COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 97 Pahokee Blue Devils — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

Pahokee does not get the luxury of easing into a new era. The Blue Devils enter 2026 without their leading passer, leading rusher, top four pass catchers and three of their most disruptive defenders from last season. There is still speed on the roster and enough returning production to build around, but this is no longer a simple retooling job.

The schedule will not wait for those answers to arrive.

PAHOKEE BLUE DEVILS

Head Coach: Carlos Lammons Sr., third year District: District 1A-10 2024 Record: 7-4 2025 Record: 9-4 2025 Final FPRI Rating: 62.98 2025 Final State Rank: No. 94 2026 Preseason Rating: 60.93 2026 Preseason Rank: No. 97 2026 Class Rank: No. 9 2025 Playoff / FIT Finish: Rural State Semifinalist

Pahokee’s 9-4 season was built around balance and disruption. The Blue Devils averaged 366.8 yards per game, rushed for 2,647 yards and produced 45 sacks on defense. Their run to the Rural state semifinals showed how dangerous the formula could be. Most of the players who powered it, however, are gone.

Pahokee is not starting from zero. It is starting without its statistical center of gravity.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Category Value Average Opponent Rating 49.41 Opponent 2025 Record 73-44 Opponent 2025 Win Percentage .624 Hardest Opponent Vero Beach District Games 3

The average does not fully capture the challenge. Pahokee has several favorable spots, but Vero Beach, Atlantic and Glades Central give the schedule a sharp top end. There are weeks the Blue Devils should control. There are also weeks when one loose quarter could bury them.

2026 FULL SCHEDULE

Week Date Time Opponent 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 1 8/21 6:30 PM Dr. Joaquin Garcia (Lake Worth) 11-3 No. 126 | No. 20 (6A) 57.12 2 8/28 6:30 PM @ Royal Palm Beach 7-5 No. 215 | No. 44 (5A) 45.38 3 9/3 6:30 PM Benjamin (Palm Beach Gardens)* 3-8 No. 211 | No. 24 (1A) 45.86 4 9/10 6:30 PM Atlantic (Delray Beach) 10-2 No. 27 | No. 5 (4A) 77.65 5 9/18 6:30 PM @ Boynton Beach 5-5 No. 326 | No. 41 (3A) 32.87 6 9/25 6:30 PM John Carroll (Fort Pierce)* 8-3 No. 123 | No. 15 (1A) 57.39 7 10/2 — BYE — — — 8 10/9 7:00 PM @ Vero Beach 14-1 No. 20 | No. 3 (6A) 83.82 9 10/16 7:00 PM @ Tradition Prep (Port St. Lucie) 3-7 No. 433 | No. 25 (SSAA 11-Man) 18.25 10 10/22 6:30 PM Somerset Prep (North Lauderdale)* 2-8 No. 497 | No. 40 (1A) 9.45 11 10/30 6:30 PM @ Glades Central (Belle Glade) 10-2 No. 73 | No. 8 (3A) 66.28

*District game

The placement matters as much as the names. Pahokee gets its first two significant district tests before the bye, then must emerge from the break for a trip to the state’s No. 20 preseason team. The finale at Glades Central needs no sales pitch. In the Muck, the calendar always saves some heat for last.

KEY LOSSES

Running back Samuel Arnold leaves the largest hole after carrying 176 times for 1,480 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also caught 21 passes for 362 yards, giving him 1,842 yards from scrimmage. Pahokee is not replacing a productive runner alone. It is replacing the player who gave the entire offense its weekly floor.

Quarterback Xavier Mitchell is also gone after completing 61.3% of his passes for 2,011 yards and 17 touchdowns while adding 400 rushing yards. His departure is compounded by the losses of Kamari Foreman, Odexter Simms and Tristian Gooden, who combined for 997 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches.

The defensive losses are just as substantial. Antonio Simpson produced 92 tackles, 34 tackles for loss and 13 sacks, while Ceejay Embry added 57 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. Gooden and Ricky Gary combined for 140 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and four interceptions.

