First Coast Varsity Weekly: Super 11 football stars get name in lights with Jaguars

The Super 11 got to see their names in lights.

Jaguars Prep recognized the Times-Union's annual Super 11 honorees from Jacksonville-area high school football during the NFL team's preseason finale against the Miami Dolphins at EverBank Stadium.

Recognized during halftime at the game were Atlantic Coast linebacker Camden Hardy; Bartram Trail quarterback Riley Trujillo; Bishop Kenny quarterback James Resar; Bolles defensive tackle Garrison Butler and linebacker Trent Carter; Fletcher quarterback Marcelis Tate; Mandarin defensive backs A.J. Belgrave-Shorter and Jon Mitchell and offensive tackle Deryc Plazz; Ponte Vedra center Jake Guarnera; and Trinity Christian quarterback Colin Hurley.

Also included in the festivities: Fletcher and Mandarin competed in a halftime flag football mini-game, Oakleaf's line received special recognition after their summer Lineman Challenge victory and Atlantic Coast senior kicker Gaby Rourke delivered the ceremonial "Duuuval" chant.

Several Super 11 selections over the years have gone on to represent the Jaguars, including former Lee linebacker Dequan Jackson on the current practice squad.

Rams ready to roll on new turf

Welcome to the new field inside Don Jarrett Stadium.

Englewood this week becomes the latest Duval County public school to open a new artificial turf surface, cutting the ribbon Friday night when the Rams play host to White.

A new field isn't the only cause for excitement for Englewood, off to a 2-0 start in the first season under former three-sport athlete Kevin Johnson. The Rams' defense has held opponents Paxon and Menendez to six points through two games, keyed by seniors including Anthony Brown Jr., Benjamin Preyer, Kevon Roulhac and Jalen Scarver.

The artificial surface was installed over the summer, part of a district-wide project funded through a property tax increase that received approval in 2022. Riverside was the first of the 17 Gateway Conference schools to install its new field, which began play last October.

Riverside's Backyard, already with a new field, could soon receive a new name. The Duval County School Board's facility naming committee is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. Thursday to review a proposal to rename the Generals' stadium.

The site was originally known as Cawthon Field after former coach Rainey Cawthon, a member of both the University of Florida Hall of Fame and the Florida State University Athletics Hall of Fame, who coached the school during its Lee High School years from 1930 to 1932. The Cawthon Field name is documented as early as 1934, although it has been used less frequently in the past quarter-century.

303 yards: Inside Maddox Spencer's huge game

With one gigantic receiving night, albeit in a losing cause, Nease receiver Maddox Spencer soared into Florida's receiving leaderboard.

The numbers from Friday night's 51-23 loss to Creekside were off the charts: 14 catches, 303 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers might have climbed even higher if not for a running clock during portions of the fourth quarter.

"Maddox is a phenomenal player and he played a great game," Nease coach Collin Drafts said.

It's not Spencer's first notable game, but it's by far his biggest. The previous career high for the junior, who also competes for the Panthers' baseball squad, was a 136-yard night against Ponte Vedra on Oct. 28, 2022.

How did he do it? Here's a catch-by-catch look inside each of his completions from quarterback Nate Harry.

Pure perfection for Nease boys

It doesn't get any better than a 15-point day in cross country.

That's what Nease's boys team achieved Saturday morning at the Ridgeview Bob Hans Invitational, breaking from the distinctive painted starting line to sweep the top five positions. Senior state champion Matt Ryan led the Panther pack with a 16:03, followed by teammates Sai Jayaraman, Finn Thomas, Wyatt Pittman and Nate Corkran.

Ponte Vedra nailed down the top three spots in the girls race, with Daisy Ross winning in 19:18 as Lindy White and Hilaree Vega followed close behind. That was enough to earn the team title with 32 points for the Sharks, four ahead of Bishop Kenny.

Meanwhile, Alyson Johnson continued her rise in the distance running charts, routing the field by 50 seconds to win the Florida Horse Park Invitational in Ocala with a personal-best 18:18.6. The Creekside sophomore now stands inside the top five in Florida's 2023 standings. Bolles earned the girls team championship at the deep Ocala meet, paced by a 19:23 from seventh-grader Sofie Stam, while Episcopal came in third and Creekside fourth.

In Gainesville, Mandarin placed second in both the boys and girls races behind host Buchholz at the Bobcat Classic. Dominic Geraci led the Mustang boys with 16:47.2 for third among individuals, and Alaysa Chipunov set a personal-best 19:59.6 to finish as girls runner-up.

Highlighting this weekend's running scene in Northeast Florida is the inaugural Clay County Invitational in Green Cove Springs.

Adame named Caribbean soccer MVP

Camila Adame is now a regional champion.

The freshman midfielder and state finalist at St. Johns Country Day led Puerto Rico to the championship of the Caribbean Football Union Girls U14 Challenge Series Championship in soccer, which concluded last week in Antigua.

Adame, the captain of the Puerto Rican team, was named most valuable player of the tournament and scored the opening goal as Puerto Rico beat Aruba 5-0 in the championship game.

As an eighth-grader, Adame played extensive minutes last year for St. Johns Country Day, which spent most of the season in the national top 10 before losing in the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2A final to Lakeland Christian.

