Orange Park Fl- In a game that lived up to the hype, the Raines Vikings leaned on their defense and special teams to create opportunities, and their offense made just enough plays to finish the job against Oakleaf in a highly anticipated Week 1 matchup.
In front of a packed house, Raines sophomore quarterback Sa’mon Ellison-Morgan showed poise well beyond his years. Facing a relentless Oakleaf defensive front, Ellison-Morgan limited mistakes, took care of the football and made smart decisions under pressure. His ability to stay composed helped the Vikings take advantage of the short fields created by their defense and special teams.
Oakleaf’s defense made life difficult all night.
Defensive end Isaiah Pierre Val, defensive tackles Caleb Fields (#52) and Nigel McClendon (#53), and edge rusher Mason Thomas (#9) constantly attacked the Raines offensive line. Thomas, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound edge defender with offers from Charleston Southern, Middle Tennessee State and Florida State, was virtually unblockable at times.
Thomas and Pierre Val used their length to harass Ellison-Morgan with pressure and sacks. When they couldn’t get to the sophomore quarterback, freshman middle linebacker Jermaine Orr blitzed into the backfield, while linebacker Sean Smith stayed disciplined by spying Ellison-Morgan.
Jermain Orr SACK!!! pic.twitter.com/Stem3TePwC
— Duval Sports D1 (@DuvalSports) August 21, 2026
However, Raines’ defense answered with a dominant performance of its own.
The Vikings entered the season ranked No. 1 in defensive line play in the area by Duval Sports, and they showed why. Nicholas Davis (#51), Elmendelah Elbon (#44) and Kyree Beamon (#45) controlled the trenches and made it difficult for Oakleaf to establish its running game.
Defensive end Troy Butler (#4) was relentless off the edge, while linebackers Johdeem Jones (#0), Nate Bennett (#27) and Chenaniah Doran (#3) repeatedly attacked the quarterback. Tysen Marsh (#9) provided important help from the secondary as Raines swarmed Oakleaf quarterback Jaidan Delaune early.
It wasn’t just defense, these players made significant impacts on special teams as well.
Bennett’s blocked punt was one of the game’s first major turning points, giving Raines excellent field position deep in Oakleaf territory. Still, the Knights’ defense refused to break.
Raines later created another huge opportunity when Butler beat his blocker off the edge, sacked Delaune and forced a fumble. Jones recovered and returned it to the Oakleaf 10-yard line. Again, Oakleaf’s defense held, forcing Raines to settle for Dan Duong field goals. The Vikings led 6-0 in the first quarter.
Johdeem Jones with the fumble return for Raines! Sack fumble by Troy Butler!! @Troybutler32 pic.twitter.com/U986wCNSLF
— Duval Sports D1 (@DuvalSports) August 21, 2026
Butler (Liberty commit)looks like the best pass rusher in the city right now. He is on a tear early on, and opposing coaches know it. They are sending double teams at him, with chip blocks from running backs and nothing is working. Said one Oakleaf Coach on their sideline, “#4 is unlockable”.
Oakleaf eventually found an answer. With Raines’ defense focused on pressuring Delaune, the quarterback used his legs to scramble for important first downs. Hobbled by an apparent injury, Delaune still showed toughness by taking off and taking hits by the punishing Vikings defense.
Then the Oakleaf offensive coordinator dialed up an antidote to the Raines aggressiveness. It was a quick pop pass from Jaidan Delaune to slot receiver Syncere Murphy, who broke through for the game’s first touchdown. Oakleaf took a 7-6 lead into halftime.
Syncere Murphy @murphy_syncere from Jaidan Delaune @JayJayQB1 TOUCHDOWN OAKLEAF! our first touchdown of the night! Clay County Fire letting Duval County know where they are! @ClayFireRescue @JFRDRBLX @AntwanMurphy10 pic.twitter.com/RiDe18thas
— Duval Sports D1 (@DuvalSports) August 22, 2026
Raines adjusted after the break, turning to the screen game with TJ Williamson to counter Oakleaf’s aggressive blitzing. The Knights’ secondary tackled well and prevented the screens from becoming explosive plays.
Then a costly Oakleaf penalty gave Raines another short field. Runningback Curtis Asberry took advantage of the opportunity, scoring on a 15-yard touchdown run. Ellison-Morgan followed with the two-point conversion, putting Raines ahead 14-7 in the third quarter.
Oakleaf responded with a strong kickoff return from Terrance “TJ” James, but once again the Raines defense slammed the door. Doran and Jones collapsed the pocket for another sack.
Ellison-Morgan also made timely plays through the air, connecting with Trevion Williams for a 20-yard gain in the first half and hitting Tristan Stevenson (#2) for a long completion in the second half. His ability to run when opportunities opened also helped Raines keep the chains moving.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Vikings’ defense however.
Defensive back Zion Green stripped an Oakleaf ball carrier following a reception, and Jones was once again in the right place to recover the fumble. Jones appeared to pitch the ball to Trevion Williams as he was being tackled, hoping to finish the play with a touchdown, but the officials ruled it an illegal forward pass.
Afterward, Jones smiled when asked about his fumble recoveries.
“Which one?” he joked.
He explained that he simply wanted his defense to score, saying that when he couldn’t reach the end zone himself, he tried to give his teammate an opportunity.
Unfortunately for the Raines defense the score was nullified, but fortunately for the Raines faithful the deciding touchdown would come.
Tailback TJ Williamson burst through the exhausted Oakleaf defense with fresh legs for a long run, and then finished the drive off with a short touchdown.
That helped put the game away.
TJ Williamson seals it for Raines!!! Less than a min! 21-7 vs Oakleaf pic.twitter.com/rZ7q0eRdNU
— Duval Sports D1 (@DuvalSports) August 22, 2026
It was a fitting ending for a game decided by defense, field position and toughness.
Raines repeatedly created opportunities with pressure, turnovers and special teams plays to shut down and shut the door on Oakleaf. Although Oakleaf’s defense answered many of those challenges, eventually the Vikings found enough offense to capitalize.
For Raines, the 21-7 victory was about more than one big play. It was about a defense that consistently gave its offense another chance—and a young quarterback who remained calm enough to take advantage of them.
Said Head Coach Donovan Masline after the game “we have to limit mistakes and not allow teams to hang around.. we have to put them away because every team we play, it will be their state championship game”.
The defending Class 3A state champion Raines defeated Northwestern last December 23-22 in Miami, Florida in front of a capacity crowd that overwhelmingly favored the Bulls.
So the Vikings are no stranger to hostile environments and opposing territories… and Friday night, they showed, that they can open a new season, the same way that they closed the last one.
