OAKLEAF - With Middleburg having the best start in decades for the program, the Broncos had to eek around to get into the playoffs, but coach Ryan Wolfe accomplished at least two of his three goals from August; a playoff spot, a winning record, and, missing, a district title.

Wolfe finishes with a least a 6-4 regular season record with a North Marion road game as his final game against a North Marion team far away; four wins, five losses, from the days of big playoff rivalry games with Clay High and a running game on both sides, thanks to Bilal Ally, that totaled near 1000 yards of offense and a 65-58 Clay win in the old days. Ally, who played at the University of Massachusetts, set a massive state playoff mark with 496 yards on the ground with five touchdowns; one a 96-yard kickoff return that put then coach Joshua Hoekstra into the Class 5A state semifinals against Wakulla. Wakulla had former University of Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks behind center chucking for three scores to FSU wide receiver Keith Gavin to beat the Blue Devils 34-24 en route to their state runner-up finish to Bishop Moore. Heck of a history recall.
Back to 2024, Middleburg gets a third playoff spot in three years; the fourth season for Wolfe, after a sterilizing loss to Fleming Island on Friday (see Mike Zima story) and with the unenviable task of a road trip to No. 1 Niceville (8-1) the district 1-5A champion with a 43-3 win over Milton. Niceville's lone loss to unbeaten Mosley High, 37-28, on September 30.

Class 5A
1. Lakeland (8-0)
2. St. Thomas Aquinas (7-3)
3. Manatee (Bradenton) 7-1)
4. Atlantic (Delray Beach) 7-1)
5. Tampa Bay Tech (5-2)
6. Lincoln (7-2) No. 3 Region 1-5A
8. Mosley (9-0) No. 2 Region 1-5A
9. Niceville (8-1), No. 1 Region 1-5A
12. Ponte Vedra (7-2) No. 4 Region 1-5A
13. Beachside (7-2) No. 5 Region 1-5A
14. Fleming Island (6-3) No. 6 Region 1-5A
15. Daytona Beach Mainland (4-5) No. 7 Region 1-5A
30. Chiles (3-6)
35. Middleburg (6-3) No. 8 Region 1-5A

Tentative Playoff schedule

1. Niceville hosts 8. Middleburg
4. Ponte Vedra hosts 5. Beachside
3. Lincoln hosts 6. Fleming Island
2. Mosley hosts 7. Mainland

With the final regular season game being inconsequential to changing of the playoff formats, the above schedule should be the final schedule at the end of the season.

For Oakleaf, in district 2-6A, their district championship loss to Mandarin (See Randy Lefko story) may flop them at No. 4 and No. 5, but should leave the game intact.

Class 6A
1. Tampa Armwood (8-0)
2. Nease (7-0) District 3-6A
3. Buchholz (5-3) District 3-6A
4. West Boca Raton (7-1)
5. Pace (8-1) Loss to 2A-Pensacola Catholic (7-1) August 30.
6. Mandarin (7-2) District 2-6A champion
9. Oakleaf (6-3) District 2-6A
19. Bartram Trail (3-5) District 3-6A
22. Evans (Orlando) (5-4)
23. Fletcher (5-4) District 2-6A
25. Tate (7-2)

District 3-6A Nease still has games with Beachside and Bartram Trail; Bartram Trail moved due to Hurricane to November 7. Buchholz finishes with unbeaten 1A-Cardinal Newman (West Palm Beach). Bartram Trail has Ribault (1-8) and Nease remaining on schedule.

Tentative Playoff schedule

1. Nease hosts 8. Tate
4. Mandarin hosts No. 5 Oakleaf
3. Buchholz hosts 6. Oviedo
2. Pace hosts 7. Evans (possible Bartram Trail)

Game to Watch
Clay (3-6) at Orange Park (2-7)
A game that could be the pivot for either coach; Kennard or Wimberly, as this season should be good for both of them. Orange Park likes Hoyt B. Cotney field for an upset (Middleburg 2023) and this could be enough drama for a tough game. Both teams have struggled, but, on a positive note, both have had tough schedules.
Clay had a 49-13 loss to Columbia with Orange Park losing 48-20 to Beachside; both district games.
For Clay, quarterback Landon Martin threw for 197 yards and one score, but got tagged for three interceptions while running back Lavaris Roberts got stymied to just one yard run in 11 carries. Nehemiah Bailey led the Blue Devils offense with 38 yards rushing. Daylen Brown had five catches with a touchdown pass. Linebacker Javaris Roberts had another double-digit tackle night with 12 stops. Aaron Stacy had four tackles for losses and a sack.

Tocoi Creek (4-5) at Oakleaf (6-3)
Both teams were bruised and battered; Tocoi Creek with four straight losses to Beachside, Buchholz, Menendez, and Nease, all playoff bounds. Oakleaf comes after a loss to Mandarin and the upcoming playoffs. Win get momentum, stay healthy.

Keystone Heights (2-7) at Crescent City (7-2)
Rugged Keystone Heights schedule; 40-0 loss to Palatka (6-3) on Friday, has kept Indians in at least the mix for possible region spot, but the row to hoe gets more volatile with Crescent City a rival and playoff bound in Class 1A.

Middleburg (6-3) at North Marion (4-5)
Coach Ryan Wolfe will want a final win to jet into playoffs with the tough opener at Niceville on the horizon. North Marion is dangerous with losses to South Sumter, Dunnellon, 4A Ocala-Vanguard (8-1), and Fort White (see below).

Ft. White (5-3, rural) at Fleming Island (7-2)
District champion Fleming Island is running on eight cylinders after a rough start. Coach Derek Chipoletti accomplished his goal of bringing the team together and playing as one. Kudos. Fort White losses have been to playoff bounds Newberry (7-2, No. 9 2A), Union County (8-0, No. 3 Rural), and Taylor County (2A 6-2, No. 20), no slouches here.

Ridgeview (1-8) at Episcopal (3-5)
Ridgeview first-year coach Merlin Smith has shot to extinguish a record of 1-9 slates for the Panthers in the last three years with a win here. Episcopal's last two games were Trinity Christian Academy and Savannah Country Day out of Georgia, a 3A playoff team that lost 46-45 in round one. Could be smarting and looking for their momentum for next season.
Ridgeview got beaten 63-7 by St. Augustine with 28 points in the first and second quarters; with five running backs scoring touchdowns, before easing off the throttle.

Upset
This could be Merlin Smith's best game against a good Episcopal season and will add roster numbers for next year.