Buchholz makes statement in thumping Bartram Trail to clinch district and remain undefeated

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Traditionally, when Buchholz (Gainesville) (8-0) and Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (4-3) meet up on the field, the games are traditionally competitive and leave fans wanting more after the final whistle is blown.

With Buchholz coming in ranked No. 2 in Class 4S and No. 18 in the Florida Top 25, while Bartram Trail ranked No. 10 in Class 4S, the ingredients were there for showdown of top teams marking it as as one of the best Thursday night games on the schedule this season. However, it was anything but competitive as the host Bobcats sent the visiting Bears back to St. Johns County with a stinging 44-7 loss, marking the largest blowout in series history between the two programs and giving the Bobcats the District 4S-3 championship.

Here are four things we learned from the game:

Johnson is a legitimate top 2026 quarterback prospect

Outside of just one game this season, where Trace Johnson threw two interceptions against city rival Eastside (Gainesville) earlier in the season and four overall, he continued to excel with his passing mechanics in Thursday night’s showing, adding another 300 yard-plus passing game to his budding resume as a legacy athlete following the footsteps of his father, Doug Johnson, who played for the Florida Gators.

On a night where Johnson only had seven incompletions on 28 passes thrown, Johnson was hitting targets like Quinton Cutler, Jordan Richardson, Justin Williams, and DJ Hicks, Johnson was pretty accurate in getting the ball on target to get positive yards on every completion made.

From the get-go, Johnson made his presence felt by the Bears’ defense from the first snap on the first drive when he found Cutler out in the flat wide-open for an 85-yard touchdown play after the kickoff to start the game was crushed by the Bears’ special team’s unit. That touchdown play would end up being the longest play of the game and setting the tone for the eventual blowout victory.

TOUCHDOWN BUCHHOLZ!

First play of the game Trace Johnson finds Quinton Cutler for an 85 yard TD reception after Cutler was left wide open in the flat!

Buchholz 7, Bartram Trail 0 – 11:14 1st Q https://t.co/FExbPZFobD #flhsfb @BuchholzFB @BTHS_Football @CFreemanJax…

— FloridaHSFootball.com (@FlaHSFootball) October 19, 2023

Johnson’s two other touchdown passes went to Richardson in the second quarter with a 16-yard reception that made the lead 21-0, while Williams hauled in a 27-yard reception in the middle of the fourth quarter, extending the lead to 31-7.

TOUCHDOWN BUCHHOLZ!

Trace Johnson adds another passing TD on an amazing night for the stats. 27 yards TD to Justin Williams to extend the lead!

Buchholz 38, Bartram Trail 7 – 4:15 4th Q https://t.co/FExbPZFobD #flhsfb @BuchholzFB @BTHS_Football @JustinBarneyTV @CFreemanJax… pic.twitter.com/GfiyDK5YUD

— FloridaHSFootball.com (@FlaHSFootball) October 20, 2023

On the night, Johnson went 21-of-28 passing for 387 yards and three touchdowns with a passing completion percentage of 75%.

“When you grow up, you’re a Bobcat legacy; you hear about your father’s conquest at Citizens Field. You watch video of your father back in the day, this is what he has been training for his whole life, quite frankly. It is coming to fruition right now for him. He is an amazing young player. I can’t say enough about him. Trace is our field general on offense,” Buchholz first-year head coach Chuck Bell said after the game.

Graham is still showing why he is the team player the Bobcats have come to love

With Cutler back in action compared to several weeks ago when Myles Graham picked up more of the running back duties, Graham mainly was minding his business on the defensive side of the ball at linebacker. However, that did not keep Graham from doing some damage to Bartram Trail from the offensive side of the ball.

In three of the Bobcats’ six touchdowns, Graham came out lined up at the quarterback position in a variation of the wildcat formation that Buchholz has rightfully named the Bobcat package. Graham uses his body frame in those packages, taking the direct snap and getting the touchdown.

Now, in some instances, the Bobcat resulted in a fumble by Graham due to high snaps, but in the end, it did not cost Buchholz in points or in turnovers as Graham was quick to get the ball covered up and keep it under wraps once he got the ball in hand.

And in only one instance did Graham have a touchdown called back due to a penalty that took a nearly 45-yard touchdown off the board for Graham as he had broken through a pack of Bears defenders getting into the open field.

Graham’s first touchdown came with 5:35 left in the first quarter on a seven-yard carry that capped off a 67-yard drive that started at the Buchholz 33 after forcing Bartram Trail to punt on their first drive of the game to put the Bobcats up 14-0 in the first quarter.

TOUCHDOWN BUCHHOLZ!

Myles Graham makes up for a fumble on a direct snap from a few plays earlier with a 7 yard TD! Bobcats up quickly here on the Bears!

