By FRANCIS FEDOR
francisfotography@outlook.com
As teams get ready to take the field to battle for a state title, the story of the off-season has been changed. The FHSAA has modified its playoff system and juggled the classifications. Sumner competed in the 7A District 7 (7AD7) classification in 2025. It will move to a 5AD10 class for the 2026 season and will be the only Hillsborough County squad in its district. Lennard (6AD11 in 2025) and Riverview (6AD7) move to 6AD10. Wimauma will play its inaugural varsity season in a 3AD10 class. East Bay and Spoto, rivals in 2025 in 5AD8, will split, with East Bay moving to 4AD9 and Spoto to 5AD9.
Another FHSAA change will be the addition of an open division playoff grouping. This group will be applied against 11 sports, including the majors of football, basketball, baseball, softball and flag football, which is seeing a meteoric rise in popularity. The FHSAA is calling the change the most significant postseason change in state history. The change will allow the top of the top to compete for what many will consider to be the ultimate champion in the state. The teams will be determined by using the top eight teams ranked statewide by MaxPreps. The association also allows teams to “opt-out” of FHSAA and play an “Independent” schedule.
The other change that has been rocking the South Shore Six (SS6) is player movement. Every season sees players change rosters in what they may consider their best opportunity, given Florida’s school choice and availability of slots at the school of one’s choosing. One of the biggest moves is the former Sumner starting QB Antonio Balaguer to rival school, Lennard, who joins three former East Bay players in a busy off-season for the Longhorns.
Sumner will look to be in the hunt in the 5A classification for a state title. The Stingrays, under the leadership of head coach George Selvie, came within two wins to compete for a 7A State Title, losing on the road in Venice 41-22 to end their magical 2025 run. Venice fell the following week to Lake Mary, the eventual 7A winner.
Coach Selvie’s Stingrays come into 2026 ranked 49 in FL. The team will look to junior Makai Frederick at QB and rely on a strong senior core that includes WR/DB Tyler Lynch, RB Tommy Scott and additions RB Gavin Altman and DB Caden Daniels to build on the success of the 2025 squad. Lynch could take over a game and averaged 42 yards receiving, six TDs, and pulled down six interceptions last season. RB combo Scott and Robert Garcia combined for nearly 50 rushing yards per game. On defense the team will miss the presence of Christian Mollino who will be out with an injury but will be counted on as a team leader.
The Stingrays open their 2026 season on the road at Strawberry Crest but will face their biggest challenges in a home game against TB Tech (9-3 in 2025) on Aug. 28 and a week later vs Gaither on Sept. 4 in the Tank. The Cowboys were 10-2 and 49 in Florida in 2025. Their biggest test will come on Sept. 18 when the ’Rays make a trip up I-4 to Armwood to face the Hawks, who lost in the FL Semi-Final State Championship game to West Boca by a single point and finished 2025 at 13-1 and 21st in Florida.
Lennard will be looking to improve on its 8-3 2025 record where the team ended the season ranked at 166 in Florida by MaxPreps. The Longhorns rolled through their first seven games of the ’25 campaign, notching four shutouts in a row before losing their first regular season game to Parrish Community, 14-6 on Oct. 17. In the seven-game winning streak to open the season, the Longhorns only surrendered 19 points to three opponents. The Longhorns ended their season with a 40-9 loss in the first round of the state playoffs on the road at Mitchell HS in New Port Richey.
The Longhorns return Mekhi Williams (committed to Wisconsin), Robert Gibbons (FIU), and Bryce Herald on defense. Chayse Brown (FSU) and Terrance Leather (five D1 offers), as well as the majority of the offensive line will return to protect newcomer Antonio Balageur. The line was a key element in the success of the passing game in 2025 and set up the protection that allowed Jacob Mobley time and space to throw for over 2,000 yards and 18 TDs before departing for college. Coach KB Belton and his staff were busy in the off-season, welcoming a host of additions, including the aforementioned Balaguer, as well as at least nine overall, with three moving from East Bay. Malik Boyd, Trey Knight, and Demauris Feet are making the move north. Other marquee additions are Preston Beckham (RB), a commit to Cincinnati, and Jarivs Howell (QB) from Armwood. The early season schedule includes strong road tests against Armwood on Aug. 21 and St. Petersburg Catholic on Sept. 4 and a rivalry match-up at East Bay on Sept. 18, as the former Indians return to their old home.
East Bay will take the field on Aug. 14 vs. Robinson. The Indians and head coach DeAndra Simmons (in his second full season) will be looking to improve on a 5-5 2025 record. The Indians did post two shutouts in routs over Leto (57-0) and Spoto (50-0) in positive moments during the season. East Bay returns its top running back, Preston Cooper, as well as four returnees on offense and seven on the defense. Coach Simmons is looking for juniors Marquis Thornton (DB/RB), Lhoyalti Taylor (DB/WR), Andriano Betty (OL) and sophomore Cooper to bring leadership and have a big impact on the field this season. The defense will be key to the success of the team and will be counted on to keep games in reach for the offense. The secondary and linebacker corps will anchor the defense. Coach Simmons believes the Indians will have strong team chemistry this season as the players buy into the program and have fun but bring a “blue collar” work ethic to the field and being the best version of themselves as keys to team success.
The Indians will play a couple of teams that went 7-4 in 2025: at Chamberlain on Aug. 28 and at Blake on Oct. 16, in addition to the huge SS6 match-up hosting Lennard on Sept. 18. They will also face another SS6 rival in Riverview on Aug. 21, another home game. The team could make a strong showing in 4AD9 play as Blake looks to be the strongest competition on its district schedule, but Jesuit, with an 11-2 2025 record, may be considered the favorite in 4AD9.
Riverview will compete in 6AD10 in the fifth season for head coach Tony Rodriguez. The Sharks will be looking for an elusive district championship and a push deeper into the state playoffs. The team just missed the district title, losing a heart-breaker to Durant late, by a point. The team has a Sept. 25 rematch on the road circled on its calendar. The team had what could be considered a successful 2025 campaign, going 6-5 in the face of tough competition. In a conversation with senior team leaders, they all had various opponents they were looking forward to in 2026 but are focused on playing their schedule.
The Sharks will play SS6 rivals East Bay, Spoto, and Lennard (a late season home game and senior night), but the biggest game on the schedule will be vs Gaither on Oct 9. Riverview returns much of their core and only saw three contributors not return. Carter Peternell will take the lead at QB, and senior Aidan Airgood, who saw time at QB, will now step into a TE role. Senior Dominic Persaud will lead the defense from the secondary, lining up at CB. And another key player will be senior Dominic Bowser on the offensive line. A key addition to the Sharks roster is JP Renaldi, who played at nearby Bloomingdale in 2025. Coach Rod takes pride in “building men” and seeing the number of returnees, the players value his leadership.
The Mustangs will compete in 3AD10 and have Chamberlain (7-4), Jefferson (10-2), King (2-8) and Robinson (1-9) as their competition for a district title. Coach Mario Hollingshed and his staff will take the field on Aug. 21 at home vs. Leto HS to start their regular season varsity journey. They face a tough match-up early, traveling to Lennard the following week, and will face the Jefferson Dragons, another challenge, on the road on Sept. 25. They close their season on Oct. 23 at home vs. Brandon.
The team will count on returning seniors Jonathan Steven (WR) and Jayden Averitte (CB). Additions, junior QB Cole Verzosa and senior Braylon Hardy (S), who both previously played at Bloomingdale, will compliment Steven and Averitte in leadership, and they are looking forward to creating history this season. Verzosa and Hardy spoke highly of the program as their reason for choosing Morgan and want to make a difference. Verzosa is looking to keep turnovers to a minimum while Stephen is setting a goal of a 1k yard season and looks to be a mentor in 2026. All have aspirations of furthering their football careers after high school.
Spoto comes into 2026 looking to improve on its 6-4 2025 record and saw the defense put up three shutouts, beating Chamberlain 39-0 on Sept. 19, Freedom two weeks later, 49-0 and ending the streak after dropping Leto, again in front of a home crowd, 48-0. The team faced a schedule that included a tough Lennard team early in the season and Tampa Bay Tech, both ended their seasons with only three losses.
Head coach Keith Chattin will lead the Spartans into the 2026 season on the road at SS6 rival Riverview on Aug. 14, before opening the regular season at home vs. Chamberlain on Aug. 21. They will play in 5AD9, and their toughest challenges will be Armwood and Tampa Bay Tech at home. Seniors Michael Grider (RB) and Levert Sims (WR) and junior Giovanni Sbabo (QB) return to provide stability and leadership on offense.
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