Raines football players are all smiles during a school pep rally to celebrate the undefeated Vikings on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
Published on December 19, 2025 at 12:24 pm
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The William M. Raines football program will be feted for its perfect season this Saturday in Northwest Jacksonville.
The community parade will begin at Lonnie Miller Park and conclude at the high school. The parade will begin at 9 a.m.
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The unbeaten Vikings will ride down Moncrief Road with the trophy they earned during a dramatic 23-22 win over Miami Northwestern in the 2025 FHSAA Class 3A state championship.
The Jaguars surprised Raines football coach Donovan Masline with a pair of Super Bowl tickets and an all-expenses paid trip to Super Bowl LX in California. Mayor Donna Deegan awarded the Raines coach with a Key to the City.
“Raines High School has been a pillar of excellence in our community for decades, not just in athletics, but in academics and the arts and in producing leaders who go on to make Jacksonville, and this world, a better place,” Deegan said. “And Vikings football, well, that’s its own legendary story. From the coaches who’ve poured their hearts into this program, to the players who have worn the (maroon) and silver with pride, to the community that packed those stands each and every game, rain or shine.
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“Football is about more than wins and losses. It’s about family. … The state championship isn’t just a trophy; it’s proof that when you invest in young people, when you believe in them, they will rise to any challenge.”
Raines assistant Charles Owens has witnessed the Vikings meet the moment for decades. The 1973 Raines graduate spent his 70th birthday on the sideline in Miami coaching the Vikings to their latest triumph.
“I just like working with young men, try to help them like somebody did for me,” Owens says. “I just want to return the favor.”
Owens says the 1997 Raines team may be the most talented in school history. This team will forever hold a unique place in Viking lore. Owens was an assistant for the 1997, 2017 and 2018 teams that won the state championship.
“This team here was special. I know one of the speakers says it takes a village to raise them,” Owens says. “But, on this team here, they were real special. They had in their mind what they needed to do and what they was going to do. And, they did it.”
The Vikings finished 14-0. They outscored opponents 680-91 this season and posted five shutouts.
For senior quarterback Timothy Cole, this was his first championship. Cole accounted for 6,891 offensive yards and 96 touchdowns in his tenure at Raines. He threw the game-winning touchdown pass with 10 seconds remaining to senior Tadarius Washington.
“This championship wasn’t just for Raines. It was for the community,” Cole says. “We brought it back to Jacksonville. … It still hasn’t hit me that we won a state championship.”
The Vikings are the third Duval County Public School to finish a varsity football season unbeaten and untied.
They join the 1958 Gilbert Panthers (11-0) and the 1997 Raines (15-0) squad in triumph.
Masline thanked the administrators, the assistants, parents, alumni and community for their belief in the players and coaches.
