Northeast Florida high school football, Week 6: Friday night games to watch
The halfway point arrives Friday for Northeast Florida high school football in 2023.
Key storylines to watch include the always-spirited Northside meeting of Ribault and Jackson, which this year carries additional implications in Florida High School Athletic Association District 1-2M; Ponte Vedra's trip to Flagler Palm Coast, a game that last year decided the District 4-4S championship; Yulee's visit to Fernandina Beach, a Nassau County rivalry that could put the Hornets in pole position for the District 5-2S title; and Trinity Christian's home game against Rockledge, making the drive up Interstate 95 from Brevard County.
State ranking time: FHSAA high school football rankings are here: Where do Northeast Florida teams stack up?
First Coast (1-3, 0-0) at Englewood (3-1, 0-0), District 1-3M, 6:30 p.m.
Eleven meetings, eleven First Coast wins. Still, in the most lopsided of Gateway Conference series, Englewood has reason for hope thanks to a much-improved, senior-heavy defense. Jalen Scarver, Anthony Brown, Benjamin Preyer and Malik Neely lead a unit that keeps making plays, holding three opponents to single digits. Rodney Tisdale Jr. commands a wide-open First Coast offense with instant scoring threats at wideout from Jordan Anderson to Thomas Jackson to Michael Thomas to Adron Walker.
Turnaround teams: How 6 Northeast Florida high school football teams made strides in 2023
Raines (3-1) at Riverside (4-1), 6:30 p.m.
No district implications in this one, but this matchup of two traditional Gateway Conference giants always brings intensity. Among the battles to watch: Riverside receivers Tae'shaun Gelsey and Myles Kendrick against a tough Raines defense that includes Nicholas Kilpatrick, Jayden Taylor and Shareef Jackson in pass coverage. Raines swept the 2022 series, winning 34-14 in the regular season and shutting out the Generals 18-0 in the regionals while limiting their opponents to 31 yards.
INSIDE THE RIVALRY: LAST 10 MEETINGS
Oct. 15, 2010: Raines 40, Lee 20
Sept. 9, 2011: Raines 34, Lee 14
Sept. 7, 2012: Raines 51, Lee 6
Aug. 28, 2015: Raines 39, Lee 0
Aug. 26, 2016: Raines 32, Lee 28
Aug. 25, 2017: Lee 20, Raines 16
Aug. 24, 2018: Lee 16, Raines 15
Sept. 14, 2019: Lee 15, Raines 7
Oct. 3, 2022: Raines 34, Riverside 14
Nov. 18, 2022: Raines 18, Riverside 0 (playoffs)
Mandarin (4-1) at Lake Mary (4-0), 7 p.m.
Right after their loss to Creekside, the formerly-perfect Mustangs get another test, and it's a big one: Based on the FHSAA's ranking system, this is No. 1 against No. 2 in Region 1-4M. Stars cover the field, including two of Florida's premier underclassman quarterbacks. Mandarin's FSU-committed junior Tramell Jones (58 of 95, 1,101 yards, 13 TD) meets Lake Mary's sophomore Noah Grubbs (81 of 124, 1,525 yards, 23 TD), whose offers include Michigan and Notre Dame. Lake Mary averages 49.75 points per game and beat Dr. Phillips 76-60 on Aug. 25.
Oakleaf (2-1, 1-0) at Creekside (2-3, 0-1), District 3-4S, 7 p.m.
Which Knights will enjoy a good night? Creekside won a 49-48 thriller last year, decided on a touchdown from Wilson Edwards to Ashton Reynolds with eight seconds remaining. Watch for the ground game: Oakleaf's Christopher Foy has been pounding out yards behind a bruising line, and Creekside counters with the two-pronged running attack of Harrison Garrido and quarterback Sean Ashenfelder.
Bartram Trail (2-2, 0-0) at Fleming Island (2-2, 0-1), District 3-4S, 7:30 p.m.
For fans of mobile quarterbacks, this District 3-4S battle is one to watch. UCF-committed Riley Trujillo threw for more than 200 yards last week against St. Augustine as he returned from injury, while Fleming Island's Cibastian Broughton is a still-uncommitted prospect in the 2025 class. The Bears have won this matchup seven times in a row, including a 17-0 shutout in a hurricane-postponed game last October.
