Takeaways from Florida showdown between Trinity Christian–Raines

On3 imageby:Nikki Chavanelle08/30/21

NikkiChavanelle

Trinity Christian Academy, one of the most decorated North Florida high school programs, kicked off the season Friday with a win over Raines.

Both teams have future D-I athletes, from 2025 quarterback Colin Hurley to 2022 linebacker Keaton Thomas, and both teams fought to the final whistle in Friday’s drizzly showdown. After getting down 12-0 early, Trinity Christian battled back to win it 24-18.

Here are the takeaways.

Camron Miller starts season strong

Penn State 2022 cornerback commit Cam Miller brought the much-needed spark for Trinity Christian as the team trailed Raines on Friday night.

After a second score by Raines – a pick six – Miller returned a kickoff to the house, flexing his athleticism and versatility. The Raines special teams unit over-committed, allowing Miller to squirt through and sprint unimpeded to the end zone.

Miller is No. 16 in the On3 2022 cornerback rankings.

Caden Morrell shouldn’t be overlooked

One of Jacksonville’s fiercest linebackers doesn’t have any D-I offers yet. As college coaches hit the road and stop by TCA to see his teammates, it will be hard for them not to notice the missile running around that is Caden Morrell. Morrell, 6-foot, 195, is a senior for Trinity Christian.

He posted a team-high 13 tackles on Friday night, including a key fourth-down stop, and a forced fumble.

Player of the Game: Darnell Rogers

Raines may not have given the TCA run game much respect after they noticed 2023 4-star Oklahoma running back commit Treyaun Webb was not dressed out on Friday night – that was a mistake.

Darnell Rogers, a 5-foot-7 running back in the class of 2024, lit it up for Trinity Christian with two scores and 250 on 29 carries. Rogers might be overlooked by Power Five programs due to his size but he still has time to grow.

Adding a little extra juice for the monster performance, Rogers’ father once played at Raines High School.

Group of Five wideouts Quincy Burroughs, Kareem Burke

Trinity Christian tightened the clamps down on Raines after the early deficit. Still, two future group of five wideouts, Quincy Burroughs and Kareem Burke, combined to give Raines almost 200 yards of offense.

Burroughs, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound receiver committed to Cincinnati, had four catches for 53 yards. Burke, a 6-foot, 170 UConn commit, posted three receptions for 125 yards. Both Raines wide receivers are decorated sprinters.

The receivers go up against 2023 Georgia-offered cornerback Kenton Kirkland daily. Kirkland had a good game for Raines as well, including a pass breakup that resulted in the first-quarter pick six.