OAKLEAF - Playing against the toughest schedule in north Florida if not most of Florida, Oakleaf High football coach Chris Foy numerous times cited that he wanted his team to play like one of those teams that other teams talk about.
"Last year, we were a team; a team, that was pretty good out of Clay County and I always thought the Clay High teams were the team that outside teams didn't want to play," said Foy, who finished with a thrilling 25-19 region 1-6A finals loss to Buchholz to end his second year at 9-4. "When I coached outside Clay County, Clay was the program that was the standard."
In 2024, Foy upped the ante on the iconic stature of his Oakleaf High coaching career with a schedule that ranked right up with the best in Florida at 30.9 according to Maxpreps methodology where a 40-plus ranking went to just three teams; IMG Academy (45.6), American Heritage (Plantation) (46.5) and Miami Norland (43.3) with just 16 teams in the state Top 50 above the 30 point strength of schedule.
Ironically, the No. 1 team in the Florida all classes rankings; Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood) had just a 28.7 strength of schedule to tackle a 42-7 state 1A championship win over Clearwater Central Catholic.
That being said the director of the volatile Oakleaf High offense, junior Jack McKissock took the reigns in the middle of August as an efficient, fast learning transfer quarterback from 1A The First Academy, who wound up embroiled in player violations and finished 0-10 in 2024.
McKissock's remark about why he came to Oakleaf was always to "test myself at big boy football" in his August conversations.
McKissock not only proved his "big boy football" skill set to area football fans, but he excelled to the point of being undeterred by who was across from his line of scrimmage and also to be imaginative enough to make plays out of scheme breakdowns in the heat of the battle notably an 80 yard scoring strike to wide receiver Michael Collins that put his Knights in a position to possibly get the state Final Four with a little luck on the ensuing onsides kick.
The onsides kick proved unsuccessful, but McKissock's gunslinging legacy, as well as offensive coach Bubba Horne and Foy's trust in their young captain, cemented the legacy of the 2024 Oakleaf High team and thus, made McKissock the Clay Today football player of the year.
McKissock was simply outstanding all year with 2,942 yards passing, 28 touchdowns, just four interceptions and a seasonal 136.8 QB rating off 176 of 264 pass completions (66%) and an average of 226.3 yards per game.
McKissock's best game came against Buchholz in that region final with 395 yards passing and a solid 111.9 QB Rating against one of the top defenses in Class 6A.
Oakleaf's three regular-season losses, thrillers both, to Hawthorne (Rural state runnerup) and Bolles (2A region finalist); 27-21 and 57-50, saw McKissock toss for 300-plus yards with four scores against Bolles and a hiccup kind of game to Mandarin (18-7) that was redeemed in solid Oakleaf fashion in the region opener 17-14.
On defense, where Oakleaf also faced off against the best weapons of the game week after week; Bolles Four-Star wide receiver Naeem Burroughs (33 catches, 12 TDs), Mandarin wide receiver Jaimme Ffrench (35 catches, 2TDs, Texas commit), and Buchholz running back Justin Williams, the Gainesville Sun offensive player of the year, the anchor for the defense was mammoth senior defensive tackle Amare Thomas.
With Foy employing a bevy of superbly athletic players in his linebacker corp and his secondary, many of the biggest games for the Knights came down to the big guy in the middle coming up big against them to turn momentum back to the Knights.
Thomas' power up front combined with a relentless pursuit engine, a by-product of one of the more intense big man conditioning programs from Coach Foy, finished with 120 tackles, 79 solos and a super 14.5 sacks for the season.
Like his offensive counterpart, Thomas came to play big against his best fronts with 10 tackles against Mandarin in the region win, 13 tackles against top-ranked (at the time, No. 1 in Florida) Nease in that 31-14 Knights' win, and nine tackles against Buchholz including two timely sacks.
In the topsy-turvy showdown with Bolles, 57-50, Thomas punched in with three sacks with two against First Coast, ED White and Buchholz.
For his excellence in the trenches, Thomas is selected as the Clay Today Defensive Player of the Year.
Around the county, the Clay Today SUPER 11 team for the 2024 season includes Fleming Island quarterback Cibastian Broughton,

SUPER 11 2024 Season

Offense

QB Cibastian Broughton, Fleming Island, Sr.
1,949 YDs, passing, 21 TDs, 2 INTs; 943 YDs rushing, 13 TDs, 3 100-plus rush game. Region semifinals finish; loss to Tallahassee Lincoln. Magic man through the season with a superb knack for finding seams on the run and turning scrambles into 80-yard scores.

WR Michael Conner, Oakleaf, Soph.
50 catches, 933 YDs, 6TDs, 18.7 per catch
Mr. Excitement for the Knights offense that fans waited to react to his game-winning talents. 80-yarder against Buchholz was a thing of beauty.

OL Reggie Houston, Oakleaf, Sr.
The massive offensive line for the Knights generated tons of yards and scores thanks to Houston and his comrades up front.

