FOOTBALL

Spring football preview: Creekside, Ponte Vedra, Bartram Trail take the field

Myer Lee
St. Augustine Record
Bartram Trail caps its spring camp Friday against Columbia.

ST. AUGUSTINE — Spring football continues this week with Creekside, Ponte Vedra and Bartram Trail hosting games against some historically tough teams. 

Here’s a look at what to expect: 

Thursday

Baker County at Creekside, 6 p.m. 

The last 10 years have been unfavorable for Creekside. The Knights went 42-76 in the last decade, posting a 5-4 record and first-round exit in the playoffs last season. An above .500 finish is a positive step for the Knights. 

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Creekside faces Baker County, a team that went 10-3 and lost in the regional finals of the 5A state playoffs last year. Baker County is slowly returning to its winning ways. The Wildcats reached the 2017 5A title game but lost to juggernaut American Heritage. 

Clay at Ponte Vedra, 6 p.m. 

Ponte Vedra has a new coach — and he’s really good. Steve Price is a three-time state champ, winning titles in Florida and Georgia, and has a 140-92 career record. His most recent state crown was in 2018 when he led North Florida Christian to a 2A title. Price will be a big boost for the Sharks, who went 5-5 last season and lost in the first round of the playoffs. 

Clay head coach Kyle Kennard lifted the Blue Devils to a 10-2 record and 5A regional semifinal appearance last year after they went 1-9 in 2019. 

Both teams appeared in the 5A state championship in the last eight years, losing to five-time state champs American Heritage. 

Friday 

Columbia (Lake City) at Bartram Trail, 7 p.m. 

Only the coaches would remember the last meeting between these two teams. Columbia’s nine-year head coach Brian Allen walloped Bartram Trail’s 20-year coach Darnell Sutherland, 51-14, in the regional finals of the 2015 7A state playoffs. 

But the momentum has shifted since their last matchup. The Tigers went 5-6 last year and the Bears finished 10-2. Both teams, however, lost in the regional finals of the state playoffs.