A week after Ponte Vedra, Nease and Beachside all being on the road, now they each return home riding high after wins.
Beachside handled its first road trip of the season with ease en route to a 58-14 victory over Englewood in Jacksonville and will now host fellow St. Johns County opponent Menendez on Sept. 6.
The Barracudas have outscored their opponents 100-30 in the first two games and will face a Falcons team that continues to develop under head coach Anthony Rivers.
Slowing down the Barracudas offense is the key for any opponent and not something that is easily done, and the Falcons experienced this one year ago when they fell 38-7 to the Eddie Jordan-led squad.
All signs see to be pointing toward another productive night for the Barracudas all around, as they continue to make waves as one of the most high-flying offenses in Northeast Florida.
Jordan has thrown for 700-plus yards and eight touchdowns with no interceptions through the first two weeks.
Another team that has had their way the first couple of weeks has been the Nease Panthers, and they welcome in Ridge Community High, who will be making the lengthy trip from Davenport in Central Florida.
The Bolts will be making the nearly three-hour trip as part of the second part of a home-and-home series with the Panthers.
The matchup is probably the most interesting for both teams and will be the farthest out of their region that both teams will go this regular season.
The Panthers defeated the Bolts 48-6 last season, and the Panthers offense looks even further along at this point this year, so all signs point to another possible high-scoring Friday night, this time in front of their home fans.
For the Sharks, last week the question was how they would bounce back, and they wound up doing that is a big way by beating Bartram Trail 28-21.
Now this week, the question centers around if they can keep it going, as they seemed to have found a rhythm both as players on the field and coaches on the sideline in the way they went about calling plays.
In many ways, this week’s opponent Baker County presents some of the same tests that Bartram Trail did as a squad that presents a combination of athleticism and physicality and a winning pedigree.
Fortunately, for the Sharks they seemed to find themselves last week and it was the case on both sides of the ball, as the offensive line provided Drew Price the protection he needed and as a result he looked comfortable in the pocket and was making quick and precise reads in the passing game, which in turn opened running lanes for Brian Case.
And on the defensive side of the ball the veteran defensive front was able to win its battles and insert its presence on the game early and often.
One of the important things the Sharks will have this week they have yet to have this season is its home crowd behind them, as they play in the Shark Tank after opening the season with consecutive road games.
