COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 94 Mount Dora Christian Bulldogs — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

Mount Dora Christian returns a loaded rushing attack, a disruptive defensive front and unfinished business after reaching the SSAA 11-Man title game.

Mount Dora Christian did not spend 2025 nibbling around the edges. The Bulldogs ran through opponents, piled up nearly 4,900 rushing yards and reached the SSAA 11-Man championship game. Now comes a different challenge: carrying that identity into the new FHSAA Independent League while navigating a schedule with enough variety to expose any weakness.

MOUNT DORA CHRISTIAN BULLDOGS

Head Coach: Kolby Tackett, seventh year overall, fourth year in second stint District: Independent League - Division B 2024 Record: 8-3 2025 Record: 12-2 2025 Final FPRI Rating: 68.38 2025 Final State Rank: No. 56 2026 Preseason Rating: 61.29 2026 Preseason Rank: No. 94 2026 Class Rank: No. 1 2025 Playoff / FIT Finish: SSAA 11-Man State Runner-Up

The Bulldogs’ 12-2 finish was built on an offense that treated passing downs as optional. Mount Dora Christian averaged 343.8 rushing yards per game, scored 68 rushing touchdowns and received 2,967 combined rushing yards from Issac Farling and TJ McCormick. The defense supplied its own violence, producing 90.5 tackles for loss, 25 sacks and 25 forced fumbles. The season ended one win short of the ultimate goal, but the foundation was not temporary. Much of the machinery is back.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Category Value Average Opponent Rating 40.08 Opponent 2025 Record 55-53 Opponent 2025 Win Percentage .509 Hardest Opponent NSU University School (Fort Lauderdale) District Games 0

This is not a weekly meat grinder, but it has sharp edges. The Bulldogs face three opponents rated inside the preseason top 200 during the first six weeks, then close with two winning teams from 2025. There are places to breathe. There are also enough serious tests to punish complacency.

2026 FULL SCHEDULE

Week Date Time Opponent 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 1 8/21 7:30 PM NSU University School (Fort Lauderdale) 8-4 No. 77 | No. 2 (SSAA 11-Man) 65.54 2 8/28 7:00 PM Santa Fe Catholic (Lakeland) 9-3 No. 264 | No. 10 (IND B) 40.35 3 9/4 7:30 PM P. K. Yonge (Gainesville) 0-10 No. 536 | No. 32 (IND B) 0.41 4 9/11 7:30 PM Lake Highland Prep (Orlando) 7-3 No. 135 | No. 2 (IND B) 55.57 5 9/18 7:00 PM @ Pine Ridge (Deltona) 2-8 No. 466 | No. 19 (IND A) 13.22 6 9/25 7:00 PM @ The Masters Academy (Oviedo) 5-7 No. 190 | No. 4 (IND B) 48.30 7 10/2 7:30 PM Indian Rocks Christian (Largo) 4-7 No. 351 | No. 21 (SSAA 11-Man) 30.38 8 10/8 7:00 PM IMG Academy State (Bradenton) 4-5 No. 443 | No. 13 (IND) 16.51 9 10/16 — BYE — — — 10 10/23 7:30 PM @ Seffner Christian 7-4 No. 192 | No. 9 (SSAA 11-Man) 47.80 11 10/30 7:30 PM All Saints (Winter Haven) 9-2 No. 299 | No. 13 (IND B) 36.01

Mount Dora Christian should be favored frequently, but this schedule is designed to test different muscles. There is elite speed in Week 1, physical independent competition scattered throughout the middle and a late road game against a familiar postseason-caliber program. The Bulldogs will not be able to win every week with the same script.

KEY LOSSES

The defense loses its traffic controller in Roberto Castillo II, who finished 2025 with a team-high 124 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 12 forced fumbles. Those are not ordinary linebacker numbers. That is an entire defensive personality leaving the building.

The secondary also must replace Blake Banks, whose nine interceptions accounted for most of the team’s 13 takeaways through the air. Nathan Abbott added 45 tackles and nine pass breakups, while Daniel Davidson contributed seven more pass breakups. Opposing quarterbacks will notice their absence.

Offensively, Noah Slegers leaves behind 971 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns, while Sean Mora supplied 192 receiving yards, three touchdown catches and dangerous return production. The Bulldogs still have their two largest offensive engines, but several dependable complementary pieces are gone. Replacing touches is easy. Replacing timing and trust is not.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player Position Class 2025 Production Issac Farling RB, OLB Junior Rushed for 1,721 yards and 27 touchdowns; passed for 491 yards and seven touchdowns; added eight tackles for loss and five sacks TJ McCormick RB, CB Senior Rushed for 1,246 yards and 15 touchdowns; caught 11 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns Brixton House DE Senior Recorded 51 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, six sacks, 20 quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles Robert LeBright MLB, OLB Senior Finished with 50 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and three forced fumbles Luke Scheveling OLB, G Senior Collected 39 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and three forced fumbles Malakhi Pusey WR, CB Senior Produced 21 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and four fumble recoveries Conner Decker TE, MLB Senior Caught five passes for 69 yards and one touchdown in 10 games Matthew Gordon RB, FS Senior Rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries Blake Lowell DT, T Junior Recorded 17 tackles, three tackles for loss and a half-sack in 12 games Jalen Tellez DT Senior Totaled 23 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack in 11 games

Farling is the centerpiece, but the defense may determine how far this team travels. House, LeBright and Scheveling give Mount Dora Christian an experienced pressure package that can erase mistakes elsewhere. That group does not need to be protected. It can do the protecting.

