Moore, a safety who will be counted on to anchor a Raiders defense that returns only three starters from 2023, looked ready to command the secondary. With Orange Park trailing 13-0 and facing the prospect of going down three scores before halftime, the junior made consecutive plays that got Orange Park back into the game. One play after breaking up a pass intended for Nick Roberson, Ed White’s top receiver, Moore broke in front of Roberson to steal a pass from the Commanders’ Kymani Pettway and sped 64 yards down the sideline for a touchdown.

McCloud, a freshman who started at defensive tackle but occasionally lined up at defensive end, was the most impressive Raider on the field. He did not take long to adjust to the varsity level. On the second play from scrimmage, McCloud beat his man off the snap and crushed Ed White quarterback Joshua Macklin for a sack and an eight yard loss. The freshman continued to wreak havoc on the Commanders, registering three tackles for loss and recovering a fumble in the third quarter.

“We expect him to have a big impact,” Orange Park head coach Marcus Wimberly said of McCloud. “He is a talented kid. Once he learns the game a little bit more, because he is still raw, he should have a good year.”

McCloud was so good that Wimberly, who will enter his third season at the helm this fall, said after the game that he may give McCloud some time on the offensive line as well.

The offensive line could use the help. With two new starters, the Raiders’ front was no match for a seasoned Commanders front seven that boasts three players with college scholarship offers. Orange Park could not open holes for Damar Jackson, the heir apparent at running back, or protect Gabe Taylor, the returning starter at quarterback. In the first half, the Raiders mustered only one first down and 14 total yards (minus eight rushing).

Wimberly blamed missed assignments for the lack of blocking, noting that the Raiders expected the heavy dose of blitzing they got from the hosts.

“It was a good test for us because most teams are probably going to be more athletic than we are, as a whole,” said Wimberly. “As long as we do what we are coached to do, we will be fine.”

When he was not running for his life or throwing the ball away to avoid a sack, Taylor showed promise. The junior-to-be finished with 10 completions in 18 attempts for 80 yards, with one interception. Wimberly expects good things from Taylor, who started over the latter half of last season.

“He was okay. I expect him to be up there with the top quarterbacks in our district,” said Wimberly. “Going against a more athletic team, it is different [than in practice].”

Five turnovers made it difficult for the Raiders to establish any offensive flow. Hit as soon as he took a handoff from Taylor, Jackson fumbled on Orange Park’s first offensive play, and the loose ball was recovered by Ed White’s top freshman, Troy Butler. However, the Raiders defense stiffened, forcing a 43 yard field goal attempt by the Commanders’ Junior Theodore that was well short.

On Orange Park’s third possession, Taylor could not control a high snap and was tackled as the ball rolled away from him. Ed White defensive end Javon Johnson, who has scholarship offers from Edward Waters College and Weber College, picked up the loose ball and ran 27 yards for the first score of the game. Theodore’s extra point attempt was wide left, so the score stood at 6-0 with 3:38 remaining in the first quarter.

The Commanders seized control with a 10-play drive that took seven minutes off the second quarter clock, marching 68 yards. Butler, who converted a fourth down with a sweep that gained the necessary three yards along the way, capped the drive by following a block from right guard Ronnie-Lee Flores into the end zone from four yards out. Theodore added the extra point for a 13-0 Ed White lead.

Moore brought the Raiders within striking distance with his defensive touchdown, and the Raiders’ attack improved somewhat in the second half. Jackson, who finished with 18 yards on 10 carries, had his two longest runs of the night as Orange Park moved from their own 33 to the Commanders’ four-yard line. On third and goal from there, an apparent touchdown pass to Moore was called back due to an illegal block below the waist. After an interference penalty on Ed White’s Joshua Macklin brought the ball just inside the 10-yard line, a draw play did not fool the Commanders. Jackson was hit immediately and fumbled, with Javon Johnson picking up his second recovery of the game at the 11, ending the threat.

The Raiders got a second chance when two plays later, McCloud recovered a fumble caused by a jarring hit on Pettway by Orange Park’s Innocent Djeden. Taylor immediately found Jack Riviera for 16 yards on a rollout, then ran up the middle to the one yard line. However, a false start brought the ball back to the six-yard line, and from there Taylor faked a handoff, rolled right tried to find an open receiver. Seeing none, he tried to ram his way through two defenders but was stopped at the two-yard line for a turnover on downs.

Ed White capitalized on the final Orange Park turnover to clinch the game midway through the fourth quarter. Jackson could not corral a pitch from Taylor, and the Commanders’ Cameron Washington was the first man to the loose ball at the Orange Park 45 yard line. Pettway converted a fourth and four with a 15-yard strike to Roberson over the middle. Two plays later, the duo connected again, this time on a hook pattern in the end zone from 10 yards out with 4:52 remaining. A trick play on the point after touchdown attempt failed, leaving the score at 19-6.

“I think we played pretty good considering we had five turnovers,” said Wimberly. “We lost by two touchdowns and we were inside the red zone twice. If we eliminate those turnovers, it’s a whole different ball game. We have got to execute.”

The head coach was pleased with his defense, which only allowed 254 total yards.

“I think the defense played well as a group. They made a few mistakes here and there, but for the most part, they held their own. They had to play a whole lot of plays.”

The Raiders will be in a new district this fall that will include Clay County rivals Ridgeview and Fleming Island, but Wimberly is undaunted by the challenge.

“I think we can compete for the district if we do what we are supposed to do over the summer,” he said. “We have just got to keep chopping wood and we will be in the thick of things.”