{"id":75462,"date":"2024-12-12T21:33:33","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T21:33:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/2024\/12\/12\/raines-high-at-60-a-season-of-success-on-the-football-field-and-off-jacksonville-today\/"},"modified":"2024-12-12T21:41:24","modified_gmt":"2024-12-12T21:41:24","slug":"raines-high-at-60-a-season-of-success-on-the-football-field-and-off-jacksonville-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/2024\/12\/12\/raines-high-at-60-a-season-of-success-on-the-football-field-and-off-jacksonville-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Raines High at 60: A season of success on the football field and off\u00a0 | Jacksonville Today"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-8864793242727901\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Raines High School hopes to party like it\u2019s 1997.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Vikings head to the state football championship on Saturday. At the predominantly Black high school in Northwest Jacksonville, the return of the dominant football program amid the dry air of December has also shined a spotlight on the school\u2019s recent academic and administrative achievements.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI really wanted students to have an opportunity. When I first got here, I heard about that 72% graduation rate,\u201d says longtime Raines Principal Vincent Hall. \u201cIf you get a certificate of completion but you have great athleticism, you can\u2019t go anywhere because you don\u2019t have a diploma. You can\u2019t go to the next level. We wanted to make sure that every kid, regardless of athlete or not, had opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Raines High School advanced to its sixth FHSAA state final with a 28-23 win over Sarasota Booker on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. The Vikings (13-0) are looking to become the third Duval County public school to complete an undefeated football season. | Will Brown, <em>Jacksonville Today<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Winning time on the Northside<\/h3>\n<p>This year, the school earned its first ever \u2018B\u2019 grade for academics from the Florida Department of Education. Its 94% graduation rate in 2024, which continued record highs in 2022 and 2023, put it 11th among the 21 non-charter high schools in Duval County. Raines\u2019 graduation rate is also now equal to or higher than five of the seven non-charter high schools in Clay County, two of the seven in St. Johns County and three of the four in Nassau County.<\/p>\n<p>Hall was also named the Duval County Principal of the Year this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Outside the classroom, the school\u2019s football team just completed its first undefeated regular season since the 1997 squad that finished 15-0 and won a state football championship. This year\u2019s Vikings (13-0) are one win away from becoming state champs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" color=\"4a4641\" transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #4a4641;\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-03-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-83907\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-03-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-03-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-03-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-03-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-03-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-03-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-03-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-03-427x240.jpg 427w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-03-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-03-1650x928.jpg 1650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ta\u2019Darius Washington has accounted for 1,174 offensive yards and 19 offensive touchdowns for the unbeaten Vikings. | Will Brown, <em>Jacksonville Today<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Raines, the preeminent public school football program in Northeast Florida, has sent more than two dozen alumni to the National Football League and has produced the same number of Pro Football Hall of Famers, two, as the University of Florida.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt means everything in the world\u201d to be a Raines Viking,\u201d says senior Jyon Simon. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want to be with no other team. I don\u2019t want to be any other place. It\u2019s the best school in America to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" color=\"705e3e\" transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #705e3e;\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"785\" src=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-14-1024x785.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-83895\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-14-1024x785.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-14-300x230.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-14-768x589.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-14-1536x1177.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-14-2048x1570.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-14-313x240.jpg 313w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-14-100x77.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-14-1650x1264.jpg 1650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Raines defenders King Massey (15) and Jyon Simon (9) are part of a defensive front that has held opponents to 14 points per game this season. | Will Brown,<em> Jacksonville Today<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Simon will play his final high school game on Saturday night in South Florida. The defensive lineman, who is headed to Rutgers on a football scholarship, has served as a captain for a defense that has held opponents to 14.3 points per game and posted three shutouts this season.<\/p>\n<p>The soundtrack of those Friday night successes is the top-rated William M. Raines Marching Vikings.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" color=\"7a4f3c\" transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #7a4f3c;\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-23-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-83885\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-23-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-23-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-23-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-23-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-23-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-23-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-23-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-23-427x240.jpg 427w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-23-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-23-1650x928.jpg 1650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Raines High School advanced to its sixth FHSAA state final with a 28-23 win over Sarasota Booker on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. Raines\u2019 superior rating from the Florida Bandmasters Association in November was the first time in at least 25 years that it earned that score at its district competition. | Will Brown, <em>Jacksonville Today<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Raines\u2019 superior rating from the Florida Bandmasters Association in November was the first time in at least 25 years that it earned that score at its district competition.<\/p>\n<p>Last Friday, as the football team was staving off Sarasota Booker in a state semifinal, a local videographer quipped that the Marching Vikings sounded like his beloved the Bethune-Cookman University Marching Wildcats \u00a0\u2014 a comment that likely would have been music to the ears of KuRonde\u2019 Washington, Raines\u2019 director of bands since 2009 and the school\u2019s Teacher of the Year in 2022.