Do not look now, but football season will be upon us soon, as it is less than two months away before preseason jamboree games will be taking place.
Ponte Vedra will what has become quite the tradition in years as they will face Mandarin on the road in a preseason classic Aug. 18 at 6:30 p.m.
The Sharks schedule will include four contests against St. Johns County opponents, which feature hosting Bartram Trail to open the season Aug. 25. Other county games are against Menendez on Sept. 22, at home against Nease on Oct. 27 and wrapping up the regular season with Creekside on the road.
The annual rivalry between the Sharks and Panthers will take place late in the season for the second-straight year after being such a hit among fans and players a season ago.
With both teams once again sharing the same district as members of District 4-4S, that game will serve as the final district contest of the season and there could be plenty of title and playoff implications on the line when the two meet, especially since they are part of a three-team district that also includes Flagler Palm Coast.
District games always carry more weight, but three-team districts really create even more of a must-win atmosphere and can create some interesting scenarios at seasons end as the champion is sorted out.
The Sharks will have a couple of lengthy trips during the season with the farthest one being the three-hour trek west along Interstate-10 to face Florida State University High School in Tallahassee, which is returning the favor of the Seminoles coming to the Shark Tank last season.
After visiting Ocala Trinity Catholic a year ago, this time around the Sharks will host Celtics, a traditionally successful program with a late season game on Oct. 13.
The Panthers will open up play with a preseason showdown against Menendez at home followed by a continued stretch where they will play their first two regular season games at home against Jackson and Creekside.
They will end the season with three of their last four games at home, as they hope the confines of the Panther Den will make all the difference as they make a march toward the postseason.
As it gets later in the season, that is also when the Panthers’ rivals will arise on the schedule with St. Augustine High and the Sharks within a three week-span, with Flagler Palm Coast sandwiched in between.
If the Panthers can get through this late season gauntlet it will likely be just what they need, not only from a record point of view but also from a preparation standpoint as they hope to achieve their ultimate of goal of making the playoffs and making a deep run toward a state title.
Nearly half of the Panthers schedule will come against fellow St. Johns County schools, with four of them taking place during the regular season and one in the preseason.
Although fall practice has not yet begun for the teams and the players and fans are still in summer vacation mode, there is no doubt that football season is always on the back burner just waiting for us to blink enough for it to be another fall and another fresh season.
