Observations from the last game

The players and coaches said they had a great week of practice, and it showed on the field. The offensive and defensive lines dominated the line scrimmage leading to 10 sacks and 281 rushing yards. Rylan Kennedy had 2 sacks, and Chris Jones had 6 tackles with 1.5 sacks.

Quarterback Ashton Daniels rushed for 136 yards and a Florida State record 5 touchdowns. Daniels won ACC QB of the week for his performance.

Offensive lineman Andre Otto also won player of the week for his position.

Florida State offense versus Louisville defense

The Louisville defense has struggled this season giving up 466 yards per game (129 in the FBS). They still have the talent and potential to slow down offenses. Defensive end Clev Lubin is projected as a 1^st round pick and is having a steady season despite dealing with double teams. He has 3.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. The rest of the team only has 4.5 sacks. If the FSU offensive line can contain Lubin, Daniels should have time to find Duce Robinson and others down the field for some big gains. When that happens running backs Ousmane Kromah and Tre Wisner should have more room to make plays in the run game. Other Louisville players to watch for are linebacker TJ Capers and defensive back Kaleb Beasley (36 tackles and 3 interceptions).

Florida State defense versus Louisville offense

Quarterback Lincoln Kienholz has had a great season so far this year throwing for 1,394 yards and has 15 total touchdowns. Tre Richardson has been his Kienholz’ favorite target racking up 445 receiving yards on 28 catches. Other receivers making plays are Lawayne McCoy (FSU transfer) and TreyShun Hurry. Even with all the success of the passing game the Cardinals still run it more often. They call the QB run quite a bit and of course give the ball to their backs Keyjuan Brown (367 yards rushing) and Isaac Brown (322 yards rushing). I think Louisville gains plenty of yards but gets bogged down in the redzone due to FSU’s run defense. Defensive tackles Daniel Lyons and Kevin Wynn need to have big games to slow down the Cardinals rushing attack.

Special Teams

Advantage: Florida State. Kicker Gabe Panikowski has yet to miss this year, and Jasen Lopez is getting more comfortable returning kicks.

Prediction

This game will come down to who gets pressure on the quarterback. After last week I think the ‘Noles figured it out and the pass rush will put just enough pressure on Kienholz. FSU wins on the road for the first time since 2023 in a tight one.

Florida State 31 Louisville 29

The matchup was the second meeting between the two teams this season. Florida High won the first meeting on Sept. 15 in five sets.

Florida High came out strong in the opening set, building an early 4-0 advantage. Leon responded with a run behind several serves, but the Seminoles regained control and eventually built a 21-12 lead. Florida High closed out the opening set 25-13, using strong serving and consistent defense to take an early 1-0 lead.

The Seminoles carried that momentum into the second set, jumping out to a 9-2 advantage behind strong serving from Addison Mayernick. Florida High continued to apply pressure offensively and led 20-13 late in the set.

Leon responded with a push of its own, including a big block from Aubriyaun Brown that helped cut the deficit to 16-20. Florida High held off the comeback attempt, however, and eventually took the set 25-20. An ace from MacKenzie Taber helped seal the set and put the Seminoles one set away from a sweep.

Florida High again took control early in the third set, holding a 10-8 lead as Leon attempted to stay within striking distance. A series of Leon errors allowed the Seminoles to extend their advantage to 15-10.

Leon called a timeout with Florida High leading 19-12, attempting to extend the match to a fourth set. The Seminoles maintained their advantage down the stretch and finished off the sweep with a cross court kill from Kassidy Young, ending the third set with a score of 25-19.

Florida High will close out its regular season Thursday, Oct. 8, when it hosts The Rock. Leon will finish its regular season Wednesday, Oct. 7, against Maclay at home.

In the first half, the Mustang defense and special teams kept the offense on the field. After a quick stop, Montford drew blood first. The Mustangs’ quarterback Jase Dault fired a 15-yard pass to receiver AJ Henry on the first play. Then, star running back DJ Read ran the ball right up the middle for first downs on back to back plays. Despite a huge tackle for a loss by the Bucks’ Benjamin Yarborough that followed, Dault found receiver CJ Usina for a 24-yard score on the next play. After Read ran in the two point conversion, Dominic Scott recovered an onside kick to give the Mustangs another possession. Montford continued to balance the pass and run, with AJ Henry making multiple first down receptions, and Read continuing to build a big night on the ground. Dominic Scott ran in the touchdown.

