The buzz around the St. Augustine Yellowjackets is getting louder by the week.
The Old City football powerhouse ascended to No. 8 in Rivals’ statewide rankings after a dramatic 28–24 win over the Nease Panthers in Ponte Vedra on Friday night.
The conquest pushed St. Augustine to a perfect 5–0 record, an unblemished mark that includes an impressive road win over Bolles earlier this season.
Nease had entered the matchup ranked No. 21 by Rivals after a rollicking 4–0 start, but Friday’s loss knocked the Panthers out of the outlet’s top 25 list.
“Nease is a very good team,” Yellowjackets Head Coach Brian Braddock told host David Rivera on The Buzz after the clash. “They’re a complete team and they put a lot of pressure on you in all three phases of the game. From a preparation standpoint, they have the capacity to overwhelm people.”
There’s no rest for the Jackets this week — they’ll face another unbeaten school in the Columbia Tigers of Lake City, who also sit at a perfect 5–0.
ST. AUGUSTINE HEAD COACH BRIAN BRADDOCK Q&A WITH THE CITIZEN
While he praised his team’s performance against Nease, Braddock said the confetti quickly settled after toppling their cross-county rival.
“We’re going to have our hands full,” he said. “So I’m no longer savoring the win from last night. I’m proud of our kids, and obviously we’re happy to be 5–0 and grateful for that — but we’ve got a huge test this week.”
Braddock is hoping the electric atmosphere from Friday’s contest carries over into this week’s home game.
“I want everyone to understand the magnitude of this game coming up Friday and the quality of the opponent,” Braddock said. “It should be a great football game, and I hope Brumley stadium is rocking. Looking forward to it.”
Head Coach Collin Drafts and the Panthers will look to bounce back Friday on the road against 4–1 Buchholz in Gainesville.
