Calvary Christian 2026 Football Preview: Schedule, Players

Calvary Christian is not easing into 2026. The Eagles will face three opponents rated inside the preseason top 80 before September is over, including two reigning SSAA champions. That front-loaded pressure should expose every weakness, but it also gives coach Kirk Hoza’s team an opportunity to build credibility before the SSAA Atlantic postseason race takes shape.

CALVARY CHRISTIAN EAGLES (FORT LAUDERDALE)

Head Coach: Kirk Hoza, 17th year Region: SSAA Atlantic-South 2024 Record: 7-4 2025 Record: 7-3 2025 Final FPRI Rating: 63.54 2025 Final State Rank: No. 89 2026 Preseason Rating: 61.56 2026 Preseason Rank: No. 92 2026 Class Rank: No. 3 2025 Playoff / FIT Finish: 2A Regional Quarterfinalist

Calvary Christian finished 7-3 in 2025 under Kirk Hoza, who has led the program since 2010, behind a defense that produced 83 tackles for loss, 21 sacks and 14 interceptions. The offense was less consistent, averaging 20.7 points while rushing for only 86.8 yards per game, but it found explosive plays through the air. Calvary Christian now enters a different postseason environment as an SSAA Atlantic program, where regular-season résumé and CCI positioning will carry the weight.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Category Value Average Opponent Rating 47.39 Opponent 2025 Record 62-49 Opponent 2025 Win Percentage .559 Hardest Opponent American Heritage (Delray Beach) District Games 0

2026 FULL SCHEDULE

Week Date Time Opponent 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 0 8/14 7:00 PM American Heritage (Delray Beach) 10-3 No. 58 | No. 1 (SSAA Atlantic) 68.95 1 8/21 7:00 PM Northeast (Oakland Park) 2-8 No. 572 | No. 87 (4A) -19.30 2 8/27 7:00 PM NSU University School (Fort Lauderdale) 8-4 No. 77 | No. 2 (SSAA 11-Man) 65.54 3 9/4 6:30 PM @ Jupiter Christian 12-1 No. 76 | No. 1 (SSAA 11-Man) 65.59 4 9/11 7:00 PM @ Clewiston 3-7 No. 495 | No. 35 (SSAA Atlantic) 9.58 5 9/18 — BYE — — — 6 9/25 7:00 PM North Miami 7-4 No. 222 | No. 36 (4A) 44.17 7 10/2 6:30 PM @ Benjamin (Palm Beach Gardens) 3-8 No. 211 | No. 25 (1A) 45.86 8 10/9 7:00 PM North Broward Prep (Coconut Creek) 5-6 No. 311 | No. 17 (SSAA Atlantic) 34.61 9 10/16 7:00 PM Saint Andrew's (Boca Raton) 9-2 No. 111 | No. 14 (2A) 59.50 10 10/23 7:00 PM @ St. John Paul II (Boca Raton) 3-6 No. 328 | No. 14 (IND B) 32.66

*District game

KEY LOSSES

Calvary Christian must replace its most productive offensive senior in Pedro Estella, who led the 2025 team with seven touchdowns and contributed 499 yards from scrimmage. Troy Ganter also departs after producing 290 receiving yards and four touchdowns, while Santi Fuentes leaves a secondary that intercepted 14 passes.

The defensive turnover is more severe. Noah Johnson recorded 101 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and three interceptions. Joey Bleecker added 80 tackles and 14 tackles for loss, while Liam Marley produced 13 tackles for loss and four sacks. Josh Hallas was another steady presence with 57 tackles.

Edan Richardson’s transfer to Archbishop McCarthy removes the team’s leading returning pass rusher before he could anchor the 2026 front. Richardson had six sacks, 10 tackles for loss and eight quarterback hurries as a junior. That is not a minor subtraction. It changes the geometry of the defense.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player Position Class 2025 Production Darryn Cooper RB/FS Junior Rushed for 328 yards and one touchdown on 73 carries Davin Joseph SS/CB Senior 51 tackles, three interceptions and two interception-return touchdowns Jake Henghold DE/DT Senior 32 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and five quarterback hurries Terron Livingston DT/NG Junior 29 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, two sacks and six quarterback hurries Gavin Ganter WR/CB Junior 22 receptions for 480 yards and six touchdowns Cole Diehl QB/WR Senior 20 receptions for 359 yards; added 324 return yards Trent Gamble WR/SS Senior 174 yards from scrimmage and one receiving touchdown in six games Ethan Elswick T/DE Junior Returning two-way lineman listed at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds Matthew Del Campo Gomez OLB/G Senior Rushed for 116 yards and one touchdown; contributed nine tackles Daniel Trujillo MLB/OLB Junior Five tackles and one fumble recovery in limited 2025 action

1ST DOWN — THE GAUNTLET

Calvary Christian’s defining stretch arrives immediately. American Heritage, NSU University School and Jupiter Christian all carry preseason ratings above 65, and the latter two appear within eight spots of one another in the overall rankings. Northeast sits between those challenges, but it functions more as a recovery-and-correction week than a true break.

