The first month of the Big Bend football season is now complete, and week four featured a handful of blowout wins and some statement victories.
With a packed slate of games, there is plenty of action to dive into from week four of the Big Bend football season.
Week 4 Power Rankings Big Bend Football Power Rankings: Who is in the top ten after 3 weeks of play
Rickards came into its rivalry matchup with Godby on the back of two straight losses, needing a win to get the season back on track.
What the Raiders got was a wire-to-wire victory, 24-8, over the Cougars, something that head coach Quintin Lewis said the team needed.
"We really just wanted to put things together this week," Lewis said. "We struggled last week at Navarre, so we wanted to come out here and play a complete game. I think for the most part we did that."
A big part of the Raider's success tonight was the run game, with junior running back Kemarrion Battles rushing for 101 yards and scoring three touchdowns. Lewis said it was in the game plan to establish the run game and get Battles going.
"We felt like we had an advantage in the run game," Lewis said. "We really committed to run game, I think we got to pass happy last week, the game got a little out of control for us, so we have to be able to run the football and move the ball like we do offensively."
Battles was simple in his explanation of what his game plan was for the game against Godby.
"I wanted to make things happen and be unstoppable," Battles said.
On defense, the Raiders defensive line had a standout performance. Led by junior Jalen Wiggins , Rickards disrupted the Godby offensive line all night, making it hard for the Cougars to get in rhythm.
"We make sure we do our best to get back there and cause pressure as fast as possible," Wiggins said about the defensive line. "We had a good outing in the first half and it gave us the opportunity to continue the rest of the game."
Wiggins said the team was ready to bounce back after two disappointing losses. He cited the team's ability to reset week to week and focus on their next opponent as one of the reasons Rickards came out so strong against Godby.
"It is one thing that we always do, no matter if we win or lose, we always got to come back with a mindset to win next week," Wiggins said. "The last two losses kind of hit for us, we knew this week we had to come back and win, and we hope we can do that for the rest of the season.
Rickards Stats:
K. Battles: 101 yards, 3 TDs
Jaishun Frazier: 3 receptions, 26 yards
Amarion Wilson: 2 receptions 16 yards
Tyson Sailor: 2 receptions, 14 yards
Rickards plays Chiles next week.
It's been a strange start for Florida High to say the least.
Its Week 1 game against Trinity Catholic was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak. The following week it lost practices due to Hurricane Idalia and lost by a point to Ponte Vedra.
However, back-to-back dominating wins, most recently topping Gadsden County, 45-22, on Friday, have allowed the Seminoles to find their footing.
"It's been a different struggle for us this season and we're just trying to find our footing," Florida High head coach Jarrod Hickman said. "We had a really good week of preparation. I thought our guys came out and played really well."
While the defense kept the Jaguars' offensive impact to a minimum, the offense was dominated by two players: senior wide receiver Keisean Inman and running back Micahi Danzy .
Danzy, a Florida State commit, has been a focal point of Florida High's offense for years, but Inman has quickly risen this season. He scored three touchdowns against Gadsden County, notably returning a kickoff 85 yards to the house.
Before this game, Inman only had 41 receiving yards and a touchdown.
"Keisean is really an outstanding player for us and has been for a long time too," Hickman said. "With a couple of receivers gone this year, we look for some guys to step up alongside Ashton [Hampton] and Keisean has been outstanding."
"He's a young man that's always been very consistent in what he does and I think people just get a chance to see how special he is."
Danzy, also scored three touchdowns on the night, bumping his total to six on the year. As he's expected to dominate Florida High's stat sheet, Hickman said that he's improved and stepped up as a leader on the field.
"He's really had a really good leadership and role in practice," Hickman said. "I think he's done very good job of helping the young guys try to get prepared."
Despite the loss, Gadsden County had a handful of silver linings throughout the game. Senior cornerback Noah Murphy picked off Johnston near the end of the first half, leading to a touchdown from sophomore Daylen Green .
Senior wide receiver Michael Thomas opened up the second half with a bang, returning a kickoff 91 yards to the house.
Friday night's win comes at the perfect time for Florida High as it's preparing to do something it hasn't done during Hickman's time as head coach.
It'll be on the road for three straight weeks, starting next week at Madison County, then going to Trinity Catholic and rounding out at Carrollwood Day. Adding on the Lecanto game and the Gadsden County game, the Seminoles will have played five road games in a row by mid-October.
"That's just kind of the way the schedule is worked out because of how the year started," Hickman said. "These are all playoff teams, all really good football teams. We're honestly, trying to just take them one game at a time."
Florida High travel to Madison County next week.
The Lions went on a 98-yard game-winning touchdown drive with under two minutes left of the game to beat the Dolphins. A last-second touchdown from Jeremiah Danlies lifted Leon to the victory and the best start to a season in decades.
Leon host JPII next week.
The War Eagles keep rolling, moving to 4-0 to start the season.
Wakulla travels to Mosley next week.
The Tigers are still looking for the first win of the season, falling to 0-4.
Jefferson County plays Dixie County next week.
Munroe fall to 0-3 on the season.
The Bobcats travel to Lincoln next week.
NFC moves to 2-2 on the season and Taylor County falls to 0-2.
NFC hosts Valwood next week, Taylor County hosts Blounstown.
The Warriors remain undefeated. Landon LaRosa went 10/17, throwing for 141 yards and rushing for 76 yards in the win over Georgia Christian.
Aucilla Christian travels to Graceville next week.
Madison County moves to 2-0 on the season.
The Cowboys host Florida High next week.
The Timberwolves fall to Niceville, move to 1-2.
Chiles host Rickards next week.
The Trojans move to 3-0 on the season and the Panthers fall to 0-3.
Lincoln hosts Munroe next week, JPII travels to Leon.
No score reported
Maclay travel to FAMU DRS next week.
No score reported
FAMU DRS hosts Maclay next week.
Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamroone y
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Rickards, Florida High win, Tallahassee area high school week four scores
