Can Buchholz, Bradford overcome past demons? Here are 5 bold predictions for state semifinals

High school football into December is something most players only dream of.

But, for three Gainesville area teams, that dream morphs into reality this weekend.

That vision already occurred for this trio last season.

This season, Hawthorne (vs Blountstown), Buchholz (vs Lakeland) and Bradford (vs Pensacola Catholic) are all back in the FHSAA State Semifinals.

Each enter with different motivations. No. 1 seed Buchholz (13-0) and No. 2 seed Bradford (13-0) look to bury their reputations after falling in the semis last season. No. 1 seed Hawthorne (11-0), the defending 1R state champions, seek to become Alachua County’s first back-to-back champion.

Here are five bold predictions for the week:

Were humans or computers right in 2023? Man vs. Machine: Who had it right, the FHSAA power rankings or USA Today football poll?

Florida state-wide semifinals preview: Florida high school football: What you need to know about the 2023 state semifinals

Graham, Jackson still committed to UF: Buchholz's Myles Graham and Kendall Jackson remain committed to Florida football after firings

Boys Soccer Players to Watch this year: Kings of the Pitch: Here are 17 Gainesville-area boys soccer players to watch in the 2023-24 season

Girls Soccer Players to Watch this year: Queens of the Pitch: Here are 22 Gainesville-area girls soccer players to watch in the 2023-24 season

History repeats itself in Hawthorne

This week, Hawthorne coach Cornelius Ingram must feel a bit of déjà vu.

In 2022, the Hornets defeated Pahokee 21-20 in an emotional Region 4 title game in a battle between arguably the two best 1R teams in the state.

This campaign, HHS is coming off a 34-16 beating of Williston in a showdown between No. 1 vs 2 in 1R to win 1R-Region 4 once again.

Last season, some worried about Hawthorne’s ability to recover from the emotion. It drew Blountstown and rolled to a 28-0 victory.

This season, the same foe treks 220 miles to Annie Mae Phillips Stadium, and I expect a similar result.

The Tigers have yet to see any opponent near the Hornets ability. Their best win was the two against Port St. Joe (7-5).

The Hornets, led by USF commit Alvon Isaac and Navy commit Andrew Zock, is arguably better than any of Ingram’s past and will roll to another state title game, its fourth in a row.

Buchholz will allow over 100 rush yards to Lakeland

Lakeland reaching this number isn’t bold as the Dreadnaughts average 147 yards on the ground.

But the Bobcats only acquiesced more than double digits twice, with the last coming vs Creekside on September 15.

While I think Buchholz will halt Lakeland considerably from its 653 rush yards last week in its 77-48 win over Lake Minneola, holding it to under 100 is tough.

BHS knows tough running backs, such as Bartram Trail’s Laython Biddle, but coach Chuck Bell expressed some worry as the Dreadnaughts counter with four backs who gained at least 249 yards in 2023.

“They’re going to have a fresh back in there that’s got a great set of legs every down,” Bell said. “These four backs can probably start over any back that we’ve played this year.”

LHS run game will give Buchholz issues, but ultimately, I don’t think it’ll matter because…

Trace Johnson will have his best game of the postseason

Lakeland’s offense impressed big time with its 77 points last week, but its defense left some to be desired with 48 allowed.

Lake Minneola’s QB Jackson Hughes threw for 451 and four TDs on the Dreadnaughts. Bell speculates Lakeland’s defense struggled since it was on the field so much. Offensively, Lakeland piled up long scoring runs.

While that’s true to an extent, I also see Friday as an opportunity for Johnson to get his swagger back.

The sophomore made some mistakes in the win over Bartram Trail, but Bell remains confident.

“We still have to remember as coaches this is a 15 year old kid trying to lead the No. 1 team in the state,” Bell said. “He’s done an amazing job through 13 games.”

Each time Johnson toiled this season, he bounced back, and I think he will again this week vs the Dreadnaughts.

Bradford’s offense takes advantage of emotionally drained Pensacola Catholic

Pensacola Catholic and Bradford enter Friday’s game in Starke in different places.

Last week, the Crusaders won 2S-Region 1 with their first win over Florida High in six years.

Due to this, it’s fair to wonder if PC will endure a bit of an emotional letdown.

Bradford, meanwhile, likely treated this season as a rehearsal for the big recital. It won each game by an average of 29.

Now, the Tornadoes are at the point last season ended, and they’ll explode. Especially on offense.

BHS scored 28 or more every game since October 13. QB Dae’Jon Shanks has taken his game up a notch, and the potential return of All-Area back Willie Pollard only helps matters.

Tornadoes defense allows season-high in points

The magic number for the Crusaders to set this is 14.

PC’s offense isn’t unstoppable. In fact, it scored just 17 vs Florida High. However, it topped 12 points every game this season.

Catholic features Nigel Nelson and CJ Nettles at RB. Nelson has played out of the wildcat in recent weeks, which should cause some issues for the Tornadoes.

Bradford coach Jamie Rodgers said last week if the Tornadoes scored over 21, they’ll beat anyone.

The Crusaders will land in the teens, but that won’t matter due to Shanks and Co.

Noah Ram covers Gainesville-area high school sports and University of Florida athletics for The Gainesville Sun. Contact him at Nram@gannett.com and follow him @Noah_ram1 on Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Hawthorne, Buchholz and Bradford gear up for FHSAA state semifinals