ORANGE PARK- In a big battle under the Friday Night Lights between Blanding Blvd. rivals, Orange Park (3-4) came away with a 36-12 victory over Ridgeview (1-5) behind a two-interception night from senior secondary specialist Timothy Barfield.

"Our defense has improved steadily all season and this was a good solid night of four-quarter football," said Orange Park coach Marcus Wimberly, stung recently by second-half collapses with sizeable leads at the break. "One thing about this team different from last year is our resilience. Last year, if we got behind, there was a lot of giving up. These guys are staying focused and have kept us alive in the playoff hunt."

The game featured big moments for both teams, but the outcome was decided early in the second quarter.

The Raiders will meet their match when tough Ponte Vedra (6-1) comes to town tomorrow night, but they had no problem with the Panthers on Homecoming. Orange Park led 15-0 by the end of the first quarter.

However, it was a game-defining drive that was capped off with a party in the end zone with just under eight minutes remaining in the second quarter that put the game away for Orange Park, the sequence giving the Raiders control early in the game.

Quarterback Gabe Taylor commanded the drive from behind center and even punched in for a score from the one-yard line via a designed quarterback draw. The Raider firepower came from sophomore tailback Dylon Ruiz who zipped around for consecutive runs of 45 and 53 yards with the 53 ending in the end zone.

Senior wide receiver Jaden Paulk snagged a pass on a perfectly executed mid-range drag pattern from Taylor to move the ball to the 38-yard line with 9:11 remaining up a pivotal third and three which would set the tone for the remainder of the night.

It allowed Taylor to put the nail in the coffin on the next play.

“I just feel like we executed. Whatever (head coach Marcus Wimberly) called, we ran the play, and we ran it well,” said Taylor.

Raider wide receiver Quinton Moore, another weapon for Taylor, also made a substantial impact for Orange Park, the persistent junior coming in clutch during the Raiders’ following touchdown sequence after a series of penalties kept the chains going backward before Moore popped off a 26 yard gain to erase the penalty yards.

Moore hauled in a 17-yard touchdown reception with 11:54 remaining in the period to extend the Raiders’ lead to 28-6.

“It’s just about staying focused mentally, just not getting out of my element and continuing to do what I do," said Moore. "It’s an ‘on to the next play,’ mindset. We’re out here to have fun tonight."

Ridgeview's highlights included a fumble recovery from senior defensive tackle Braylon Hawkins in the second quarter, setting up a scoring opportunity. Ridgeview's biggest score was an 80-yard pick-six interception by defensive end Gain Huey to cut the Raiders' lead to 22-6 in the second quarter.

If that wasn’t enough, tight end Jarius Moore recorded a highlight-reel-worthy 19-yard reception with just two seconds remaining in the game, putting Ridgeview in the end zone one last time right before the buzzer-beater, allowing the Panthers to cut into their rival’s lead just before time expired.