First Coast Varsity Weekly: 6-TD night boosts Laython Biddle in state rushing race
Is Bear country about to crown a Florida rushing champion?
Bartram Trail's Laython Biddle is officially among the hottest running backs in the Sunshine State after Friday's 67-55 thriller against Navarre, which vaulted into the top 10 for highest-scoring 11-man high school football games in Northeast Florida records.
The dust still hasn't settled from the latest feats of Biddle — 333 yards, six touchdowns, both career highs — or the other statistical feats from an unforgettable night in the Panhandle.
In his last three games, Biddle has rolled up 731 yards and 12 touchdowns. He's now up to 1,915 yards for the season, rocketing up the St. Johns County all-time list and surpassing the 1,907 attained by Tye Edwards of Menendez in 2018.
Since all three rushers ahead of him in the MaxPreps list represent already-eliminated teams (leader Chris Wheatley-Humphrey with 2,076 yards at South Broward, Jeff Jones at St. Petersburg and Antonio Muniz at New Port Richey Gulf), Biddle has a chance to end 2023 as Northeast Florida's first state rushing champion since Derrick Henry concluded his legendary Yulee career with a 4,261-yard season in 2012.
Biddle is also nearing rare territory in St. Johns County career statistics. With 3,839 yards on the ground, he's surpassed almost all county rushers, except for giants like Greg Mathews (4,005 at Nease, 1991-93) and Cole Mazza (4,060 at Ponte Vedra, 2010-12).
More stats from a wild one on the gridiron:
Bartram Trail-Navarre had the third-highest score for a Northeast Florida playoff game. The only area playoffs with higher scores both involved Clay, 74-73 over Bishop Kenny in 2013 and 65-58 over North Marion in 2015.
Bartram Trail's win is now tied for the third-highest score for any football on record in St. Johns County, behind St. Joseph's 86-47 win over Rocky Bayou Christian in 2017 and Menendez's 66-65 victory against Palatka in 2018.
Counting not only Biddle's 333 yards rushing but also 198 from quarterback Riley Trujillo and 87 from all-purpose back Arthur Lewis IV, Bartram Trail finished with 618 yards on the ground and 731 for the game.
They needed all of them, too. Navarre's Hunter Pfiester threw for 507 yards (286 to Terence Marshall, a school record) and Connor Mathews rumbled for 198 yards and three scores as the Raiders amassed 759 yards in defeat.
Peak performers: See Jacksonville-area high school football's first-round playoff best
Raines and Riverside think takeaways, too
The Jaguars aren't Jacksonville's only defensive unit that's thinking takeaways.
Add Raines and Riverside to the list, after the Gateway Conference powers' latest triumphs on defense against Jackson and Episcopal, respectively.
The Generals own 27 takeaways, led by Anthony Henry with four interceptions, and they've downed quarterbacks 49 times with a relentless pass rush. Demontra Burnett leads that rush with 10 sacks and 17 tackles for loss, while Larry Davis, Shermon Davis, MarQuez Griffin and Jamal Harvey-Jackson each have five or more sacks.
For Raines, it's more of the same on a Vikings defense that's historically famed for dishing out punishment.
Jaylen Clark, among Northeast Florida's most complete linebackers, means trouble for offenses with 10 sacks and two forced fumbles, and junior tackle prospect Jyon Simon has nine. And the secondary has been flat-out deadly: Nicholas Kilpatrick, Shareef Jackson and Jayden Taylor have combined for 16 takeaways and seven touchdowns.
Who's on top? See high school soccer power rankings for the Jacksonville area through Nov. 13
Super sweep for Ponte Vedra runners
Ponte Vedra's girls are making the cross country postseason look as easy as 1-2-3.
A week after sweeping the top of the podium at the District 2-3A championship, the Sharks repeated the feat in Saturday's Region 1-3A meet at Matanzas.
Lindy White ran 18:36.16 to win the girls race, closely followed by teammates Daisy Ross and Hilaree Vega and then St. Augustine's Lauren Voutour in fourth. That sealed an easy 23-point victory for the Sharks, ahead of Fleming Island and Fort Walton Beach.
