Nifty Nine: Here's how these Northeast Florida high school football teams remain perfect
Perfection. It's tough to achieve.
Through four weeks of Northeast Florida's 2023 high school football season, a collection of more than 50 unbeaten teams has been whittled down to nine, with the list certain to shrink further in the next few weeks.
It's a mix of the big (Mandarin and Oakleaf) and the small (Christ's Church and Impact Christian), the surprising and the not-so-surprising, teams loaded with elite national prospects (like Tramell Jones and Jaime Ffrench at Mandarin) and schools that over the years have barely registered on the radar for many recruiters — something that may soon change.
What does their blueprint for victory look like? Here's a closer look at the Jacksonville area's remaining unbeaten teams, how they got here, and what they need to do to remain on this exclusive list into the fall.
Who's on top? See Northeast Florida Power Polls for football and volleyball after Week 4
BRADFORD (4-0)
Head coach: Jamie Rodgers.
Wins so far: 12-0 vs. Baker County, 40-6 at Baldwin, 32-7 at Middleburg, 34-7 vs. Gainesville Eastside.
What's working: Grab that giant letter D and the picket fence and wave them high. Defense is the name of the game for Bradford, and it has been terrific. Although the Tornadoes haven't quite matched last year's start (seven shutouts in eight games), they've conceded only two offensive touchdowns and they're forcing turnovers in bunches, like Torin Brazell's pair of pick-sixes last Friday against Eastside. Receiver/safety Chalil Cummings ranks among the best two-way players in North Florida, and several young Tornado defenders are showing promise as well.
Keys to keep it going: There's no doubt about the defense. The offense hasn't been quite as consistent, although Bradford has breakaway potential on the ground with running back Willie Pollard (1,106 yards rushing in 2022) and quarterback Dae'Jon Shanks. At some point in postseason, maybe against a Cocoa or a Florida High, Bradford's offense will need to show that it can take the next step.
Next week: Off.
Toughest remaining game: Oct. 6 at Oakleaf. A potentially fascinating matchup against another strong defensive unit. Bradford has three more unbeaten foes as well: Miami True North (Oct. 13), Palatka (Oct. 27) and Suwannee (Nov. 3).
CHRIST'S CHURCH (3-0)
Head coach: Justin Sirmon.
Wins so far: 48-0 vs. Duval Charter, 45-0 vs. Harvest Community, 22-20 at Bishop Snyder.
What's working: With a first-year coach in Sirmon, formerly the athletic director at University Christian, Christ's Church has quickly found a winning pattern with two-way players across much of the roster. That means a hefty workload for players like workhorse running back Patrick Setzer, who's also forcing turnovers and blocking punts on defense, and receiver/defensive back Camren Russell. Quarterback Jackson Hadden has been efficient as well, creating all three touchdowns last week against Bishop Snyder. Connor Murray leads the pass rush with five sacks.
Keys to keep it going: Roster size. Physical size. Those are the most obvious challenges for Christ's Church, and as the season continues, the Eagles' task could get progressively tougher. CCA lists only 36 players on its varsity roster, with only about a half-dozen listed above 200 pounds.
Next week: vs. Providence, 7 p.m. Friday.
Toughest remaining game: Friday vs. Providence. The Stallions have won their last three and include a tough-to-block college prospect in junior Sam Hayward.
FORT WHITE (4-0)
Head coach: Demetric Jackson.
Wins so far: 19-13 at Taylor County, 49-26 at Keystone Heights, 42-8 at Jefferson County, 49-0 vs. Hamilton County.
What's working: There's a father-son combination leading the charge for Fort White, with Demetric Jackson returning from Columbia for a second stint and leading quarterback Jayden Jackson in a dynamic offense. Jayden Jackson, a sophomore, has led the offense efficiently (10 touchdowns to one interception), with Garrett Brady (15 catches, 284 yards) as a top target. Transfers have helped, too: Former Chiefland running back Dakota Fisher has gained 408 yards and nine touchdowns, and Columbia transfer Lecosta Byrd is a leader on the defense.
