Gadsden County (Florida) to travel north and face Illinois' Class 6A champ in September

The Jaguars may have finished as the Class 2A state runnerups, but they are looking to take the next step this fall

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Just because the Gadsden County Jaguars didn't win it all in Florida's Class 2A state championship last month doesn't mean they don't feel prepared to take the next step as a high school football program.

In an announcement by East St. Louis (Illinois) head coach Darren Sunkett, Gadsden County and the Flyers have reached an agreement to face off on Sep. 5th, 2025. The Jaguars would travel from Havana up to East St. Louis, Illinois to take on the Class 6A state champion Flyers.

"We are very excited and humbled by the opportunity to test our program against a top 25 nationally ranked opponent," Gadsden County head coach Russell Ellington said. "We really want Gadsden County to become a powerhouse in the state of Florida and the only way to get there is to play the best competition in the state and nationally!"

@Football_Flyers Illinois 6A State Champions has reached an agreement to play @GadsdenFootball Florida 2A State Runner-up on Sept. 5th 2025🔥🔥🔥@RussellEllingt4 #TheChase #AllGasNoBrakes

— Coach Sunk (@DarrenSunkett) January 29, 2025

The Jaguars impressed all season long and it started in the preseason in a loss to Venice, who eventually ended up winning Florida's Class 7A state championship.

Ellington's push to play better competition received high praise from Venice head coach John Peacock.

I’m a big fan of @RussellEllingt4
Some people would rather play a soft schedule instead of challenging their players.

— John Peacock (@john_p34) January 29, 2025

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