She isn't the first Spartan to shine for Puerto Rico's team: Some 15 years ago, former St. Johns winger Kaili Torres lined up for Puerto Rico in the CONCACAF Under-17 tournament in Trinidad and Tobago.

Peach State pyrotechnics

The football spotlight shifts across the Florida-Georgia line for the three-day, seven-game Border Classic, set for Thursday through Saturday at Glynn County Stadium.

Scheduled Thursday will be University Christian-Charlton County at 4:30 p.m. and Baker County-Glynn Academy at 7:30 p.m.; Friday's games are Madison County-Fitzgerald at 4:30 p.m. and Bolles-Coffee at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday's games are West Nassau-McIntosh County Academy at 1 p.m., Creekside-Richmond Hill at 4 p.m. and St. Augustine-Brunswick at 7:30 p.m.

A few notable storylines to watch:

• Bolles, off to an 0-2 start on the field for the first time since 1980, enters in unfamiliar territory after blowing consecutive double-digit leads. The Bulldogs led St. Augustine 36-21 with 11 minutes remaining and Mandarin 35-21 early in the third quarter, but ended up losing both. They're trying to avert their worst start since 1967, when they began 0-4 against Palatka, Suwannee, Orange Park and Columbia.

• Watch the air game when St. Augustine meets Brunswick. The teams are loaded with future college receivers, with St. Augustine's Trenton Jones and Carl Jenkins Jr. among several Jacket pass-catchers drawing widespread attention and Brunswick's T.J. Mitchell on the radar of schools like Brunswick.

• Baker County, which managed only 68 total yards in its opening loss to Bradford, gets a chance at better results against Glynn Academy. The host Terrors won their first two games but stumbled last week against Camden County, allowing 44 points and 465 yards.

Record night for Mandarin grad Mitchell

For Northeast Florida athletes beyond high school, it's been a big week. Just a few of the highlights:

• Former Mandarin wide receiver Kris Mitchell tied a school record for Florida International football, gaining 201 receiving yards and scoring both touchdowns in a 14-12 win over Maine. Mitchell tied the FIU mark previously attained by T.Y. Hilton and Tyrese Chambers, and earned Conference USA offensive player of the week honors.

The week was a winner for the whole family. Younger brother Nic Mitchell tallied a career-high four tackles for Mississippi State against Southeastern Louisiana, while youngest football brother Jon Mitchell made 11 tackles, a sack and a pass breakup to help Mandarin beat Bolles 42-35.

• Also earning conference honors was former St. Augustine quarterback Sammy Edwards, now in the Gulf South Conference at Valdosta State. Edwards completed 21 of 31 passes for 347 yards and four touchdowns, along with 73 yards rushing and another score as the Blazers piled up 63 points against Point. Former White running back Isaiah Flowers also found the end zone three times in that game.

• Former Suwannee athlete Jaquez Moore scored a fourth-quarter touchdown to help Duke shock No. 9 Clemson 28-7 in Monday night football.

• Zeta Washington is definitely ready for college volleyball. The middle blocker from Ponte Vedra, a two-time All-First Coast player of the year, opened her NCAA career Friday at Cincinnati with 25 kills and three blocks in the Bearcats' victory against Kennesaw State.

• Former Bolles slugger D.J. Stewart is on the rise with the New York Mets, starring Wednesday night with two home runs and forcing in the game-winning run in extra innings with a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch.

Now with an OPS of 1.010 for the Mets in 2023, Stewart has gone deep 10 times in fewer than 40 games, including a pair of two-homer games in the second half of August. He's up to four multi-homer games in his big league career, seventh among players from Jacksonville-area high schools behind Chipper Jones (Bolles), Glenn Davis (University Christian), Javier Baez (Arlington Country Day), Billy Butler (Wolfson), Howie Kendrick (West Nassau) and Daniel Murphy (Englewood).

Beacon of Hope wins volleyball marathon

An early candidate for longest volleyball match of the year: Beacon of Hope vs. Joshua Christian, who faced off Friday night inside the Ketterlinus Gym in St. Augustine in a match that kept on going and going.

The final score: Beacon of Hope held on, 25-22, 26-28, 33-35, 25-20, 15-13. The 35-33 third set is the longest on record for Northeast Florida since the third set of Creekside-Oakleaf on Sept. 14, 2018.

Senior Xy'Kera Bell led Beacon of Hope with 14 aces.

Around the area

Beachside midfielder Ayla Kiziltas committed to West Florida women's soccer. … Bolles first baseman Spencer Stephens committed to Navy baseball. … Fleming Island senior Rauly Eason reached 500 kills for her high school volleyball career in Thursday's victory against Bradford. … Trinity Christian junior Mari King surpassed 1,000 digs in her volleyball career. … Orange Park named Kate Bowles, formerly at Episcopal, as the Raiders' new head girls soccer coach. … In a light week for volleyball because of Hurricane Idalia, three Northeast Florida teams traveled down the state for the Nike Tournament of Champions in Tampa. Trinity Christian fared best among the locals with a 4-2 record for fifth place, while Middleburg finished 3-3 and Bishop Kenny went 2-4.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars recognize Northeast Florida's high school football Super 11