It’s been a great season as teams now prepare for the playoffs. There have been some great stories, and some disappointments, but as long as teams have given their all that’s all that matters. It’s the race for state and it starts now. Check out the Top 25 teams in Northeast Florida, their key players, and who they play in the playoffs.
- Nease (9-0)- The Nease Panthers finish the 2024 season as the #1 team in Northeast Florida. Coach Collin Drafts took a team that went 7-4 in 2023, and went 9-0 with a new quarterback, and a murders row schedule. Ponte Vedra, St. Augustine, Buchholz all went down, and they defeated Creekside 45-7. Nate Harry finished the season with 1,842 yards, 23 touchdowns and 4 touchdowns. Nease goes to playoffs as the #1 seed and will welcome #8 Tate.
2. Raines (9-0)- Raines had an historic season, going undefeated for the first time since 1997. Coach Donovan Masline led the Vikings over Bolles, Trinity, Riverside, and defeated Creekside 44-14. They dominated teams physically, and were never challenged in the second half of games. Timothy Cole II passed for 1,970 yards, 25 TDs and 6 Ints. With a plethora of weapons, Raines enters the playoff tournament as the #1 seed and will face #8 Bay.
3. St. Augustine (8-1)– That Jackets were an overtime period from going undefeated for the second season in a row. Led by quarterback Locklan Hewlett’s 1,865 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions, St. Augustine boasted quite possibly the most explosive offense and displayed it going up 21-0 before falling to Nease. Yet they defeated Riverside, Columbia, and Mandarin. Coach Brian Braddock goes back to the post season, looking to take his team back to the state championship with a goal of winning this time.
4. Bradford (8-1)– Show me a team with a lights out defense, and I’ll show you a championship caliber team. Well that team is Bradford who won every game except a district contest against Newberry, where they traveled to the other side of Gainesville. Coach Jamie Rodgers has been an intense presence on the sideline which his team reflects on the field. They brought that intensity over Baker County, Dunnellon, and Mandarin this year. Jeremiah McKenzie (65 tackles, 1 Int, 2 punt blks, 3 rush TDs) has been an all around player.The number 2 ranked Tornadoes look to return to the state championship, with a first round contest against #7 The Villages in region 2.
5. Mandarin (7-3)– Without question, Mandarin had the hardest schedule, with the hardest road to the post season. Wins against Creekside, Rockledge, and Oakleaf only tell half the story. The district champions also played Bradford, IMG Academy, and St. Augustine to which they were competitive, but fell. With two 5-star athletes in safety Drake Stubbs, and wide receiver Jaime Ffrench, Mandarin has one of the most talented rosters in the country. If they get their starting quarterback back from injury, coach Toby Bullock’s squad will be even more dangerous. They are the #4 seed and will host #5 Oakleaf.
6. Bolles (8-1)– One of the hottest teams in Northeast Florida is the Bolles Bulldogs. Winners of 8-straight, Bolles has bested every opponent since their week 1 loss to Raines. Trinity, Oakleaf, and Riverside have all met their fate to Bolles. They’ve beaten them in many different ways from high powered passing, a bruising rushing attack or suffocating defense. Coach Matt Toblin’s team secured the #3 seed in region 1 and will face #6 Taylor County. Bolle’s Naeem Burroughs (604yds Rec 9 TDs) will be ready.
7. Oakleaf (7-3)-The Knights navigated one of the best seasons in recent memory. With a brutal schedule that saw them fall to 2x defending state champion Hawthorne on a last second hail marry, Oakleaf played everyone tough. Just ask Bolles, where they put up 50 points on them in defeat, or Mandarin where they played to a close 18-7 loss. Playoff teams like Riverside, and Ed White, were severely overmatched, and Oakleaf staged a comeback to defeat Fleming Island. Coach Christopher Foy has deployed Christopher Foy II who leads them in rushing with 1,220 yards and 11 touchdowns. They’ll see if they can get him going against Mandarin in a 4 versus 5 first round clash.