The Mustangs quickly got the ball back on a John Savoy interception. Running back Scott had a breakaway 25-yard touchdown run soon after. Montford’s defense got their second turnover of the night on a forced fumble, and DJ Read took it upon himself to add to the lead. He lowered his shoulder, and the Bucks could not tackle him. Read took his second trip into the green Chiles end zone after multiple runs, extending the Mustangs lead to 28-0. Montford’s Hudson Katzenbach grounded a beautiful onside kick to Gavin Snipes for their second recovery of the game. To close out the first half, AJ Henry caught a deep ball down the sideline for a 78-yard touchdown.

With a sizable lead, the Montford coaching staff gave many of their younger players a chance to build on-field experience in the second half. Deerlake also put in their younger talent. Even with a new look defense, the Mustangs preserved the shutout. Ball carriers Grant “Frenchie” Gautier and Noah Moultry shined for Montford as well. Gautier raced for a 40-yard touchdown in the second half, and his relentless runs proved his skill. Moultry demonstrated nimble footwork on a touchdown run and the ensuing two point conversion, completing the scoring in the Mustangs’ 50-0 rout.

Montford will look to complete an undefeated season as they play for the District 2a championship against the Swift Creek Wolves.

Godby

Godby enters the top spot at 5-2, with a schedule that includes several strong tests and a pair of narrow losses. The Cougars opened with a 35-13 win over Rickards before falling 32-31 at Mosley and 39-36 at Camden County in back-to-back close games. They responded with four consecutive wins, including a 21-10 victory over Pensacola Catholic, a 42-10 win over Chiles, a 14-10 victory over Baker County and a dominant 57-22 win at Niceville. Offensively, Godby has been led by quarterback Landon Dougherty, who has thrown 19 touchdown passes, while Kamren McMillan has rushed for 137.6 yards per game and 10 total touchdowns. Jamarin Simmons has added 96 receiving yards per game and six receiving touchdowns. The Cougars’ 72.88 MaxPreps rating is comfortably the highest among the nine local teams, while their 41.4 strength of schedule is also the highest, giving them a strong case for the No. 1 position.

Florida High

Florida High is 6-1 and has built its résumé with a combination of quality wins and consistent offensive production. The Seminoles opened the season with a 37-13 win over Navarre, then defeated Chiles 24-14 and South Walton 18-15 before putting together more convincing victories over Rutherford (47-14), Madison County (28-26) and Lafayette (49-7). The only blemish came Oct. 2, when Florida High fell 24-7 at University Christian, giving the Seminoles their first loss of the season. Florida High has also received contributions from several players on both sides of the ball, with Ar’Tavian Brown leading the team in receiving at 76.6 yards per game and tying Ashton Callahan for the team lead with five total touchdowns. Callahan leads the rushing attack at 80.8 yards per game, while the defense has been anchored by Jason Harville and Skyler Burger, who are averaging 12.6 and 10.9 tackles per game, respectively. With a 52.76 MaxPreps rating and 31.8 strength of schedule, Florida High sits comfortably at No. 2 among local teams, although the loss to University Christian gives Godby the edge in the local rankings.

Rickards

Rickards enters the local rankings at No. 3 with a 2-4 record, but its schedule has included several difficult opponents. The Raiders opened with a 35-13 loss to No. 1 Godby before responding with a 12-7 win over Dothan. They then dropped a one-point game to Lincoln, 26-25, lost 14-7 at Wakulla and defeated Arnold 27-6 before falling 30-19 at nationally recognized Colquitt County in Georgia. Rickards’ 38.1 strength of schedule ranks second among the nine local teams, behind only Godby, helping explain why the Raiders remain No. 3 despite a losing record. Offensively, Jordan Kelley leads the team with 94.5 rushing yards per game, while Davion Crumitie averages 59.3 receiving yards and has three touchdown receptions. Deaton Gantt has thrown three touchdown passes, and the defense has been led by Charles Belgrave’s four sacks and Makhi Mitchell’s two interceptions. With Leon, Mosley, Chiles and Florida High still on the schedule, Rickards has several opportunities to strengthen its résumé before the regular season ends.

