Football Game Preview: First Coast Buccaneers vs. Mandarin Mustangs

First Coast is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Friday. They will be playing in front of their home fans against the Mandarin Mustangs at 6:30 p.m. Mandarin took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on First Coast, who comes in off a win.

Mandarin will face off against a team with plenty of momentum: First Coast extended their winning streak to three on Friday. The Buccaneers simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Clay 49-7. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 42-7.

David Hunter and Aden Coates were among the main playmakers for First Coast as the former threw for 206 yards and one touchdown while completing 81.8% of his passes and the latter rushed for 100 yards and one score on only nine carries.

First Coast's run defense was locked in: Clay could only muster 3.1 yards per carry. The team can thank Zach Sandell for the heroic effort on defense: he. First Coast didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 17.3.

Justin Virginia

Total Tackles

08/22/25 @ Tocoi Creek	3
08/29/25 vs KIPP Bold City	3
09/12/25 @ Baker County	5
09/19/25 vs Clay	6

First Coast didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Tre'Shaun Martin, Justin Virginia, and Curtis Burgess picked up one apiece. Virginia also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with six. First Coast got some further help from Sandell: he picked up a sack and made eight total tackles.

Meanwhile, Mandarin faced IMG Academy in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Mustangs were dealt a 57-7 loss at the hands of the Ascenders. The game marked the Mustangs' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

First Coast's win bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Mandarin, their defeat was their first of the season and makes their record 4-1.

First Coast might still be hurting after the 27-6 loss they got from Mandarin when the teams last played back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Buccaneers, Deion Winstead (who rushed for 123 yards and one TD while picking up 7.2 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.