The Eagles will need Cooper to give the offense a dependable rushing foundation. A repeat of last season’s 3.4 yards per carry would leave too much pressure on an unsettled quarterback position. Defensively, Henghold and Livingston must replace the disruption lost with Richardson, Marley and Johnson. Against championship-level opponents, merely occupying blockers will not be enough. Calvary Christian needs negative plays.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT

Opponent Week/Location 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish American Heritage (Delray Beach) Week 0/Home 10-3 No. 58 | No. 1 (SSAA Atlantic) 68.95 SSAA Atlantic State Champion Jupiter Christian Week 3/Away 12-1 No. 76 | No. 1 (SSAA 11-Man) 65.59 SSAA 11-Man State Champion

THE BOTTOM LINE: Calvary Christian will know by Labor Day whether it can stand with the strongest teams on its schedule. The opening month is not a warmup. It is an audit.

2ND DOWN — STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

The schedule is dramatically heavier at the front than in the middle. Three of the first four opponents own preseason ratings of at least 65.54. After the trip to Jupiter Christian, the Eagles will not face another opponent rated above 60.

That distribution matters because Calvary Christian enters the season without a proven 2026 starting quarterback. Carson Hartzell attempted 58 passes in 2025, while Cole Diehl contributed primarily as a receiver, returner and situational option. The competition should remain open until the staff identifies the player who can protect the football and consistently reach Ganter, Diehl and Gamble.

The schedule offers development space after the opening barrage. Clewiston and the bye week lead into a manageable second half, but manageable cannot become comfortable. This roster needs those weeks to sharpen, not exhale.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The early schedule may produce bruises, but it can also accelerate the quarterback decision and harden a rebuilt defense. September is about survival with purpose.

3RD DOWN — THE PROVING GROUND

North Miami, Benjamin and North Broward Prep form the season’s swing stretch. Calvary Christian will be favored by preseason rating against each, but none is a game the Eagles can treat casually. North Miami won seven games and reached the 2025 regional quarterfinals. Benjamin’s 3-8 record obscures a program that also played postseason football.

Those games will show whether the offense has developed beyond isolated explosive plays. Cooper must become more than a complementary runner. Ganter and Diehl must consistently win on the perimeter. Joseph’s secondary must turn contested throws into takeaways rather than merely incompletions.

North Broward Prep carries additional relevance because it shares Calvary Christian’s SSAA Atlantic classification. A convincing performance there could matter well beyond one Friday night.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The middle of the schedule will reveal whether Calvary Christian is improving or simply benefiting from easier opposition. Good teams create separation in these games.

4TH DOWN — PLAYOFF PICTURE

Calvary Christian does not have a district or an automatic district-championship route into the postseason. As an SSAA Atlantic program, its path will be determined by CCI positioning, with overall record, strength of schedule and MaxPreps data contributing to the postseason picture.

That makes the schedule’s strongest games especially valuable. Competitive performances against American Heritage, NSU University School and Jupiter Christian can strengthen the résumé, but Calvary Christian cannot live on quality losses. Wins over North Broward Prep and Clewiston — the two other SSAA Atlantic opponents on the schedule — would carry obvious importance.

Joseph, Henghold and Livingston are central to that equation. The Eagles lost a large share of their 2025 defensive production, and their postseason ceiling depends on those returners preventing the defense from sliding backward. Offensively, the eventual quarterback must avoid the turnovers that can erase an otherwise respectable résumé.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Calvary Christian has scheduled enough quality to build strong CCI positioning. The catch is simple: the Eagles must win enough of the games they are supposed to win for that strength to matter.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Difficulty Rating: 7/10

A 6-4 or 7-3 regular season is realistic if the quarterback competition produces a stable answer and the returning defensive front replaces Richardson’s lost pressure. The opening gauntlet limits the margin for error, but the second half gives Calvary Christian a credible route toward strong SSAA Atlantic postseason positioning.

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 92 Calvary Christian Eagles (Fort Lauderdale) — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

A demanding opening month and a postseason-worthy closing test will force Calvary Christian to grow up quickly.

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