COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 99 Wiregrass Ranch Bulls — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

Wiregrass Ranch enters 2026 in an unusual position. The Bulls are replacing a productive quarterback and several young playmakers, yet they may be more physically mature where games are usually decided — along the line of scrimmage. Mark Kantor’s team will not need months to discover its identity. The schedule demands answers immediately.

WIREGRASS RANCH BULLS (WESLEY CHAPEL)

Head Coach: Mark Kantor, 12th year District: District 5A-7 2024 Record: 11-2 2025 Record: 5-6 2025 Final FPRI Rating: 50.72 2025 Final State Rank: No. 168 2026 Preseason Rating: 60.86 2026 Preseason Rank: No. 99 2026 Class Rank: No. 25 2025 Playoff / FIT Finish: 6A Regional Quarterfinalist

The 5-6 record tells only half of the 2025 story. Wiregrass Ranch scored 326 points, allowed 236 and still reached the regional quarterfinals, a combination that suggests the Bulls were more dangerous than their record indicated but not consistent enough to control close games. The offense could produce. The next step is making that production travel week after week.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Category Value Average Opponent Rating 45.61 Opponent 2025 Record 55-52 Opponent 2025 Win Percentage .514 Hardest Opponent Zephyrhills District Games 5

The overall numbers are manageable, but the average hides two very different schedules. Wiregrass Ranch has several games it should control and a handful that will expose every weakness. There is not much middle ground.

2026 FULL SCHEDULE

Week Date Time Opponent 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 1 8/21 7:30 PM South Sumter (Bushnell) 6-5 No. 160 | No. 20 (3A) 51.85 2 8/28 — BYE — — — 3 9/4 7:30 PM @ Berkeley Prep (Tampa) 5-5 No. 114 | No. 16 (2A) 58.72 4 9/11 7:30 PM Wesley Chapel* 6-5 No. 229 | No. 46 (5A) 43.28 5 9/18 7:30 PM Plant City 7-4 No. 112 | No. 17 (6A) 59.18 6 9/25 7:30 PM @ Sunlake (Land O'Lakes)* 4-6 No. 409 | No. 62 (5A) 21.84 7 10/2 7:30 PM @ East Ridge (Clermont) 6-5 No. 340 | No. 55 (6A) 31.56 8 10/9 7:30 PM Land O Lakes* 5-6 No. 244 | No. 47 (5A) 41.91 9 10/16 7:30 PM Wharton (Tampa)* 4-6 No. 332 | No. 58 (5A) 32.49 10 10/23 7:30 PM Cypress Creek (Wesley Chapel)* 1-9 No. 516 | No. 75 (5A) 5.99 11 10/30 7:30 PM Zephyrhills 11-1 No. 46 | No. 11 (4A) 71.69

*District game

The Week 2 bye arrives before the schedule has developed any rhythm, but it gives Wiregrass Ranch an extra week to prepare for Berkeley Prep and the opening of district play. After that, the Bulls play nine consecutive weeks. Depth will matter long before Halloween.

KEY LOSSES

The most important departure is quarterback Daniel Terry, who transferred to Gaither after throwing for 2,578 yards in 2025. Losing that production would be disruptive under normal circumstances. Losing it as part of a direct quarterback exchange with Gaither makes the transition one of the Tampa Bay area’s most interesting offseason storylines.

The receiving corps also lost Donteis Austin to Jefferson after he produced 26 receptions for 513 yards and five touchdowns. Alex McCollough, Alex Drake and Kaivon Williams are gone as well, thinning a young group that had been developing around Terry.

The secondary took its share of hits. Kamari Williams transferred to Gaither after recording 20 tackles and two pass deflections, while McCollough, Arthur Jones and Justin Thomas also moved elsewhere. Wiregrass Ranch has replacements available, but replacing communication and continuity is harder than replacing names on a depth chart.

