Three takeaways from the Middleburg-Oak Hall spring game

The visiting Broncos and host Eagles took the spring football game in stride to learn more about themselves as the 2024 season rapidly approaches

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – On paper, it was a battle of David vs. Goliath, with the Oak Hall Eagles hosting the visiting Middleburg Broncos at Eagle Field. Even Oak Hall’s head coach, RJ Fuhr, stated the same thing regarding the battle of David vs. Goliath. Ryan Wolfe, Middleburg’s head coach, also understood the Eagles’ view after accepting their request for the challenge of a bigger program for the spring game several months ago.

Looking at the rosters for both programs, Middleburg came in with a roster of nearly 50 athletes, compared to Oak Hall, which was limited to 23 of roughly 30 athletes on the field due to spring sports commitments or injuries keeping some athletes off the field.

By the end of Thursday night’s game, the teams had mostly kept things on an even playing field, and both teams were able to shake off the rust after months of not being able to tackle other players from another team.

While the game concluded after three quarters with both teams drawing to a 7-7 tie, it could be said that both Middleburg and Oak Hall were winners on Thursday night regardless of what the scoreboard showed.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

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1. Defense dominated the game in the first half

Both Middleburg and Oak Hall were tit-for-tat in terms of their defenses in the first half of the game, which was primarily the varsity portion of the game, in which the first-string athletes played most of the snaps.

Middleburg had two interceptions in the first half of the game, one of which ended the Eagles’ attempts to score the game’s first points around the goal line. Oak Hall forced the Broncos into several turnovers with a fumble recovery and an interception.

The first of the Broncos’ interceptions was when Jaden Boyd intercepted a Dakota Brower pass in the first quarter. That interception ended any chances of the Eagles getting the first points.

However, that interception would not turn into points for the Broncos as they coughed it back up and gave it back to the Eagles. As it went, Oak Hall could not capitalize on the turnover despite Brower going yard with a nearly 50-yard rushing touchdown on a keeper that was called back due to a holding penalty called on the Eagles.

With Middleburg having the ball back, it looked like the Broncos would take advantage of things. However, it was a heads-up play by rising senior Aidan Jerkins, who is playing linebacker this coming year after playing the last few years at nose guard and tackle. Jerkins came up with a tip drill interception after Neo Addison tipped the ball in the air on a pass from quarterback Carston Stewart. That interception gave the Broncos two of three on the night.

Addison would make up for the tipped pass just a few plays later when he intercepted an Eagles pass, continuing the defensive chess match between both teams.

The third and final interception of the night for the Broncos came when Wain Sulph made an interception during the third and final quarter, which was the running clock phase of the game. This sparked even more optimism about what the Broncos’ defense could be like come August.

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2. Offenses showed promise as well

Oak Hall showed great promise in its offense when it drove down the field on its first possession of the game, which ended with Middleburg’s interception near the end zone. Even with that, Brower, who has not been with the team most of spring practice due to spring sports commitments, could do his thing despite not having much practice.

The Eagles also had points taken off the board over what might or might not have been a holding call on the offense after Brower dashed around the Bronco’s defense early in the second quarter, going nearly 50 yards and outlasting several Middleburg defenders. Even with the points taken off the board, it still showed that the Eagles will look solid on offense for the fall.

Middleburg showed they could be great in the passing game with Stewart, who threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Deshun Green with 2:12 left in the first half. Explosive quarterback-to-wide receiver plays of that nature have been hard to come by over the years, but it appears the Broncos might be in line for something special this fall. Lawson Padgett, who went out early in the game with an injury, also showed promise in some explosive plays from the running back position.

Oak Hall’s touchdown came late in the third quarter when Aaron Akins scored on a 35-yard touchdown run with Middleburg playing most of their second and third-string athletes.

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3. Attention by Division I FBS programs growing

Although Middleburg and Oak Hall are vastly different in terms of school size and academic structure, they have shared a lot of similarities at times of being overlooked by some of the major Division I FBS programs. However, those times have been changing over the last few years.

For Middleburg, Mike Mitchell’s signing with Utah in the 2023 class following the 2022 season gave the Broncos their first Division I signee in many years. Now it appears the Broncos are heading toward having multiple Division I signees coming over the next couple of years, which would indicate even further that Middleburg is no longer the program that everyone would schedule for their homecoming.

At the same time, some of Oak Hall’s 2025 athletes are gaining attention with the Division I recruiters, putting the Eagles on the recruiting map in the shadows of the University of Florida.

Here are some names to keep an eye on:

• EDGE Bernard “BJ” Carter, Middleburg, 2025: Carter has been picking up multiple Division I offers as of late, with North Carolina State, Georgia Southern, East Carolina, and Marshall being among the offers. Carter was one that Oak Hall had to game plan around, and even that game plan couldn’t hold up as the Broncos schemed out some new designs with Carter lining up in a different spot along the line. Opponents of the Broncos will have to work hard in 2024 to keep Carter from being disruptive, and it could be hard to do when the environment is anything but controlled and the games count the most.

• QB/ATH Dakota Brower, Oak Hall, 2025: Brower, who did not see much practice time due to qualifying recently for the FHSAA Track & Field State Championships that were held last weekend in Jacksonville, Brower is drawing the attention of the military academies which he now holds offers from Navy and the Air Force. Brower could start drawing more attention from the other academies that have not offered him yet, along with some other Division I programs during the 2024 season.

• WR Deshun Green, Middleburg, 2026: Only a junior, and receiving the game ball from Coach Wolfe after the game concluded, Green is already drawing attention from Division I programs. Programs like Western Kentucky, Iowa State, and Marshall are already among the early offers for Green’s services. The Broncos have not had a dynamic receiver like Green in a long time, and what Green showed in the spring game will give Broncos fans something to cheer about over the next two years.

• LB/NG Aidan Jerkins, Oak Hall, 2025: While his older brother Abram is graduating, Aidan’s star is starting to shine even more and being moved into the linebacker position for the 2024 season. The tip drill interception proved that Jerkins can make an impact on the field regardless of the position label next to his name. If college recruiters, especially those at the Division I level, are not giving Jerkins a look now, they should be by the end of the 2024 season as he continues to draw high praises from Coach Fuhr for his playmaking abilities and for being a team player first and foremost.

Other athletes to keep an eye on that are also drawing attention or could be drawing attention from recruiters:

• ATH Briggs Copeland, Oak Hall, 2025

• LB/RB Keensdee Roseme, Middleburg, 2026 (holding multiple Division I offers)

• DB/RB Wain Sulph, Middleburg, 2025 (holding multiple Division I offers)

• RB/DB Jaden Boyd, Middleburg, 2025 (holding multiple Division I offers)

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– Joshua Wilson | joshua.wilson@floridahsfootball.com | @FlaHSFootball