Buchholz Looks to Build Off Emotional Win

The Buchholz Bobcats (1-0) are riding high after opening their season with a clutch victory over the Eastside Rams (0-1).

In the opening week of the season, Bobcats’ senior Damien Lewis came up with the clutch block on a Rams’ extra point attempt to seal the game for Buchholz.

That block by Lewis helped the Bobcats get off to a good start on their quest to repeat as district champions.

After an emotional win last week, Buchholz looks to build off that win when the Vanguard Knights (1-0) come to town. The Knights last week knocked off the Gainesville Hurricanes (0-1) in their opener 33-15.

Keys to the Game for the Bobcats

Bobcats’ head coach Mark Whittemore didn’t mince words in his post-game interview. He made it clear that the Bobcats’ biggest strength is their offensive line.

“We have three division one commits on that offensive line, so they’re no slouches,” said Coach Whittemore.

Their three division-one offensive linemen will help carry the Bobcats’ offense. Whittemore wasn’t shy about revealing the identity of his team on offense.

“The strength of our offense is up front,” said Coach Whittemore. “Our running backs and quarterback run well too so keeping the ball on the ground is going to be critical to our success moving forward.”

Whittemore’s team did a great job leaning on the run game and their offensive line against Eastside. Because of the holes that the offensive line created, their running back, Quan Smith, had almost 200 yards on the night.

Their defensive performance last week should not be overlooked as well. On the night, the defense forced and recovered two fumbles.

After the game, Coach Whittemore said that their ability to recover fumbles was more about being opportunistic and tackling hard to create some of those chances.

One area the Bobcats need to improve on is special teams. The unit gave up a significant amount of yardage on kickoff returns to the Rams.

THE 2019 SEASON IS HERE! pic.twitter.com/ND0Xbwg9RG

— Buchholz HS Football (@BuchholzFB) August 23, 2019

Players to Watch: Vanguard

The Vanguard Knights come into this matchup with several highly ranked recruits on their roster. Their team also comes in as the No. 10 team in Florida.

A couple of Knights to watch in this game are Trevonte Rucker, Leonard Manuel and Bryce Langston.

Rucker is a junior for the Knights and plays cornerback and wide receiver. He is also composite four-star receiver, according to 247 Sports Composite.

Manuel is a senior and is a four-star receiver committed to play for the Florida Gators next year, according to 247 Sports Composite.

Finally, Langston is a junior and plays defensive end for the Knights. According to 247 Sports Composite, Langston is a four-star defensive end.

Kickoff

The Vanguard Knights will take on the Buchholz Bobcats Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Citizens Field.