Raines Ready To Take The Leap To The Next Level

Jacksonville Fl- Last Winter, the Raines Vikings made it further than any other school in Northeast Florida. The Vikings navigated a 13-1 record advancing all the way to the Class 3A State Championship game. Although they finished as FHSAA State runners-up, with several key starters returning Raines is ready to take the leap to the next level.

Head Coach Donovan Masline is heading into his 6th season as the Vikings head man. He has never missed the playoffs in that span. Masline navigated an undefeated regular season at 13-0, only the second time Raines went into the state championship game with an undefeated record.

Masline has added several new coaches to the fold with experience as head coaches, and player development. This next level for him after hoisting the state runners-up trophy last year is a state championship.

At quarterback, Masline has senior Timothy Cole II returning. Cole transferred from Ribault High School in 2024 and in his first season at the school became the Raines single season passing touchdown leader. He passed for 2,812 yards, 43 touchdowns, with just 7 interceptions. He also accumulated lots of offense on the ground (rushing yards: 872 yds, rushing TDs: 9).

With valuable championship experience, look for Cole to once again be the top quarterback in Northeast Florida, and take a big leap toward consideration for Florida’s Mr Football (top player in the state voted by Florida Dairy Farmer’s). The senior won the player of the year for the jaguars and has offers from Tennessee State, Albany State, and Bethune Cookman.

One of Cole’s top weapons is returning at wide receiver for his senior season. Ziyon Butler amassed 595 yards receiving and 9 touchdowns last year, second on the team in both categories.This year, he already looks ready for the lead role as he made several impressive plays in Raines spring jamboree versus Jackson. For his showing, Butler picked up an offer from Albany State, and already has offers from Keiser, Georgia Southern, and Coastal Carolina among others.

Timothy Cole finds Ziyon Butler @spazzout__tj @zflashthetruth for a beautiful touchdown reception vs Jackson! 21-0! pic.twitter.com/oMqD6xzSfs
— Duval Sports (@DuvalSports) May 15, 2025

Other receivers to watch include senior Jaylen Pollard who uses his quickness and shiftiness as an advantage. Then there’s 6’1, 185lbs Kiran Jackson who uses his size to his advantage over smaller defenders. He is a big target for Cole, and look for the senior wide-out to excel in the RedZone.

Raines WR Jaylen Pollard @__rushh1 uses quickness to get out of breaks and shiftiness to separate from defenders! A player to watch in the high powered Vikings offense this season! pic.twitter.com/kTDsmbcsoT
— Andre' Ellis (@andreellis55) June 11, 2025

Both Pollard and Jackson are key components to a wide receiver unit that lost two major pieces to graduation in Kaleb Lampkins (Bucknell Unv) and Adron Walker (Raines leading receiver in 2024). They look to lake the leap so that the offense doesn’t miss a beat in 2025.

Kiran Jackson ⁦@Kiran10Jackson⁩ of Raines looks to have a big year! At 6'1, 185lbs this big bodied receiver creates mismatches against smaller defenders. Especially in the redzone! ⁦@DuvalSports⁩ pic.twitter.com/1StngPjVam
— Andre' Ellis (@andreellis55) June 11, 2025

On the ground, Raines returns their leading rusher from 2024 Ta’darius Washington. As a junior, Washington was a duel threat, rushing for 939 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also had 235 yards receiving and 2 TDs from the air. Washington recently received an offer from Mercer and had one previously from St. Thomas University.

The defense is led by returning 2026 linebacker Tony Williams. The 4-star recruit recently committed to Illinois. Williams led Raines in tackles last year (101) and also had 6 sacks. Look for him to also play a pivotal role on offense as well at running back, providing an element of power to the backfield to compliment the speed of Washington. He had several powerful runs in the spring jamboree.

Defensive tackle Geterius Brown had 6.5 sacks and 15 TFL for Raines last year. He returns as the leader of the defensive line. Charleston Southern, UCONN, Morgans State, Keiser, Wofford, and Navy are among his several offers.

Geterius Brown @imXclusiveG 2026 Raines DT was stout in the trenches at the spring game vs Jackson! Watch him take on a triple team, clog the hole and allow his LB to fly up and fill! Had 55 tkls and 6.5 sacks in 2024. UConn and Morgan State among offers @DuvalSports pic.twitter.com/j40DgwkXTU
— Andre' Ellis (@andreellis55) May 17, 2025

Troy Butler, a 6’2, 240lbs edge/OLB is a force as a rising junior. He had 7.5 sacks last year as a sophomore for Raines, and is in line for a major leap in 2025. Butler already has offers from FIU, and Sacramento State.

Another player to watch is 6’3, 240lbs Raines DE Cameron Washington. His size is impressive, and he equally impressed at the point of attack on the line of scrimmage for the Vikings in their spring game! A break out season is coming for him.

Finally in the secondary, Raines returns several players who led them on the back end of their defense. Eddie Hinton (2026 DB) led the team with 5 interceptions last year. Jucoby Marion (2026 DB) was second on the team with 3 interceptions and 7 pass defenses. Both players have offers from Keiser University.

Other Notable Players:

Xavier Williams 2026, MLB

Travis “Trap” Williams 2026, DB

Isaiah Mabyun OT