OL Kevin Reyes, Fleming Island, Sr.
Reyes was the leader of the young line that blossomed after game three to become the dominant factor for the Golden Eagles offense. The ability to shift attack when Broughton escaped was Reyes's trademark to get downfield beyond the line of scrimmage.

OL Charles Little, Middleburg, Sr.
The big man up front led a strong offensive line that worked in trenches in God-awful slop and weather through the season.

WR Trace Burney, Fleming Island, Sr.
69 passes, 1,158 YDs, 17 TDs. Breakout threat for coach Chipoletti anytime he touched the ball. One of the best at catch-and-run plays with 10-yard slants turning into 60-yard pickups.

RB Chris Foy II, Oakleaf, Sr.
138 carries, 1301 YDs, 12TDs, 108.4 per game, 9.4 per carry (limited in final three games, injury); 10 passes, 147 YDs, 1TD. Heart and soul of the Knights team; injured in last three games; playoffs, but stay vigilant on the sideline to keep the team pumped.

RB Dehmir Jackson, Fleming Island, Sr.
148 carries, 1303 YDs, 14 TDs, 7-100+ games, average 8.8 per carry; 10 passes, 173YDs. Workload player who even contributed on defense when asked.

WR Carlos Witherup, Oakleaf, Sr.
52 Catches, 844 YDs, 9TDs, 16.2 per catch. Was the magic man at the season's end with numerous key catches that kept the Knights alive in the biggest games. Also a threat anytime on the kick returns.

WR Jordan Williams, Middleburg, Jr.
Nearly stole the show for the Broncos in a key district game against Beachside with elusive runs after catches, 30 catches for the season, and 3TDs. Five kickoff returns, average 30 yards per touch with one a 70 yarder

WR Antonio Thomas, Clay, Sr.
Clay High's go-to guy for big plays with 49 catches, 7TDs, averaging 13 yards per pop, 11 against First Coast for 171 yards; 3TDs vs. Fernandina Beach in 45-14 win. Even threw a touchdown pass against Fleming Island.

Defense

SS Sebastian Cruz, Fleming Island, Sr.
114 tackles, 75 solos, 5 INTs, 12 Pass Defenses, 1 Fumble caused, 18 Kickoff returns for 446 yards (24.6 average), 14.5 yards per punt return, 1 KO Td, 1 Punt Return TD, 3 Rush TDs

LB Javarius Roberts, Clay, Sr.
113 Tackles, 87 solos, 16 tackles for losses, 5 Sacks, 1 Fumble recover, 1 punt block, 3 fumbles caused

DB Kaylib Singleton, Oakleaf, Sr.
Known as the guy who shut down Mandarin's Jaime Ffrench twice (3 for 20, No TD, game one; 5 for 51, No TD, region playoff game) and Bolles' Naeem Burroughs (2 catches 43 yards, 1TDs). Had 54 tackles; as well as 17 pass defenses and a blocked field goal with three near blocks.

LB/DL Aidan Justilien, Oakleaf, Sr.
One of the unsungs of the tough Oakleaf defense but a guy who was the first to the pile and last off the ground, Justilien had a "quiet" 104 tackles; 64 solos, with 7.5 sacks and five tackles for loss.

DT BJ Carter, Middleburg, Sr
46 tackles, 18 solos, 6 TFLs, 7 Sacks, 9 QB Hurries, 2 pass defenses, 1 caused fumble. The best games were six tackles vs. Beachside and Fleming Island; and 2 sacks against Ponte Vedra

LB AJ Whitt, Fleming Island, Sr.
93 Tackles, 8 TFLs, 2 Sacks, 2 QB hurries, 1 INT, 7 Pass Defenses, 2 Fumble Recoveries, 2 Fumbles caused

DE Jarius Rodgers, Fleming Island, Jr.
9 Sacks, 22 QB Hurries, 51 Tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 5 Pass Defenses, 2 Fumble recoveries, 1 Fumble caused, 2 Blocked Field Goals

K Parker Sirdevan, Fleming Island, Jr.
77 Kickoffs, 57.5 Yards per kick, 39 touchbacks, 30 punts, 33.5 yards per punt, 13 inside 20; Eight of 11 field goals; two against Lincoln; 51 of 55 PAT kicks

LB Jermaine Robinson, Oakleaf, Jr.
136 tackles, 88 solos, 10 TFLs, 3 Sacks, 9 Pass Defense, 1 Block punt, 1 INT. Double-figure tackles in playoffs (13 vs. Mandarin, 11 vs. Nease, 11 vs. Buchholz)

DL Aaron Stacy, Clay, Sr.
Sack and TFL leader for area, 10 Sacks, 83 Tackles, 23 solo, 28.5 TFLs, 2 Fumble Recovery

DB Jordin Price, Oakleaf, Jr.
In a secondary that snagged 11 enemy passes, Price was one of the key guys with two interceptions with two flagged away questionably, but an astounding 25 pass defenses. Price also blocked a field goal, caught a bunch of passes when asked, and made 54 tackles along the way.