Providence (4-1, 0-0) at University Christian (3-1, 0-0), District 1-1M, 7:30 p.m.
This is the Stallions' best start since 2014, when they began 5-0 before going down in overtime to Tallahassee North Florida Christian, and this district clash promises to be far closer than last season's 49-7 UC romp. Promising junior quarterbacks are in action with Providence's Mason Williams and University Christian's Dwayne Stuckey. And while a UC defensive unit with Dahkari Gilley and Luke Thomas is more established, Sam Hayward and the Stallions are growing fast.
Friday's schedule
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
FLORIDA
Baker County (1-3, 1-0) at West Nassau (1-4, 0-0), District 5-2S
Bartram Trail (2-2, 0-0) at Fleming Island (2-2, 0-1), District 3-4S, 7:30 p.m.
Beachside (4-1) at TDH Academy (0-2)
Cedar Creek Christian (0-4) at Harvest Community (1-3)
Christ's Church (3-1) at Hilliard (2-2)
Eagle's View (2-2) at Gainesville Oak Hall (4-0)
Episcopal (3-1, 0-0) at Bolles (2-3, 0-0), District 2-2M, 7:30 p.m.
First Coast (1-3, 0-0) at Englewood (3-1, 0-0), District 1-3M, 6:30 p.m.
Fletcher (3-2, 0-0) at Parker (0-4, 0-0), District 1-3M, 6:30 p.m.
Jackson (1-3, 0-0) at Ribault (3-2, 0-0), District 1-2M, 6:30 p.m.
Jordan Christian Prep (0-2) at Young Kids in Motion (0-3)
Joshua Christian (1-3) at Akelynn's Angels Christian (0-4)
Keystone Heights (2-2, 0-0) at Bradford (4-0, 0-0), District 6-2S, 7:30 p.m.
Mandarin (4-1) at Lake Mary (4-0)
Matanzas (3-1, 0-0) at St. Augustine (4-0, 1-0), District 4-3S
Menendez (1-4, 0-1) at Gainesville (1-4, 0-1), District 4-3S
Middleburg (1-3, 0-0) at Ridgeview (1-3, 0-0), District 3-3S
Nease (3-2) at Sandalwood (0-4), 6:30 p.m.
North Florida Educational (1-4) at Williston (5-0), 7:30 p.m.
Oakleaf (2-1, 1-0) at Creekside (2-3, 0-1), District 3-4S
Orange Park (2-3, 0-0) at Columbia (0-4, 0-0), District 3-3S, 7:30 p.m.
Palatka (4-0) at Tocoi Creek (2-3)
Ponte Vedra (3-1, 0-0) at Flagler Palm Coast (2-2, 0-0), District 4-4S
Providence (4-1, 0-0) at University Christian (3-1, 0-0), District 1-1M, 7:30 p.m.
Raines (3-1) at Riverside (4-1), 6:30 p.m.
Rockledge (3-2) at Trinity Christian (3-2)
Stanton (0-4) at Impact Christian (4-0)
Suwannee (4-0) at Taylor County (0-3), District 4-2S, 7:30 p.m.
West Oaks Academy (2-3) at Zarephath Academy (2-3), 6 p.m.
Westside (0-5, 0-1) at White (3-2, 0-1), District 3-2M, 6:30 p.m.
Wolfson (2-2, 0-0) at Bishop Kenny (3-1, 0-0), District 2-2M
Yulee (3-1, 0-0) at Fernandina Beach (2-2, 0-1), District 5-2S
GEORGIA
Charlton County (0-5) at Dublin (3-1), 7:30 p.m.
Glynn Academy (4-1) at Effingham County (2-3), 7:30 p.m.
Grovetown (2-3) at Brunswick (2-2) , 7:30 p.m.
BYE: Atlantic Coast (3-2), Baldwin (3-2), Bishop Snyder (2-3), Camden County (5-1), Clay (4-1), Fort White (4-1), Paxon (3-2), St. Joseph (1-4), Union County (2-2), Ware County (3-2)
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school football 2023: Week 6 Jacksonville top games, matchups
