Forest football is kicking off the 2026 season with a bang, hitting a dominant 39-15 win over Eastside at Citizens Field in Gainesville, pushing them to a 2-0 record for the first time in nine years. Wild, right? But the story behind that perfect start is even crazier, especially when you consider how that Eastside game began.
Defense to the Rescue: A Game-Changing Pick-Six
You wouldn’t believe it if you just saw the first quarter. Halfway through, Forest’s offense had less than 10 yards. Ten! It was an absolute grind against an Eastside Rams defense that was one of Class 3A’s best last year. Forest went three-and-out, then Eastside blocked a punt, setting themselves up inside the 20-yard line. Talk about a rough start!
But that’s where senior captain Christian Neal stepped up big time. On fourth down, Eastside’s Cade Sutherland threw a pass that Neal picked off, taking it 95 yards to the house! Just like that, the tone completely flipped. Eastside then went three-and-out on their next drive, and Forest blocked their punt on the other end. Keziyrehun Rivers punched it in from five yards out. Head Coach John Brantley III called it karma after Forest worked their fannies off
for only 15 points the week before. Brantley summed it up perfectly, saying, We were in control the whole time. Anytime you got a good defense, you can take some chances on offense.
He’s not wrong!
Offense Finds Its Groove and the Culture Shift Rolls On
After that defensive spark, the Wildcat offense finally started clicking. With Eastside being a young team with players going both ways, Brantley wanted to play with tempo. We wanted to keep them on the field and moving,
he said. That’s when your running game can take over. When you run the ball, that only helps your passing game.
And take over they did! Keziyrehun Rivers, who rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2025, continued to carry the load, adding another touchdown on their way to a commanding 26-9 halftime lead. Quarterback Caleb Sanford also showed some serious skills, with Rivers saying, Caleb’s my guy. I trust him. I know he’s going to make the right reads and put me in the right position.
That kind of trust is huge for any team.
This 2-0 start is more than just wins, though. It’s about bringing honor back to Forest, a program that saw no winning seasons from 2017 to 2024. Brantley, in his second season after coming from Trinity Catholic, knows the project isn’t finished. They still have tough district foes like Oakleaf, Buchholz, and rival Vanguard coming up. He’s honest, saying they can’t compete with those teams yet
and need to begin winning Monday-Wednesday.
As he put it, We may win Tuesday, but we don’t win Monday and Wednesday. When you don’t practice hard and efficient, it shows up on Friday night, but if we can figure that out, we can be a good football team.
The perks of a full offseason with Brantley are showing, and the squad is finally understanding his needs. This team is building something real.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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