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" color=\"936654\" transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #936654;\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-22-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-83886\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-22-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-22-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-22-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-22-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-22-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-22-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-22-100x67.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-22-1650x1100.jpg 1650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Raines High School advanced to its sixth FHSAA state final with a 28-23 win over Sarasota Booker on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. Raines\u2019 superior rating from the Florida Bandmasters Association in November was the first time in at least 25 years that it earned that score at its district competition. | Will Brown, <em>Jacksonville Today<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Shameless standard of excellence<\/h3>\n<p>Raines is named after a local educator who spent 28 years in Duval County, including 12 as principal at Matthew Gilbert, a segregated Black high school on the Eastside in the 1930s and \u201840s.<\/p>\n<p>Despite opening a decade after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed separate but equal education, Raines was established as a Black high school in 1965. As it nears its 60th anniversary, the student body remains 90.9% Black.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" color=\"4a3e3d\" transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #4a3e3d;\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"938\" src=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-32-1024x938.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-83872\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-32-1024x938.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-32-300x275.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-32-768x703.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-32-1536x1407.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-32-2048x1876.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-32-262x240.jpg 262w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-32-100x92.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-32-1650x1511.jpg 1650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Raines\u2019 superior rating from the Florida Bandmasters Association in November was the first time in at least 25 years that it earned that score at its district competition. | Will Brown, <em>Jacksonville Today<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe are unapologetically Black. We show who we are every day and we are the best at it,\u201d says 2017 alumnae Nazah Reddick, a former Raines track star who graduated from North Carolina A&#038;T in 2021. She says the supportive culture is one of the reasons Raines is successful in sports and education.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When Hall became principal in 2013, Raines had <a href=\"https:\/\/data.gainesville.com\/school\/duval\/william-m-raines-high-school\/161651\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">earned a \u2018D\u2019 grade, or worse, <\/a>from the Florida Department of Education in six of the previous seven academic years. The<a href=\"https:\/\/media.news4jax.com\/photo\/2016\/12\/16\/Duval-County-high-school-gr_1481930660862_8605730_ver1.0.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-slb-active=\"1\" data-slb-asset=\"2098305744\" data-slb-group=\"slb\"> school\u2019s 72.1% graduation rate was equal to Duval\u2019s<\/a> overall graduation rate.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" color=\"69605c\" transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #69605c;\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-30-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-83874\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-30-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-30-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-30-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-30-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-30-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-30-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-30-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-30-427x240.jpg 427w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-30-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-30-1650x928.jpg 1650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Raines Principal Vincent Hall is flanked by Duval County Public Schools Chief of Staff Michael Ramirez, left, and Duval County Superintendent Chris Bernier, right, after the Vikings advanced to the program\u2019s sixth FHSAA state championship game on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. | Will Brown, <em>Jacksonville Today<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cAs we always say, it doesn\u2019t matter the neighborhood you are from, it\u2019s the school you attend,\u201d says Hall, the principal, who grew up as one of eight children in a three-bedroom home in the Magnolia Gardens neighborhood. \u201cWe believe in our kids. Our teachers believe in our kids. We make certain that they understand that they could be the doctor, the lawyer, the actuary or whatever it is they want to become. All we have to do is believe and foster that level of support they need in order to be great.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dispelling misperceptions\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>The foils and failures at Raines have been magnified in local and national media over the decades.<\/p>\n<p>For one, a 2000<em> Folio Weekly<\/em> column concluded that former Raines Coaches Earl Kitchings Sr., Jimmie Johnson and Freddie Stephens were \u201cdrastic underachievers\u201d because none had won a state football championship.<\/p>\n<p>But their impact went far beyond the Raines end zone.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Before he became Raines\u2019 first football coach in 1965, Kitchings had led the segregated Matthew Gilbert High to Duval County\u2019s first undefeated Florida Interscholastic Athletic Association state championship title in 1958.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson coached Raines to an appearance in the 1973 state championship but made more of an impact as principal and a member of the School Board. One of Johnson\u2019s former students was Hall, the current principal.<\/p>\n<p>Stephens won 142 games as Raines coach and made such an impact that when the football field was renamed after him in 2022, more than 60 former players celebrated with him on a Thursday night in Moncrief.