Championship Division

Chiles girls turned in the strongest Tallahassee performance of the meet, winning the Championship team title with 48 points. The Timberwolves placed all five scoring runners among the first 23 finishers and finished 56 points ahead of runner-up Our Lady of Lourdes Academy.

Sophomore Emma-Claire Tanenbaum led Chiles with a third-place finish in 19:04.49. Senior Kaia Ables was ninth in 19:55.33, followed by sophomore Charlotte Sikes in 11th at 20:05.84 and junior Chloe Elizabeth Molen in 14th at 20:15.37. Junior Madeline Brockmeier completed the scoring lineup in 23rd at 20:38.23.

Chiles finished with a team average of 19:59 and a 1:33 spread between its first and fifth scorers. Freshman Katherine Baker added a 50th-place finish in 21:23.17, while senior Savannah Stanley was 63rd in 21:44.79. Senior Haley Heitmeyer finished 71st in 21:57.84, and junior Alexis Auter was 93rd in 22:49.34.

The Chiles boys finished fourth in the Championship Division with 179 points. The Timberwolves had a team average of 17:33 and a 2:16 spread.

Senior Jonathan Kiros led Chiles with a fifth-place finish in 16:32.17, followed by sophomore Jack Nottingham in 14th at 16:49.67. Sophomore Emerson Gandy finished 39th in 17:41.83, while sophomore Noah Olson was 50th in 17:57.54. Sophomore Camp Andrews completed the scoring five in 93rd at 18:48.19.

Senior Lowell Mick finished 105th in 19:07.21, just ahead of sophomore Liam Wheeler in 106th at 19:07.33. Freshman Dylan Baker was 109th in 19:12.08, while sophomore Cy Stanley finished 118th in 19:36.70.

Lincoln also competed in the Championship Division boys race, finishing sixth with 212 points. The Trojans recorded a 17:52 team average and had one of the tightest scoring spreads in the field at 21 seconds.

Junior Stokes Bryan paced Lincoln in 37th place with a time of 17:39.02. Junior Trent Parsons followed in 42nd at 17:46.57, while senior Bryan Duff was 51st in 17:58.45. Junior Emari Thomas finished 54th in 17:58.86, and freshman Oliver Trager rounded out the scoring five in 56th at 18:00.97.

Sophomore Spencer Parsons finished 64th in 18:16.61, senior Noah Holly was 68th in 18:19.49, and senior Cooper Rideout finished 126th in 19:45.82.

The Championship boys race was won by Fort Myers with 86 points, while Tavares finished second with 111 and Calvary Christian was third with 141. Chiles finished fourth and Lincoln sixth.

Varsity Division

Lincoln’s girls finished eighth in the Varsity Division with 244 points. The Trojans had a team average of 24:21 and a 3:01 spread between their first and fifth scorers.

Freshman Evin Gomez led Lincoln in 26th place, running 22:52.36. Sophomore Sadie Blake finished 35th in 23:22.19, followed by sophomore Lydia Kennett in 54th at 24:18.18.

Sophomore Olivia Osborn placed 85th in 25:22.95, while sophomore Logan Brumfield completed the scoring five in 95th with a time of 25:53.72.

Lincoln also received finishes from sophomore Grace Bergstresser, who was 108th in 26:13.96, and freshman Isabel Puig, who was 111th in 26:17.43. Sophomore Sahni Myers finished 132nd in 27:11.42, followed by junior Miasia Harden in 175th at 29:09.70 and junior Finnley Humes in 187th at 29:44.20.

Senior Madalyn Bendewish-Mosley finished 193rd in 30:14.18, senior Addyson White was 220th in 32:39.33, sophomore Nora Duff finished 231st in 33:41.35, sophomore Serenity Nelson was 239th in 34:33.80, and junior Natalie Linville finished 246th in 36:02.38.

Sarasota won the girls Varsity Division team competition with 89 points, followed by Providence Christian with 117 and Roswell with 130. Lincoln’s 244 points placed the Trojans eighth.

