ORANGE PARK—After a surprising 3-1 loss to Ponte Vedra in early December, Fleming Island boys' soccer coach Roger Dailey has put the Golden Eagles on full frontal attack with three wins to end 2024. Clay coach Wale Leyimu has steered his Blue Devils to one of their best starts in years with a 10-1 season record, but the pudding will get stirred in 2025 as district tournaments loom and momentum sits in the hands of the select few.
Clay got the upper hand on their momentum streak; from a third-game loss to Ridgeview in early November to a unscored streak of seven straight games with a 6-1 win over St. Johns Country Day School just before the break Clay's lone blemish to end the 2024 season.
Clay's big bright spot is their 3-0 win over Ponte Vedra, the same Ponte Vedra that took out the Golden Eagles.
With districts just about two weeks away, Fleming Island and Clay are in the same district with a much improved Orange Park team under new head coach Rebecca Cannon Jollow, and Ridgeview is always a threat with Paul Tomaro. It may just come down to an upset of two from Middleburg and the Broncos' overall team speed to take the reigns as a surprise player in January.
The lone out-of-county candidate is Columbia, at 7-2-2.

Class 5A rankings as of December 26
Rank, record, strength of schedule

1. Booker T. Washington (Pensacola) 9-0-1 Strength 6.9
8. Fleming Island 9-1-4 Strength 7.5
10. Ponte Vedra 7-2-0 Strength 8.3
13. Beachside 9-3-1 Strength 7.1
21. Clay 10-1-0 Strength -2.6
26. Columbia 7-2-2 Strength 1.8
53. Leon 2-7-0 Strength 9.4
57. Ridgeview 4-6-0 Strength 2.6
58. Orange Park 2-5-2 Strength 4.8
66. Middleburg 5-9-1 Strength 0.1

Just on the numbers, Fleming Island, with Ryker Dailey with 11 goals and Ethan Medlock with 10, looks to have the upper hand with a strong strength of schedule compared to the rest of the district with Orange Park having more to win than lose.
Fleming Island returns with Leon, Bartram Trail (7-2-3) a traditional rival from the Frank Pontore days at Fleming Island but now in 6A; 6A-Oakleaf (4-5-1) with a 1-1 tie with Bartram Trail and upcoming games with Clay, Beachside and a season finale with Fleming Island; and 5A-Englewood (5-7-1).
Oakleaf's 2-6A district lineup features high-scoring Mandarin (50 goals at 8-0-2) and First Coast (58 goals at 8-4-2).
Clay's game at Oakleaf on January 6 could be pivotal for both teams; an upset for the Knights, a strong win to start 2025 for Clay, Orange Park, Matanzas, Bishop Snyder and a season final at Keystone Heights on Leyimu's docket.
Keystone Heights (9-4-1) is fast and strategic behind senior Aaron Wiley's 25 goals and Anthony Brunt's 12 assists and the game could be either a springboard or eye opener for either team. Clay attacks from across the field with eight or nine options for scoring.
The Indian's schedule is no slouch either with Newberry (9-2-1), PK Yonge (10-2-3), a district game with North Marion (3-8-3), then Episcopal (10-2-2) and Clay (10-1-0).
In the Indians district 4-3A, Santa Fe, an 8-0 dinger over Keystone Heights on December 2, is the target at 8-2-1 just ahead of Keystone Heights.
For the girl's soccer outlook, Fleming Island and Clay would be a unique district double title game, but Orange Park is dangerous in the scenario with Middleburg's Joy Rosano (8-4, five wins to end 2024) knowing how to win big games. Rosano needs to get help to Italian transfer Olivia Rigazzi, who has 11 scores with Camden Rahn second with just four. Forward Ruby Owens has the leg, but can't quite get her targeting in the frame with seven shots and one goal. Columbia, as the outsider again, is at 9-2-1 with a win over Ridgeview and a game on January 9 with Orange Park.
Orange Park is finding their groove with the Robinson sisters to get their targets laser-focused with a second game against Middleburg to open 2025, then a road game at Columbia to test the strategy. Rylynn Robinson has 16, Ryanne has seven and senior Ansley Nicholas has seven to give the Raiders a multiple threat up front.
For St. Johns Country Day School, the goal is always the Final Four for coach Mike Pickett and the games along the way; a recent 3-1 loss to 4A champion Bishop Moore brings the Spartans, 10-3-1, back home in January with Clay, Episcopal, Bolles and a second match with Lakeland Christian to get the final look at the playoff readiness of strikers Reygan Ropero, Kaitlyn Sunderhaus and CeCe Nowicki.
Keystone Heights has been the 'funnest' group to watch with coach Roger Laurent's approach of everyone touching the ball along the way; 22 goals to sophomore Kayden Huntley, 18 goals to junior Halea Lam, seven goals to Kaylee Park and six goals to sophomore Tayler Buchhanan, to a 10-4-2 slate with an early tie with then unbeaten Newberry getting a second shot against the now 10-1-2 Panthers and an out of the class match with Columbia.
Clay coach Stephanie Waugh, 6-4-1, is strategizing the best way to repeat as a region finalist behind a rough two games in 2025; St. Johns and Beachside on the road with scoring the top thought. Senior Kirra Dodson is looking for her wingman which looks to be either Kate Wilkening from defense or Tatum Waugh from goalie.