Keys to keep it going: The big question mark for Fort White is the schedule. The MaxPreps formula assigns Fort White a strength-of-schedule rating of minus-26.7 — not too tough. That's going to change in the next couple of weeks against Williston and Mayo Lafayette.
Next week: vs. Williston, 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Toughest remaining game: Friday vs. Williston. Coached by former University Christian and Union County state champion Robby Pruitt, the Red Devils have a case for top honors in Class 1R.
IMPACT CHRISTIAN (3-0)
Head coach: Bobby Ramsay.
Wins so far: 36-0 at Harvest Community, 40-24 at Eagle's View, 50-0 vs. Palm Beach Christian Prep.
What's working: They're young and they're winning. Under Ramsay, state champion at Mandarin in 2018, the Lions are putting up some big numbers, even without a true on-campus home field — they lined up last week at Arlington Football Association. Freshman quarterback Hans Price, who started last year as an eighth-grader, is up to 492 yards passing and seven touchdowns, while sophomore Eliyjah Caldwell has been an opening-month sensation: 284 yards rushing, 253 receiving and 11 tackles on defense. Impact has limited its three opponents to 135.3 yards per game.
Keys to keep it going: With young players in key positions, some growing pains are nearly inevitable as the difficulty turns up later in the season, but Impact has already overcome one hurdle by rallying from 18 points down to beat Eagle's View. Whatever the final record, the Lions have already made significant strides from last year.
Next week: at Cedar Creek Christian, 7 p.m. Friday.
Toughest remaining game: Oct. 6 vs. Christ's Church. Could the game in three weeks be a battle of unbeaten schools?
MANDARIN (4-0)
Head coach: Toby Bullock.
Wins so far: 43-21 vs. Fletcher, 42-35 vs. Bolles, 50-20 at Riverside, 30-0 vs. Atlantic Coast.
What's working: Just about everything. Just going by Week 4 stats along, Mandarin has the Gateway Conference's No. 2 passer (Florida State commit Tramell Jones), the No. 1 receiver (Alabama commit Jaime Ffrench), the No. 1 and No. 3 rushers (Tiant Wyche and Deshard Westcott) and a defense with Super 11 cornerbacks A.J. Belgrave-Shorter and Jon Mitchell. Double-teaming Ffrench opens up space for Mustangs like Josiah Watkins (scorer of a return touchdown last week), Carlos Witherup and impressive sophomore Ethan Sherman. Less-publicized units like the pass rush are coming through as well, with Jackson Copeland and Grant Pettigrew piling on the pressure. Mandarin has 12 sacks so far.
Keys to keep it going: This Mandarin squad has a burden that the 2018 state champion team didn't: sky-high expectations. The 2018 Mustangs were coming off a 2-8 campaign and rocketed to the top with little warning. It's a different story for the current Mustangs, who include at least a half-dozen major college prospects. As the season goes on and the spotlight shines brighter, they'll need to maintain those winning habits.
Next week: at Creekside, 7 p.m. Friday.
Toughest remaining game: Sept. 29 at Lake Mary. The Rams are also unbeaten, and the road trip there is likely to match two of Florida's top 10 at Class 4M.
OAKLEAF (2-0)
Head coach: Christopher Foy.
Wins so far: 42-0 vs. Orange Park, 24-14 vs. Fleming Island.
What's working: Just how quickly have the Knights climbed since Foy took over in December? Fast enough that they're now tied with 2022 state semifinalist Gainesville Buchholz atop District 3-4S despite introducing new starters at nearly every ball-handling position. This team means business in the trenches: Quory Ambrose and Akeem Neal lead an outstanding offensive line, while JJ Marsh-Mensie and Neil Whyte command a bruising front seven. It's paying off in points and yards: Christopher Foy II rumbled for a career-high 226 last Friday to down Fleming Island and Mike Conner might be the area's most explosive freshman wideout.
