FLORIDA TOP 25 PREVIEW: No. 23 Buchholz Bobcats team preview

With the 2022 high school football season here we are previewing the Top 25 teams in our Florida Top 25 rankings that we have already debuted on Varsity Sports Network’s Florida Gridiron Report last week. Rankings for the Florida Top 25 will be updated each Wednesday night on the Florida Gridirion Report and on FloridaHSFootball.com along with all classification rankings.

NO. 23 BUCCHOLZ BOBCATS

Head Coach: Mark Whittemore, 11th year

Classification & District: 4S-3

2021 Record: 12-2

Key Athletes: DL Gavin Hill, Sr; QB/ATH Creed Whittemore, Sr; WR Jaren Hamilton, Sr; DL Kendall Jackson, Jr; RB Quinton Culter, Jr; DB Donny Heibert, Sr; UTL/ATH Jacarree Kelly, Sr

2022 Schedule

Kickoff 7 PM ET unless noted

* – Denotes District Game

All home games are at Citizens Field

Thu. 8/25 (Week 1) – Lake City Columbia

Fri. 9/2 (Week 2) – Sarasota Riverview

Fri. 9/9 (Week 3) – @ Gainesville Eastside (at Citizens Field)

Fri. 9/16 (Week 4) – @ St. Johns Creekside*

Fri. 9/23 (Week 5) – @ Ocala Vanguard (at Booster Stadium), 7:30

Fri. 9/30 (Week 6) – BYE WEEK

Thu. 10/6 (Week 7) – Gainesville

Fri. 10/14 (Week 8) – Orange Park Oakleaf*

Fri. 10/21 (Week 9) – @ St. Johns Bartram Trail*

Thu. 10/27 (Week 10) – Fleming Island*

Fri. 11/4 (Week 11) – @ Jacksonville Bolles, 7:30

Season Outlook: Coming off their best season in three decades, the Bobcats find themselves among the top teams in their new Class 4S classification that could be potential contenders for a state championship in 2022. For Coach Whittemore’s crew, they lost some quality production players that graduated, but there is still plenty of talent left in the cupboard. Hill and Creed Whittemore are both University of Florida commits who have been instrumental in the success the Bobcats have had over the last couple of seasons. The big question that remains for Buchholz is how they navigate one of the toughest schedules in the state with one of the toughest districts attached to that schedule.