Week One

Friday, Aug. 21

Menendez at Middleburg: Middleburg (8-3 in 2025, region quarters) hosts Menendez (3-7), which has had a turbulent coaching scenario the past few years. Menendez lost its preseason game against Bradford County, 46-0. Teams also on the Broncos' schedule included St. Augustine (game on Sept. 11), which beat Ponte Vedra, 40-7, and Terry Parker (Oct. 30), which beat Joshua Christian, 46-6.

Baker County at Clay: Baker County (4-7, lost to 4A champion Raines in the region quarters) has former Final Four coach Jamie Rogers back on the sideline, and that raises the ante real fast. The Blue Devils have strong group of senior returners on the roster who can make a statement toward returning Clay to the folklore status.

Ridgeview at Westside: Ridgeview and Westside are a battle of teams looking to reverse course. New Panthers coach Jason Smith has a hot and ready Panthers team fired up to win. Westside lost, 14-1, to Englewood. Also on Ridgeview's schedule, Ribault (Sept. 18) lost ,35-2, to Rickards.

Keystone Heights at Interlachen: Keystone Heights gets a second game this week with Fernandina Beach in a regular season game. Now that the Indians play in the Sunshine State Athletic Association, their schedule is considerably favorable compared to last years 0-10 gauntlet. Fernandina Beach won, 63-14, last week against Keystone, Interlachen lost a tough 10-7 match against Trenton High in a preseason contest. Trenton finished 7-4 last year, and lost in the Rural class region semifinals. Also on the Keystone Heights schedule are West Nassau (Oct. 23), which beat Paxon (Oct. 16), 35-20, and Atlantic (Sept. 25) beat Bishop Snyder, 20-0.

Fleming Island at Atlantic Coast. Fleming Island (6-4) dropped to Class 4A after years as the biggest school in Clay County, and that reduced school size also dwindled the football roster. Fleming Island coach Tom Macpherson will be employing a lot of two-way players in the first three games against Atlantic Coast, Creekside and Oakleaf. All three will be a stiff test. Atlantic Coast got beat 34-3 to Beachside in its preseason game. Also on the Fleming Island schedule, Creekside (Aug. 28) lost 21-6 to Mandarin.

Andrew Jackson at Orange Park: Orange Park did not get any preseason work due to inclement weather, and it will be behind the eight ball in the season opener. Coach Marcus Wimberly is looking to get past their 4-7 season in 2025, 3-7 in 2024 and 4-6 in 2023, But this could be the year. The Raiders lost top-notch quarterback; Gabe Taylor, so the biggest question mark has two of the best running backs in Austee'n Mills and Xzavier Jones. Jackson (5-7) is going to be very athletic coming in. The Tigers lost ,14-0, to Riverside in the preseason.

Game of the Week

Raines at Oakleaf: Undefeated 14-0 and 2025 state champion Raines ran rough-shot to state title last year and has about 60% of the that team back. Oakleaf got thumped by Nease in Round 1 of the regions, and is still seething from that one. Knights coach Chris Foy wants his program to be one of "those programs that people want on their schedule." Here's his shot to prove them worthy. Both teams are chocked full of five-star caliber players and smart coaches. The homefield advantage is big in Oakleaf land, and that could prove decisive.

Oakleaf got hit with penalty flags in a preseason win over Columbia, which could be costly against state champions. Raines bombed First Coast, 56-14, in their Preseason Classic, with quick scores early from backs TJ Williamson and quarterback Sa'mon Ellison-Morgan.

Also on Oakleaf's schedule, The Bolles School (Sept. 18) beat Camden County, 34-10. Nease (Sept. 23) was losing to Ed White in the third before dangerous weather stopped the game.

Week Two

Friday, Aug. 28

Matanzas at Clay: Matanzas lost to Bartram Trail in the FIT playoffs, and it will bring that psyche to Clay. If the Blue Devils knocked off Baker County and Bishop Kenny, that will spark a lot of momentum.

Menendez at Ridgeview: Who knows, at this point, how to gauge the Ridgeview program under new leadership, but Menendez is a solid program. Panthers first-year coach Jason Smith has bravely put some tough teams on his schedule.

Orange Park at Oakleaf: The Raiders may need a monumental effort if the Oakleaf-Raines lives up to billing and the Knights are hot right out of the gate.

P.K. Yonge at Keystone Heights: Both teams were 0-10 last year.

Fleming Island at Creekside: Fleming Island could get some solid footing with an opening win over Atlantic Coast, but Creekside has been a historical thorn in the Golden Eagles' foot.

Game of the Week:

Bartram Trail at Middleburg: Two top-tier programs in past decade and one worthy of a close eye as both teams look to get a head start on playoff points. Bartram Trail (4-8) ran into a 21-19 FIT region final loss to eventual state champion Tate. Bronco coach Ryan Wolfe wants a second playoff game this year but has a tough slate of early season games.