High school football: Top games, schedule in Week 5

Mandarin's Devin Lewis (2) lines up against Atlantic Coast's Patrick Bryant II during Saturday's Publix Bold City Showcase.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A glance at four of the top high school football games in Week 5. All games are 7 p.m. unless indicated. 

Mandarin (2-1) at Lee (2-1), 6 p.m.: Not many saw the Mustangs’ big loss to Bartram Trail coming last week, but the 32-7 blowout perhaps reset the makeup of District 1-8A. QB Cale Zarah (467 passing yards, four TDs) has stepped up under center and has big targets in Terry McKinney (162 yards, TD) and multipurpose weapon Cobie Bates (343 offensive yards, three TDs) to get the ball to. Mandarin has had an uneven offensive start, with QB Carson Beck having thrown more interceptions (seven) than TDs (three). The ground game has been solid behind Martranius Mack (205 rushing yards, two TDs), and the Mustangs still have a strong defense. 

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Bolles (2-1) at Creekside (3-1): One of the better matchups in Week 5. The Bulldogs have won two in a row since a Week 1 loss to University Christian, the most impressive of those coming last week against St. Augustine when the versatile Caden Fordham accounted for three TDs and a big pick in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs have been diverse on the offensive side of the ball, using two QBs and multiple backs to spread things out. Creekside’s lone loss came to rival Bartram Trail and the Knights have been very good on offense. QB Quinn Sieger is tops in the area in passing yardage (1,076) and has tossed 10 TDs, eight of those to Jack Goodrich and Shane Calhoun.  

Bartram Trail (4-0) at St. Augustine (2-1): This rivalry has turned in a hurry. After bringing in an 0-19 record to this series last year, the Bears crushed the Yellow Jackets 44-14 to end one of the most unbelievable streaks in recent football history. Bartram has surged in 2019, riding a stout defense to the No. 2 spot in the Super 10 poll. Bartram has 13 takeaways, with Craig Sinclair’s two picks leading the way. QB Chad Dodson has passed for 821 yards and five TDs and A.J. Jones leads the rushing attack (296 yards, eight TDs). For St. Augustine, RB Ty Baxter (258 yards, two TDs) leads the ground game, while Jaden McDowell (195 yards, TD) is the top target for QB Sammy Edwards. 

Baldwin (3-1) at Episcopal (4-0): The Indians are coming off of their first loss of the season, a 42-32 setback against West Nassau. They’ve also got two strong wins preceding that, victories over Bradford and Westside. There’s not been much of a drop from last year’s senior-heavy team that had a one-loss regular season and made the playoffs. QB Bryce Tompkins has passed for 704 yards and eight TDs for the Indians The Eagles relied heavily on their defense this season and they’re averaging two takeaways per game. RB Ershod Jasey is one of the top rushers in the area (552 yards, four TDs). 

WEEK 5 SCHEDULE

•    Baker County (2-1) at Suwannee (3-1), 7:30 
•    Baldwin (3-1) at Episcopal (4-0) 
•    Bartram Trail (4-0) at St. Augustine (2-1)
•    Bishop Kenny (1-2) at West Nassau (3-1)
•    Bolles (2-1) at Creekside (2-1)
•    Branford (2-2) at Bishop Snyder (0-4)
•    Christ’s Church (3-0) at All Saints Academy (3-0)
•    Fernandina Beach (0-4) at Stanton (0-3), 6 p.m. 
•    First Coast (1-2) at University Christian (2-1), 6 p.m. 
•    Fleming Island (3-0) at Ridgeview (0-3)
•    Fletcher (1-2) at Flagler Palm Coast (3-0)
•    Fort White (1-2) at North Florida Educational (1-2)
•    Gainesville St. Francis (1-3) at Eagle’s View (2-2)
•    Mandarin (2-1) at Lee (2-1), 6 p.m. 
•    Miami Carol City (2-2) at Trinity Christian (1-3), 7:30 
•    Middleburg (0-3) at Englewood (1-2), 6 p.m. 
•    Nease (0-3) at Yulee (2-2)
•    Palatka (0-3) at Clay (0-3) 
•    Parker (1-2) at Atlantic Coast (0-3), 6 p.m. 
•    Pierce County, Ga. (3-0) at Bradford (1-1), 7:30 p.m. 
•    Ponte Vedra (3-0) at Menendez (2-1) 
•    Port Orange Atlantic (2-0) at Matanzas (1-2)
•    Quincy Munroe (1-2) at Providence (1-1)
•    Raines (1-2, 1-0) at Paxon (2-2, 0-1), 6 p.m.* 
•    Ribault (0-2) at Sandalwood (3-0), 6 p.m. 
•    St. Johns Country Day (1-1) at Warner Christian (1-1)
•    St. Joseph (2-1) at Hilliard (1-3)
•    Tavares (1-2) at Union County (2-2), 7:30 p.m. 
•    Westside (3-1) at Orange Park (2-1)
•    White (2-1) at Oakleaf (3-1)
•    Wolfson (2-1) at Jackson (1-2), 6 p.m. 

OFF: Cedar Creek Christian, Columbia, Crescent City, Interlachen, Joshua Christian, Keystone Heights, Ware County

GEORGIA - Friday, Sept. 20 

  • Brunswick (1-2) at Camden County (4-0), 7:30 p.m. 
  • Charlton County (1-2) at Atkinson County (1-2), 7:30 p.m.* 
  • Pierce County, Ga. (3-0) at Bradford (1-1), 7:30 p.m. 
  • Wayne County (2-0) at Glynn Academy (1-1), 7:30 p.m. 

About the Author:

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.