The Bartram Trail Bears will head out to square off against the Buchholz Bobcats at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
On Friday, Bartram Trail ended up a good deal behind St. Augustine and lost 34-20. The Bears have struggled against the Yellow Jackets recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Leo Marucci
| 10/17/25 @ St. Augustine | 87 |
| 09/26/25 vs Tocoi Creek | 87 |
| 08/22/25 @ Sumner | 30 |
| 09/05/25 vs Ware County | 20 |
| 09/19/25 vs Orange Park | 18 |
The losing side was boosted by Arthur Lewis, who rushed for 53 yards and two scores. Leo Marucci also helped out with an impressive 87 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Buchholz came tearing into last Friday's game with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 22.4 points), and they left with even more momentum. They breezed past the Toros to the tune of 42-7. Given the Bobcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 17th, while the Toros are ranked 157th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Buchholz's win came from a few key players Bartram Trail will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Andrew Whittemore, who rushed for 14 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also threw for 69 yards and two TDs. Buchholz's leading receiver Justin Williams was Whittemore's top target yet again, picking up 51 receiving yards and a pair of scores, while also rushing for 50 yards.
Buchholz's run defense was locked in: Tocoi Creek could only muster 0.1 yards per carry. The Bobcats' ground attack was stronger, having averaged 4.9.
Buchholz's record is now 7-1. As for Bartram Trail, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-6.
Thursday's contest might be decided on the ground. Bartram Trail has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 195.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Buchholz struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 180.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Thursday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Bartram Trail and Buchholz were neck-and-neck in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, but Bartram Trail came up empty-handed after a 38-37 loss. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Williams, who rushed for 297 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 13.5 yards per carry, and also picked up 53 receiving yards. Now that the Bears know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
