Week 9 of the Florida high school football season in the Gainesville area is officially here!
It's a hodgepodge of district and non-district games this week. The two biggest of the week are both district title games. The first comes Thursday night in Alachua when Santa Fe (6-1, 2-0) hosts Dunnellon (6-0, 2-0). Two years after a one win season, Earnest Graham and Co. can win a district title.
Friday, Columbia (7-0, 2-0) will look to win its first district crown since 2023 with a win over Jacksonville-Ed White (6-1, 3-0). It would be the Tigers fourth impressive road win of the season after beating Bolles, Trinity Christian and Manatee.
In non-district play, Hawthorne and Bradford both host solid teams in Wauchula-Hardee and Jacksonville-University Christian, while Newberry looks to improve its playoff odds vs. Palatka.
You can read our predictions here and the full schedule for the week here. Be sure to check back Thursday and Friday nights for live updates and scores from every game across the Gainesville area.
Also make sure to follow Gainesville Sun reporter Noah Ram on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for highlights. He'll be in Alachua Thursday for the Class 3A-District 5 Championship between Dunnellon and Santa Fe and Hawthorne on Friday for the battle of small town unbeatens in the Hornets and Hardee.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1, Instagram @Ramreporter, Facebook Noah Ram - Reporter and TikTok @ramreporter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Gainesville area Week 9 Florida FHSAA high school football live scores, updates