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" color=\"494041\" transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #494041;\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Raines-football-2022-Freddie-Stephens-dedication-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-83921\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Raines-football-2022-Freddie-Stephens-dedication-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Raines-football-2022-Freddie-Stephens-dedication-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Raines-football-2022-Freddie-Stephens-dedication-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Raines-football-2022-Freddie-Stephens-dedication-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Raines-football-2022-Freddie-Stephens-dedication-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Raines-football-2022-Freddie-Stephens-dedication-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Raines-football-2022-Freddie-Stephens-dedication-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Raines-football-2022-Freddie-Stephens-dedication-427x240.jpg 427w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Raines-football-2022-Freddie-Stephens-dedication-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Raines-football-2022-Freddie-Stephens-dedication-1650x928.jpg 1650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Raines High School renamed its field Freddie Stephens Field on during halftime of a November 2022 contest against Jackson. (From left): former head Coach Welton Coffey, current Raines Athletic Director Joacquina Waters-Jones, former head Coach Deran Wiley, Stephens, former head Coach Ben Simmons and Dominique Ross, one of the more than a dozen Raines alumni under Stephens who played in the NFL. | Will Brown, <em>Jacksonville Today<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Then there was the 2005 story in <em>The Los Angeles Times<\/em>. Just before the Super Bowl kicked off in Jacksonville, California\u2019s largest paper fronted its sports page with this subheadline: \u201cFlorida campus near Super Bowl site turns out stellar athletes but earns little respect for its academic performance\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The story lingered on the proximity of liquor stores and sagging homes and mentioned that the football stadium is nicknamed The Graveyard. The story never mentioned that the stadium\u2019s moniker comes from the cemetery clearly visible from the east end zone.<\/p>\n<p>Still, Raines students have gone on to leadership roles in education, arts, music, publishing, labor, nonprofit management and the U.S. Secret Service. Three alumni are on the Jacksonville City Council. Another, Tracie Davis, is a state senator. Raines has produced scores of doctors, attorneys, nurses and more over the last six decades.<\/p>\n<p>Willie Hall is not surprised by the slights. The 2003 Raines graduate, and keeper of its history room, says the demographics of the school and its location in one of the poorest ZIP codes in Florida, has, at times, led to its being painted with a broad negative brush.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we won (the state football championship) in 2017, we got some recognition and no key to the city,\u201d Hall says. \u201cWe were the only ones who won. It wasn\u2019t until Mandarin won (in 2018) that they <a href=\"https:\/\/news.wjct.org\/first-coast\/2018-12-19\/raines-mandarin-hs-football-teams-given-keys-to-city-following-championship-wins\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">called us to City Hall<\/a>. And, they recognized them first. There was definitely a disparity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The 2018 Raines team did what no other public school in Northeast Florida has ever accomplished: win back-to-back FHSAA state championships.<\/p>\n<p>Jessie Wilcox Jr.,\u00a0 a 1972 Raines grad and parent and member of its School Advisory Council, has spent 14 years as the public address announcer at football games.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" color=\"7c6b61\" transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #7c6b61;\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-35-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-83918\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-35-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-35-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-35-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-35-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-35-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-35-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-35-100x67.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-35-1650x1100.jpg 1650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jessie Wilcox Jr. is the vice president of the William M. Raines National Alumni Association. The nonprofit, which is modeled after alumni associations at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, advocates for the school and fundraises for extra curricular pursuits including the football team. | Will Brown, <em>Jacksonville Today<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cSometimes public perception can drive some people away,\u201d Wilcox says. \u201cBut, we know in the last years\u2026the last four or five principals that have been here since the (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) was put in (have done) what it took to get Raines to a \u2018B\u2019 right now. It\u2019s headed to an \u2018A\u2019. All of the hands that were on deck to get that done. We applaud them.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Doing it for Duval<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" color=\"3d3126\" transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #3d3126;\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-13-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-83896\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-13-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-13-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-13-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-13-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-13-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-13-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-13-100x67.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-13-1650x1100.jpg 1650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Raines High School advanced to its sixth FHSAA state final with a 28-23 win over Sarasota Booker on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. The Vikings (13-0) are looking to become the third Duval County public school to complete an undefeated football season. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Wilcox says Raines is representing the entire city as it heads to Miami for the championship.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The undefeated Vikings play Miami Northwestern (11-2) for the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 3A title at Pitbull Stadium at Florida International University. <\/p>\n<p>In scheduling the matchup of two historically and predominantly Black high schools with massive fan bases, the FHSAA set kickoff for a primetime Saturday evening slot.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know Miami Northwestern is a very big program. You may be running into the 20s, when it comes to thousands of people (in attendance),\u201d Wilcox says. \u201cWhen you start talking about those type of schools playing each other. We are up to the task. We welcome it.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" color=\"655e4a\" transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #655e4a;\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-15-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-83893\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-15-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-15-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-15-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-15-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-15-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-15-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-15-100x67.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-15-1650x1100.jpg 1650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Raines graduates Welton Coffey II (1997) and Deran Wiley (2017, 2018) led the Vikings to all three of the program\u2019s FHSAA state football championship wins. Both watched as the Vikings beat Sarasota Booker 28-23 in a FHSAA Class 3A state semifinal on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. | Will Brown, <em>Jacksonville Today<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Current Raines football coach Donovan Masline was an assistant on the 2018 team that won the Vikings\u2019 third state crown.<\/p>\n<p>After last week\u2019s semifinal victory, Masline thanked the community for investing in the young men who make up this year\u2019s marauders from Moncrief.