Raines' defense? Still tough. Takeaways hold off Ed White challenge

It started when Chenaniah Doran and a pack of Raines Vikings ripped the football away on White's opening possession.

It ended when the same Vikings did the same thing on the Commanders' last snap of the game.

"Our kids always expect the unexpected," Raines coach Donovan Masline said. "And they came out tonight, man, and caused a lot of turnovers being physical."

The Night of the Turnover and it continued the winning tradition for Raines' opportunistic defense, which forced five turnovers held off the challenge of White, 21-12, in a Week 3 battle of Gateway Conference high school football powers on Sept. 4.

White got the yardage but, thanks to a defense that came up big under pressure, the reigning Florida High School Athletic Association Class 3A champions got the victory at a jam-packed and officially sold-out Commander Stadium, where the pregame line of fans for the lightning-delayed kickoff snaked through the parking lot and nearly extended to Old Middleburg Road. 

After turning aside one challenge for top honors in Duval County, Raines is counting down to new tests: After the start of district play on Sept. 11 against Parker, there's another serious challenge to their Gateway Conference crown when Mandarin invades the Graveyard on Sept. 18.

"We're going to get better and better, each game we play," defensive end Troy Butler said.

(This story will be expanded.)

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Raines' defense? Still tough. Takeaways hold off Ed White challenge