News4JAX Varsity 4

A blowout loss in the 2024 state title game was a dose of humility for Raines. The Vikings could have easily let that loss define them. Instead, head coach Donovan Masline, the Raines staff and players, set out on a revenge tour and stamped it with a 23-22 win over the same Miami Northwestern team that it lost to a year earlier. In terms of redemption stories, they don't get much better than that....

It's state championship game week and Bolles and Raines are the last area teams still standing. The Bulldogs face Cardinal Mooney on Wednesday night in Miami and Raines gets its rematch against Miami Northwestern. Do our local teams have a chance to bring home titles? Why Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin think it could be a great week in Miami for Bolles and Raines in this Varsity 4 podcast. Lear...

We've got four teams still standing as the high school football season makes the turn into the state semifinals. Bolles, Ponte Vedra, Raines and Trinity Christian are in the final four. Plus, the importance of just how much quality coaching means in high school football. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin look ahead and back in this week's Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

The third round of the playoffs are here and we've got some seriously strong matchups. Bradford-Cocoa. Mandarin-Buchholz. Trinity Christian-University Christian. St. Augustine-Choctaw. Talk about some good ones. How many teams will be left standing after Black Friday? Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin get you ready for the regional finals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...

It's the second round of the high school football playoffs and we've got some big games on the horizon. Beachside visits Ponte Vedra, Ed White travels to St. Augustine and Impact Christian visits University Christian. Plus, have our views changed on who will win a state title? And how about West Nassau headed to the Sunshine State Athletic Association championship game! Justin Barney and Sponge Fr...

Breaking down the playoff brackets. ... How many teams we think will play for (and win) state championships. The ridiculousness of The First Academy's appeal to get into the playoffs and more from Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin in this episode of the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the bye week before the playoffs begin and the Varsity 4 podcast has a lot of ground to cover. Our best picks for state title games. Plus, the FHSAA tinkers with its classification system again. Movement in our Super 10 and more from Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With all but one district championship decided, the final week of the high school football regular season is here. It's headlined by a huge slate of games on Thursday night, including a Mandarin-St. Augustine showdown. Plus, what happened to Oakleaf in Week 10, a new No. 1 team and our best picks to play for state titles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's only two more weeks left in the high school football regular season, and this happens to be the biggest one of the year. Week 10 will decide the fate of several area teams as playoff spots are on the line. Plus, an update on coaching situations at Nease and Bartram Trail and more from Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've got five teams who have clinched district championships already as the state playoffs come into view. Plus, our thoughts on the new invitational tournament in high school football that will see the playoffs grow by 32 teams. And a look at Week 9 of the season. All of that and more in this episode of the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some huge district games headline the Week 8 high school football schedule. A handful of teams can wrap up district titles and playoff sports this week. Plus, the head coach at Bartram Trail will miss this week's game against Nease after the school self-reported a possible violation. What to make of that situation and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bolles running back Xander Edwards had the best rushing performance in area history in Week 6, erupting for 522 yards and eight touchdowns in win over Baldwin. He'll go into the NFHS record books with that one. Also, St. Augustine knocks down another ranked team and a light Week 7 in the area. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin break things down in the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad ch...

St. Augustine-Nease lived up to the billing. Bolles-Oakleaf was a one-sided romp and did not. Plus, could we build a local team that could beat IMG Academy? And our top players at the halfway mark of the regular season include names like Brysen Wright, Somourian Wingo, Naeem Burroughs, Jacob Curry, Brody Jennings and more. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin take a spin around the area on a number o...

Week 5 includes two massive showdowns in Bolles at Oakleaf and St. Augustine visiting Nease. Plus, Raines lays the hammer on Lake Mary to state its case as area's best team. Plus, results from our preseason survey among players and coaches from Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've got a new team at the top of our Super 10 and a surge in Nassau County football. Plus, we make the case for Gateway Conference teams to build stronger schedules by dropping some of their weaker opponents. And some thoughts on some big Week 4 games. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin make the rounds in the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Week 3 of the high school football season and there's a major Super 10 collision on tap when St. Augustine visits Bolles. Plus, Brysen Wright is making a massive impact for Mandarin everywhere, but he has been elite in the secondary. How special is what we're seeing with him? Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin make the rounds in Varsity 4. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

A big win for Nease over Ponte Vedra. Brysen Wright's potential is off the charts. A new Super 10 rankings from area head coaches. And state teams fared poorly in their matchups on the national stage. Plus, Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin look back on Week 1 and look ahead to Week 2 in this episode of the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The high school football season is here! Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin are talking the top players in the area, mega recruit Brysen Wright, the ceiling and the floor for the area's best teams and our top 10 teams in the area. Buckle up and let's go! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2024 high school football season is in the books and we're unveiling our top 16 players and our Varsity 4 All-News4JAX football teams. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin break down our top 16 players and what those athletes did to turn heads in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was a tough finish for the Raines football team in a 41-0 loss to Miami Northwestern in the Class 3A state championship game. The title games as a whole were dominated by South Florida teams. In this era of football, how can teams like Mandarin, Oakleaf, Raines and St. Augustine be better prepared for the state series-level games? Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin offer some suggestions. Learn...

Three local teams played in the state football semifinals and only one made it through. The Raines Vikings head to Pitbull Stadium on Saturday night for a date with Miami Northwestern in the Class 3A state championship game. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin break down the matchup in this episode of the Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Only three local teams are still standing in the high school football state playoffs — Raines, St. Augustine and Trinity Christian. The Vikings are the lone area program to be playing at home. Which team or teams will be moving on to championship games? Plus, our best guesses at an early signing day flip as Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin break things down in this Varsity 4 podcast. Learn more a...

Raines has been on a tear the likes of which we haven't seen in quite some time. The Vikings are 11-0 and walloping opponents in the playoffs. Can Bishop Kenny cool off the Vikings in the regional finals? Plus, looks at the other classifications and which teams we think will be playing on into December. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin break the brackets down in a Thanksgiving edition of the Vars...

After a very good opening week of the high school football playoffs, we're in the second round of the postseason with some excellent local showdowns on tap. Plus, an update from a state representative on how the low pay issue in Florida could be approached next year. All that and more in this episode of the Varsity 4 podcast with Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin. Learn more about your ad choices....

The high school football playoffs are here. There were some grumbles around the state after the brackets were announced, with some very valid points. Should the FHSAA be more transparent in how its formula with MaxPreps works or is it balanced already? What about going to a system like the one in Georgia? Plus, Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin break down our favorite first-round matchups and how...