Chiles’ Nathan Smith led the boys qualifying standings, rolling games of 279 and 222 for a 501 total. Rickards’ John Nance finished second with 462, followed by Lincoln’s Dylan Fell at 460 and Lincoln’s Caleb Moore at 441.

Rickards’ Jayden Peterson finished fifth at 435, while Lincoln’s Jonah Perdue was sixth at 412. Chiles’ Asa Wilson finished seventh at 394 and Lincoln’s Hunter Mortham was eighth at 392.

In the boys bracket, Smith faced Moore in one semifinal, with Smith rolling a 223 and Moore a 183. The other semifinal matched Dylan Fell and John Nance, with Nance winning 222-171.

Nance then defeated Smith 239-224 in the championship match to claim the boys bracket title.

On the girls side, Rickards’ Grace Lee posted the highest qualifying total at 391 after games of 204 and 187. Lincoln’s Christine Lastinger was second at 316, followed by Rickards’ Taylor Rogers at 302 and Lincoln’s Brooklyn Rodgers at 276. Those four advanced to the girls bracket.

Lincoln’s Bella McCoy and Rickards’ Bhavana Punyala tied for fifth at 269, while Lincoln’s Medha Shanbag was seventh at 258 and Lexi Newton was eighth at 247.

The girls bracket opened with Grace Lee facing Brooklyn Rodgers. Both Lee and Rodgers bowled a 150 with Rodgers advancing to the championship after winning the roll off 8-7. In the other semifinal, Christine Lastinger defeated Taylor Rogers 179-122 meeting up with Rodgers in the final.

Lastinger then defeated Rodgers in the championship match, 202-120, to win the girls bracket.

The event gave the top individual bowlers from the participating schools one final head-to-head test after qualifying, with Nance and Lastinger coming through the single-elimination brackets to finish as the boys and girls champions.

The Marauders have put together four wins, including three shutouts and double-digit victories, while building a team culture that coaches say has been a major factor in the turnaround.

Maclay opened the season with an 18–12 win over Aucilla Christian before traveling to North Florida Christian and earning a 32–0 shutout. The Marauders followed that performance with another win over NFC, this time 32–12 at home.

Maclay then traveled to face FAMU DRS and continued its strong start with a 38–8 victory.

The team suffered its first loss of the season in its most recent game, falling 38–0 to Franklin County. Despite the loss, Maclay’s improvement from last season remains significant.

Coach Jarod Bates, the only returning coach from last year’s staff, has coached the offensive and defensive lines and has had a front-row view of the team’s transformation.

Bates said the biggest difference between this year’s team and last year’s group has been the attitude and culture surrounding the program.

The additions of Head Coach Jim McNeill and Offensive Coordinator Mike Rodrique have helped establish what Bates described as a positive and upbeat atmosphere, while also raising expectations for the players.

The Marauders have continued to work and improve throughout the season, with Bates pointing to the team’s effort and willingness to embrace the coaching staff’s expectations as key reasons for the turnaround.

Maclay has two regular-season games remaining, both against Holy Comforter. The first will be played at home on October 8, followed by an away game on October 13.

With two games still remaining, Maclay has already accomplished something the program could not do at all last season: put together a winning record.

Observations from the last game

The offense was able to move the ball for most of the game but had issues in the redzone. The offense may have scored more if they had the ball more. Central Arkansas possessed the ball for 40 minutes and racked up 22 first downs. The defense got 3 sacks but still had issues putting pressure on the quarterback. Overall FSU played just well enough to get the win against an overmatched team. The ‘Noles must play better if they want to compete in the games coming up.

Florida State offense versus Virginia defense

Virginia has given up 4.6 points per game in their wins but gave up 38 in their lone loss. UVA had trouble defending the quarterback run giving up 123 yards to West Virginia’s QB. Because of this I think Norvell will call more run plays for Ashton Daniels. Running back Ousmane Kromah (397 yards rushing and 5 touchdowns) is still going to be the focal point of the offense. Once he gets going it should open things up for the QB run and the receivers. UVA has had problems getting pressure on the quarterback so hopefully Daniels can take advantage. Duce Robinson looks to replicate his performance against UVA from last season. He had 9 catches for 147 yards and a TD. Impact players on the Cavaliers defense are cornerback Jacobie Henderson, and linebackers Maddox Marcellus (19 tackles) and Kam Robinson.

