Chiles High School football is on an upward trend.
On Friday, Sept. 12, the Timberwolves (3-1) defeated crosstown opponent Rickards High School Raiders (1-3) 37-20 in a Week 4 FHSAA football game on Stan Goldstein Field.
It was Chiles’ third consecutive win, adding to victories over Pelham (Georgia) in Week 2 and their first-ever triumph over Wakulla in Week 3.
“Our guys came out and played hard from the beginning,” third-year Chiles head coach Bill Ragans told the Tallahassee Democrat.
“Our defining moment was not last week. And tonight’s not our defining moment. We will press every game throughout the season and try to win every game. That’s the kind of mentality our kids have, and we have as a coaching staff.”
Senior running back Jeremiah Cadet ran the Timberwolves past the Raiders. The speedster rushed for two touchdowns, one for 38 yards, and tossed a score to JD Vincent on a trick play.
Defensively, Chiles held Rickards to its lowest scoring total for the season. Rickards’ star quarterback Jordan Kelley had three touchdowns, two passing, one rushing, but was intercepted twice by Chiles defenders Amari Peoples and Alex Assantes.
After Friday, the red-hot Chiles football team feels something special is brewing on the northeast side of Tallahassee.
“We prepped all week. We’ve been working and doing well,” Cadet said. “Job’s not finished. Something is happening in ‘The Woods.’ We don’t plan on losing.”
Chiles Timberwolves football catching steam, will clash with Godby next
Ragans has been the head coach of Chiles since the 2023 season, starting as the interim.
Chiles went 9-11 during his first two years at the helm.
But the 20-plus-year coaching veteran and former Florida State Seminoles defensive back sees his team growing up to get over the hump through “character,” “not giving up,” and “fighting to the bitter end.”
“They bust their butts every afternoon at practice and come out and play hard on Friday nights,” Ragans explained. “You can’t ask for anything more.”
The Chiles Timberwolves will be away next Friday, Sept. 19, when they have another local game versus the Godby Cougars at Gene Cox Stadium. Godby (1-3) got its first victory of the season this Friday by outlasting Suwannee 36-31.
“We’re to be challenged and ready every week and want to get better every day,” Ragans said. “We don’t know where our opponents will be when we get there. We got to make sure we’re on our A-game.”
Led by highly recruited quarterback Landon Dougherty and four-star receiver Jamarin ‘Waffle House’ Simmons, Godby will pose the next test for Chiles.
The Timberwolves vow to stick together to sustain their ongoing momentum.
“We’re all we’ve got. We’ve got to fight for us,” Cadet said.
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Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Chiles football has ‘something happening in The Woods’ after third-straight win vs Rickards
Reporting by Gerald Thomas III, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
