GAINESVILLE – On paper, Buchholz and coach Mark Whittemore’s, return to Citizens Field and its “new” field seemed routine.
The Bobcat defense pitched a near-perfect game as the ‘Cats rolled to their 10th straight win over city rival Eastside 35-7.
We all know, though, when a sentence begins with “on paper,” it’s usually dubious.
This is no exception.
The Rams made Buchholz sweat more than prior meetings between the two. BHS led only 7-0 at halftime and 14-7 late in the third before ultimately pulling away.
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The field sets the tempo
Gainesville has been pummeled with rain this whole week, including Friday. That took its toll on Citizens Field. Even though the stadium was closed during the spring and summer to resod the grass, the rain made it look like the Citizens of old.
“It was kind of a yucky night. Citizens is infamous for being pretty muddy and grimy,” Whittemore said. “It was the perfect setting for what you saw in the first half.”
What fans saw in that first 24 minutes was inconsistency from both sides.
Buchholz marched down on its opening drive. Trace Johnson threw for 43 yards, and Jasiah Powell capped it off with a 14-yard TD run.
The Bobcats, despite great field position, failed to score again. They suffered two turnovers on downs in Eastside territory.
Jay Giunta, one of the best kickers in the state, also missed a 23-yard FG.
The ‘Cats led due to their defense. They made Eastside QB Andrew Sutherland look like the freshman that he is. The Rams had just one first down in the first half (which came on a penalty).
“They are the ones who have to hold the rope, tow the line,” Whittemore said. “We put them in some tough situations, but we got a lot of talent over there.”
Second half adjustments
Buchholz wasted no time fixing things in the second half.
The ‘Cats embarked on a six-play TD drive to open the third, with Johnson finding Justin Williams on a perfect fade for the first of his two TDs.
WR DJ Hicks began the drive with a 28-yard catch. He said he knows he and Williams need to be the anchors of the offense.
“I had the 28 yard catch, and Justin capitalized and scored,” Hicks said. “We started slow and had to pick things up.”
Eastside cut it back down to seven after Hicks muffed a punt, and Sutherland found Daijon “Honey Mustard” Johnson for a 40-yard TD.
Buchholz then clamped down, and the Rams didn’t get a first down the rest of the game.
The Bobcats are now plus-50 in the second half in their three wins. Whittemore says BHS’ slow first halves and strong seconds are not abnormal.
“These are high school kids. Being efficient as an offense takes a lot of work, a lot of preparation,” Whittemore said. “If you can be efficient during the game, you’re making headway, so we’re making efficiency headway.”
Hicks ended up scoring twice more in the fourth to put the win on ice.
Both teams stay home next week. Eastside welcomes in 2023 Class 1S state finalist Trinity Catholic on Thursday, and Buchholz gets a visit from Class 5A powerhouse Manatee and former Gator legend Jacquez Green on Friday.
Noah Ram covers Gainesville-area high school sports and University of Florida athletics for The Gainesville Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him by email at Nram@gannett.com and follow him @Noah_ram1 on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: 'Had to pick things up:' Buchholz starts slow but roars to 10th straight win over rival Eastside
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