NEWBERRY, FLA- As a result of a 95-yard game-winning drive led by Senior Superstar Quarterback Creed Whittemore, No. 3 Buchholtz High School (8-2, 3-1 4S District Three) defeated No. 6 Pace High School (7-4, 2-2 4S District One) in the Class Region 1-4S Quarterfinal 35-34. With the win, Buccholtz will host No. 7 seed Crestview (7-4, 2-2 4S District Two) in a non-league match on Friday, November 18th. For reference, Crestview is coming off a major upset victory over No. 2 Niceville, defeating the Eagles 26-21 in their first-round matchup on November 11th.
Standing at 5’11” and 175 pounds, Whittemore dominated Pace’s Defense, notching five total touchdowns. As a High School Senior, Whittemore committed to play football at Mississippi State University on October 16th.
“Number two played pretty well,” Buchholtz Head Coach Mark Whittemore said of his son Creed. “He willed it tonight.”
In addition to his superb play as Quarterback, Whittemore played numerous snaps at Strong Safety for the Bobcats, even managing to save multiple Touchdowns by catching Sophomore Running Back Ben Tyner and Junior Receiver Xakery Wiedner. Outside of Whittemore, Junior Running Back Quinton Cutler and Senior Running Back Jacarree Kelly contributed to Buchholtz’s running game, which finished with 294 rushing yards as a team.
Likewise, Whittemore relied heavily on Senior Wide Receiver Jaren Hamilton, who finished the game with seven catches for 96 receiving yards and two touchdowns, including a 49-yard touchdown catch from Whittemore on Buchholtz’s first offensive drive. Similarly, Kelly and Junior Wide Receiver Jordan Richardson made monumental plays for Buchholtz. It’s worth noting that Richardson’s 13-yard touchdown catch capped off Buchholtz’s 95-yard drive, giving Pace just a 34-33 lead. Instead of taking the extra point, Buchholtz attempted the two-point conversion, where Whittemore evaded multiple Pace defenders in route to the endzone, capping an electrifying comeback in heroic fashion for the Bobcats.
“Situations like that, you count on the people around you,” Whittemore said about his game-winning two-point conversion. “You count on the offensive line to step up, and receivers to make big plays.”
In reference to Buchholtz’s wild 35-34 victory over Pace, Playoff Football has become a regular part of Buchholz High School Athletics. Including this season, Buchholtz High School has made the playoffs in seven of the last eight seasons, the only team in Gainesville to do so.
“We take a lot of pains to stay there,” Whittemore said. “There’s a lot of hard work from coaches, the administration. You’ve got to have buy-in. Seven out of eight, in a state that plays really good football, at a school that doesn’t actively recruit is saying something.”
In spite of the heartbreaking one-point loss to Buchholtz, Pace gave it everything they had after making the five-hour bus ride to Newberry. In his first high school playoff game, Sophomore Quarterback Nick Simmons continued his solid play for Pace, completing 4-10 pass attempts for 100 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. It’s also worth noting that Simmons recorded 17 rush attempts for 97 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns against Buchholtz’s stout defense.
Elsewhere, Sophomore Running Back Ben Tyner played well in his high school playoff debut, notching 10 carries for 52 rushing yards and 5.2 YPC while catching a 49-yard touchdown pass from Simmons. Similarly, Junior Wide Receiver Xakery Wiedner made major plays as a Receiver and Running Back, finishing the game with 137 scrimmage yards and one touchdown on nine total touches.
Defensively, Pace faced their toughest assignment in Whittemore, the 2021 Gainesville Sun Big School Offensive Player of the Year, and it showed, as they gave up 569 scrimmage yards. It’s worth noting that Patriot’s Sophomore Defensive Back Nathaniel Lyons Jr. recovered a fumble by the Bobcats, resulting in Pace claiming a 34-27 lead with just six minutes left, before Buchholtz scored eight unanswered points to secure the victory.
Due to the possible threat of Hurricane Nicole, Pace’s playoff game versus Buchholtz was moved to Friday, as road conditions and local safety were concerning. In reference to this, the Patriots endured 625 miles of travel on the bus in eleven hours to arrive at Newberry High School, before leaving to return to campus at 3:00 AM.
“They slept on the bus, but it’s not good to be on the bus that long,” Pace Head Coach Kent Smith said. “But they overcame it. It’s no excuse.”
As he had throughout the entire 2022-2023 football season, Senior Kicker and Punter Riece Griffith continued his superb special teams play versus Buchholz High School. First and foremost, Griffith’s four punts traveled a combined 194 yards, including a booming 59-yard punt that gave Buchholz starting field position at their own five-yard line. In addition, four of Griffith’s six kickoffs were ruled as touchbacks, while Griffith also went 4-5 on extra point attempts. For reference, Griffith’s miss was actually blocked by Buchholz’s special teams, making Griffith’s season total 49-51 on extra point attempts and 4-5 on field-goal attempts, highlighted by a 49-yard field goal against Navarre on October 21st.