Raines Blindsides And Bludgeons Mandarin 31-13 In The Graveyard |

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two undefeated teams walked into the Graveyard with something to prove.

The Mandarin Mustangs and Raines Vikings entered Friday night’s showdown unbeaten, setting the stage for one of Jacksonville’s most anticipated high school football matchups of the season. Mandarin arrived at 3-0, while Raines was 4-0, and the atmosphere surrounding the game reflected the significance of the matchup.

By the time the final whistle sounded, however, the Vikings had made it clear that their home turf remained one of the toughest places to play in Florida.

Friday night, Mandarin found out exactly why the Graveyard has become such a difficult place to win.

Mandarin Strikes First

Mandarin wasted little time showing why it entered the game unbeaten.

Quarterback Knox Annis connected with wide receiver Jace Kemp on what appeared to be an early touchdown, but the score was erased by an illegal-formation penalty.

Annis then used his legs to move the chains, scrambling up the middle for a first down before finding one of the state’s most highly regarded receivers.

With Raines trying to settle in defensively, Annis connected with Brysen Wright for a touchdown, giving the Mustangs a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.

Wright wasn’t finished making an impact.

The top-ranked receiver also came up from his defensive position on a safety blitz, recording a tackle for loss and showing the type of two-way impact Mandarin needed against the Vikings.

Raines appeared poised to answer with a big play of its own when a long pass was wiped away by an illegal chop-block penalty. Later, a long screen from Sa’mon Ellison-Morgan to Tristan Stevenson moved the Vikings into position, but Mandarin’s defense forced a punt.

Both teams had already seen big plays erased by penalties as the opening quarter developed, but Mandarin maintained its 7-0 advantage.

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Raines Defense Changes the Game

The second quarter belonged to the Vikings’ defense.

Raines defensive end Chenaniah Doran delivered a blind-side sack on Annis, setting the tone for what would become a relentless performance by the Vikings’ front seven.

Then Andre Flowers and Kyree Beamon teamed up for another sack, forcing Mandarin to punt.

Raines’ special teams responded with a big play of their own as Tacori Allen ripped off an impressive punt return, bringing the ball back to the Mandarin 30-yard line.

The Vikings immediately went to work.

TJ Williamson made a defender miss in the open field and powered his way 15 yards down to the Mandarin 10. A few plays later, Williamson finished the drive by bursting up the middle for the touchdown.

The game was tied 7-7 with eight minutes remaining in the second quarter.

The Raines defense continued to squeeze the life out of the Mandarin offense.

Defensive end Troy Butler recorded a sack at the Mandarin 7-yard line, forcing another punt. The Vikings returned the kick to the Mandarin 20 and quickly shifted into their hurry-up attack.

Raines began pounding the ball on the ground, using Williamson and its running game to control the tempo.

Then Ellison-Morgan delivered the next blow.

On a play-action look, he sold the fake to the running back, kept the football himself and raced into the end zone.

Raines 14, Mandarin 7.

The Vikings had scored 14 unanswered points.

Mandarin attempted to respond, but the Raines defense continued to pressure Annis. Mandarin was forced to punt, giving Raines the ball around its own 30-yard line.

The Mustangs finally generated a defensive play when Carlos Nedd delivered a big hit that forced a fumble, which Mandarin recovered.

But Raines refused to break.

And the Vikings’ pressure was preventing Mandarin from consistently getting the ball to Wright.

Mandarin began moving away from Wright offensively, and when the Mustangs finally attempted to reconnect with their star receiver, Raines’ front seven forced Annis into a quick throw. Wright had beaten his defender, but the pressure caused Annis to overthrow him.

Raines ended the half with two more devastating sacks.

Doran came through with another blind-side hit that sent Annis flying.

Then, on the final sack of the half, safety Travis Dixon Jr. came screaming down from his free safety position and delivered a huge hit on the Mandarin quarterback.

