News4JAX Varsity 4

A blowout loss in the 2024 state title game was a dose of humility for Raines. The Vikings could have easily let that loss define them. Instead, head coach Donovan Masline, the Raines staff and players, set out on a revenge tour and stamped it with a 23-22 win over the same Miami Northwestern team that it lost to a year earlier. In terms of redemption stories, they don't get much better than that. What a team. What a coach. What a season for the 14-0 Vikings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's state championship game week and Bolles and Raines are the last area teams still standing. The Bulldogs face Cardinal Mooney on Wednesday night in Miami and Raines gets its rematch against Miami Northwestern. Do our local teams have a chance to bring home titles? Why Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin think it could be a great week in Miami for Bolles and Raines in this Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've got four teams still standing as the high school football season makes the turn into the state semifinals. Bolles, Ponte Vedra, Raines and Trinity Christian are in the final four. Plus, the importance of just how much quality coaching means in high school football. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin look ahead and back in this week's Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The third round of the playoffs are here and we've got some seriously strong matchups. Bradford-Cocoa. Mandarin-Buchholz. Trinity Christian-University Christian. St. Augustine-Choctaw. Talk about some good ones. How many teams will be left standing after Black Friday? Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin get you ready for the regional finals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the second round of the high school football playoffs and we've got some big games on the horizon. Beachside visits Ponte Vedra, Ed White travels to St. Augustine and Impact Christian visits University Christian. Plus, have our views changed on who will win a state title? And how about West Nassau headed to the Sunshine State Athletic Association championship game! Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin make the rounds in Varsity 4. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Breaking down the playoff brackets. ... How many teams we think will play for (and win) state championships. The ridiculousness of The First Academy's appeal to get into the playoffs and more from Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin in this episode of the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the bye week before the playoffs begin and the Varsity 4 podcast has a lot of ground to cover. Our best picks for state title games. Plus, the FHSAA tinkers with its classification system again. Movement in our Super 10 and more from Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With all but one district championship decided, the final week of the high school football regular season is here. It's headlined by a huge slate of games on Thursday night, including a Mandarin-St. Augustine showdown. Plus, what happened to Oakleaf in Week 10, a new No. 1 team and our best picks to play for state titles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's only two more weeks left in the high school football regular season, and this happens to be the biggest one of the year. Week 10 will decide the fate of several area teams as playoff spots are on the line. Plus, an update on coaching situations at Nease and Bartram Trail and more from Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've got five teams who have clinched district championships already as the state playoffs come into view. Plus, our thoughts on the new invitational tournament in high school football that will see the playoffs grow by 32 teams. And a look at Week 9 of the season. All of that and more in this episode of the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some huge district games headline the Week 8 high school football schedule. A handful of teams can wrap up district titles and playoff sports this week. Plus, the head coach at Bartram Trail will miss this week's game against Nease after the school self-reported a possible violation. What to make of that situation and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bolles running back Xander Edwards had the best rushing performance in area history in Week 6, erupting for 522 yards and eight touchdowns in win over Baldwin. He'll go into the NFHS record books with that one. Also, St. Augustine knocks down another ranked team and a light Week 7 in the area. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin break things down in the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

St. Augustine-Nease lived up to the billing. Bolles-Oakleaf was a one-sided romp and did not. Plus, could we build a local team that could beat IMG Academy? And our top players at the halfway mark of the regular season include names like Brysen Wright, Somourian Wingo, Naeem Burroughs, Jacob Curry, Brody Jennings and more. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin take a spin around the area on a number of topics in a Week 6 episode of the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Week 5 includes two massive showdowns in Bolles at Oakleaf and St. Augustine visiting Nease. Plus, Raines lays the hammer on Lake Mary to state its case as area's best team. Plus, results from our preseason survey among players and coaches from Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've got a new team at the top of our Super 10 and a surge in Nassau County football. Plus, we make the case for Gateway Conference teams to build stronger schedules by dropping some of their weaker opponents. And some thoughts on some big Week 4 games. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin make the rounds in the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Week 3 of the high school football season and there's a major Super 10 collision on tap when St. Augustine visits Bolles. Plus, Brysen Wright is making a massive impact for Mandarin everywhere, but he has been elite in the secondary. How special is what we're seeing with him? Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin make the rounds in Varsity 4. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A big win for Nease over Ponte Vedra. Brysen Wright's potential is off the charts. A new Super 10 rankings from area head coaches. And state teams fared poorly in their matchups on the national stage. Plus, Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin look back on Week 1 and look ahead to Week 2 in this episode of the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The high school football season is here! Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin are talking the top players in the area, mega recruit Brysen Wright, the ceiling and the floor for the area's best teams and our top 10 teams in the area. Buckle up and let's go! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2024 high school football season is in the books and we're unveiling our top 16 players and our Varsity 4 All-News4JAX football teams. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin break down our top 16 players and what those athletes did to turn heads in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was a tough finish for the Raines football team in a 41-0 loss to Miami Northwestern in the Class 3A state championship game. The title games as a whole were dominated by South Florida teams. In this era of football, how can teams like Mandarin, Oakleaf, Raines and St. Augustine be better prepared for the state series-level games? Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin offer some suggestions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three local teams played in the state football semifinals and only one made it through. The Raines Vikings head to Pitbull Stadium on Saturday night for a date with Miami Northwestern in the Class 3A state championship game. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin break down the matchup in this episode of the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Only three local teams are still standing in the high school football state playoffs — Raines, St. Augustine and Trinity Christian. The Vikings are the lone area program to be playing at home. Which team or teams will be moving on to championship games? Plus, our best guesses at an early signing day flip as Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin break things down in this Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Raines has been on a tear the likes of which we haven't seen in quite some time. The Vikings are 11-0 and walloping opponents in the playoffs. Can Bishop Kenny cool off the Vikings in the regional finals? Plus, looks at the other classifications and which teams we think will be playing on into December. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin break the brackets down in a Thanksgiving edition of the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a very good opening week of the high school football playoffs, we're in the second round of the postseason with some excellent local showdowns on tap. Plus, an update from a state representative on how the low pay issue in Florida could be approached next year. All that and more in this episode of the Varsity 4 podcast with Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The high school football playoffs are here. There were some grumbles around the state after the brackets were announced, with some very valid points. Should the FHSAA be more transparent in how its formula with MaxPreps works or is it balanced already? What about going to a system like the one in Georgia? Plus, Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin break down our favorite first-round matchups and how many local teams will move on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who are our favorite and top high school football players of the last five seasons? Names like Grayson Howard, Orel Gray and Drake Stubbs come to mind. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin talk about the final week of the regular season, our Super 10 teams, a questionable sideline forearm and then discuss our top players from 2020-2024 in this episode of the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the final full week of the regular season in high school football and just about every district title has been decided. Plus, why teams like Christ's Church, Paxon, Stanton and West Nassau provide the blueprint on what smaller programs should consider doing. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin cover all the bases in Week 11 of the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Week 10 of the high school football season and the playoff picture is coming into focus as district races wind down. Plus, Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin discuss which of our Super 10 teams can make it at least two rounds deep into the postseason. Do Raines, Nease and St. Augustine shape up to be the area's best contenders? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After weeks of hurricane and weather cancellations, postponements and delays, we should be back on track with a normal high school football schedule. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin recap a wild Monday night of football in Week 8 and look ahead to Week 9. Plus, one team we think could wind up in Miami playing for a championship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hurricane Milton is shaking up the high school football Week 8 schedule. Plus, Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin draft our top four players and three coaches to start their own high school football franchise. All that and our updated Super 10 rankings in this week's Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nease has been on a tear and its 20-17 OT win over Buchholz on Monday night is further proof that the Panthers just may be the area's best team. Plus, small schools St. Joseph, Union County and Zarephath Academy are having excellent seasons and can the Raines defense turn up the pressure a little bit more. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin cover the action from Week 6 and look ahead to Week 7. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hurricane Helene has shaken up Week 6 of the high school football season, but we do have some games of merit. Plus, how the surging Nease Panthers have rocketed up to state prominence under coach Collin Drafts. Plus, it's been tough to see the injuries stack up on the preseason No. 1 Mandarin Mustangs. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin cover all the bases in this week's episode of the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're almost at the midway point of the high school football regular season and the heavyweights are beginning to step forward. Bradford knocked off top-ranked Mandarin to trigger a big shakeup in the Super 10. Plus, we look at our preseason candidates for state championship seasons and if we still think they're positioned to make that run. