JoeWilhelm's blog

Friday's final:

Chiles (Tallahassee) 42, Orange Park 26

Gadget plays helped the host Orange Park Raiders get
close to the Chiles Timberwolves Friday night, but a
strong running attack carried the visitors from
Tallahassee to a 42-26 win.
The Raiders (1-9) hosted the Timberwolves for each team’s final regular season game and 17
Orange Park seniors took the field for the last time in their high school careers. The Raiders came out fired up and took their opening drive 80 yards in just under four minutes for the first score of the game. The drive was highlighted by a 34-yard touchdown run
by sophomore running back C.J. Stallworth.

Friday's final:

Arlington CD 53, St. Johns CD 0

The Arlington Country Day Apaches rumbled over a
dinged up St. Johns Country Day School squad for a
53-0 win in Orange Park Friday night.

Coming off a 35-13 thumping at the hands of University
Christian School last Friday, the Apaches (6-3, 4-1
D2-1B) were hungry for a win and a spot in the
district playoffs. The St. John’s Country Day School
Spartans (1-8, 0-4 D2-1B) were too bruised and sick to
keep the Apaches out of the end zone.

The Spartans have been without Carlos Simms Jr. since
the first game of the season, but the team was also
with out emerging running back Hwang Marino due to
stomach flu and defensive standout senior T.J. Weaver
was taken out of the game after he injured a hamstring
in the first quarter.

“We brought a knife to a gun fight tonight,” said
Rodney DuBose, Spartans Head Coach. “It’s tough for a
developing program to compete against a good team when
we have some sick kids and then T.J.(Weaver) hurts his
hamstring in the first half. They’ve got a really good
team with good players.”

One of those players was running to the end zone early
and often Friday night. Apache sophomore running back
Dietrick Payne ran for 197 yards on 18 carries, five
of those carries went for touchdowns. Payne had rushed
for 1,119 total yards prior to Friday’s game,
according to Apache Head Coach James Simms.

“He’s one of the best backs in the state and he’s only
a sophomore,” Simms said.

Payne scored the Apache’s first five touchdowns before
giving way to Ron Melendez, who scored on a 6-yard run
in the third quarter, Steven Brock, scored on a
20-yard run in the fourth, and Anthony Mosely, scored
on a 60-yard punt return in the fourth.

Friday's final:

Fleming Island 35, Orange Park 31

The Fleming Island Golden Eagle High School football team has a very strong chin.

The Orange Park Raiders’ (1-7, 0-2 District 3-5A) offense struck early and often during the first half Friday night at Fleming Island, but the Golden Eagles (4-4, 2-0) overcame a 24-6 halftime deficit and defeated the Raiders for the first time in school history, 35-31.

The win clinched the first playoff berth in Fleming Island's 5-year history.

This was the fifth meeting between the two teams and the Golden Eagles’ historical win almost sailed wide left. A field goal attempt by Golden Eagle kicker Nate Branz would have tied the game at 31 with just under two minutes left in the game, but it missed the uprights. The Raiders defense and the Orange Park sideline erupted as the ball settled in the grass with the
thought that they had taken away the Golden Eagles’ last chance at victory.

Friday's final:

Clay 20, Ridgeview 7

Both teams had suffered lopsided losses the last two

weeks at the hands of powerhouse programs, but

somebody had to win Friday night.

Friday night's final

Buchholz 18, Orange Park 6

A strong second half wasn’t enough to bring the Orange Park Raiders back for a win against district foe Buchholz Friday night, and the Bobcats left Clay County with an 18-6 win.

Intermittent rain throughout the day made for soggy conditions at Hoyt B. Cotney Stadium in Orange Park, and both the Bobcats (2-4, 1-0 District 3-5A) and the Raiders (1-5, 0-1 District 3-5A) bogged down in the first quarter. After trading punts, the Bobcats’ offense took advantage of a break in the rain in the second quarter and aired the ball out for a 12-yard touchdown pass.

"You practice against it the first couple weeks of practice, but then you get away from it," said Clay High School Football Coach Jim Reape after his team lost 53-7 to North Marion High School Friday night in Green Cove Springs. "All the film we watched on them showed a spread offense. We weren't prepared for them in the I-formation."

Despite North Marion being a highly touted Class 3A team that had been to the state semi-final game for the last two years, the Blue Devils felt they could compete. 

The Blue Devils put their fans on their feet on the first play of the game when Stacey Burney raced 84 yards after catching the opening kickoff and set up his team on the North Marion 6-yard line.

Friday's final:
Lake City Christian 78, St. Johns Country Day 3

Lightning was the only thing that could stop Lake City
Christian Academy’s ground game Friday night during a
78-3 win against St. John’s Country Day School at
Orange Park High School.

The Lake City Christian Academy Eagles (2-1, 1-0
District 2-1B) were up 22-0 behind two touchdown runs
and an interception returned for a touchdown when
referees noticed lightning bolts in the distance and
halted the game with 4:02 left in the first quarter.
Similar to the situation the Florida Gators were in
during their first football game of the season, the
teams had to wait for 30 minutes for the lightning to
stop before they could resume for safety.

Rivalry Renewed

Clay 17, West Nassau 0

The Clay High Blue Devil football team renewed its

rivalry with the West Nassau Warriors in Callahan

Friday night, and took home a 17-0 victory.

Rivalry weeks are usually scheduled to end the football season with a bang, but the teams from Ridgeview and Orange Park High Schools just couldn't wait to get at each other.

The Ridgeview Panthers were hosted by the Orange Park Raiders Friday night, and it may have been the first game of the season for both teams but playoff intensity engulfed the field.

"I transfered in to Orange Park last January, so this was my first experience with the rivalry with Ridgeview," said Kamron Fasnacht, Raider quarterback. "It was intense, there was some trash talking going on before the game."

The host Orange Park Raider football team made a win difficult for themselves, but an opportunistic defense helped them to a 40-14 win against the Bishop Kenny Crusaders Friday night.

The Crusaders owned the air, with a passing attack that gobbled up 178 yards and two touchdowns, but the Raiders defense smothered the ground game and forced the visitors into many third and long situations. This need for yardage caused the Crusaders to gamble and lady luck didn’t smile in their direction too much Friday night.

Senior Raider linebacker, Caleb Barker, grabbed Orange Park’s first interception of the game with about one minute left in the first half. Sophomore free safety, Antonio Thomas, picked off another pass after the Raiders fumbled on the opening kickoff in the second half.