The Raines crowd erupted as the Vikings headed to the locker room with a 14-7 lead.

The message had been delivered.

Vikings Take Control After Halftime

Raines picked up where it left off after halftime.

The Vikings drove deep into Mandarin territory behind more powerful runs from Williamson, but the Mustangs’ defense finally stiffened and kept Raines out of the end zone.

Raines settled for a 25-yard field goal by Dan Duong, extending the lead to 17-7.

Mandarin needed an answer — and it found one.

The Mustangs began making a conscious effort to get Wright involved, hitting him on quick slants and allowing him to use his athleticism in space.

Then Annis found Will Jones on a huge 30-yard completion that took Mandarin down to the Raines 5-yard line.

Emmanuel Cole finished the drive with a touchdown run up the middle.

The extra point was no good, but Mandarin had closed the gap.

Raines 17, Mandarin 13.

With the game suddenly within one score, the Vikings answered in dramatic fashion.

Williamson ripped off another big run around the right side, taking Raines deep into Mandarin territory.

Then came one of the night’s biggest plays.

Ellison-Morgan threw a strike toward Marquez Hicks, but the ball was deflected off Zion Green.

Hicks never lost sight of it.

He came down with the deflection for a spectacular touchdown.

Raines 24, Mandarin 13 with 1:22 remaining in the third quarter.

The Graveyard erupted.

Raines Finishes the Job

The fourth quarter became a showcase for the Vikings’ defense and physical rushing attack.

Mandarin struggled to find room against the Raines front, and Annis was under pressure virtually every time he dropped back.

With 6:48 remaining, Doran and Butler combined to make their presence felt again, converging on the quarterback and forcing an incompletion on fourth down.

Turnover on downs.

The Vikings had the ball — and they were ready to put the game away. Ellison-Morgan did exactly that. On another zone-read play, the Raines quarterback kept the football himself, found the edge and raced into the end zone.

Touchdown Raines.

With 3:26 remaining, the Vikings had stretched the lead to 31-13.

Raines’ offensive line and running backs had steadily worn Mandarin down throughout the night. The physical nature of the Vikings’ ground game became increasingly evident as the game progressed, particularly against a Mandarin team that had limited depth and had players contributing on both sides of the football.

The final blow came from the defense. Dixon intercepted a pass off a deflection, putting the finishing touch on a dominant second-half performance. Raines overcame an early 7-0 deficit, dominated the line of scrimmage in the second half and pulled away for a convincing 31-13 victory, improving to 5-0 while handing Mandarin its first loss of the season.

For Raines, it was another chapter in an extraordinary home run. The Vikings had not lost at home since a playoff defeat to Bolles on Nov. 17, 2023. Since then, Raines has gone 33-1,in a stretch that includes last December’s state championship victory over Northwestern. They improved to 19-0 at home since then.

A Statement in the Graveyard

Raines didn’t simply protect its undefeated record — the Vikings showed why they have become so difficult to beat at home.

After falling behind 7-0, Raines scored 31 of the game’s final 37 points, with its defense repeatedly collapsing the pocket and its rushing attack gradually taking control.

Williamson provided the physical running. Ellison-Morgan made timely plays with both his arm and legs. Hicks delivered one of the game’s most memorable catches. And the Raines defensive front — led by Doran, Butler, Flowers and Beamon — turned the second quarter into the turning point of the game.

For Mandarin, the loss drops the Mustangs to 3-1, but the early-season success that brought them into the matchup undefeated remains a sign of the team’s potential.Yet in still, this loss left the Mustangs, bludgeoned and blind-sided as they were not expecting to be dominated in such fashion.

For Raines, Friday night was bigger than simply moving to 5-0.

It was another victory in the Graveyard.

Another reminder of the Vikings’ home-field dominance.

And, against another undefeated Jacksonville-area opponent, another message sent to the rest of the city.

Final: Raines 31, Mandarin 13.