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt means God is good. God is good! God is good! God is good,\u201d Masline said. \u201cI\u2019m proud of the kids for believing in themselves first and foremost. I\u2019m proud of the kids for believing in the coaches. I\u2019m proud of the families for trusting us with their kids. This is for them. This is their moment. This is what they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" color=\"645741\" transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #645741;\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-28-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-83879\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-28-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-28-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-28-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-28-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-28-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-28-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-28-100x67.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-28-1650x1100.jpg 1650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Donovan Masline is in his fifth year as the head football coach at Raines High School. The Vikings (13-0) are looking to become the third Duval County public school to complete an undefeated football season. | Will Brown, <em>Jacksonville Today<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Masline is a Raines graduate who has spent a decade at the school as a player, coach or member of the faculty. He says the strength of this year\u2019s team is their ability to play together and make plays in big moments. <\/p>\n<p>Raines quarterback T.J. Cole has thrown for 2,812 yards and 43 touchdowns this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" color=\"474245\" transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #474245;\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-01-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-83909\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-01-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-01-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-01-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-01-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-01-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-01-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-01-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-01-427x240.jpg 427w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-01-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-01-1650x928.jpg 1650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Raines quarterback T.J. Cole accounted for 354 yards and four touchdowns in a FHSAA Class 3A state semifinal win. Raines advanced to its sixth FHSAA state final with a 28-23 win over Sarasota Booker on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. The Vikings (13-0) are looking to become the third Duval County public school to complete an undefeated football season. | Will Brown, <em>Jacksonville Today<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cLeadership runs through the whole team,\u201d Cole says. \u201cWe (have) a lot of young guys that are becoming leaders. They\u2019re stepping up and maturing. They are maturing to the point where we can trust them and we can rely on them a lot. To have that leadership, I\u2019m just happy that we\u2019re going to Miami and we have a chance to do something big.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cole has accounted for 52 total touchdowns this year, but none were bigger than his pass to Adron Walker with five minutes remaining in the third quarter of last week\u2019s 28-23 semifinal win.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" color=\"604f3a\" transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #604f3a;\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-09-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-83900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-09-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-09-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-09-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-09-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-09-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-09-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-09-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-09-427x240.jpg 427w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-09-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-09-1650x928.jpg 1650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Adron Walker caught a pair of touchdown passes in Raines\u2019 Dec. 6, 2024 win over Sarasota Booker. The senior wide receiver has a team-leading 16 touchdown receptions this season. The Vikings (13-0) are looking to become the third Duval County public school to complete an undefeated football season. | Will Brown, <em>Jacksonville Today<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>As the team celebrated, Duval County Superintendent Chris Bernier applauded from the sideline.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a climate of excellence. It\u2019s always been. They\u2019re just starting to receive some of the fruits of their labor. The \u2018B\u2019 grade, Dr. Hall being the Principal of the Year\u2026moving on to the state championship. They are an example of all of the schools in Duval County,\u201d Bernier said. \u201cWe\u2019re very blessed to have great school buildings, great leaders, great athletes, who deal with victory and with loss with amazing sportsmanship.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" color=\"6a6259\" transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #6a6259;\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-26-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-83881\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-26-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-26-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-26-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-26-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-26-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-26-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-26-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-26-427x240.jpg 427w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-26-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec.-6-Booker-at-Raines-football-26-1650x928.jpg 1650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Raines High School advanced to its sixth FHSAA state final with a 28-23 win over Sarasota Booker on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. The Vikings (13-0) are looking to become the third Duval County public school to complete an undefeated football season. | Will Brown, <em>Jacksonville Today<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The job is not finished.<\/p>\n<p>Northwestern has won its four playoff games by an average of 52 points. A Raines victory would mark just the third time in 70 years that a Duval County public school concludes an undefeated football season with a state championship.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/jaxtoday.org\/2024\/12\/12\/raines-high-at-60-a-season-of-success-on-the-football-field-and-off\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Raines High School hopes to party like it\u2019s 1997.\u00a0 The Vikings head to the state football championship on Saturday. At the predominantly Black high school in Northwest Jacksonville, the return&hellip;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":75463,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75462"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75462\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75464,"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75462\/revisions\/75464"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}