Fleming Island took the top spot in the Class 3A boys race, led by Graham Myers and John Keester IV under 16:30. Tallahassee Leon, paced by overall champion Patrick Koon at 15:24.44, came in second with Ponte Vedra third.
In Region 1-2A, Bishop Kenny not only repeated its district girls championship against Bolles, but also surprised the Bulldogs in the boys meet in Lake City. Alejandro Vinas, Juan Pablo Castillo-Zima and Jack Liuzzo all broke 16:30 and finished in the top eight as the Crusaders ended with 48 points to 50 for Bolles, which did capture an individual regional title for Chris Joost (15:56.6). Episcopal, Wolfson and Suwannee rounded out the boys top five.
Bishop Kenny's Tessa Massa led Crusader runners to a balanced 30-point win in the Region 1-2A girls race, ahead of Bolles, Episcopal and Fernandina Beach. Sofie Stam of Bolles led local runners with a second-place 18:36.1.
Creekside's Alyson Johnson also added yet another trophy, winning the Region 1-4A girls meet at New World Sports Complex in 17:54.50. The win was the sophomore's sixth of the season and her fourth time under 18 minutes in 2023.
Creekside track star Miller chooses Georgia
Christian Miller has already rewritten Florida's record books.
Now, he's ready to make history on the other side of the Florida-Georgia divide.
The Creekside High School senior and world under-18 record holder closed Wednesday's Fall Signing Day with a big-time move, signing with the University of Georgia in a ceremony inside the St. Johns County school's auditorium.
Miller, ranked by MileSplit as the nation's No. 1 track and field recruit in the 2024 class, donned all four caps in front of him -- Florida, Florida State, LSU and Georgia -- before finally revealing his Bulldogs gear.
"This is something I've been looking forward to ever since I ran my fastest time in my sophomore year, around 10.4," he said. "I've been looking forward to this moment, and the time I got to pull the hat, it was just an amazing feeling."
Miller is a three-time Florida High School Athletic Association individual track and field champion, twice in the 200-meter dash and once in the 100, with one year still to come. He won the Times-Union's All-First Coast boys track athlete of the year award in June.
During the summer, he surpassed the national high school junior record and the world age group record in the 100, running 10.06 at the USATF U18 outdoor national championships in Eugene, Ore. His mark ranks as the fourth-fastest wind-legal 100 ever for any American high school runner, with a year still to go. Miller also won the 200 at the USATF U18 nationals, and set a wind-legal personal record of 20.51 in that event.
With his 10.06, Miller has already beaten the 10.21 that Stanton's Kendal Williams ran to win the 100 at the IAAF World Junior Championships in 2014.
Century mark times two for Shaw
Welcome to the 200-goal club.
Junior forward Kiersten Shaw netted her 200th career goal for Keystone Heights girls soccer on Friday, scoring all five goals in a 5-3 victory over Williston to boost her career count to 202.
Shaw, who also competes for Keystone's volleyball and track teams, scored 31 goals in her seventh-grade season, followed by 36, 58 and most recently 71 in the 2022-23 campaign.
Miracle Porter of Matanzas set Florida's career record in 2017, finishing with 238.
Bulldogs coach Toblin wins 100th
Welcome, too, to the 100-win club.
Bolles coach Matt Toblin earned the 100th victory of his head coaching career in Friday's Region 1-2M football quarterfinal victory over Bishop Kenny, 45-14.
Toblin owns 17 victories at Clay (2009-10), 39 at Ponte Vedra (2014-18) and 44 at Bolles (from 2019).
Northeast Florida's other current head coaches with more than 100 career wins include Verlon Dorminey (Trinity Christian), Marty Lee (First Coast), Steve Price (Ponte Vedra), Adam Geis (Sandalwood), David Penland III (University Christian), Andrew Thomas (Union County), Demetric Jackson (Fort White) and Mike Healey (Stanton). Columbia's Brian Allen, St. Augustine's Brian Braddock, Baker County's Kevin Mays, Impact Christian's Bobby Ramsay and Orange Park's Marcus Wimberly have a realistic chance to hit the century mark in 2024.
