Hope is in the air as a new high school football season is set to get underway for the Ponte Vedra Sharks and the Nease Panthers.
Both teams are eager to enter the 2023 season as they believe they have an opportunity for a special season and turn those hopes of success into reality.
They will each get some home-cooking to start the season as the Panthers open up against Andrew Jackson High of Jacksonville and the Sharks face-off with county foe Bartram Trail High.
It is the same opponents they opened last season with, but this time around they are looking for a winning result in the contests and a quicker start to the season.
“Winning cures everything,” is a popular saying within the sports world, but another thing it does is create confidence, which can help fuel a team.
After losing their season openers a year ago, the Sharks did not get their first win until their third game, while the Panthers waited until their fifth contest before posting a victory.
The Sharks and Panthers enter the season with momentum after both squads won their preseason kickoff classics last week and looked the part, especially during the portion when their varsity players were in the game.
Both teams look to have balanced attacks with both sides of the ball having shown promise and playmaking ability throughout the spring games and kickoff classics.
The Bartram Trail Bears present one of the toughest tests out of the gate for the Sharks, as the Bears last losing record came in 2009.
However, the Sharks went down to the wire with the Bears last season, only losing 13-7, which was the least amount of points the Bears had scored throughout their 12-1 campaign.
The one thing fans can count on year in and year out is that the Sharks defense will come ready to play and hold its own against any opponent year after year.
However, this year’s offense looks to build off of last year’s improvement as the year went along with veteran senior quarterback Ben Burk returning for his third season at the helm.
His calm veteran presence and understanding of the playbook will accompany a strong rushing attack.
The Panthers are replacing a veteran quarterback of their own in Marcus Stokes, who is now at the University of West Florida.
Nate Harry will get the starting nod heading into the season and provides the Panthers with an athletic force taking snaps with the ability to hurt defenses with both his arm and his legs.
Cam Smith will be a dynamic running back for the Panthers and will give the Nease offense an explosive look from the opening snap, even against a Jackson Tigers team that has turned around its program in recent years thanks to some tenacious defensive efforts.
Because of this, the game has the potential to turn into a defensive slugfest and the Panthers must be ready for that, and signs point that they are, as they looked to have things better sorted out as they only allowed seven points against Menendez in the kickoff classic last week.
Football is back and the first week of Friday night lights are here for everyone involved to enjoy.
