COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 98 Boone Braves — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

Boone spent 2025 playing like a veteran team that knew exactly what it wanted to be. The Braves ran the football with authority, protected the ball and leaned on an experienced defense. Almost all of that certainty walked out the door after the season.

Charles Sprenkel now inherits the difficult part: preserving the program’s standards while replacing the players who established them. The former offensive line coach is the 12th head coach in Boone history, succeeding Andy Johnson after a 14-season tenure that produced 81 victories. This is not a teardown. It is a demanding transition with very little room for hesitation.

BOONE BRAVES (ORLANDO)

Head Coach: Charles Sprenkel, first year District: District 6A-4 2024 Record: 5-5 2025 Record: 10-2 2025 Final FPRI Rating: 66.71 2025 Final State Rank: No. 64 2026 Preseason Rating: 60.90 2026 Preseason Rank: No. 98 2026 Class Rank: No. 16 2025 Playoff / FIT Finish: 7A Regional Semifinalist

Boone’s 10-2 finish was powered by a senior class that controlled games in several different ways. The Braves averaged more than 34 points, rushed for 2,236 yards and produced 20 sacks and 14 interceptions. They also reached the second round of the Class 7A playoff bracket before their season ended. It was a sharp turnaround from 2024, but the encore will require a much younger roster to handle responsibilities that previously belonged to proven seniors.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Category Value Average Opponent Rating 50.54 Opponent 2025 Record 63-48 Opponent 2025 Win Percentage .568 Hardest Opponent Jones (Orlando) District Games 3

The average can be misleading. Boone has several manageable matchups, but Jones and Edgewater raise the schedule’s ceiling considerably. Those two road games are less like ordinary non-district dates and more like stress tests for a roster undergoing substantial reconstruction.

2026 FULL SCHEDULE

Week Date Time Opponent 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 1 8/21 7:00 PM Apopka 2-7 No. 367 | No. 64 (6A) 27.92 2 8/28 7:00 PM @ Evans (Orlando) 8-3 No. 53 | No. 17 (5A) 70.02 3 9/4 — BYE — — — 4 9/10 7:00 PM @ Jones (Orlando) 12-3 No. 12 | No. 3 (4A) 88.79 5 9/18 7:00 PM East River (Orlando) 4-6 No. 359 | No. 60 (5A) 29.09 6 9/25 7:00 PM Timber Creek (Orlando)* 4-6 No. 364 | No. 63 (6A) 28.45 7 10/2 7:00 PM Horizon (Winter Garden) 4-6 No. 392 | No. 71 (6A) 24.82 8 10/9 7:00 PM @ Hagerty (Oviedo)* 6-5 No. 185 | No. 29 (6A) 48.66 9 10/16 7:00 PM @ Ocoee 5-6 No. 205 | No. 32 (6A) 46.62 10 10/23 7:00 PM Winter Park* 6-5 No. 120 | No. 18 (6A) 57.87 11 10/30 7:00 PM @ Edgewater (Orlando) 12-1 No. 22 | No. 5 (6A) 83.16

*District game

There is a useful runway in the middle, but Boone cannot afford to confuse opportunity with comfort. Timber Creek, Hagerty and Winter Park determine the district race, while the trips to Jones and Edgewater will expose every weakness that remains unresolved.

KEY LOSSES

The largest departure is running back Aaron Hardy Jr., who carried the ball 223 times for 1,541 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also caught 18 passes for 204 yards. Boone did not merely lose its leading rusher; it lost the player who allowed the offense to dictate terms.

Quarterback Sam Johnson leaves after throwing for 1,799 yards and 19 touchdowns while adding 270 rushing yards and five scores. His departure is compounded by the losses of Lagarion Wilson, Jeremiah Allen and Garrison Woods, three targets who combined for 1,074 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. Kyson Cleveland also transferred to South Lake, removing another experienced option from an already thinned receiving group.

