2023 SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN: Middleburg looks for first back-to-back playoff berths with tough schedule

MIDDLEBURG BRONCOS

District: 3S-3

2023 SCHEDULE

* – District Contest

MILEAGE BREAKDOWN

What is excellent for Middleburg is that they will only have to travel a little outside Clay County this season, as they will only make two trips out of the county out of their five road games. The longest road trip comes at 42.9 miles going to Hawthorne, while the shortest road trip will come at just 5.5 miles to rival Ridgeview for a district contest later in the season. And if anything, the Broncos’ two longest road trips will come earlier in the season than later.

To Hawthorne: 42.9 miles
To Ponte Vedra: 35.6 miles
To Ridgeview: 5.5 miles
To Clay: 16.2 miles
To Orange Park: 9.2 miles

One-Way: 109.4 miles
Round-Trip: 218.8 miles

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

FloridaHSFootball.com has developed a weighted strength of schedule formula that weighs a team’s strength of schedule using data trends from the previous five seasons to measure a team’s overall strength of schedule. This includes all team records for all opponents and other weighted factors given about the teams on a schedule.

There is much to consider when looking at Middleburg’s strength of schedule. The Broncos will benefit from not only having a defending state champion on the schedule this season but will also have two state semifinalists from last season on the schedule as well. This comes from Hawthorne winning the Class 1R state championship and, along with Columbia and Bradford, reaching the state semifinals in Class 3S and Class 2S, respectively. Games with these three opponents lend a nice hand to Middleburg’s weighted strength of schedule being above .500 coming into the season. They also benefit from Bishop Kenny and Clay reaching the playoffs over the last two seasons.

The biggest downfall in the Broncos’ schedule this season is having Ribault, Ridgeview, and Orange Park on the schedule once again. While Ridgeview and Orange Park are on the schedule through being on the district schedule, they will always remain on the schedule regardless of whether the teams are in the same district. Ribault was an interesting choice for the Broncos when they were placed on the schedule last season. While Ribault did show some improvement, this is one game that does not help the strength of the schedule and could be a factor during the regular season on the results for rankings.

Overall, our weighted strength of schedule gives Middleburg a strength of schedule of .615 for the 2023 season, meaning that the Broncos have a schedule that will test them, but gives them favorability in reaching the playoffs for the second straight season in 2023, which is something the Broncos have not accomplished since the late 1980s.

MORE: Find all the links to all the schedule breakdowns published here

KEY DISTRICT GAME

10/13 – Columbia: While the Broncos have not defeated Columbia in the all-time series of the two teams playing each other dating back to the 1980s, the Broncos came the closest last season in trying to defeat the Tigers, losing to them 28-14. With this game at home, this game will ultimately determine who will emerge as the district champions. The goal for Middleburg will be to take advantage of the home-field edge and get the Middleburg community excited about this one.

KEY NON-DISTRICT GAME

8/25 – Hawthorne: Right out of the gate, the Broncos will start with defending Class 1R state champion in Hawthorne when they make the road trip to Alachua County to kick off the season. While some of the key athletes from last year’s squad will have graduated from Hawthorne, the environment will be hostile for the Broncos as a great fan base in this small rural community will be there to cheer for them. If the Broncos escape with a win over the defending state champions to start the season, that will undoubtedly turn some heads and make some headlines across the state.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Middleburg has a legitimate chance of making back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since the late 1980s when the school was under the leadership of the legendary David Wilson. Head Coach Ryan Wolfe has led Middleburg to 10 wins over the first two seasons as the head coach of the program, something that had happened only a few years ago. Now Wolfe wants to get that number up further, and as athletes continue to stay at Middleburg or transfer into the program, the expectations will continue to rise. Suppose the Broncos want to make a statement early in the season. In that case, it will look to get a victory over one of the first three teams it lost to at the start of last season between Hawthorne, Bishop Kenny, or Bradford, while looking to find a way to get a win over a Ponte Vedra program that could have been a victory last year.