8. Fleming Island (7-3)– The most resilient team in Northeast Florida resides in Fleming Island. New head coach Derek Chipoletti has done a masterful job refocusing his team after losing their previous head coach to resignation just days before the start of the regular season. The Golden Eagles fell to Riverside Creekside and Oakleaf, but played them all close. Defeating Ponte Vedra, Beachside and Middleburg won them the district title and all 3 are playoff teams. Cibastian Broughton of Fleming Island passed for 1,704 yards, 21 TDs, just 1 interception. He’s also added 628 yards rushing and 8 TDs. The Golden Eagles are the 6 seed and drew #3 Mosely in the first round.
9. Ed White (7-3)– The Commanders are an example of a team who won when it counted. Falling to Trinity Christian the first game of the season, head Coach Lawrence Johnson rallied his team and they won 7 out of their last 9 games. Their only hiccup was Oakleaf and an overtime loss to Merritt Island. They defeated Baldwin and their signature win was against Riverside to win their district. #5 Ed White returns to the Top 10 since week 1 and has a tough rode in Class 4A. They’ll welcome #4 Pine Forest to Jacksonville in the first round of the playoffs. Senior Joshua Patterson is the team leader and has three years of playoff experience under his belt.
10. Ponte Vedra (8-2)– The Sharks and head coach Steve Price worked their way back into the Top 10 the hard way. After falling to Nease week 1, and Fleming Island in week 5, Ponte Vedra combined wins over Beachside, with wins over Leesburg, IMG White and Creekside to finish winning 7 out of 8. Brian Case is the bell cow for them, rushing for 1,278 yards and 18 touchdowns. Ponte Vedra will have a rematch with Beachside in the first round of the playoffs.
11. Trinity Christian (7-3)– #7P.K Yonge forfeit their round 1 game and #2 Trinity will face the winner of #3 Maclay and #6 St. John Paul II. Key Player: DB Kaleel Vereen 50 Tackles
12. Baker County (5-4) Key Player: LB Seth Chestnut (92 tackles, 2 int) Playoffs: #6 Baker County vs #3 Bishop Kenny
13. Riverside (5-5) Key Player: WR Tae’Shaun Gelsey 831 yds Rec, 13 TDs: Playoffs #6 Riverside vs #3 Escambia
14. Creekside (5-5) Key Player: QB Sean Ashenfelder : Playoffs #7 Creekside vs #2 Seminole
15. Beachside (7-3) Key Player: QB Edward Jordan 2,538 passing yards, 25 TDs, 5 INTs: Playoffs: #5 Beachside vs #4 Ponte Vedra
16. Fletcher (6-4) Key Player: OLB Andre Jackson 74 tackles, 14 sacks: Did not make playoffs
17. Bishop Kenny (7-3) Key Player: WR, JP Donovan 486 Rec Yards, 7 TDs: Playoffs #3 Bishop Kenny vs #6 Baker County
18. Middleburg (7-3) Key Player: QB, Carson Stewart 1,400 passing yards, 13 TDs, 4 INTs: Playoffs: #8 Middleburg vs #1 Niceville
19. Menendez (6-4) Key Player: DB, Luke Harmon 4 INTs, Playoffs: #5 Menendez vs #4 Wakulla
20. University Christian (5-5) Key Player: WR, Jenoa Alford 486 rec yards, 3 TDs: Playoffs: #4 University Christian vs #5 Impact Christian
21. Tocoi Creek (4-6) Key Player: WR, Julio Santiago 525 yards Rec, 6 TDs: Did not make playoffs
22. Bartram Trail (4-6) Key Player: Arthur Lewis IV 1,666 rushing yards, 21 TDs: Did not make the playoffs
23. Baldwin (5-5) Key Player: Gage Screws 1,715 yards, 20 TDs, 4 INTs: Playoffs: #8 Baldwin vs #1 Gadsden County
24. Providence (7-3) Key Player: Mason Williams 2,089yds passing, 26 TDs, 2 Ints: Playoffs: #1 Providence vs #8 Trinity Catholic
25.Impact Christian Academy (6-4) Key Player: Tristian Kelly 99 tackles, 27 sacks: Playoffs: #5 Impact Christian vs #4 University Christian