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin cover all the bases in a Week 5 edition of the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Weather has been uncooperative early in the high school football season, with a handful of games taken off the books in Week 3. Plus, how does an injury to Mandarin QB Tramell Jones change the championship forecast for the Mustangs? And does school size really mean what it used to on the field or are student enrollment numbers a dated way of putting schools in classes? Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin cover those topics and look ahead to Week 4. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Varsity 4 podcast heads into Week 3 of the high school football season and we've got a headliner clash between No. 2 St. Augustine and No. 4 Bolles. Plus, a look back on some big performances, including a five-TD game for Tae'shaun Gelsey of Riverside and a tough injury to Mandarin quarterback Tramell Jones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was a blockbuster opening week of the high school football season, including a tense Raines win over Bolles in a classic that turned heated from things off the field. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin recap a stellar 2024 opening week and look ahead to a big Week 2 in this episode of the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The high school football regular season is here. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin break down our top four games and list the four games that aren't scheduled this season that we'd love to see in this Varsity 4 podcast that kicks off the 2024 season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The high school football regular season is just over a week away. Every team thinks it can win a championship but few have a realistic opportunity to win it. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin break down the contenders and the pretenders in this episode of the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The high school football regular season is less than a month away. We kick off our new brand in Varsity 4, unveil our preseason Super 10, kick around name, image and likeness in Florida and what we're looking forward to this season. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin kick off the march to the season in the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The FHSAA voted to approve name, image and likeness in high school sports this summer, a seismic change for athletes here. What does it mean for Florida? And the addition of a championship division to start in 2026 will create a playoff bracket for blue chippers. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin debate the good and the bad of both. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was a special high school football season with a bunch of special players. Who did we think were among the best? Names like Laython Biddle, Tramell Jones, Locklan Hewlett, Jaime Ffrench and more in this edition of the V4RSITY podcast. Plus, the FHSAA is trying to find the balance for a new playoff system and it hasn't been easy or pretty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was a disappointing week in Tallahassee as Bradford, Mandarin and St. Augustine all came up short in championship games. Unpacking that challenging week, and looking ahead as a new postseason system is on the horizon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bradford survived in overtime. Mandarin's offense turned in another gem on the road. And St. Augustine's defense and ground game looked excellent for another week. Now, it's title time. Will any area team bring home a championship this week in Tallahassee? Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin talk about the chances for area teams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's state semifinals time for high school football teams. Bolles, Bradford, Mandarin, St. Augustine and Trinity Christian are in the state final four. Can any of those teams clear the hurdle and reach the championship after the area was shut out of the finals last year for the first time since 2000? Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin recap a festive regional final week and look at the best options for title game appearances. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Any time a high school football team can make it to a Thanksgiving morning practice, that's a successful season. Baker County, Bartram Trail, Bradford, Bolles, Mandarin, St. Augustine, Trinity Christian and Union County are all still standing tall. Plus, fall season wraps up with cross country state championships. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're in the heart of the high school football playoffs and we've got some excellent rematches in the second round, including Bolles-Raines, Mandarin-Lake Mary and University Christian-Trinity Christian. Plus, it's a banner time of year for volleyball, golf and swimming teams from the area. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin take you through a big week in the area in this week's episode of the V4RSITY podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The playoff brackets are here! Creekside and Nease shine down the stretch. Plus, it's rematches galore. And, what we like and what we don't like about the playoff system. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin cover a lot of ground in this week's edition of the V4RSITY podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nease's upset over Ponte Vedra in Week 10 created a wild scenario for the final week of the regular season. Plus, Bolles, First Coast and Raines get a little bit of payback with district championships. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin recap a wild Week 10 and look ahead to some postseason scenarios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Has Bartram Trail's tough schedule been too tough for a long playoff trip? Plus, a big week of Thursday and Friday night games and a lot of district titles on the line in Week 10 of the high school football season. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin break down the week that was and preview some major showdowns this week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mandarin, Raines stand alone in top tier of Gateway Conference. Sandalwood and Parker clash in final week could be a clash of winless teams. Plus, recapping a wild week of district showdowns and looking ahead to a more chill Week 9 as the regular season inches to the finish line. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin cover all the bases in this episode of V4RSITY. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices