JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mandarin’s season started the way the Mustangs hoped it would: a win and momentum.
In Week 1, Mandarin traveled to South Florida and beat McArthur 38-21. Head coach Toby Bullock said the opener delivered exactly what coaches want most in a first game — a chance to find out who you are under real game conditions.
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“You never really know what you’re going to get Week one,” Bullock said. “I thought we established ourselves physically… Duval came out on top.”
Bullock pointed to a key early moment that helped set the tone: an interception on the first play from star junior Brysen Wright.
“Yeah, the first play of the game, you get a pick,” Bullock said. “Flipped the game right there.”
Now it’s rivalry week: Principal’s Cup on the line
That Week 1 result is already in the past inside Mandarin’s program. Week 2 brings a different kind of energy — the annual rivalry trophy game against Atlantic Coast, known as the Principal’s Cup.
Mandarin fans at a previous Principal’s Cup game. (Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)
Wide receiver Jace Kemp said the Mustangs know what’s at stake.
“We’ve never lost since I’ve been here and we don’t plan to this year,” Kemp said.
Atlantic Coast has been a familiar opponent for more than a decade. The series dates back to 2011, with Mandarin holding an 11-4 advantage. The matchup has been lopsided in recent seasons: Mandarin has won 10 of the last 11 meetings, including four shutouts in that span.
Even so, players said they’re treating it like a game that demands focus.
“AC — we gonna do them,” linebacker Jerel Stephens said. “It’s going to be a great game for us.”
Linebacker Kaden Bryant described the approach as businesslike.
“Atlantic Coast to us is really just a practice,” Bryant said. “We just practice hard…”
Bullock: ‘Principal Cup is everything’
For Bullock, the Principal’s Cup is about more than a win-loss record. He calls it a tone-setter — for the school, the community, and the rest of the athletic year.
“Principal Cup is everything,” Bullock said. “It is our goal to never lose it again.”
He said it’s part rivalry, part pride — and something he takes personally.
“If anybody ever thinks I’ll take Atlantic Coast not serious… that will never happen,” Bullock said. “They will always be a major issue for me.”
Bullock said the game matters because it helps define the identity of the school well beyond football.
Mandarin practice ahead of game against Atlantic Coast. (Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)
“We want kids to want to be a Mandarin,” Bullock said. “We want people to have pride of being at Mandarin and the Principal’s Cup… starts that year off that way… We want to dominate in everything.”
For players like Kemp, it’s simple.
“So I don’t want to lose,” he said.
Stephens said the game means a lot — but he’s ready for it.
“Mean everything to me,” Stephens said. “But to me, just a regular game. I’m ready to play.”
About the series
Episode 3 is part of Varsity 4’s “Plus 2” — a season-long look inside Mandarin football, with weekly stories that will later be combined into a longer special.
Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.