Friday night lights are back on again in the state of Florida.
Week 1 of the regular season begins this week. For all the people in the Big Bend, where is the game to be? The Tallahassee Democrat put together a list of the top 5 games to watch.
You can also vote for yourself for which five games are the Game of the Week. We shall see. After breaking down each game, here are our top five games to watch this season. Remember, you can vote at the bottom.
Friday night lights are officially back on.
Week 1 of high school football begins this week across the state. Now the question is, what is the game to watch in the Big Bend area? The Tallahassee Democrat narrowed it down to five games.
After breaking it down, here are our top games to watch. Vote now on our poll of which high game is the place to be this week.
Lincoln vs. Niceville
Lincoln made a good impression after blowing out Carol City last week in the Kickoff Classic. Now the real test begins when Niceville comes into town.
The Trojans play fast and are explosive, led by their quarterback, Taylor Jacobs, who threw three touchdowns against the Chiefs.
Niceville was a state semifinalist last season, and we wouldn’t expect anything less from what this season can mean to the Eagles.
Godby vs. Rickards
Godby is looking to avoid a 0-2 start after falling to Florida High last week at Gene Cox Stadium.
The Cougars will return to Cox on Friday night when they take on Rickards. For the Raiders, this will be their opener and running high after blowing out Leon in their kickoff classic last week.
Both teams have their fail levels on both sides of the field. For Godby, it’s the QB-WR duo of Landon Dougherty and Jamarin Simmons, both connected on three touchdown passes last week.
Rickards are led by their running back Karlise Price, who ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns on 12 touches against Leon, and Quarterback Jordan, who Kelley threw for TDs and ran two more on the ground.
The game will come down to which defense can make a clutch stop.
Florida High vs. Dunnellon
Florida High is off to a fast start after taking down Godby in a shootout in its season opener.
The Seminoles were without their starting quarterback, Cannon Cowhey, as he was unavailable due to an injury, leaving sophomore Jayme Miller to step up in his place and throw four TDs to defeat the Cougars.
It is uncertain whether or not Cowhey will be ready for their home opener.
Dunnellon was 8-4 last year and has some of Division I talents to look out for, including its defensive end and tight end Kaiden Robinson-Vickers. At 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, he has offers from UCF, FAU, USF, West Virginia, and Liberty.
Regardless of who starts for the Seminoles, the offensive line game plan is against that junior defensive end.
Wakulla vs. Leon
This game will be a Thursday night matchup at Cox Stadium.
Wakulla is one of the top-scoring offenses across the area, led by their senior quarterback Owen Klees, who made all All-Big Bend last year after throwing 2,662 passing yards and 22 TDs as a junior.
Leon brought back long-time head coach Ricky Bell to restore the team to its winning ways. The Lions will be the underdog going into this game. Let’s see if the Lions can hang around with the War Eagles.
Madison County vs. Deland
Right out of the gate, Madison County will be put to the test against Deland.
Of course, mainly because it’s MadCo, a team that is the reigning state champs and is likely an early favorite to return to the state championship this season.
One of the top returning players for the Cowboys is their best athlete, LJ Crumity, who will be going to Georgia Tech after this season.
The Cowboys have one of the toughest schedules out there. In their last meeting last year, the Cowboys beat the Bulldogs 42-28. DeLand was led by their leading rusher Taihj Moore, who rushed for 1,380 yards and 19 touchdowns as a true freshman.
Discount for NFHS Network through USA TODAY
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Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Big Bend High School football: What is the game of the week? Here are the top 5 candidates
Reporting by Peter Holland Jr., Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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