Welcome to Week 8 of the Florida high school football season in the Gainesville area.
As usual, Week 7 provided little wisdom and more of the same. To start, some top teams in the area were idle (like Eastside). Area powerhouses like Buchholz (eighth straight city title), Bradford (another blowout district win) and Hawthorne (once again, a monster home win) continued business as usual.
However, statements were still made. Newberry put newcomer Santa Fe in its place with a massive road district win. Columbia responded from its loss to St. Augustine with a thrashing of 2024 state semifinalist Manatee and Trenton handed Oak Hall its first loss of the season ― leaving the area with no more undefeated teams.
District play returns for many of North-Central Florida’s top teams, including district championships between Eastside and South Sumter and Newberry and Bradford.
Here’s your full Week 8 schedule for the Gainesville area:
2025 Week 8 FHSAA Gainesville area Florida high school football schedule
Thursday, October 9
Leesburg (3-3, 0-1) at Gainesville High (2-4, 0-1) – 7:00 p.m.; district game
Friday, October 10
Buchholz (6-1, 1-0, Class 6A No. 4) at Tocoi Creek (3-3, 0-1) – 7:00 p.m.; district game
Jacksonville-Old Plank Christian Academy (5-2) at Oak Hall (5-1) – 7:00 p.m.
Bronson (0-7) at Lecanto-Seven Rivers Christian (2-6) – 7:00 p.m.
Dover-Specially Fit Academy (5-2) at P.K. Yonge (0-6) – 7:00 p.m.
Pierson-Taylor (2-3) at Williston (5-1, Rural No. 5) – 7:00 p.m.
Dixie County (1-6) at Blountstown (6-0, Rural RV) – 7:00 p.m.
Columbia (6-1, 0-1) at Orange Park-Ridgeview (2-4, 0-1) – 7:00 p.m.; district game
Suwannee (1-5, 0-2) at Glen St. Mary-Baker County (3-4, 0-1) – 7:00 p.m.; district game
Jacksonville-Zarephath Academy (3-4) at Fort White (3-3, Rural RV) – 7:30 p.m.
Bell (3-4) at Interlachen (2-5) – 7:30 p.m.
Newberry (3-3, 3-0) at Bradford (6-1, 2-0, Class 2A No. 3) – 7:30 p.m.; district game
Hawthorne (4-1, Rural No. 1) at Jacksonville-University Christian (5-2, Class 1A No. 5) – 7:30 p.m.
Chiefland (6-1, Rural No. 4) at Perry-Taylor County (6-0, Rural RV) – 7:30 p.m.
Bushnell-South Sumter (5-1, 1-0, Class 3A No. 7) at Eastside (4-2, 1-0, Class 3A No. 10) – 7:30 p.m.; district game
Santa Fe (4-2, 1-1) at Keystone Heights (0-6, 0-2) – 7:30 p.m.
Branford (5-2) at Trenton (5-1) – 7:30 p.m.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Gainesville high school football area schedule for Week 8, topped by Newberry at Bradford
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
