Week 2 of the high school football season produced a mixed bag for Leon County teams, with Leon and Maclay remaining unbeaten, Rickards and North Florida Christian picking up their first victories, and Godby coming within a point of starting the season 2-0.
Nine local programs were in action Friday night, including a head-to-head matchup between Florida High and Chiles. Here’s a look at every local result and one stat that told the story of each game.
Florida High 24, Chiles 14
Florida High improved to 2-0 by surviving a turnover-filled first half and pulling away from Chiles in the second half. Ar’Tavian Brown caught two touchdown passes as the Seminoles built a 14-0 advantage, but Chiles’ defense responded with two defensive touchdowns to tie the game before halftime.
Florida High regained the lead following a strong second-half kickoff return by Aaron Johnson and eventually added a late field goal to secure the 24-14 victory. Chiles fell to 1-1 despite a defense that repeatedly gave its offense opportunities.
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Highlight stat: Both of Chiles’ touchdowns came directly from its defense, but Florida High shut out the Timberwolves 10-0 in the second half.
Leon 35, Bozeman 7
The Lions continued their strong start with a convincing road victory over Bozeman, improving to 2-0 after opening the season with a 42-24 win over Fernandina Beach.
Leon generated 365 yards of offense against Bozeman, including 188 yards on the ground and 177 through the air.
Highlight stat: Leon has scored 77 points through two games while allowing 31, giving the Lions an average victory margin of 23 points.
Maclay 58, Rutherford 28
Maclay followed its 38-0 season-opening victory over Lafayette with another offensive explosion, defeating Rutherford 58-28 to improve to 2-0.
The Marauders wasted little time taking control, scoring 21 points in the first quarter and 14 more in the second to build a 35-7 halftime advantage. Maclay added another 23 points after halftime.
Highlight stat: Maclay has scored 96 points in its first two games while allowing only 28.
Rickards 12, Dothan 7
Rickards rebounded from its season-opening loss to Godby with a defensive victory over Dothan, holding the Alabama program to just seven points in a 12-7 win.
The victory evened the Raiders’ record at 1-1 and represented a major turnaround after Rickards surrendered 35 points to Godby in Week 1.
Highlight stat: The Rickards defense cut its points allowed from 35 in Week 1 to just seven in Week 2 — a 28-point improvement.
Mosley 32, Godby 31
Godby came within a point of following its rivalry win over Rickards with another victory, falling 32-31 on the road against Mosley.
Quarterback Landon Dougherty, who threw four touchdown passes in the opener, passed for 170 yards and two touchdowns against the Dolphins. Running back Kamren McMillan added 121 rushing yards and a touchdown while averaging 7.1 yards per carry.
The Cougars fell to 1-1 and return home Thursday against Pensacola Catholic.
Highlight stat: Godby has scored 66 points through two games, but a single point separated the Cougars from a 2-0 start.
North Florida Christian 42, Port St. Joe 21
North Florida Christian bounced back in a big way following its 34-14 season-opening loss at Franklin County, doubling up Port St. Joe 42-21.
The win moved NFC to 1-1 and represented a 41-point swing in scoring margin from Week 1, when the Eagles lost by 20, to Week 2, when they won by 21.
Highlight stat: NFC tripled its offensive output from 14 points in the opener to 42 against Port St. Joe.
Thomas County Central 63, Lincoln 14
Lincoln faced one of the toughest road assignments of the weekend and was overwhelmed by Thomas County Central, 63-14.
The Trojans, who rallied to defeat Crestview 13-10 in their opener, generated 218 yards of offense against Thomas County Central — 172 through the air and 46 on the ground.
Lincoln fell to 1-1 and will look to regroup after facing a Thomas County Central program that has established itself as one of South Georgia’s top teams.
Highlight stat: Lincoln was held to 46 rushing yards after its defense and late-game execution carried the Trojans to a Week 1 victory.
Chipley 33, FAMU DRS 6
FAMU DRS dropped to 0-2 with a 33-6 district loss at Chipley. The Baby Rattlers entered the game looking to rebound from a 31-18 season-opening loss to Abbeville Christian Academy but were unable to keep pace with the Tigers.
FAMU DRS has now been outscored 64-24 through its opening two games.
Highlight stat: The Baby Rattlers have surrendered 31 or more points in both games while averaging 12 points per contest.
Week 2 Takeaway
Leon and Maclay emerged from the second weekend as the county’s two 2-0 programs, and both have done it with plenty of offense. Leon has scored 77 points while Maclay has put up 96.
Rickards and North Florida Christian, meanwhile, responded to opening-week defeats with wins, while Florida High also remained unbeaten by knocking off Chiles in the weekend’s only matchup between two local teams.
Godby may have suffered the most frustrating result of the night, losing by a single point after its impressive opening-week victory over Rickards. Lincoln and FAMU DRS had the toughest weekends, losing by 49 and 27 points, respectively.
Through two weeks, the early local picture is beginning to take shape: Leon, Florida High and Maclay are unbeaten, while several other programs enter September looking to build momentum after splitting their first two games.
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