That is the leading passer, leading rusher, top four receivers and 24 sacks gone from one roster.

Pahokee still has athletes. What it no longer has is the comfort of knowing exactly where the ball and the pressure will come from.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player Position Class 2025 Production Mari Singleton RB/OLB Junior Rushed for 335 yards and one touchdown; recorded 41 tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack Antoine Lawrence WR Senior Caught 15 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 21.3 yards per reception Jacaris Jones WR/ATH Junior Averaged more than 40 receiving yards per game at Glades Day Ashston Walker OLB/DE Junior Recorded 47 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks Demarion Harris OLB Senior Finished with 25 tackles, six tackles for loss and four sacks Cyril Boyce FS/SS Junior Recorded 31 tackles and recovered one fumble in nine games Corey Hill RB/MLB Junior Recorded 30 tackles and three tackles for loss in eight games Zachary Mitchell RB/WR Senior Passed for 108 yards and two touchdowns; added 103 kickoff-return yards Jatavious Miller Jr. C/G Senior Appeared in eight games and recorded 12 tackles while contributing in the interior Dacorrian Jones RB/WR Senior Produced 48 yards from scrimmage in limited varsity action

Singleton is now the most accomplished returning option in the backfield, but his 50 carries from last season are a long way from Arnold’s 176. That difference defines the offensive reset. Pahokee needs Singleton and its other returning skill players to expand their roles without asking any one of them to imitate the player who left.

Lawrence is the most proven returning receiver, and Jacaris Jones adds another option after producing at Glades Day. Their ability to create separation will matter even more while the quarterback competition develops.

Defensively, Walker and Harris return nine combined sacks. They are no longer complementary pieces. They are the starting point.

1ST DOWN — THE GAUNTLET

The defining stretch begins with Atlantic in Week 4, runs through the district matchup with John Carroll and resumes immediately after the bye at Vero Beach. Those three opponents carry an average preseason rating of 72.95. Two are ranked among the state’s top 27 teams, and John Carroll may be Pahokee’s most consequential district game.

That sequence will test whether Pahokee can generate offense without leaning on a proven 1,400-yard back. Singleton has shown efficiency in a secondary role, but the Blue Devils must determine whether their running game will feature one primary option or a broader rotation. Lawrence and Jacaris Jones can discourage defenses from crowding the box, but only if the developing passing game proves capable of delivering the ball on time.

The same pressure applies defensively. Walker and Harris inherit the pass-rush burden left by Simpson and Embry, who combined for 24 sacks. Pahokee produced 45 sacks last season. If that pressure disappears, Atlantic and Vero Beach can turn structural uncertainty into a scoreboard problem.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT

Opponent Week/Location 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Vero Beach Week 8/Away 14-1 No. 20 | No. 3 (6A) 83.82 7A State Runner-Up Atlantic (Delray Beach) Week 4/Home 10-2 No. 27 | No. 5 (4A) 77.65 5A Regional Semifinalist

THE BOTTOM LINE: Pahokee does not need to sweep this stretch to prove it belongs. It does need to show that its new offensive structure can function when the running lanes shrink and the opposing athletes look just as fast.

2ND DOWN — STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

The opening three weeks provide a runway, but not a soft one. Dr. Joaquin Garcia went 11-3, while Royal Palm Beach won seven games. Those matchups must help Pahokee identify a quarterback, establish a backfield rotation and determine how much of the offense Lawrence and Jacaris Jones can carry before Atlantic arrives in Week 4.

No proven starting quarterback should be declared before the competition produces one. The roster includes players with quarterback designations or limited passing experience, but none has established himself as the 2026 answer. Pahokee must let that position develop honestly.

The schedule then oscillates. Atlantic is followed by Boynton Beach. John Carroll is followed by a bye. Vero Beach is followed by Tradition Prep and Somerset Prep. That rhythm gives the staff places to make adjustments, but it also creates a danger: easier weeks cannot become repair shops for problems that should have been solved in August.