The defensive losses are just as substantial. Noah Maddox led the Braves with 85 tackles, while Will Buzyniski produced 56 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and six sacks. Adrian Foster added 39 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Wilson intercepted three passes, and the secondary also loses experienced contributors who helped Boone generate 14 takeaways.

Up front, the Braves must replace a senior-heavy offensive line that included Miami commit Rhys Woodrow, Zachary Windham, Jayden Jimenez and Jackson Lytle. Boone graduated production, size and communication at the same time. That combination is difficult to replace quickly.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player Position Class 2025 Production Stanley Etienne RB Sophomore Rushed seven times for 82 yards and one touchdown in two appearances Max Edmunds CB/WR Senior Recorded 72 tackles, seven tackles for loss and one interception Liam Graham DE Senior Produced 61 tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack CJ Nassar FS Senior Finished with 38 tackles and a team-high five interceptions Tyler Dicko CB/WR Junior Collected 39 tackles, three tackles for loss and two pass breakups Ryan Coughlin DE Junior Posted 15 tackles, four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks Laadan Hodge OLB Junior Recorded 17 tackles and six tackles for loss T'Shaun Zetterholm FS/SS Senior Made 14 tackles and intercepted two passes Cooper Prather K Junior Converted 46 of 50 PATs and three of four field goals for 55 points

Etienne is the most intriguing offensive returner because his limited varsity work was efficient. Seven carries are not a résumé, but 82 yards are enough to command attention. Boone needs him—or another back in the competition—to turn flashes into dependable Friday-night production.

The defensive group offers far more certainty. Edmunds, Graham and Nassar were already central figures in 2025, and Coughlin and Hodge showed disruptive ability in rotational roles. That experience gives Sprenkel something solid to build around while the offense finds its identity.

1ST DOWN — THE GAUNTLET

Boone’s most revealing stretch arrives immediately. The Braves open against Apopka, travel to an Evans team coming off an 8-3 season, take their bye and then visit Jones on a Thursday night. That is a difficult sequence for a new head coach installing his program around a young offense.

The Evans game will be the first real measure. Its 70.02 preseason rating is more than 42 points higher than Apopka’s, and the Trojans are ranked No. 53 statewide. Boone will have one game to settle its backfield, offensive line and quarterback competition before stepping into a considerably faster matchup.

Jones is another category entirely. The Tigers went 12-3, finished as the Class 4A State Runner-Up and enter 2026 ranked No. 12 overall. Boone cannot expect a newly assembled offense to trade easy scores with that caliber of opponent. The Braves will need Etienne and the rushing attack to shorten the game, while Graham, Coughlin and Hodge must create pressure without forcing the secondary to survive in coverage for extended periods.

The schedule offers another gauntlet at the finish. Winter Park controls the district stakes in Week 10, and Edgewater follows one week later. By then, there will be no hiding from unresolved problems.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT

Opponent Week/Location 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Jones (Orlando) Week 4/Away 12-3 No. 12 | No. 3 (4A) 88.79 4A State Runner-Up Edgewater (Orlando) Week 11/Away 12-1 No. 22 | No. 5 (6A) 83.16 5A Regional Finalist

THE BOTTOM LINE: Boone’s two most difficult opponents are both on the road and both played deep into November last season. Surviving those games is not the standard. Showing that the Braves can function cleanly against elite pressure is.

2ND DOWN — STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

The schedule is uneven by design. Boone plays four opponents with preseason ratings below 30, but it also faces four teams rated 57.87 or higher. There are weeks when the Braves should control the game and weeks when simply remaining competitive will demand their best football.

That shape could help a young team. After Jones, Boone gets East River, Timber Creek and Horizon in consecutive home games. Those weeks provide an opportunity to build offensive rhythm and settle the quarterback competition without naming a starter before one has earned the job.

The challenge is that development cannot become drift. Timber Creek is a district game, and the following trip to Hagerty carries even greater weight. Boone cannot treat the middle of the schedule as an extended laboratory because the district race will already be underway.