There are substantial graduation losses, too. DeMontia Hudson, Donte Parker, Carmelo Joseph, Caleb Grone and Peyton Brown were among the seniors listed across the back end and linebacker corps. The Bulls did not lose one piece of the defense. They lost pieces from every level.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player Position Class 2025 Production Ryan Browning QB Junior Completed 103 of 167 passes for 1,883 yards, 21 touchdowns and three interceptions at Gaither Kamoni Dotson WR Senior Recorded 66 receptions for 1,024 yards and six touchdowns at Gaither Michael Rueda LB/RB Senior Returning two-way contributor expected to provide experience in the box and backfield Raheem Fashola ILB/DB Senior Returning senior defender with the versatility to work at linebacker or in the secondary Chase Cobb DE Senior Returning edge defender who has added size and projects as a central part of the pass rush Carson Kantor DT Senior Experienced 6-foot-3, 285-pound interior defender Jonah Gonzalez WR Senior Returning 6-foot-2 receiver positioned for an expanded role Orlando Ogugua OT Senior Transfer from Cypress Creek who adds size to an experienced offensive front Kameron Saechao OG Senior Returning 6-foot-4, 335-pound interior lineman Jasir Martinez RB Senior Returning senior back competing for touches in a reworked offense

Browning and Dotson bring the obvious production, but Wiregrass Ranch’s ceiling may be determined by the veteran linemen surrounding them. The Bulls have size. Now that size has to become control.

1ST DOWN — THE GAUNTLET

The defining early stretch begins at Berkeley Prep in Week 3 and continues through Wesley Chapel and Plant City. Those three opponents carry preseason ratings of 58.72, 43.28 and 59.18, respectively, and the middle game is the district opener. Wiregrass Ranch cannot treat any part of that run as preparation for what comes next. That is what comes next.

Browning will face immediate pressure to settle the quarterback position, but the Bulls should not ask a new passer to solve everything. Michael Rueda and Jasir Martinez must give the offense credible backfield production, especially on the road at Berkeley Prep. A functional run game would keep the playbook open and prevent the offense from becoming a weekly referendum on its new quarterback.

Defensively, Chase Cobb and Carson Kantor must create disruption before the ball reaches the secondary. Wiregrass Ranch lost too much experience on the back end to survive quarterbacks standing comfortably in the pocket. The pass rush cannot merely complement the defense. Early in the season, it may have to protect it.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT

Opponent Week/Location 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Zephyrhills Week 11/Home 11-1 No. 46 | No. 11 (4A) 71.69 4A Regional Semifinalist Plant City Week 5/Home 7-4 No. 112 | No. 17 (6A) 59.18 7A Regional Quarterfinalist

Zephyrhills is the schedule’s heavyweight, but Plant City may be the more revealing opponent. It arrives early enough to expose flaws and late enough that Wiregrass Ranch cannot excuse them as growing pains.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The Bulls do not need to sweep the Berkeley Prep-Wesley Chapel-Plant City stretch, but they need to emerge from it with an identity and the district opener in hand.

2ND DOWN — STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

The schedule is front-loaded with questions and back-loaded with opportunity. South Sumter offers a legitimate opening test, Berkeley Prep demands poise on the road and Plant City brings another top-115 opponent before the season reaches its midpoint. Wiregrass Ranch will know what it has by the end of September.

That structure matters for Browning. He arrives with proven production, but he will be learning new personnel, terminology and protections. The presence of Dotson should ease the transition because their shared history at Gaither gives the passing game at least one established connection. Jonah Gonzalez and Brendan May still must become dependable complementary targets. One productive receiver changes a matchup. Three productive receivers change a season.

The offensive line gives the Bulls a chance to accelerate that development. Zach Lesure, Kellen Johnson, Daniel Merisio, Kameron Saechao, Brandon Blue and Orlando Ogugua provide a veteran, oversized core. This is not a group that should need half a season to become functional. It should be the unit that keeps everyone else on schedule.

After Plant City, the difficulty drops sharply. Sunlake, East Ridge, Land O Lakes, Wharton and Cypress Creek all carry preseason ratings below 42. Wiregrass Ranch should improve through that stretch, but it also must avoid playing down to it.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The schedule gives the Bulls enough early resistance to develop and enough later breathing room to build momentum. Wasting either advantage would be self-inflicted.

