7 to #5 after a victory at Westside (0-2). Jackson won’t win style points this week as their offense seemed to struggle. But what they will win is a defensive battle. Led by linebacker Grayson Howard who tallied 20 tackles, Jeremiah Loveley (16 tackles) and a total of six Tigers with registered double digit tackles. Also, Tyler Fann had 2 of the Tiger’s 5 sacks. As Nease found out week 1 and Westside in week 2, it’s hard to generate offense against Jackson. What’s next up for Jackson? I’m glad you asked… ANOTHER AWAY GAME, that’s what! Jackson has started the season with three straight away games to start the season. Four if you count the pre-season classic. That’s an extremely tough rode especially considering their next opponent is Fletcher. This will be their fourth trip outside the 295 beltway. Let’s see if it takes its toll.
6. University Christian (2-0)- University Christian has made two big jumps in a row. First they jumped from being unranked to #8. Now they jump two slots from #8 to #6. The Christians are winning and winning big. Their latest crusade saw them travel to Hilliard to defeat the Red Flashes 41-6. You want to know what’s most impressive about their wins? I’m glad you asked… Both of their opponents (Union Co (1-1), and Hilliard(1-1) were playoff teams last year. Orel Gray scored 3 touchdowns including a punt return to the house versus Hilliard. Dallas Brown is a tackling machine on defense this year. A tough test in Charleton County (3-0) awaits UC this week.
7. Creekside (3-0)- Creekside is putting together an extremely impressive first half of the season. Last night they got a huge win in Georgia over (2-2) Glynn County 21-20. Last week, they put up an area high 62 points on Nease (0-2), beating them 62-41. In week 1, they shut-out (0-2) Viera 49-0. They’ve won every kind of game so far. The shoot-out, the comeback, and the blowout. So who are the players responsibile for this 3-0 start? I’m glad you asked… Before Thursday night, Quarterback Wilson Edwards had passed for 213 yards and 5 touchdowns. Junior Nicholas Williams had rushed for 245 yards and 7 TDs, while Danny Approbato had also rushed for 200 yards and 2 TDs. Junior Ashton Reynolds had caught 7 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. While on defense, Ian Schult,z Ian Mooney and Tyler Jenkins had all caught interceptions. Tune in next week when we preview their contest against Buchholz.
8. Bradford Co (1-0).- We welcome a newcomer to the Top 10 and I have to say, it’s well deserved. How did the Tornadoes go from being unranked to #8? I’m glad you asked.. Bradford blanked a very tough (1-1) Baldwin team 35-0. They completely wore down the Indians, rushing for 198 yards and 3 touchdowns. Manny Covey led all ball carriers with 98 yards and a touchdown. Bradford’s defense pitched a shutout which is led by defensive tackle Dejon McBride and linebacker Bryson Bowen.
9. Bartram (2-0)- Coming in at #9 is Bartram Trail who got a 38-27 win over Seabreeze (0-2) Friday. Bartram built a 31-0 halftime lead over Seabreeze as the defense led by senior Arion Stith (2 sacks) dominated. Laython Biddle led the rushing attack for Bartram scoring several times in the first half. Willie Bryant also got into the scoring action for Bartram as their ground game completely overwhelmed Seabreeze. So why isn’t Bartram higher on this list at 2-0? I’m glad you asked..The Sandcrabs scored 27 points in the second half, of last week’s game. Batram won the game yes, but top tier teams have to finish off their opponents.
10. Mandarin (1-1)- Another team making its Top 10 debut is Mandarin. The Mustangs have looked very impressive on offense the first two games. They defeated Fletcher in week 1, and took Bolles to the brink in week 2. Coach Bullock has something brewing with his boys so far. Sophomore quarterback Tramell Jones passed for 228 yards and 3 touchdowns against Bolles. His main target at wide receiver was Jamie Ffrench who caught 9 balls for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jones has tossed 6 touchdowns on the season already. On defense, Carmello Murphy leads the team in tackles and against Fletcher, they had a jaw dropping 13 sacks in the game led by Jackson Copeland’s 3.5. The Mustangs host a 2-0 Riverside team that’s steaming with confidence this week..
Outside looking in: Raines(1-1), Bishop Kenny (2-0), Riverside (2-0), Tocoi Creek (2-0)
Englewood (2-0) [2015 was the last time the Rams started 2-0],
