2023 SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN: Merritt Island looks for district championship with competitive schedule

MERRITT ISLAND MUSTANGS

District: 3S-10

2023 SCHEDULE

* – District Contest

MILEAGE BREAKDOWN

Despite three of the five road games for the Mustangs staying inside Brevard County, there will still be some road-tripping this season. The shortest road trip of the season will clock in at a nice 4.9 miles when the Mustangs cross the Indian River to take on Rockledge in one of their district contests near the end of the season. Meanwhile, the longest road trip will come at the end of the season when a trip to Eustis will be so that it will tally up to 87.9 miles. It is also interesting that the second longest and the longest road trips of the season for Merritt Island are bookends to the start and end of the regular season.

To Deltona: 66.8 miles
To Heritage: 31 miles
To Rockledge: 4.9 miles
To Satellite: 17.3 miles
To Eustis: 87.9 miles

One-Way: 207.9 miles
Round-Trip: 415.8 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.

As we look at the schedule for the Mustangs, seven of the ten teams reached the playoffs last season, boosting the strength of schedule alone for the Mustangs. However, looking at things further among the playoff teams, they still needed to advance deep into the regional playoffs or go past the regionals, which could have further boosted the schedule’s strength.

The best opponents on the schedule for the Mustangs appear to be Rockledge, a team always in the mix for deep playoff runs every season, along with Melbourne, which has also shown great achievements over the last couple of years. When looking deeper, of the three non-playoff teams on the schedule, Deltona boosted a .700 winning record, adding to the overall weighted strength of schedule that Merritt Island will have to enter the season. The worst team on the schedule is Astronaut, which will be heralding in a new head coach after suffering back-to-back losing seasons. Depending on the improvements made, Astronaut could help with the strength of schedule boost toward FHSAA power rankings during the regular season.

As we look at the weighted strength of schedule formula, the formula shows that Merritt Island will enter the 2023 season with a strength of schedule of .625. What that shows is that Merritt Island has a schedule that will challenge them and give them competition that is comparable to the level of competition they are accustomed to while also having some contests on the schedule that will allow them to have a way to winning games as well. Overall, the Mustangs will be battled tested if a playoff berth occurs in November.

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

KEY DISTRICT GAME

10/20 – Rockledge: This will be the most critical district game for the Mustangs, like last year, as this game will most likely be for the district championship. The critical thing for Merritt Island will not to allow Rockledge to get out into an early lead that is hard to come back from, as the Raiders will be well-coached and well-prepared coming into the game. Overall, this will be a challenging game from start to finish, with a district championship and a playoff berth on the line.

KEY NON-DISTRICT GAME

9/1 – Melbourne: A variety of games could be slotted into the key non-district game for the Mustangs, but Melbourne is the best team of the non-district opponents on the schedule. As such, this game should give the Mustangs an early indication of who they are as a team and what direction they will need to go in as they prepare for the district slate starting Week 6. If anything, win or lose should give Merritt Island many answers about who they are as a team.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

While the Mustangs are now a couple of seasons removed from their run to the state championship game in Fort Lauderdale, the Mustangs are still a playoff-caliber team that can cause opponents trouble along the way. The Mustangs have a quality schedule, and the district slate will give them all the challenges they want in competing for a possible district championship. Merritt Island has a schedule that can win them games and be playoff ready, but it will also take worthy consideration to keep an eye on teams on the schedule that could cause an issue with their FHSAA power ranking. Ultimately, Merritt Island will control its destiny as to what the 2023 season looks like.