Singleton, Lawrence and the offensive line will have to stabilize the unit while the quarterback picture clears. That is a heavier assignment now that Arnold’s production is no longer part of the equation.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The schedule offers development windows, but not unlimited patience. By the time Pahokee reaches Atlantic, the offense needs a coherent identity even if the quarterback competition remains unsettled.

3RD DOWN — THE PROVING GROUND

The swing games are Dr. Joaquin Garcia, Royal Palm Beach and John Carroll. Win all three, and Pahokee can enter the bye with momentum even if Atlantic proves too steep. Split them, and the season becomes dependent on surviving the back half while protecting its district position.

John Carroll is the most revealing game of the group. It is a district matchup against an eight-win opponent with a 57.39 preseason rating, close enough to Pahokee’s 60.93 mark to qualify as a genuine measuring-stick game. Singleton and the reworked backfield must sustain drives, while Walker and Harris must prevent John Carroll from controlling the line of scrimmage.

Royal Palm Beach presents a different test. It comes on the road, one week before the district opener and two weeks before Atlantic. That is the kind of game a team in transition can treat as a bridge and regret by halftime.

The secondary also comes under examination. Boyce returns after recording 31 tackles, but Pahokee must replace Ricky Gary’s three interceptions and Willie Fitzgerald’s 16 pass breakups. The new rotation cannot merely be athletic. It must communicate.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Pahokee’s ceiling will not be defined only by how it handles Vero Beach. It will be defined by whether a rebuilt offense can consistently finish games against teams in the same competitive neighborhood.

4TH DOWN — PLAYOFF PICTURE

District 1A-10 is Pahokee’s cleanest path into the playoff bracket. The district champion automatically qualifies, while non-champions must rely on MaxPreps rankings for wildcard selection and seeding. That makes the Benjamin and John Carroll games especially important, with Somerset Prep serving as a matchup Pahokee cannot afford to mishandle.

Pahokee opens as the district’s highest-rated team, but not by a runaway margin. John Carroll sits only 3.54 rating points behind. That Week 6 meeting could decide the district, and it arrives immediately before the bye. Win it, and Pahokee can spend October strengthening its résumé. Lose it, and every result against Atlantic, Vero Beach and Glades Central becomes more consequential to its wildcard positioning.

Walker and Harris give the defense an established pair of edge producers. Singleton and Lawrence provide some offensive experience. The postseason path becomes far less complicated if those players can keep Pahokee steady while the quarterback and backfield rotations develop.

DISTRICT BREAKDOWN

Team 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Pahokee 9-4 No. 97 | No. 9 (1A) 60.93 Rural State Semifinalist John Carroll (Fort Pierce) 8-3 No. 123 | No. 15 (1A) 57.39 4A Regional Quarterfinalist Benjamin (Palm Beach Gardens) 3-8 No. 211 | No. 24 (1A) 45.86 1A Regional Quarterfinalist Somerset Prep (North Lauderdale) 2-8 No. 497 | No. 40 (1A) 9.45 Missed postseason

THE BOTTOM LINE: Pahokee should expect to contend for this district, but John Carroll keeps the race honest. The automatic bid remains attainable. The Blue Devils simply have less offensive certainty than the original projection suggested.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Difficulty Rating: 8/10

A 7-3 regular season is the realistic projection because Pahokee must replace 1,842 yards from scrimmage at running back, its starting quarterback, its top four receivers and 24 combined sacks from Simpson and Embry. An 8-2 finish remains possible if the quarterback competition produces steady play, Singleton and the backfield absorb the rushing workload, and Walker leads a rebuilt pass rush, but the amount of proven production lost makes the margin for error much smaller.

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 97 Pahokee Blue Devils — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

Pahokee must replace the engine of its 2025 offense, rebuild its passing game and redistribute a mountain of defensive production before a demanding schedule reaches full force.

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COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 97 Pahokee Blue Devils — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

Pahokee must replace the engine of its 2025 offense, rebuild its passing game and redistribute a mountain of defensive production before a demanding schedule reaches full force.

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