Buchholz 14, Bartram Trail 0 – 5:35 1st Q https://t.co/FExbPZFobD #flhsfb @BuchholzFB @BTHS_Football @JustinBarneyTV… pic.twitter.com/LuD9u9yTMh

— FloridaHSFootball.com (@FlaHSFootball) October 19, 2023

For the second touchdown, Graham bounced in on his number again on a five-yard direct snap that would put the Bobcats up 28-0 late in the second quarter.

TOUCHDOWN BUCHHOLZ!

Myles Graham in for the score and Bobcats are on their way right now towards the District 4S-3 Title! Graham in from 5 yards out on the direct snap.

Buchholz 28, Bartram Trail 0 – 2:18 2nd Q https://t.co/FExbPZFobD #flhsfb @BuchholzFB @BTHS_Football… pic.twitter.com/BvFNmbDa1Z

— FloridaHSFootball.com (@FlaHSFootball) October 19, 2023

The game’s last play marked Graham’s final touchdown with a four-yard carry to make it 44-7 in favor of the Bobcats that was setup thanks to Amari Sheppard interception a few plays earlier, returning it for 80 yards.

Bartram Trail facing 4th down at the Buchholz 38, Amari Sheppard picks it off at the 10 and returns all the way down to the Bartram Trail 10 with 2:13 left in the game! #flhsfb pic.twitter.com/aoTk6p08V0

— FloridaHSFootball.com (@FlaHSFootball) October 20, 2023

TOUCHDOWN BUCHHOLZ!

Myles Graham – THE 5-STAR #Gators Commit is in from 4-yards out on the Bobcat play and that will mark the final play of the game!

Buchholz 43, Bartram Trail 7 – FINAL https://t.co/FExbPZFobD #flhsfb @BuchholzFB @JustinBarneyTV @CFreemanJax @ActionSportsJax… pic.twitter.com/AKWEY1MNlh

— FloridaHSFootball.com (@FlaHSFootball) October 20, 2023

Sloppy play and penalties can lead to unexpected things

Luckily for Buchholz, sloppy play in the third quarter with some unexpected penalties did not cost them much other than a touchdown drive for Bartram Trail that went a span of 99 yards after failing to punch it in for a touchdown on the first drive of the second half.

In that drive, multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were assessed on Buchholz that ended up giving free yardage multiple times to the Bears, which was concluded with a 31-yard pass from Riley Trujillo to De’andre Caldwell that broke the goose egg on the scoreboard and wiping out any potential shutout the Bobcats were dreaming of getting with Bartram Trail.

Now we have a lot of yellow laundry on the field here. Game is chippy and emotions running high here between Bartram Trail and Buchholz. Officials discussing this in the end zone. #flhsfb

— FloridaHSFootball.com (@FlaHSFootball) October 20, 2023

Dead Ball personal foul on Bobcats and Unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Bear. The result ends up being a result of first down for the Bears. Buchholz fans displeased here with the call thinking it should be offsetting penalties. #flhsfb

— FloridaHSFootball.com (@FlaHSFootball) October 20, 2023

Bell expressed frustration about some of the penalties that led to the points for Bartram Trail.

“On their scoring drive, it is frustrating when you stop them on third down, and you get told you tackled the quarterback too hard into the ground, and then you get a fourth down stop, and you get told by the guys behind the play that it was a horse collar, while the side judge was telling him that it was not horse collar. I thought the referees did a pretty good job tonight,” Bell said.

Buchholz is a legitimate threat for the Class 4S state championship

If there was any doubt before the game that Buchholz could be a legitimate state championship contender, the Bobcats showed they are that with the dominating performance on both sides of the ball.

However, Bell is doing all he can to keep his athletes from thinking too far ahead, as the Bobcats are just two wins away from their first undefeated regular season since 2001, with games left against Fleming Island and Trinity Catholic (Ocala) on the schedule.

“Fleming Island is a team that is always one of the strongest teams in North Florida. Cibastian Broughton [Fleming Island quarterback] is a guy that has given us fits the last couple of years. To think that we will be over-looking Fleming Island or a Trinity Catholic team that played for a state championship last year – that is not my style,” Bell said.

Bell said he is on edge regarding every team Buchholz has to play on the schedule.

However, Keeping the players focused is critical, and Bell expressed it starts from the top when it comes to keeping things focused on the current task.

“As the head coach, I think it starts from the top, and I am not going to let the foot off the pedal. I am going to be on them just as hard at practice against Fleming Island as I was this week, and our guys are ready for it,” Bell said.

Bell expects to see Bartram Trail again in the post-season and reminded everyone about last year, where Bartram Trail beat Buchholz in the regular season before Buchholz beat them in the regional finals that advanced the Bobcats to their second straight trip to the state semifinals.

“Bartram beat us last year, so if you reverse the roles, obviously, this was a pretty significant defeat as opposed to the 21-6 game last year in the regular season. I totally expect we are going to see Bartram again, and I totally expect that they are going to have a much better game plan or a different game plan, not to say they didn’t have a good game plan tonight. I think they will have a different game plan, and their kids will be a little bit more motivated. It seems to me that our kids wanted it more from the start,” Bell said.