School has started, position battles have taken place during practice and preseason games have been played, which can only mean one thing. The season is set to begin.
And what better way to kick things off than with a rivalry like Nease vs. Ponte Vedra, which is the case this year, as the Panthers host the Sharks in week one on Aug. 23 at 7 p.m.
The start to a new season is always special with the anticipation of everyone involved from the players on the field to the fans in the stands having been gradually ramped up in the recent weeks.
And just like a can of soda that has been shaken up, the contents inside are ready to explode and the top is about to be opened when the ball is kicked off Friday night.
In many ways it just feels right to have the Panthers and Sharks opening against each other as it had become the norm for many years until the past two years when they met later in the season.
It will also have a slightly different feel because the two teams are once again in separate districts and classes, with the Sharks being put in District 3-5A and the Panthers calling District 3-6A home.
However, despite the squads competing for different titles, the bragging rights remain on the line anytime the two schools meet, but especially when it comes to the gridiron.
For Nease, the defense looks to build off of last year’s success as it returns a nice group of leading playmakers including senior linebacker Joe Miracle who is back from injury and hungrier than ever.
While the linebackers may be the veteran group that everything funnels through on defense, senior cornerback Elisha Luckett III will be someone the Sharks will know all too well after a breakout junior season from his defensive back position.
The Sharks have traditionally had success running the ball and finding big plays in passing game off of play-action.
This will look to be a similar approach this year, as running back Brian Case returns for his senior season and will be a focal point of the offensive attack.
Both teams will have new quarterbacks from the ones that finished the season a year ago, as senior Drew Price takes over for the highly accomplished Ben Burk for the Sharks and Nate Harry is expected to have won for the Panthers starting spot.
The role is not entirely new to Harry, who won the starting job a year ago and started the first four games of the season for the Panthers.
Whether that experience will play out in the Panthers favor in the opening game is a major question and could be huge contributing factor in the outcome.
One thing that will help is that he will once again have fellow senior Maddox Spencer, arguably the best receiver in the Northeast Florida area, to throw the ball to.
Slowing Spencer down will be the task for the Sharks who were one of the best defenses in the area a year ago and have been a reliable staple for the Sharks’ program since head coach Steve Price took over.