Keys to keep it going: To continue this run in Northeast Florida's most difficult district, Oakleaf must play nearly error-free football. Fleming Island was one step up in difficulty; another one comes Friday against Bolles, which beat Trinity Christian last week. It doesn't get any easier afterward. The next month means road trips to Creekside, Madison County and Bartram Trail as well as home games against Bradford and Buchholz.
Next week: vs. Bolles, 7 p.m. Friday.
Toughest remaining game: Oct. 13 vs. Gainesville Buchholz. The Bobcats are 4-0 and can score big-time points.
PALATKA (4-0)
Head coach: Patrick Turner.
Wins so far: 45-6 vs. Umatilla, 19-14 at Port Orange Atlantic, 48-10 at Alachua Santa Fe, 35-8 vs. Belleview.
What's working: After nearly two decades in the doldrums, the Panthers began the turnaround in 2022 and they're not letting up this year. Sophomore Tommy Offord is an exciting dual threat behind center, rushing for 556 yards and nine touchdowns through four games to go with 400 yards passing and seven more scores. Ball security is top-quality, too, with only one turnover so far.
Keys to keep it going: Do the Panthers have staying power? Last year's team opened 7-0 before fading down the stretch, and the end to the 2023 slate is brutally tough with Bradford and St. Augustine. Palatka must be on guard against the rushing game; the one team to move the ball against the Panthers, Port Orange Atlantic, churned out 242 yards on the ground on Sept. 1.
Next week: Off.
Toughest remaining game: Nov. 3 at St. Augustine. Northeast Florida's oldest rivalry is now past the century mark, a series where the last 20 years have been all Yellow Jackets.
ST. AUGUSTINE (3-0)
Head coach: Brian Braddock.
Wins so far: 43-36 at Bolles, 45-35 at Brunswick, 44-6 vs. Menendez.
What's working: A lot. The Yellow Jackets are averaging 44 points per game, with a dizzying array of receiver options: Carl Jenkins Jr. (16 catches, 404 yards), Trenton Jones (20 catches, 305 yards) and Myles Simmons (13 catches, 236 yards) lead the pack. Almost no high school anywhere can match up with the Jackets' wideouts, including Darrell Jenkins and Somourian Wingo. Even when Wake Forest-committed Locklan Hewlett missed last week's Menendez game, backup quarterback Dylan Cook stepped in and didn't miss a beat.
Keys to keep it going: Both Bolles and Brunswick found ways to move the ball against the St. Augustine defense, scoring 36 and 35 points, respectively. In particular, Bolles' offensive front was able to push the Jackets backward. If they're going to push for a repeat of their 2005 state championship, that defense must hold firm come November and December.
Next week: vs. Bartram Trail, 7 p.m. Friday.
Toughest remaining game: Friday vs. Bartram Trail. One of those games that both schools circle year in, year out.
SUWANNEE (3-0)
Head coach: Kyler Hall.
Wins so far: 33-13 vs. Flagler Palm Coast, 33-18 at Chiefland, 40-6 vs. Quincy Munroe.
What's working: The Bulldogs are scoring points, and lots of them, with 106 through three games. Kodi Lang's conversion to quarterback has been a success, adding yet another ground gainer to an offense with state weightlifting champion Marquavious Owens. Suwannee is keeping the ball on the ground on close to 70 percent of its snaps, and so far, opponents haven't been able to stem the stampede.
Keys to keep it going: Oddly enough, Suwannee's season didn't look so promising a month ago when they went down hard in their kickoff classic to Columbia, beaten repeatedly in the downfield passing game. Now, Columbia is winless and Suwannee is cruising. The Bulldogs' defense looks like it has tightened up quite a bit, forcing Munroe into four turnovers last week, although more significant challenges are still to come.
Next week: vs. North Marion, 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Toughest remaining game: Nov. 3 at Bradford. One could make a case for any of the Bulldogs' final three foes: Madison County, Wakulla and Bradford are all unbeaten.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school football 2023: Jacksonville-area teams unbeaten at Week 4
