Starke, Fla. — The Villages High School football team saw its 2024 season come to an end Friday night in Starke. 

The Buffalo were kept out of the end zone in the Class 2A-Region 2 quarterfinals, falling 35-0 on the road to defending state runner-up Bradford. 

After making the state playoffs for the first time since 2021, The Villages finishes the season with a 5-5 overall record.

"I'm just so proud of our kids and the fight they had," said VHS head coach Richard Pettus. "I know the scoreboard might not have reflected that in the end, but our kids fought their tails off. And it wasn't just tonight, it was all year long for us."

The Buffalo opened the 2024 campaign with a 34-13 runaway victory on the road over rival Wildwood, before suffering a road loss to Lecanto. 

VHS then rattled off back-to-back wins to improve to 3-1 — beating South Lake and Citrus — to open their home slate with a pair of victories.

A road loss to Tavares led to an unexpected open week after the cancellation of a homecoming tilt with Belleview, which was never rescheduled due to Hurricane Helene. 

The Buffalo bounced back for a road win at Crystal River before having their schedule derailed by another hurricane (Milton), postponing a district opener at Astronaut from the second week of October to the second week of November.  

Following a disappointing home loss to defending state champion Cocoa, the Buffalo rebounded after a bye week with a momentous 27-26 win at Mount Dora. That set up a regular-season finale against Astronaut in Titusville after the FHSAA extended the season by six days. 

Despite a one-point loss, the Buffalo earned the final at-large bid into the state playoffs from Class 2A-Region 2, taking the No. 7 seed on the road to No. 2 Bradford. 

The Buffalo will look to replace 19 graduating seniors next fall for Richard Pettus, who is expected to lead VHS on the sideline for a 23rd season. 

"I wish those 19 seniors nothing but the best for the next chapters in their lives," Pettus said. "I'm proud of their leadership in helping us get back to the playoffs, and get a taste of what it's like to be in the postseason again. Now, it's up to the next group of seniors and the underclassmen to get back to work, get back in the weight room and try to take us one step further next year."

Cody Hills can be reached for questions or comment via email at cody.hills@tvcs.org.