Santa Fe Football Builds on Turnaround Season Behind Earnest Graham
A year ago, Santa Fe proved it could be competitive. Now, the Raiders want to prove the 2025 season wasn’t a fluke.
From 2022 to 2024, the football program had seen two wins and four head-coaching changes.
Then came Earnest Graham.
Graham, who previously coached as offensive coordinator for one season at Gainesville High, played four seasons for Florida and eight seasons in the NFL, with his son, Myles, now starring for the Gators. Bringing a proven track record from head coaching stints at North Fort Myers and Evangelical Christian, the elder Graham led Santa Fe to a 7-4 record in his first season and looks to build on that foundation starting Aug. 21 against Newberry.
“We’re more focused, we’re dialed in. We learned we can win,” offensive coordinator Karl Harmon said about Graham’s influence.
Harmon pointed to improvements in finishing drives and explosiveness as signs of the team’s growth. The Raiders’ offensive line is another area where he believes the team has turned the corner.
“They’re starting to become leaders,” Harmon said. “Within their group and on the team, it’s good when your O-line becomes leaders.”
Harmon also focused on improvement in the team’s physicality in a “power run” offense. That physicality will be put to the test throughout the season, namely in major matchups against local rivals Newberry (Aug. 21), Buchholz (Oct. 1), and Eastside (Oct. 8), which the Raiders requested to play.
“All of this is going to help us in the playoffs. Last year, we came up short by four points in the playoff game,” Harmon said. “Playing tougher games throughout the season is going to prepare us for those tougher games. The details matter.”
A focal point of the Raiders’ rushing attack is Jasiah Powell, who rushed for 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2025 — Powell’s first for the Raiders after transferring from Buchholz.
He’s not satisfied with his debut season, which earned him his first collegiate offers from UNC Pembroke and Gardner-Webb.
“I want over 1,500 yards,” Powell said. “I have other pieces around me, a lot of talent.”
Another centerpiece is wide receiver and free safety Dantre Little, a leader of the defensive unit for the Raiders. He says the standard has been raised through offseason work, building on a defense that racked up over 240 solo tackles and 280 total tackles as a team in 2025, an average of 25 tackles per game.
“Our main focus is only your best: one percent better every day,” Little said. “Our work ethic is different from that of any other high school. We go after it more.”
Now the question is how far they’ll go. After an abrupt loss against Calvary Christian 34-30, which ended the Raiders’ playoff run in the first round of the quarterfinals, Graham looks to reach a new level with his Raiders.
“They got a taste of it, so they’re ready to make some damage,” Harmon said.
Category: High School Sports, Santa Fe High School