Florida State defense versus Virginia offense

The quarterback of the Virginia offense is Beau Pribula, who has thrown for 793 yards, 12 total touchdowns and only 1 turnover. Virginia has run the ball 61 more times than they have thrown it. The QB is a good runner and 4 running backs have more than 24 carries. The starting back is Jekail Middlebrook who has 177 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. The best receivers on the team are Kameron Courtney (15 receptions and 166 yards), Rico Flores and Da’Shawn Martin (3 TDs). The FSU defense has been better against run and look to continue
being solid in the run game. When UVA gets to 3^rd down the ‘Notes must bring pressure even if they have to blitz. The cornerbacks, Ja’Bril Rawls and Quindarrius Jones, need to play well for FSU to get enough stops.

Special Teams

Advantage: Florida State

Prediction

The FSU players and coaches were raving about how well practice went this week, so we’ll see how that translates to the field. The ‘Noles offense should be put up enough points to make it close, but the defense won’t be able to get enough stops to get the victory.

Florida State 30 Virginia 37

Maclay finished with a team score of 158, 14-over par, just ahead of Florida High’s 159 (+15). Community Leadership Academy finished third at 180 (+36).

The Marauders were led by junior Brody Mitchell, who claimed first place individually with an even-par 36. Mitchell was the only golfer in the field to finish at par or better, giving Maclay the individual and team victories.

Mitchell opened his round with three consecutive pars before making another par on the par-4 fourth hole. He continued his steady play with a par on the fifth before making his lone birdie of the round on the par-5 sixth, moving to 1-under par heading onto the seventh hole.

He followed the birdie with his only bogey of the round on hole eight. Mitchell finished the nine holes with seven pars one birdie and one bogey, shooting a 36 on the par-36 course.

Maclay also placed two golfers inside the top two, as eighth-grader Brayden Swiney finished second with a 37 (+1). Downing Jordan added a 41 (+5) to tie for sixth, while Hudson Hoyt shot 44 (+8) and Jackson Amos finished with a 45 (+9). Austin Nobles rounded out Maclay’s individual results with a 52 (+16).

Florida High put four golfers inside the top six. Eli Shanks and Hunter Glantz tied for third at 39 (+3), followed by Donovan Daniell at 40 (+4). Quinn Mask and Robbie Vos each shot 41 (+5) to tie for sixth, while Kelan Yoshikawa finished with a 45 (+9).

Community Leadership Academy was led by David Boulware, who finished ninth individually with a 43 (+7). Micah Decker followed with a 44 (+8), while Owen Demeter shot 46 (+10), Carter Ivarson finished at 47 (+11) and Liam Rodriguez shot 48 (+12).

With only one stroke separating Maclay and Florida High in the team standings, Mitchell’s even-par performance helped give the Marauders the narrow team victory at Hilaman.

The Falcons had dominated District 1A in volleyball winning multiple championships in the previous years. The Tigers came in looking to make a name for themselves as contenders. It would be a hard fought three sets. Out of the gate, the Falcons’ energy and supportive crowd gave them an edge, sparking a 21-11 start. However, the Tigers refused to go down lightly. Using height to their advantage, Griffin went on a stunning 7-1 run. Fairview then quieted the now noisy Tiger crowd, ending the set 25-21. The second set featured five lead changes, and Fairview came out on top. After an even 10-10 score, Griffin rallied to take an 18-12 lead. The Falcons mounted a comeback and never looked back, winning the set 25-22. The final set was a display of the Falcons’ all-around talent, enroute to a 25-6 win.