The offensive line will dictate how quickly everything develops. Returning players such as Chase Brown, Noah Losch, Luddy Goetz and Anthony Bennett Jr. give the staff options, but replacing a large senior group requires more than filling five positions on a depth chart. Communication and consistency matter, especially for an offense expected to break in a new quarterback.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Boone has enough favorable matchups to grow through its mistakes, but not enough to excuse them. The Braves must use September to become functional and October to become dependable.

3RD DOWN — THE PROVING GROUND

The Hagerty and Ocoee road games are the schedule’s swing point. Boone should enter that stretch with a clearer offensive identity after facing East River, Timber Creek and Horizon. What happens next will reveal whether the Braves are building toward the postseason or merely collecting wins against the softer portion of the schedule.

Hagerty is the more important game because it counts in District 6A-4. The Huskies went 6-5 and reached the Class 7A regional quarterfinals last season. Their 48.66 preseason rating places them below Boone, but the road setting narrows that gap. A district contender should win that game. A rebuilding team may not.

Ocoee follows with a similar profile. The Knights went 5-6 but also reached the Class 7A regional quarterfinals. Boone’s secondary will be under particular scrutiny during this stretch. Nassar’s five interceptions make him the proven playmaker, but Edmunds, Dicko and Zetterholm must help replace the veteran coverage and ball production that departed.

These games will also test Boone’s ability to win without Hardy’s weekly avalanche of rushing production. Etienne has potential, but the Braves need a complete backfield rather than one young runner carrying an unrealistic burden.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Hagerty and Ocoee will separate record from reality. Win both, and Boone enters the Winter Park game with momentum and credibility. Split them—or lose both—and the ceiling drops quickly.

4TH DOWN — PLAYOFF PICTURE

The cleanest path is the district championship. District champions automatically qualify for the FHSAA playoff bracket, while the remaining positions are awarded through the MaxPreps rankings, which also influence seeding.

That makes the three district games the center of Boone’s season. Timber Creek is the matchup the Braves cannot surrender. Hagerty is the road test they need to manage. Winter Park is likely to decide whether Boone controls its postseason path or waits on a wildcard decision.

Boone enters the preseason with the district’s highest rating at 60.90, narrowly ahead of Winter Park at 57.87. That makes the Braves the numerical favorite, but not an overwhelming one. Winter Park has enough experience and defensive credibility to turn the Oct. 23 meeting into a true district final.

The non-district schedule could strengthen Boone’s wildcard position even if the Braves do not win the district. Evans, Jones and Edgewater provide substantial strength-of-schedule value, but simply playing them will not be enough. Boone must collect wins elsewhere and avoid damaging losses against lower-rated opponents.

Etienne’s development and Prather’s reliability could become especially important in close district games. The defense should keep Boone within range, but a young offense may need to win with field position, controlled possessions and points from the kicking game.

DISTRICT BREAKDOWN

Team 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Boone (Orlando) 10-2 No. 98 | No. 16 (6A) 60.90 7A Regional Semifinalist Winter Park 6-5 No. 120 | No. 18 (6A) 57.87 7A Regional Quarterfinalist Hagerty (Oviedo) 6-5 No. 185 | No. 29 (6A) 48.66 7A Regional Quarterfinalist Timber Creek (Orlando) 4-6 No. 364 | No. 63 (6A) 28.45 Missed postseason

THE BOTTOM LINE: Boone does not need to reproduce its 2025 offense to reach the playoffs. It needs to beat Timber Creek, handle Hagerty and arrive against Winter Park with the district title still in its hands.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Difficulty Rating: 8/10

A 6-4 or 7-3 regular season is realistic if Boone’s defense carries the early load and the rebuilt offense finds a dependable rushing rotation. The Braves can win District 6A-4, but heavy graduation losses, an unsettled quarterback situation and road games against Jones and Edgewater place a firm limit on the margin for error.

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 98 Boone Braves — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

A new head coach, a rebuilt offense and three heavyweight road tests will show whether Boone can reload after a 10-win season.

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COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 98 Boone Braves — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

A new head coach, a rebuilt offense and three heavyweight road tests will show whether Boone can reload after a 10-win season.

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