High School Football Roundup

High school football is heating up as the last few district games are being played, and teams are hoping for a few final wins to push them to the playoffs. After last night’s win against South Lake, Gainesville High School is heading into their next two games with confidence. This was the first game of three that they will have to play in just eight days due to Hurricane Irma. It’s a stressful situation for the team and Coach Mark Latsko, but with a nice 49-14 win over the Eagles Thursday night, the Hurricanes are now 6-2 overall and 3-1 in district play. This is just the sort of confidence boost they need for their next opponent on Monday night: Lake Weir.

Some other high school match ups are happening tonight and here are some top picks:

Buchholz vs Bartram Trail

Buchholz High School will be traveling to Citizen’s Field tonight to take on Bartram Trail. The Bobcats have a record of 4-4 overall and are 2-1 in district play. This district game could be difficult for them as the Bears are 5-3 overall and are undefeated in district play. Buchholz did win their last two games, but fell to the Gainesville Hurricanes 31-21.

Coach Mark Whittemore says that this game will be tough, but that the team is playing to win a district championship.

Another difficulty that Buchholz will have to face on the field is the inter-changing of two strong quarterbacks. Coach Whittemore affectionately called it the “two-headed monster” of seniors Joey Gatewood and Riley Smith. However, Whittemore said even with two quarterbacks, the plays don’t change that much.

Even though the Bobcats have been playing tight defensively, the offensive will have to step it up for this game if they want a district championship under their belt.

Eastside vs. Santa Fe

Moving on to the Eastside Rams, who are 4-3 overall and 1-1 in district play, will take on Santa Fe tonight. A lot is going for Eastside right now as their win against Gadsden County put them in a three-way tie for the district championship.

Eastside football is now in a 3 way tie for the district championship @rowdyehsrams @EHSRamsFootball #hornsup #finish

— Cedderick Daniels (@Coach_Daniels58) October 21, 2017

Rams’ sophomore quarterback Anthony Richardson did pretty well for the team last game having 145 total passing yards, 4 touchdowns and completed 65 percent of his passes. Also big man on the field, senior defensive end Sholophious McCoy, has been having a great season, even picking up an offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State University early September, had 4 tackles and 1 sack in the game against Gadsden County.

Eastside has some edge to Santa Fe tonight, as the Raiders are 1-7 overall and have played no district games yet. If Santa Fe wants to win this game, they will have to wake up from the slump they have been in this season.

Newberry vs. Fort White

The Newberry Panthers look to get a first district win tonight as they play Fort White. The Panthers have an overall record of 3-5 and lost the last district game against Taylor County, 46-15. The Panthers haven’t been as strong the past couple games, but hopefully the home field advantage will be working for them tonight. On the other hand the Fort White Indians have been playing very well, with an overall record of 5-3 and 1-1 in district play.

A player to watch out for is Indians’ senior quarterback Hunter Morgan. He has an average of 86.5 total passing yards per game with 9 touchdown passes for the season. If Morgan goes off in tonight’s game, it could pose a problem for the Panthers defense.

Other Games Tonight

Some other high school football games being played tonight are Bell vs. Bronson, Bradford vs. Hamiliton County, Dixie County at Williston, Chiefland at Agape Christian and Union County at Taylor County. All games kickoff at 7:30 pm.