Buchholz football puts running clock on Gainesville High, wins record eighth straight

The date changed, the players wore different numbers, but the annual city rivalry game between Buchholz football and Gainesville High looked the same Friday night.

Buchholz defeated GHS 43-6 Friday night at Citizens Field to begin the 2026 season 2-0. The Hurricanes fell to 0-2 in Ashour Peera's opening campaign. The win, which was BHS' eighth in a row, set a new record in the rivalry.

It was clear from the first play that the result was going to be same.

Buchholz took the ball after winning the opening kick and marched down for a 10 play, 78 yard drive that ended in an Ashton Norris one yard run.

The Hurricanes, despite possessing first team All-Area running back and Eastside transfer Javaris Gardner, never held a chance offensively.

Buchholz-Vanguard Week 1 football showdown goes to OT. See the top photos.

They backed up 12 yards on their first series, and the snap on the punt was high. The Bobcats secured it for a touchdown.

From then on, the route was on. Dominick Harvey – a transfer from Hawthorne – caught two touchdowns from Andrew Whittemore and Josh Menefee scored a grown man touchdown.

That, plus a safety, put the game in running clock position before halftime with BHS up 36-0.

Buchholz emptied its bench in the second half with the running clock. A 20 yard Javaris Gardner touchdown broke the shutout and was the first points scored in a city rivalry game by GHS since the 2024 battle vs. the Bobcats.

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 and Facebook Noah Ram - Reporter .