That's impossible: Here are 11 of the Gainesville area's best offensive performances in 2023
As usual, high school football play in North-Central Florida has been top notch this season.
But, seven weeks into the season, we here at the Gainesville Sun thought now would be a good time to see what offensive performances rank as the best.
So, without further ado, are the 11 best offensive games in 2023 in the Gainesville area. By the way, this list is in no-particular order:
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CJ Ingram, Hawthorne QB in 49-13 win over Gibbs
![Hawthorne Hornets quarterback Cj Ingram (7) and Hawthorne Hornets strong safety Tremain Johnson (3) look at the American flag before the game against the Newberry Panthers at Newberry High School in Newberry, FL on Friday, September 1, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/F6Y.Kh5ba.n0kAp4zGTdjg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-gainesville-sun/b2d68a0b5a1ce0322c180a0f8aaa887a)
Threw for 335 yards and five touchdowns on 12-of-16 passing in the Hornets 49-13 win over Gibbs on October 7 to push its record to 6-0.
Myles Graham, Buchholz RB in 49-20 win over Creekside
What makes this performance impressive is the five-star LB Florida football commit played out of position and still rushed for 199 yards and three TDs, including one for 97 yards, in the Bobcats 49-20 win over Creekside on September 15.
Xavier Collins, Columbia QB in 36-0 win over Orange Park
Collins’ numbers in the shutout win over the Raiders (250 yards and five TDs on 23-of-27 passing) are impressive in and of itself, but when you consider that it was the freshman’s first career start, it makes it deserving of a spot on this list from September 29.
Justin Williams, Buchholz WR in 49-20 win over Creekside
![Buchholz Bobcats Justin Williams (13) celebrates his touchdown run. The Bradford Tornadoes hosted the Buchholz Bobcats at Bradford High School in Starke, FL on Thursday, May 25, 2023. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/UhnbPjrsT4IUNy._j_T81Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTc1Ng--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-gainesville-sun/e5e55514e86a091a617c5d24c2016e73)
In that same win over the Knights, Williams tallied 175 yards and three TD catches from QB Trace Johnson of 59, 49 and 21 yards in the 49-20 victory.
Kaleb Woods, Newberry RB in 41-13 win over West Port
To be honest, you can put multiple of Woods’ performances on this list with every game this season over 93 yards and four over 133, but we’ll stick with his 138 yards and four TD game at West Port on September 8. It saw his most rushing TDs in a game and his highest YPC.
Adrian Curtis, Eastside QB in 35-0 win over Keystone Heights
Eastside’s offense has seen multiple jumps in points in its wins with 28, 35 and 42 in wins over Inlet Grove, Keystone Heights and North Marion respectively, but Curtis’ 279 yard, five TD performance in the 35-0 win over the Indians on September 1 ranks above all else.
Osten Jones, Chiefland RB in 50-32 win over Wildwood
When talking about the rushing leader in Class 1R, you can pick any of his games. But the clear winner is his ridiculous 312-yard, six TD game at Wildwood on September 1. He averaged a season-high 13 yards per carry in the win.
Keenon Johnson, Hawthorne RB in 41-21 win over South Sumter
![Hawthorne Hornets running back Keenon Johnson (9) runs with the ball after a catch trying to escape Newberry Panthers linebacker Logan Mccloud (4) during the first half at Newberry High School in Newberry, FL on Friday, September 1, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Conrm_RxVT0u6vVgwXyu.w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-gainesville-sun/6257d9008207e0ab6b20cca7d7d47db9)
In one of Hawthorne’s biggest regular season wins in years, Johnson received the rock more than normal due to CJ Ingram’s injury and shined with 208 yards rushing on 27 carries and two TDs as the Hornets beat the Raiders on September 15.
Jamari Williams, Williston RB in 24-22 win over Newberry
As the head of the Red Devils monster rushing attack, Williams' best game came most recently on October 6 with 160 yards rushing (151 in the first half) and a TD in Williston’s biggest win of the season over 1R rival Newberry.
Willie Pollard, Bradford RB in 48-6 win over Keystone Heights
![Bradford running back Willie Pollard (0) takes the handoff from Dae'Jon Shanks (6) during a high school football game at Baldwin on September 2, 2023. [Clayton Freeman/Florida Times-Union]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/HpRKxx7XNSOl1fkCL2lSPg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-gainesville-sun/999358cf6be28766b603b3e47b1fa321)
Pollard’s numbers in some games haven’t been as impressive as what we saw last season, but in others, he’s exploded. That’s what happened on September 29 against the Indians with 200 yards rushing and four TDs.
Garrett Brady, Fort White WR in 49-26 win over Keystone Heights
Fort White’s biggest offensive game came on September 8, when it scored 49 on Keystone Heights. A big reason for that was Brady, who totaled a season-high 148 receiving yards and two TDs in the 23-point win over the Indians.
Noah Ram covers Gainesville-area high school sports and University of Florida athletics for The Gainesville Sun. Contact him at Nram@gannett.com and follow him @Noah_ram1 on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Gainesville area's best high school football offensive performances 2023
