Week 4 of High School Football is Here

Week four of high school football is upon us and teams are getting into the meat of their schedules. With 250 games being played across the state today, we will see matchups of unbeaten teams and teams determined to earn their first win of the season. Here are some matchups to follow tonight in the Gainesville area.

Cardinal Gibbons (2-0) vs Buchholz (3-0)

Highlighting tonight’s slate is a matchup of two unbeatens as Buchholz plays host to last season’s 4-A state champion Cardinal Gibbons. Cardinal Gibbons is coming off two blowout wins where they defeated Cardinal Newman 40-14 and Stranahan 37-8. The Chiefs are also the top ranked 5-A team and ranked Number 6 in the state of Florida. Buchholz also has some impressive wins to their name. The Bobcats defeated Dunnellon 35-0 week one and Eastside 42-7 last week. Whichever team wins tonight will add a huge win to their belt.

Buchholz head coach Mike Wittemore knows the challenge his team is up against tonight, but he is confident in his players that they can get the job done tonight.

Oak Hall (3-0) vs Faith Christian (2-0)

In another matchup of unbeatens, Oak Hall will be on the road against Faith Christian. Oak Hall is coming off a miracle win last week where they scored a last-second touchdown against Seven Rivers Christian to win 30-23. Faith Christian has put 41 points in each of their first two games so the Eagles’ defense will have their work cut out for them tonight. Tonight’s winner will take a crucial step towards gaining control of the division.

Hawthorne (2-0) vs Newberry (2-1)

From teams on opposite sides of the state, now to two teams from Alachua county. The Hawthorne Hornets look to stay unbeaten as they face the rival Panthers of Newberry. The Hawthorne defense has only allowed one touchdown in their first two games, defeating Yulee 14-7 and P.K. Younge 24-0. Newberry will be looking to rebound with a win after losing to Wakulla last week by a score of 36-17.

“There’s a lot of mutual respect on both sides,” said Hawthorne head coach Cornelius Ingram. “We know most of the other guys who coach over there at Newberry and I’m pretty sure they feel the same way about us.”

Coach Ingram is looking forward to the game tonight and his players are excited to play.

Gainesville (2-1) vs Matanzas (1-2)

Gainesville High School travels to Palm Coast tonight for a matchup with the Matanzas Pirates. After losing week one to Vanguard, the Hurricanes have won their last two games behind their defense. With a 14-6 win over Bishop Moore and a 7-3 win over Trinity Catholic, Gainesville looks to make another stand tonight. Opposite to them, Matanzas is coming off a 27-6 loss last week to Deltona. Tonight is also the home opener for the Pirates so home crowd can play to their advantage.

Eastside (0-3) vs Menendez (1-2)

When you have matchups between top teams, there will also be matchups of struggling teams. That is what we have here. The Eastside Rams are going for their first win tonight against a Menendez team that has lost two in a row. Eastside has allowed 36 points or more in every game this season and over 40 points in each of their last two. Menendez will try to capitalize after scoring 14 points in last weeks loss to Ridgeview and after being shutout in a 44-0 loss to St. Augustine. This is also the second home game for Menendez. The first of which they won 29-0 over Matanzas.