Later that evening, Montford, coached by Angela Hultquist, attempted a seventh straight district title. Standing in their way were the Bucks, coached by Michelle Kelley. The Mustangs jumped out to an early lead in the first set, with powerful spikes from Rhiannon Carlile and Raleigh Fidrych. Leading 10-7, Montford went on a huge run, and pulled away to finish the set 25-10. The second set also went in Montford’s favor and featured one of the night’s most spectacular plays. With the Mustangs boasting a 17-7 lead, the Bucks’ Teagan McGinnis spiked the ball. It ricocheted off two Mustangs, leaving them to their last hit. In a desperation attempt, Carlile slid and kicked the ball high over the net, and it landed in the back corner of Deerlake’s zone five. Montford star Eleanor Hearn then helped finish off the set 25-10. In the final set, the Bucks played Montford closer, yet Montford still pulled away late to sweep the night and claim the District 2A title.

Photo: Montford’s Eleanor Hearn executes a kill

The game didn’t start off looking like a blowout. Raa won the toss and deferred, giving Montford the first possession. While a big kickoff return placed Montford in Raa territory, the Rams defense immediately forced a turnover on downs. They steadily ran the ball into Mustang territory, as the first quarter neared its end. Then, Raa’s quarterback lofted a pass down the sideline, and it was picked off by Gavin Snipes.

The Rams halted the Montford running game at the beginning of the second quarter, so the Mustangs utilized the talents of star receiver Simon Petion. Quarterback Jase Dault found Petion over the middle, and he raced down the field of opposing defenders for a 63-yard touchdown. Montford converted the two point conversion, and their defense kept up the momentum, forcing a Raa possession that resulted in negative total yards.

Once again, after Raa’s defense stopped the Mustangs’ runs, Petion’s speed changed the drive. Dault pitched a short pass to Petion in the backfield, and he ran down the sideline 44 yards to the 16 yard line. Running back Dominic Scott ran the ball over the goal line to extend the lead. On the two point conversion, Petion shined again. The play design worked perfectly, and Dault found his receiver at the very back corner of the end zone. Montford’s AJ Henry then intercepted a pass to end the half.

To open the second half, the Rams’ Prince Richardson made an evasive kickoff return to give Raa good field position. A series of Perkins runs from Raa and then some strong defense by Montford set up Raa with a crucial 4th and 11 for a potential Rams comeback. Montford forced the turnover on downs around their own 35.

On the ensuing possession, Raa held Mustang ball carriers once again, setting up 4th and 10. Jase Dault passed it downfield, and receiver AJ Henry made the reception, taking it all the way to the end zone for a 66-yard touchdown score. DJ Read plowed through two tacklers for the two point conversion. A pick six for Montford’s two-way player Landon Del Prado sealed a 32-0 shutout victory.

The Montford defense forced four turnovers, in the game, a season high. 6-0 Montford’s high-flying offense and tough defense will finish the regular season by playing Deer Lake at Chiles next week. Raa, now 2-4, will face off against Griffin at Cox Stadium.

The meet featured wins from swimmers on both sides as the teams continued building toward the postseason.

For Maclay, Olivia Holt had a strong night, winning the girls 200-yard individual medley in 2:17.53 and the 100-yard butterfly in 58.66. Molly Lambert won the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle, while Emmie Sutton won the 500-yard freestyle. Eliza Horton also earned a victory in the 100-yard breaststroke. Leon also put together several notable performances on the girls side. Madalyn Van Hise won the 200-yard freestyle in 2:16.24, finishing just ahead of Maclay’s Eliza Horton. Osea Rawlings won the 100-yard backstroke in 1:11.34, while Leon’s girls also won the 400-yard freestyle relay.

Maclay’s boys were led by Brennan Abatecola, who won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:53.25 and the 100-yard freestyle in 50.84. William Chen won the 200-yard individual medley in 2:11.42 and the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:09.57, while David Paquette won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.38.

Leon answered with several victories of its own. Jake Askey won both the boys 100-yard butterfly in 56.03 and the 500-yard freestyle in 4:51.23. Grant Hudnall won the boys 100-yard backstroke in 1:07.07, while Leon’s boys also won the opening 200-yard medley relay.

Maclay’s boys finished the meet by winning the 200-yard freestyle relay and 400-yard freestyle relay. The 200 freestyle relay team of William Chen, Brennan Abatecola, David Paquette and Peter Dunkerley finished in 1:32.90, while the same four swimmers combined for a 3:30.85 in the 400 freestyle relay.

With the championship portion of the season approaching, both Maclay and Leon will continue working toward regional and state qualification opportunities.