The 2024 football season was a memorable one in so many ways for both the Nease Panthers and Ponte Vedra Sharks.
Both teams advanced in the playoffs and created so many moments that fans and players alike will be talking about for years to come.
The Panthers were a juggernaut on offense from the season’s opening kickoff and averaged 37.7 points per game thanks to a balanced attack and a multitude of weapons that made defensive coordinators’ heads spin on a weekly basis.
The receiving corps was five deep with four players totaling more than 300 yards on the season and three with more than five touchdowns.
Senior Maddox Spencer led the way with 60 catches for 976 yards and 12 touchdowns, which were all team-highs, while Brayden Felder was another reliable target in crucial situations and hauled in 450 yards and three touchdowns on 46 receptions.
Tyler Ghazanfari and Vernon Stephens both made the most of their targets with each catching 19 passes on the year for six touchdowns a piece.
Another player who showed a knack for finding the endzone was senior running back K.J. Perry who scored 17 touchdowns, 16 of those on ground, as he averaged an impressive 6.3 yards per carry en route to 872 rushing yards.
One of the bright spots of the season was senior quarterback Nate Harry, who showed tremendous growth from the experience he gained last season as a starter and came back a confident presence and just who the Panthers needed to operate their high-flying offense.
Harry was efficient, completing 61% of his passes for 2,224 yards and 26 touchdowns to go with only five interceptions, and showcased his dual-threat prowess with 393 yards and six scores on the ground as well.
Defensively, the Panthers had leaders all around and they played with an attacking mindset and passion that reflected defensive coordinator Robert Garth.
Joe Miracle, Jacob Curry and Noah Hodge all finished with 100-plus tackles on the season, while Kyle Hurtado was not far behind with 95.
What is scary for opposing offenses is that Curry, Hodge and Hurtado are all juniors, so the defense looks to be in good hands again heading into the next season.
Curry and Miracle also led the team in sacks, with eight and seven, respectively, while Elisha Luckett intercepted five passes.
Senior Shemar McNair was only able to play in seven games before an injury, but he left his influence on the team as both a playmaking safety and a vocal leader among the group. And his late game interception in overtime against Gainesville Buchholz will go down in Nease football lore.
For the Sharks, they showed a focus and determination that is rare among high school teams, and it is what made the group a special one in the end.
They were one two-point conversion away from upsetting Niceville High and reaching the regional final, and in the process showed the entire state that they were a team that could beat anyone and that they were up to the challenge.
That tenacity was especially reflective on the defensive side of the ball where the Sharks were able to impose their will time and again and it started along the front seven.
Senior Ryker Kemp was nearly unlockable at times and as a result he finished with a team-high 15 sacks, while Reece Beck (eight), Martin Geary (seven) and J.P. Dolan (five) provided a pass rush that came from every angle.
Talan Babin will return for his senior season next year after he was a consistent presence at middle linebacker with 79 tackles, nine for a loss, while junior Cooper Sobieck led the way in the secondary with 20 passes defended.
On offense, senior Brian Case was a workhorse in the backfield and someone the Sharks leaned on throughout the season, and he proved up to task every time.
Case seemed to get stronger as the games wore on and the more carries he got and it reached the point where surpassing 100 rushing yards in a game was the expectation, as he reached the mark in eight of the 12 games he played en route to 1,563 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground, not to mention that he also caught two and threw for one.
Just like Harry, Drew Price continued to develop throughout the year and embraced his role as a leader at quarterback, and his cohesion with his young group of receivers had a lot to do with it.
Juniors Davitt Doherty and Jack Berquist along with sophomore Cam Tietze combined to reel in 1,677 yards and 14 touchdowns through the air. The future for the passing attack looks bright with all three returning next season.