Haught hoists NWSL title with Gotham
Sandalwood can now claim its first-ever champion in the National Women's Soccer League.
Former Saints goalkeeper Mandy Haught (formerly McGlynn) won Saturday's NWSL final with Gotham FC, defeating OL Reign on goals by Lynn Williams and Esther Gonzalez.
Haught's night ended in unusual circumstances at the game's end, receiving a red card after a video review for handling the ball outside the penalty area seven minutes into stoppage time. That didn't stop her from becoming the first player from a Duval County public high school to win the NWSL title.
During her high school career at Sandalwood, she split time between goalkeeping and attacking duties, signing with Virginia Tech and playing four years for the Hokies. Sky Blue FC, the former name of Gotham FC, selected her in the 2020 NWSL Draft.
Huff honored with Armed Forces award
Ridgeview graduate and Furman quarterback Tyler Huff received the annual Armed Forces Merit Award on Thursday.
The honor, which began in 2012, recognizes an individual or group with a military background who makes an impact in college football. Huff is a second lieutenant in the Army Reserves.
At Ridgeview, Huff gained 5,073 passing yards and passed for 52 touchdowns from 2016-18. He spent his first three college seasons at Presbyterian, winning second-team All-Pioneer Football League honors, before moving to Furman in 2022 as a graduate transfer.
Insider Exposure hoops next week
The turkey isn't the only star in Jacksonville next week.
Dozens of high school girls basketball squads from around the country open the new season in Jacksonville at the Insider Exposure Thanksgiving Classic, scheduled from Monday through Wednesday at the Bolles main campus, at Bolles' Bartram campus west of Regency and at San Jose Prep.
Top-ranked programs from as far away as Canada are set for the three-day event. Northeast Florida teams currently on the schedule include Bartram Trail, Beachside, Bishop Kenny, Bishop Snyder, Bolles, Columbia, Jackson, Mandarin, Menendez, Nease, North Florida Educational, Oakleaf, Paxon, Ponte Vedra, Ribault, San Jose Prep and Sandalwood.
Tigers' Jones picked for FACA volleyball
Columbia's Autumn Jones will compete at the annual Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-Star Classic for volleyball.
The event includes selected seniors from across the state.
The competition takes place 10 a.m. Saturday at Southeastern University in Lakeland.
Around the area
Ridgeview middle blocker Haley Robinson signed with Wright State volleyball. … Mandarin libero Erin Dailey signed with Lenoir Community College volleyball. … Jackson sprinter Kennedy Hill signed with Alabama A&M women's track and field. … Bishop Kenny distance runner Emily Wheldon signed with Georgia Southern women's cross country and track. … Beachside shortstop Brock Falor committed to Andrew College baseball. … Trinity Christian infielder Maddox Lee signed with Santa Fe College baseball, and infielder Kadriana Mincey signed with Texas Southern softball. … Fleming Island's Kaden Schaefer signed with Bucknell wrestling, and Chloe Perry signed with St. Leo women's lacrosse. … Tocoi Creek named Klara Permenter girls tennis coach. … Dylan Matthews set a Tocoi Creek school record with 50.30 in the boys 100-yard backstroke, while the Toros' Brianna O'Neill swam a school-record 52.56 in the girls 100 freestyle. … New Virginia Tech signee Hayden Sunman surpassed Creekside school records in the boys 200 individual medley and 100 back, and Anna Gavin also broke the Creekside girls record in the 50 free (23.47). … Ponte Vedra set three school records in the Class 3A girls championship: Lily Doyle (4:54.27, 500 free), Annabelle MacAdams (1:04.22, 100 breast) and Penny Zarczynski (1:50.44, 200 free). … Former Bolles midfielder Avery Patterson scored for North Carolina women's soccer in the opening NCAA Tournament round against Towson.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Laython Biddle near high school football state rushing title
