Tallahassee Fl- Mandarin returns to the state championship for the first time since 2018. Ironically that year, they defeated the same team that they will play today at 3pm, Columbus. That 2018 team was led by now Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, and now New England Patriot wide receiver Demario Douglas. Not much has changed in that area, as the 2023 Mustangs are led by Florida State commit Tramell Jones Jr and Alabama commit wide receiver Jaime Ffrench. As that 2018 team, the 2023 Mustangs are looking to bring home a title as well.
Quarterbacks:
Tramell Jones Jr has been one of the top passers in the state all year. He has 2,940 yards passing and 31 passing TDs to just 7 interceptions on the season. Against Seminole in the regional finals Jones passed for 266 yards and 3 touchdowns. The 4-star junior has been the perfect facilitator of the offense, a second coach on the field.
Columbus is led by 3-star quarterback Alberto Mendoza. The 6’2 senior has offers from Indiana and FAU among others. He’s passed for 1,950 yards and 22 TDs with 5 interceptions on the season. Mendoza has also rushed for over 300 yards this year, showing his ability to run with the football if needed.
Running backs
Mandarin has been led by a 2-headed monster at running back. First theirs Tiant Wyche, a 5’8, 170 pound back who has completely shredded defenses. He’s rushed for 1,709 yards and 25 touchdowns on the season. Wyche is one of the leading rushers in the state in yards and touchdowns. With him is Deshard Westcott, a 5’8 170 pound senior. who is also a thousand yard rusher tallying 1,103 yards and 6 TDs. What’s made Wyche dangerous is his ability to catch the ball as well. He’s scored 3 TDs through the air and racked up over 300 yards receiving.
Columbus has a backfield of backs that make up a committee. Edward Bandy leads the team with 637 yards and 6 TDS . He is the younger brother of former Miami cornerback Trajan Bandy. Agyeman Addae (5’7, 154) has tallied 558 yards and 6 TDs on the season.
Receivers
Mandarin has one of the top wide receivers in the nation, 5-star Alabama commit Jaime Ffrench. Ffrench has caught 12 TDs this year tallying 1,139 receiving yards. He’s amazingly been able to amass a thousand yards in an offense that relies heavily on the run. That’s because he averages over 20-yards per catch. A true big play threat. Joining Ffrench is Ethan Sherman who has caught 8 TDs on the season and Carlos Witherup who has caught 3 TDs on the season.
Columbus is lead by 6’6 Stanford commit Benjamin Blackburn at Tight End. He’s scored 8 touchdowns on the season leading the team, and amassed 641 receiving yards. With him is senior Jose Leon a quicker option for Mendoza on the outside. He’s caught 6 TDs and gone for a team high 670 yards receiving.
Defense
Willis McGahee IV leads Columbus on defense. That name may sound familiar as he is the son of former Buffalo Bills and Miami Hurricanes running-back Willis McGahee. The 6’1, 225 pound Nebraska commit has a whopping 14-sacks on the season, including five against South Dade, four against Norland and two against Northwestern. He saves his best performances for big games. Hector Chavez leads the team with 80 tackles. At 5’10, 205lbs Chavez has offers from Miami and Syracuse. 4-star defensive back Bryce Fitzgerald has offers that include Arizona, and Auburn. He has 5 picks on the season. Daylen Russell, Miami commit is also a terror at 6’3, 275 pounds.
Mandarin has one of the most talented defensive units in the country. On the outside is 4-star corner Jon Mitchell and 3-star corner Antoine Belgrave-Shorter, who hold it down. Both seniors are Penn State commits and both have 4 interceptions on the season. With them in the secondary is 4-star safety Hylton Drake Stubbs. The talented playmaker was responsible for 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery for a touchdown against Monarch in the state semifinals. He leads the team with 6 interceptions on the season. Jackson Copeland leads the team in tackles (129) and sack (9). He’s accompanied in the 100 tackle club by linebacker Israel Ratliff (104) and defensive end Grant Pettigrew (101).
Coaching
Mandarin is led by head coach Toby Bullock. With him are some of the most talented coaches in the state of Florida. Their ability to game plan against opponents weaknesses has been evident all year. A perfect example of this was when Mandarin lost to Lake Mary 34-16 during the regular season, the staff put together a game-plan and defeated the same team in the playoffs 36-10. Bullock is looking for his first championship as a head coach, he was an assistant on the 2018 championship team. His 2023 Mustangs are 11-3 on the season, in just his second season as head coach.
Columbus is lead by head coach Dave Dunn. Dunn played college football at the University of San Diego and also coached college football at several levels. He’s been the head coach at Columbus since 2019 where he led the Explorers to a championship against Apopka. Last year in 2022 he led Columbus to a championship against Apopka again 16-13. His record last year was 14-1. This year the Explorers are 12-2.
Prediction: The more talented team is Mandarin, as they have several top college recruited athletes at every position. They are on a roll in the playoffs as road warriors and they are looking to keep that streak going in Tallahassee. Mandarin has won in every way, with every weapon, now they must win one more game. However, Columbus is the defending champion and their schedule has been one of the toughest in Florida this year. Their only losses came at the hands of Miami Norland and Homestead, both of whom will play in the state championships this weekend. Championship experience and battle tested schedule has me leaning towards the Explorers in a 30-20 win.
