Local Teams Eye State Glory as High School Football Playoffs Kick Off

The high school football regular season has come to a close. Many teams want to forget this season, but the rest have a shot at achieving greatness and capturing a state title.

Ten teams in the area have a chance to win where the lights get brighter, with some even having to go through each other.

Buchholz enters the Class 6A playoffs as the number one seed in the tournament. The Bobcats have been on a roll throughout the entire season. The Bobcats dropped a game early against Vero Beach. Since then, they haven’t lost a game dominantly.

Buchholz’s offense has been a focal point coming down the stretch. Many wondered if the offense could produce after their abysmal start on that side of the ball. Since losing against Vero Beach, Buchholz started with a 44-point shutout against Gainesville High. Add on 126 points in its last three games behind a stacked defense, and the recipe for success is clear.

The Bobcats will be at home for their first three rounds. They start Thursday against Oveido at Citizens Field.

Speaking of teams at Citizens Field, Eastside has been great for the whole season. The Rams enter the 3A playoffs as the fourth seed and have a tall task in the first round, playing South Sumter.

The two district rivals played each other in the regular season, and it came down to the wire with the Rams winning a 27-21 OT thriller at Citizens Field a few weeks ago. The Rams took that momentum for the rest of the season, outscoring their opponents 151-39. The streak was headlined by a 63-0 win over in city rival GHS, with Rams quarterback Nelson Tambling scoring six touchdowns in the game.

South Sumter has been the opposite, fighting to keep its name in the playoff picture. After a loss to Eastside, the Raiders lost two of their last three against Calvary Christian (Clearwater) and Zephyrhills, and now get a chance at revenge at Citizens Field.

Calvary Christian hosts the Santa Fe Raiders, who have shocked many this year. The Raiders had not been to the playoffs since 2020 and went 2-37 from 2021 to 2024. In 2025, they flipped the script. They went 7-3 on the year, and it started with their new coach, Earnest Graham.

The former Gators great has helped catapult the rebuild of this program with its new offense behind the running back duo of Jasiah Powell and Keimarion Neal.

Powell finished the year with north of 1,200 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns.  Neal is also making his name known as a great compliment to Powell. Through 10 games, he has 381 yards and five rushing touchdowns to go along with 231 receiving yards. If they want to win against Calvary Christian, both of them will need to get the offense going.

Newberry, one of their district rivals, is also making noise. The Panthers went 5-5 on the season but came in as the No. 6 seed based on strength of schedule. Struggling to begin the season with three tough teams in University Christian (Jacksonville), Hawthorne and Vanguard (Ocala), they made the most of it, going 5-2 down the stretch.

They also lost their starting quarterback — Kobe Johnson — for a few weeks. When the Raiders and the Panthers played each other in early October, he went down with an injury and was sidelined for a few weeks.

Since he came back against Williston, he’s held his own with the team, winning two of their last three. They play Cocoa on the road on Friday. If they win, they have the chance to take on Santa Fe again.

Another team in that district is Bradford, which has had an amazing season. They went 9-1 on the season and came in as the number one seed in their bracket. Most of that is in part due to their defense, which has allowed 5.7 points per game for the season.

The Tornadoes’ one loss on the season came back in September, when they went to Mandarin High School in Jacksonville and lost by seven. The only points from the Mustangs came from the top recruit in the class of 2028, Brysen Wright.

He had a kickoff return touchdown and a long receiving touchdown to blow away the Tornadoes. However, other than their loss in Jacksonville, they’ve been perfect.

They have a chance to make a run in the playoffs, starting Friday when they host Avon Park. All three teams — Santa Fe, Newberry and Bradford — are in the same region of the 2A bracket and could meet each other in the regional finals.

Vanguard (8-2) has also gotten here because of its defense. They came into the playoffs and have only allowed 73 points all year. Their opponents have only put up double digits in 2 of 10 games so far. As a result of winning the district, they get to host a playoff game and play Auburndale on Friday.

Four other teams all made the rural state tournament. Hawthorne leads the way as the highest-seeded team of the four and takes on Branford in the first round. The Hornets have always been one of the best in the area, going 7-1 on the year, with sophomore quarterback Richard Roundtree leading the way. He had 1,800 yards with 26 total touchdowns and six touchdowns.

Chiefland comes in as the three-seed after going 9-1 in the regular season behind an offense firing on all cylinders. They had a well-balanced attack and will need it against their first-round opponent in Sneads.

Both teams will come into the playoffs hot, Sneads on a four-game heater, with Chiefland on an eight-game streak. The Indians’ only loss came in their second game — a 14-0 final against Baker County.

Williston, which comes into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the rural class tournament, plans on using its run game to their advantage. Through 10 games, the Red Devils average just under 300 yards per game, which includes a 500-yard outage a few weeks ago against GHS. Williston (9-1) has won nine straight after dropping its first game against Chiefland in an overtime thriller and takes on Lafayette High School.

Trenton comes into this one as a surprise. After having a 5-8 year last year and making a run in the Rural Class FIT, the Tigers bounced back and look for a state run this year. They also rely on their running game, averaging around 235 yards per game.

Trenton will look to upset Taylor County on the road on Friday at 7:30.

Category: Bradford High School, Buchholz High School, Eastside High School, Hawthorne High School, High School Sports, Newberry High School, Oak Hall High School, PK Yonge High School, Santa Fe High School, St. Francis High School, Trenton High School, Williston High School