1ST DOWN — THE GAUNTLET

The most dangerous stretch arrives immediately. Mount Dora Christian opens against NSU University School, faces a 9-3 Santa Fe Catholic team seven days later and meets Lake Highland Prep in Week 4. Sandwiched between those games is P. K. Yonge, which creates a different kind of challenge: maintaining urgency when the numbers suggest a mismatch.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT

Opponent Week/Location 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish NSU University School (Fort Lauderdale) Week 1/Home 8-4 No. 77 | No. 2 (SSAA 11-Man) 65.54 SSAA 11-Man State Semifinalist Lake Highland Prep (Orlando) Week 4/Home 7-3 No. 135 | No. 2 (IND B) 55.57 SSAA 11-Man Regional Finalist

NSU University School is the only opponent rated above Mount Dora Christian and will test whether the Bulldogs’ power game can remain efficient against a faster, deeper defense. Farling and McCormick cannot merely pile up carries; they must keep the offense out of obvious passing situations.

Lake Highland Prep presents another credible examination. That game will place the spotlight on House and the Bulldogs’ pass rush. Mount Dora Christian produced 25 sacks last season, and its returning edge defenders are good enough to tilt the field. Against quality opponents, pressure is not a luxury. It is the equalizer.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The Bulldogs will learn almost everything they need to know about themselves before September reaches its midpoint. A 3-1 start would be solid. A 4-0 start would announce that the independent postseason road runs through Mount Dora.

2ND DOWN — STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

The schedule loosens after Lake Highland Prep. Pine Ridge, Indian Rocks Christian and IMG Academy State all carry preseason ratings below 31, while P. K. Yonge enters at 0.41 after an 0-10 season. Mount Dora Christian should control those games if it protects the football and avoids turning comfortable matchups into experiments.

The developmental issue is quarterback. Farling handled much of the passing production in 2025, completing 34 of 56 attempts for 491 yards and seven touchdowns, but he is at his best as a force multiplier in the backfield rather than a conventional dropback passer. The Bulldogs do not need to become a spread passing operation. They do need a dependable answer when opponents crowd the box and force the ball outside.

That makes the middle of the schedule valuable. The staff can expand the passing menu, evaluate the open quarterback competition and build timing with players such as Decker and Pusey without abandoning the offense’s identity. Development cannot wait until Seffner Christian.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The average opponent rating of 40.08 is manageable, but the schedule is uneven. Mount Dora Christian’s challenge is not surviving every Friday. It is using the softer Fridays to become more complete.

3RD DOWN — THE PROVING GROUND

The Masters Academy and Seffner Christian are the swing games. Neither carries the headline value of NSU University School, but both are rated inside the preseason top 200 and both come on the road. Those are the nights when disciplined teams separate themselves from talented ones.

The Week 6 trip to The Masters Academy will reveal whether Mount Dora Christian can maintain its edge after moving through the easier portion of September. Farling and McCormick should have opportunities, but the offensive line — led by experienced bodies such as Ben Glass, Blake Lowell, Liam Fitzsimmons and Noah Weilbacher — must dictate the game rather than wait for the backs to rescue it.

Seffner Christian comes after the bye and may carry even more weight. House, LeBright and Scheveling will be tested against a 7-4 opponent with a 47.80 preseason rating. A veteran defense should travel. This one must.

The finale against All Saints matters, too. A 9-2 opponent arriving in Week 11 is not a ceremonial ending. It is a final audit.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The ceiling will not be defined by what Mount Dora Christian does against overmatched opponents. It will be defined by whether the Bulldogs can take their physical identity on the road and make it hold up for four quarters.

4TH DOWN — PLAYOFF PICTURE

Mount Dora Christian returns to the FHSAA Independent League, where there are no district games and no path into the FHSAA state playoff brackets. The Bulldogs will instead compete within a separate league postseason structure, with anticipated divisional organization still taking shape.

That changes the vocabulary, not the stakes. Overall record, head-to-head results and performance against the stronger independent programs should shape Mount Dora Christian’s league postseason position. Games against Lake Highland Prep, The Masters Academy, Santa Fe Catholic and All Saints carry obvious value because they offer direct comparisons within the broader independent landscape.

The roster is built for postseason football. Farling and McCormick shorten games. House and LeBright can wreck drives without blitz help. Scheveling adds another experienced defender around the line of scrimmage. The concern is whether the Bulldogs can replace enough back-end production to survive opponents capable of attacking through the air.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Mount Dora Christian is not chasing an FHSAA state title in this structure. It is chasing control of its independent division and a deep league postseason run. With its returning rushing production and pass rush, anything less than contention would feel like a missed opportunity.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Difficulty Rating: 6/10

Mount Dora Christian has a realistic path to a 9-1 or 8-2 regular season if Farling and McCormick remain healthy and the offense develops a credible passing counterpunch. The ceiling is a league championship appearance; the limitation is a rebuilt secondary facing several opponents good enough to punish one-dimensional football.

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 94 Mount Dora Christian Bulldogs — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

Mount Dora Christian returns a loaded rushing attack, a disruptive defensive front and unfinished business after reaching the SSAA 11-Man title game.

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COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 94 Mount Dora Christian Bulldogs — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

Mount Dora Christian returns a loaded rushing attack, a disruptive defensive front and unfinished business after reaching the SSAA 11-Man title game.

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