Bushnell, Fla. — For the first time since last November, The Villages High School football team will take the field for a game that counts.

The Buffalo open their 2023 season with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Friday night against South Sumter at Inman Sherman Field in Bushnell, as VHS and its in-county foe square off for the seventh time in series history.

The Villages embarks on a new campaign after finishing 3-7 last fall — missing the postseason for the first time since 2017 — with four returning starters on offense and three on defense.

South Sumter, who holds a 5-1 advantage all-time in the series, finished 12-1 overall a year ago en route to advancing to the Class 2S-Region 3 final.

THE MATCHUP
The Villages Buffalo
Record: 0-0
Class 2S Rank (MaxPreps): 44
Head Coach: Richard Pettus, 21st year
South Sumter Raiders
Record: 0-0
Class 2S Rank (MaxPreps): 3
Head Coach: Ty Lawrence, 8th year

THE SCENE
Date: Friday, Aug. 25
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Inman Sherman Field, South Sumter High School, Bushnell
Surface: FieldTurf
Series: South Sumter leads 5-1
Last Meeting: South Sumter 42, The Villages 0 (Aug. 26, 2022)
Twitter: @VHSFootballFBT
Website: athletics.tvcs.org

FOUR DOWNS
1. It's You Again: The Villages and South Sumter will open their respective seasons against one another for the second consecutive year. The Raiders won 42-0 last August at VHS. That result snapped a four-year winning streak for the Buffalo in season openers.
2. Hello, Harding Boys: Friday marks the VHS debuts of sophomore quarterback Patrick Harding and junior receiver Jonathan Harding. The pair are set to become the fourth and fifth Harding brothers to play for the Buffalo, following in the footsteps of older brothers Wallace, Luke and Ricky.
3. Building Momentum: South Sumter won a dozen games a year ago, good for the most wins by the Raiders since racking up 11 victories back in 2014.
4. FieldTurf Frenzy: The Raiders will debut their new FieldTurf surface on Friday night, which was installed over the summer at Inman Sherman Field in Bushnell. The Buffalo will showcase their new FieldTurf surface on Sept. 1, when VHS hosts Zephyrhills at The Range at H.G. Morse Stadium.

FROM THE HEADSET
"We've got to be us. We can't get caught up in the rivalry stuff. They've had our number for some years now, other than two years ago, so we've just got to be us. We've got to stay focused on what we're good at and what we can do." — VHS head coach Richard Pettus


Cody Hills can be reached for questions or comment at cody.hills@tvcs.org or by calling (352) 259-6890.