- Trinity Christian- The Conquerors are the defending 3A state champions and are now in 2A gearing up for another championship push. They start their quest in Tallahassee taking on a 5A Rickards team eager to upset the Conquerors. Trinity has reloaded at several positions, so it will be interesting to see how quickly the new additions can gel with one another. Treyaun Webb’s early success can set the tone on offense for them.
- Bolles – The Class 4A state runners up return for a second consecutive season looking for a title. Booker T got the best of them two years ago, and last year it was Cardinal Gibbons. Kade Frew returns to lead them once again, which means the Bulldogs will have a lot of bite to go with their bark this year on the ground. Hayden Swartz will lead the Bulldog defense.
- Bartram Trail– The Bears went 11-2 last year getting the best of teams such as Raines, Oakleaf, Sandalwood, and the Mandarin’s. An occasional American Heritage tripped them up last year, but that caliber team isn’t on the schedule this year. Eric Weatherly leads the Bears into the season ready to pounce on competition from every angle. Micah Pollard and company will look to keep a stout Bears defense ready this year.
- Riverside High– The anticipated arrival of Riverside is here, complete with a revamped offense led by Daniel Plummer III and a defense with shiny new parts under the hood including a three headed monster at Linebacker in Devin Smith, Bryce Capers, and Gregory Washington. Linebacker U is ready to step up and punish ball carriers.
- Baker County– The Wildcats stormed out of the gate last year with a 5-0 record dismantling every opponent in their way. Looking at their schedule, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t do the same this year as their toughest opponent isn’t until week 6 in Mandarin. Noah Ray is a poised leader for them at QB. Jaymodd Ruise is a weapon they’ll definitely deploy on offense with his speed.
- Ed White– The Commanders could be a surprise team this year with the potential to make lots of noise early on. If the Commanders can play physical football from the start, they will certainly turn heads and be on the radar. Christian Ellis leads them on offense now, which shifts power in city. But the equalizer might be pairing Davaughn Patterson on defense with Ellis to potentially make up the best safety tandem in the city.
- Raines– The Vikings have a nice mix of opponents on the schedule that make for some intriguing matchups. Trinity 8/27 is going to be interesting and 9/17 on Main st will be fun as well with the upstart Tigers. Kareem Burke, Quincy Burroughs, Jaquon King, and Kenton Kirkland, are perhaps the fastest team in the Gateway conference.
- Terry Parker– Weapons on offense makes teams dangerous, and no team has bigger weapons than Terry Parker. They have two QBs (Doles, Pettway), and 3 wide receivers (Hamilton, Williams, Thomas) at their disposal to put up points this year. Watch out., they impressed in their jamboree versus a big Spruce Creek team.
- Fleming Island– Coach Springs is just out in Clay County minding his business and putting together winning season after winning season. He’s 36-12 the last 5 years. Sam Singleton will power their customary running game this year. He’s a home run threat, one we haven’t seen in several years in the area. Get ready!
- Atlantic Coast – Atlantic Coast had a great end of the year last year. Coach Mike Montemayor led them deep into the playoffs and return several starters from that team including some new additions. His best player is Jacob Corley and they’ll find ways to get him involved in the success of the offense along with Arthur Walker.
Honorable Mention: Mandarin, Sandalwood, Fletcher, Jackson, St Augustine
