Raines vs. Ribault: High school football preview for Jacksonville's 54th Northwest Classic
Who: Raines Vikings vs. Ribault Trojans.
What: 54th annual Northwest Classic in high school football.
When: 2 p.m. Saturday.
Where: First Coast High School.
All-time series: Raines leads 39-14.
Keys to watch
PEANUT POWER
Without Nicholas Kilpatrick, Raines' six-game Northwest Classic streak might have ended last fall. He carried two returns back to the house, the first off a bizarre punt that spun into the backfield and the second a 101-yard pick-six that sealed a 30-19 Viking victory when Ribault was knocking on the door in the final minute. Called "Peanut" on the Raines team, Kilpatrick has created highlights in his senior year as well, including two interceptions in a secondary that's loaded with athletes.
TROJAN FORCE
It's been a roller-coaster ride for a less-than-consistent Ribault offense, which scored 45 points against Stanton but zero against Middleburg. In sophomore quarterback T.J. Cole, though, they've got a Gateway Conference prospect to watch. Although he has had to fight through an injury from the Atlantic Coast game a month ago, Cole reached the halfway point with 698 yards passing and seven touchdowns against only one interception.
RAINES' MULTIPLE THREAT
The Raines offense has endured its own consistency issues, but senior quarterback Ty'ren Randolph keeps coming up with clutch plays under pressure, particularly on the ground. Last week, he rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown, to go with his already-established passing combination with sophomore receiver Ziyon Butler. With either Randolph or senior Mark Miller (254 yards, 5.0 yards per rush) ready to carry the ball, defenses have to prepare for double trouble. Randolph is the latest in a long line of dual-threat QBs, highlighted by 2017 state champion Ivory Durham IV.
WATCH THAT RIBAULT RUSH
Despite their 26-20 loss to Jackson last time out on Sept. 29, Ribault is still limiting its opponents to 11.2 points per game and has allowed only one offense to score more than 14 points against them. The No. 1 reason for success? It's the pass rush. The Trojans have swarmed quarterbacks all season, downing them 21 times. Leading the sack brigade are Jenssy Smith (six sacks) and Geterius Brown (four sacks).
LIVING ON THE EDGE
Even the Cardiac Cat Jaguars of last year's playoff run can't compare to Raines for sheer nail-biting finishes. Raines' last three games have been decided by a grand total of four points, all of them determined in the final moments. But they've won all three, and so far, that's propelled them to the top of the Florida High School Athletic Association Region 1-2M rankings. Ribault, meanwhile, stands 10th in the region for now, and a win would go a long way toward a playoff berth in the race with Episcopal, Jackson and Wolfson.
All-time series history
1970: Raines 35-7
1971: Raines 28-6
1972: Raines 35-17
1973: Raines 21-0
1974: Raines 27-7
1975: Raines 14-6
1976: Ribault 12-6
1977: Ribault 16-7
1978: Raines 23-7
1979: Raines 14-0
1980: Raines 7-0
1981: Raines 14-0
1982: Raines 37-13
1983: Raines 35-0
1984: Raines 17-14
1985: Ribault 27-22
1986: Ribault 32-0
1987: Raines 15-6
1988: Raines 35-18
1989: Raines 24-0
1990: Raines 21-0
1991: Raines 25-7
1992: Ribault 14-6
1993: Ribault 18-12
1994: Ribault 8-7
1995: Raines 31-19
1996: Ribault 8-7
1997: Raines 38-0
1998: Raines 60-12
1999: Ribault 22-15
2000: Ribault 26-20
2001: Raines 24-18 (OT)
2002: Raines 33-12
2003: Raines 57-0
2004: Raines 33-6
2005: Raines 36-6
2006: Raines 39-0
2007: Raines 27-7
2008: Raines 22-21 (OT)
2009: Ribault 27-21
2010: Ribault 31-19
2011: Raines 39-7
2012: Raines 42-20
2013: Raines 40-25
2014: Raines 19-7
2015: Ribault 19-14
2016: Ribault 28-12
2017: Raines 41-6
2018: Raines 14-6
2019: Raines 10-7
2020: Raines 44-20
2021: Raines 30-0
2022: Raines 30-19
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Northwest Classic: Raines-Ribault 2023 high school football preview