3RD DOWN — THE PROVING GROUND

Wesley Chapel is the first proving ground because it is the district opener and the second game in a demanding three-week stretch. Wiregrass Ranch has the better preseason profile, but district rivalry games rarely follow spreadsheets. A loss would immediately complicate the playoff path. A convincing win would establish the Bulls as the team everyone else in District 5A-7 must chase.

Land O Lakes is the second swing game. Its 41.91 rating sits just below Wesley Chapel’s, and the Gators arrive after Wiregrass Ranch plays consecutive road games against Sunlake and East Ridge. That is where routine can become dangerous. Good teams handle that spot before it becomes dramatic.

Those games will test more than Browning and Dotson. They will test whether Fashola can stabilize a reshaped defense, whether Cobb can consistently affect the passer and whether Kantor, Darius Johnson and Ben Sutton can prevent opponents from controlling the interior. They will also reveal whether Wiregrass Ranch has enough secondary depth after the offseason departures.

Wharton carries a lower preseason rating, but the Bulls should not overlook a district opponent that added former Wiregrass Ranch athlete Justin Thomas. Familiarity creates edges that ratings cannot measure.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Wesley Chapel and Land O Lakes are the games that separate a district favorite from a district participant. Wiregrass Ranch should win both. “Should” is where the pressure begins.

4TH DOWN — PLAYOFF PICTURE

Wiregrass Ranch has the strongest preseason rating in District 5A-7 by a comfortable margin. The Bulls sit at 60.86, more than 17 points ahead of Wesley Chapel, the district’s second-rated team. That gap makes Wiregrass Ranch the clear preseason standard, but it does not make the district automatic.

The path is straightforward. Win the district and secure the automatic playoff bid. Fail to do so, and the Bulls would need their MaxPreps ranking to support a wildcard berth and favorable seeding. That makes the non-district games against Berkeley Prep, Plant City and Zephyrhills valuable even when they do not affect the district standings. Strong performances against quality opponents can strengthen the overall profile.

Rueda, Fashola, Cobb and Kantor will be especially important in district play because Wiregrass Ranch should not need weekly shootouts to win this group. Browning and Dotson raise the offensive ceiling. The veteran defensive front should establish the floor.

DISTRICT BREAKDOWN

Team 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Wiregrass Ranch (Wesley Chapel) 5-6 No. 99 | No. 25 (5A) 60.86 6A Regional Quarterfinalist Wesley Chapel 6-5 No. 229 | No. 46 (5A) 43.28 5A Regional Quarterfinalist Land O Lakes 5-6 No. 244 | No. 47 (5A) 41.91 FIT 4A-7A Regional Finalist Wharton (Tampa) 4-6 No. 332 | No. 58 (5A) 32.49 Missed postseason Sunlake (Land O'Lakes) 4-6 No. 409 | No. 62 (5A) 21.84 Missed postseason Cypress Creek (Wesley Chapel) 1-9 No. 516 | No. 75 (5A) 5.99 Missed postseason

The numbers leave little room for ambiguity. This district is Wiregrass Ranch’s to control. Anything less than a title would represent a missed opportunity.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The automatic bid should be the expectation, not the dream. Wiregrass Ranch owns the district’s best roster profile and has the schedule placement to prove it.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Difficulty Rating: 6/10

An 8-2 regular season is realistic if Browning settles quickly, the offensive line controls games and the rebuilt secondary avoids major breakdowns. A district championship should be the baseline, but inconsistent quarterback integration or continued turnover in the defensive backfield could pull the Bulls closer to 6-4 than the roster suggests.

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 99 Wiregrass Ranch Bulls — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

A new quarterback-receiver pairing and a senior-heavy front give the Bulls a chance to turn last season’s close calls into a legitimate district run.

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COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 99 Wiregrass Ranch Bulls — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

A new quarterback-receiver pairing and a senior-heavy front give the Bulls a chance to turn last season’s close calls into a legitimate district run.

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