We’re in round 2!! DuvalSports.com picks the top 32 High School Football teams ever to play in North East Florida. We match them up against one another in a bracket to determine who is the the greatest high school football team of all time. Who is the Best of the Best? DuvalSports.com analyst Andre’ Ellis and Corey Davis debate match ups daily and the fans get to vote on who they believe would win each contest as well. Finally, we will resolve the question that has been on the minds of former players and football fans for nearly a century. Who is The Best of the Best in our area??
No. 20 1997 Columbia at No. 6 1993 Bolles
The case for Columbia: You know how good a team is when 20 years later, people still talk about the team. That’s how good the 1997 Columbia team was, the Tigers (14-1) were rarely challenged throughout the season, it’s closest games were wins over Valdosta, GA. (21-7) and arch-rival Suwannee (20-7). This state runnerup team’s only lost was to Miami Carol City in the 6A State Championship game. Led by running back Quinton Callum, the Co-Offensive Player of the Year by the Gainesville Sun, the Tigers succumb to a late rally by Carol City. However, this team still dominated on their way to the title game as the defense gave up 7 or less points in 12 games and the offense averaged 35 points a game.
The case for Bolles: Try to stop them on offense and you literally have to pick your poison they say. It started at center with All-American Jon Spicklemier (Notre Dame), quarterback Kendal Francis (Tulane), fullback William McCray (FSU), tailback Matt Deorio (Duke), tailback Michael Grant (UCF), wingback Robert Pollard (Nebraska) and wide out Dez White (Georgia Tech). The offense scored 515 points in 15 games (34.3 ppg), scoring 30 or more 10 of the 15 games, including the state championship game. The defense was stingy giving up 11.9 ppg while giving up 7 points or less in 6 of the 15 games. They dared you to kick or punt the ball to the most dangerous kick returner in the state freshman Robert Pollard and if a team did they were usually punished with a return for a touchdown. The road to the perfect season and another state title in the postseason went through Bolles with wins over Lee (42-6), Suwannee (35-7), South Sumter (34-19), at defending state champion Santa Fe (21-19) and Lake Wales (42-21) in the championship game.
