(This story has been updated to add new information.)
The yards kept mounting. The clock kept ticking. Clayton Lee and his West Nassau offensive line teammates kept pushing.
It all ended in 387 yards total, and for the Times-Union Super 11 blocker, it felt like it.
“It was a tough whole bunch of yards,” Lee said, “and we fought for every single one of them. There was no easy yard out there.”
Throwback high school football came to Jacksonville in the Sunshine State Athletic Association opener, a grind-it-out old-school battle for West Nassau to overcome a determined Paxon 35-20 on Aug. 14.
A back-breaking final drive that chewed up eight minutes and 18 seconds, finishing with Smo Green’s third touchdown run of the game, not only put away Paxon (0-1) but showed just what the SSAA Atlantic League runners-up from 2025 have in store for the state.
That’s 387 yards in the books now. They gained more than 4,600 rushing last year. Teams know what’s coming. Paxon couldn’t stop them. Can anyone in the SSAA fare better?
“It shows,” Green said, “that we can do anything.”
WARRIORS’ THREE-HEADED MONSTER
West Nassau’s blast-from-the-past approach wasn’t always pretty. But it worked.
Whether it was fullback Cameron Johns (20 carries, 192 yards), halfback Green (21 carries, 128 yards) or wingback Avery Griffin (nine carries, 50 yards) toting the football, West Nassau kept its Wing-T offense churning for 20 first downs.
Johns scored two touchdowns in addition to Green’s three, despite the efforts of a front seven led by senior Braylon Jenkins, credited with more than a dozen tackles.
Balance is the norm in Callahan. Last year, the Warriors had four ball carriers with 800 yards or more. In 2026, it could be more of the same.
“It’s a blessing,” West Nassau head coach Gunnar Cox said. “I feel like we’ve got three backs and when their time comes, they’re all going to have 100 yards, 100-plus yards a game.”
PAXON COMEBACK FALLS SHORT
Bring back a 2,200-yard running back for his senior year, like Paxon’s KJ Palmer, and there’s always hope for a comeback.
Paxon’s problem was simple enough: West Nassau’s ball-control offense kept possession away from the Golden Eagles and out of Palmer’s hands.
Palmer, though he seldom found space for big plays (83 yard rushing, 33 receiving) against the Warriors, sparked Paxon to life with a 55-yard touchdown run just before halftime to give the Golden Eagles hope.
Paxon also connected on touchdown passes from Javier Dixon to Deundre Byrd, the first tying the score 14-14 in the third quarter and the second making it 28-20 in the fourth.
But three turnovers, a fumble and passes that were picked off by West Nassau’s Van Alexander and Blaine Coker, proved too much to overcome.
“I was happy the way we held up because they were definitely a lot bigger than we were,” Paxon coach Steve Brown said. “But the little things matter.”
WARRIORS ON THE MARCH
Yes, West Nassau can throw the ball. Really.
They didn’t pass often, but one of their four throws made a serious impact, a Brennan Forshee-to-Avery Griffin completion to the Paxon 1 to set up a touchdown.
But for the most part, West Nassau moved the ball the slow, steady way. Scoring drives of 3 minutes, 20 seconds (a 1-yard Green run); 3:53 (2-yard Johns run); 5:18 (5-yard Green run); 2:21 (1-yard Johns run, a short field following Coker’s pick); and then that eight-minute back-breaker to finish it off.
There may be a lot more drives like those coming. At West Nassau, South Carolina commit Lee is the cornerstone but far from the only powerful blocker. The names on that line Friday included Lee (315 pounds), Drew Anthony (315 pounds), Jake Davis (235), Mason Freeman (240) and Greg Tompkins (280 pounds). Pushing teams back. Way back.
Next to try to slow them down: Charlton County, then KIPP Bold City, then Palm Bay Bayside. Turns out slow and steady works out fine for West Nassau.
“Being able to get our running backs a little bit of extra yardage every play,” Lee said, “just feels good.”
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: One game, 387 yards. West Nassau’s ground stampede sets tone in opener
Reporting by Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
