V4RSITY: Recent Episodes
News4Jax and Graham Media Group
High school sports in the River City are some of the best in the country. We're also home to two Heisman Trophy winners and some of the most successful athletic programs in the nation. The V4RSITY podcast brings great, in-depth coverage to that scene, with experienced contributors covering every angle. We’ll talk recruiting, spotlight the area's top performers and speak with the area's best players and coaches.
University Christian turned in an upset decades in the making. Bartram Trail's unbeaten season came to an end. Bolles and Columbia hung on. Bradford got a battle. Union County rolled. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin recap a wild regional finals week and look ahead to the biggest week of the football season in this edition of V4RSITY. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bolles-Raines. Baker County-Bradford. Trinity Christian-University Christian. It's a blockbuster week in the high school football playoffs. Plus, the Gators pulled Nease QB Marcus Stokes' scholarship offer after a social media clip of him singing a song that included a racial slur. Recruiting can be a dirty business. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin break down the week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Upsets galore in the opening round in the state playoffs. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin recap a wild first round and another major slate of games, including some big time rematches this week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Week 11 wrapped up the high school football regular season with a bang. We're following that with an oddity ... a November hurricane in Florida. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin look ahead to an ever-shifting playoff schedule and our projections for winners as the postseason arrives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It's the final week of the regular season in high school football. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin recap the biggest district week of the season and what's on the line for teams in Week 11 as the playoffs come into view. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It's Week 10 of the high school football season and every district race will be decided this week. For teams who aren't after district championships, there's still plenty at stake, including at-large playoff berths. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin look ahead to the most high stakes week of the season yet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
High school football hits Week 9 and we've got a massive district showdown on Friday night between Bartram Trail and Buchholz. Plus, area coaches dish on a number of topics including what they'd be doing if they weren't coaching. Justin Barney looks back at last week, talks about the Super 10 and what lies ahead for district races. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It's a massive week of rivalry games in high school football as University Christian and Trinity Christian square off for the District 1-1M crown. Also, can Creekside end a 1-13 slump against rival Bartram Trail? Huge games are on the menu for Bradford, First Coast and Fletcher, too. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin dive into a big slate in Week 8. Plus, the Ponte Vedra volleyball team gets a major test at the Geico Invitational. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It's Week 7 of the high school football season and we've got some clarity on a few of the area's biggest district battles. Also, Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin talk about the the potential of name, image and likeness in high school and discuss how area players voted in our preseason high school football survey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hurricane Ian has wiped out much of Week 6 and pushed those games to next week. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin take a look back at last week's games, including a shootout between Columbia and Trinity Christian, Creekside's staying power and why teams like Bolles and Nease aren't quite in the danger zone just yet even after tough starts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It's the halfway mark of the high school football season and that means it's time to dole out some midseason recognition. Who are our top offensive and defensive players so far? What about best and most disappointing teams? Plus, Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin look back at Week 4 and ahead to Week 5 in the V4RSITY podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It was a mixed bag of success for area teams as the traveled to Georgia for the Border Classic (thumbs up Baker County, Creekside and UC). And we learned a bit on a few other local teams (Jackson, take a bow; Fleming Island, take a bow) in Week 3. Plus, Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin rank our top 10 teams and break down our top 6 volleyball teams in this week's V4RSITY podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin look back at Week 2 of the high school football season and look ahead to a big Week 3 as the Border Classic pitting Florida and Georgia teams arrives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin recap a wild Week 1 of the high school football season, including a 48-40 win by Trinity Christian over White and Jackson's 30-13 rout of Nease. And we look ahead to a big Week 2.
Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin kick off the 2022 high school football season with a breakdown of their top 10 teams, preview our four best games of Week 1 and debate on whether teams like Nease and Jackson can keep their momentum going from last year.
Justin Barney takes a journey around the area this week as high school baseball, softball and lacrosse kick off practices. Hear from St. Johns Country Day's Jordan Taylor and Bradley Hodges, and Bartram trail baseball coach turned softball leader Tony Sowers.
Big changes are being discussed in high school football in Florida and they have the potential to be the biggest the state has ever seen. Justin Barney and Cole Pepper discuss the proposal and how it could shake up how things look for area teams.
There's nothing like a good high school basketball rivalry. We don't have enough of those anymore. Justin Barney and Cole Pepper remember some of the big names of yesteryear, talk to Orange Park star Josiah Sabino and put Ponte Vedra volleyball coach Robin Mignerey's accomplishments in perspective as she calls it a career.
The high school football season is in the books, now, Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin pick out the best players that they saw this season.
It was the ninth state title in program history for Trinity Christian and longtime coach Verlon Dorminey. And it wasn't easy this season. The Conquerors were full of good storylines, especially for Dorminey and dominant running back Treyaun Webb. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin look back on that 41-23 win over Champagnat Catholic.
The Trinity Christian football team is chasing title No. 9. Can the Conquerors bring home the championship this week. Plus, looking back at great seasons by Bolles and Baker County, and a feel-good photo from the Bolles-Cocoa game that went viral. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin tackle the final week of the football season.
The area had three Florida survivors after the third round. How many, if any, local teams will advance to next week's state championship games? Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin look back and then look ahead to this week's showdowns.
The second round of the high school football playoffs were unkind to area teams. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin look at the playoff survivors, the feel-good story of the Nease Panthers and project how many teams will advance to the state semifinals next week.
What a week for area high school teams and athletes. Three team state championships in cross country. Another team title in girls swimming. And how about eight individual state championships in those sports. Plus, the high school football playoffs are in full swing. An exceptional time of the year for area high school sports.
It's the busiest part of the fall sports season. High school football playoffs are here. We've got state champions galore in swimming. State cross country meet arrives. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin cover a lot of ground in a busy week of V4RSITY.
The final week of the regular season has arrived in football. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin look back at Week 10, look ahead to Week 11 and start talking playoffs. Plus, it's postseason time in cross country, golf, swimming and volleyball.
It's flown by in a hurry. The high school football regular season reaches Week 10. Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin recap a big stakes Week 9, look ahead to two nights of football in Week 10, and discuss just how much the stakes are raised when public school teams battle private school powers like Bolles, Trinity Christian and University Christian.
Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin recap a hectic and high stakes Week 8, preview the top games in Week 9 and take a peek at the upcoming high school basketball season, with one very big transfer on the girls basketball side.
How much does history between two programs matter in high school? Is it bigger than we think or does that history, good or bad, matter when it comes to current high school teams? Plus, Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin look back on the games in Week 7, including a big collapse by Riverside, and look at the playoff implications in a jam-packed Week 8.
The game of the season turned into a running clock blowout between Bolles and Trinity Christian. We look back and look ahead as we reach Week 7 of the high school season. Plus, Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin unveil their midseason top players honors.
We recap the best of Week 5 of the high school football season, preview Week 6 and focus on the area No. 1-2 battle between Trinity Christian and Bolles. Plus, a meet record for Nease runner Rheinhardt Harrison at the Katie Caples Invitational.
Justin Barney and Sponge Franklin look back at a milestone week in high school football, preview Week 5 and cover the bases in cross country, volleyball and more.
The third week of the high school football season saw the most upsets of the year. Our most surprising? Plus, we look ahead to Week 4 and highlight a a week of volleyball milestones.
We're headed into Week 3 of the high school football season. Surprises from Week 2. Looking ahead at Week 3. A milestone on the horizon for a high school football coach. Is Ponte Vedra the best volleyball program in area history? Justin Barney and Andrew "Sponge" Franklin cover all the ground in this week's V4RSITY pod.