By Chrissy Voltoline
Contributing Writer
Twitter – @chrissyvolt
Battle of Class 7A-District 3 unbeaten teams
Buchholz (Gainesville) Bobcats
Coach: Mark Whittemore
Record: 5-2
Key Players: Terrance Young (Sr., SS), Blake Mitchell (Sr., WR), Edward Cason (Sr., RB), Jakhai Mitchem (Sr., SB), Trent Whittemore (Sr., WR, FS), Isaiah Michel (Sr., WR), Camden Orth (Sr., QB), Terrell Jackson (So., WR), Noah Keeter (Sr., DE, TE), Roderick Jackson (Sr., WR), Samuel Holmes
Outlook: The Cats are looking to defeat the Knights again on Friday, but this time, the Knights from Oakleaf High School. Last Friday, Buchholz stumped the Creekside Knights 35-13 in a conference match, improving the team to 5-2 overall. Senior quarterback Camden Orth was nearly untouchable completing 10 passes for 158-yards and throwing 4 touchdowns, only playing the first half. Senior Trent Whittemore was on the receiving end on two of those touchdowns, while Blake Mitchell, Isaiah Michel and kicker Muhannad Farahat helped rack up the rest of the points. Buchholz’s defense proved to be just as sturdy, only allowing Creekside 46-yards of offense and shutting them out 35-0 in the first half. Defense will need to remain sharp, as the Knights have put together a collective 286 points in their first 7 matches. The Cats will host their next district competition, Oakleaf, at Citizens Field at 7:30 p.m.
Oakleaf (Orange Park) Knights
Coach: Frank Garls
Record: 4-3
Key Players: Tre Simmons (So., QB), Keshawn King (Sr., RB), Adrian Grey (So., R/WR), Darrius Allen (Jr., OLB), Sean Washington (Jr., WR), Terrance Anthony (So., WR), Alexander Warner (Sr., TE), Michael Williams (Sr., WR)
Outlook: After two big losses, the Knights will try to bounce back this Friday when they take on the Buchholz Bobcats. Last week, the Knights fell 40-27 to the Raines Vikings. Sophomore quarterback Tre Simmons completed 11-27 passes for 142-yards. Running back Keshawn King scored two touchdowns while wide receivers Adrian Grey and Michael Williams scored 1 apiece. The Knights will really have to come together this Friday if they want to prevent their losing streak from extending to 3 in-a-row. Anything is possible, as the Knights were on a 3-game winning streak just two weeks ago. If the Knights pull off a win on Friday, they will remain undefeated in district play, improving their record to 3-0. Although the Bobcats have an overall record of 5-2, The Knights are currently outscoring the Cats by 77 points. The Knights have a collective total of 286, compared to the Cats’ 209.
