COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 82 Beachside Barracudas — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

Beachside enters Year 5 under Pete Duffy with something the young program did not possess at the beginning: expectations. The Barracudas are coming off eight victories and a trip to the regional semifinals, but graduation stripped away most of the production behind a prolific passing attack. The schedule offers a few soft landing spots. District 5A-2 does not.

BEACHSIDE BARRACUDAS (ST. JOHNS)

Head Coach: Pete Duffy, 5th season District: District 5A-2 2024 Record: 7-4 2025 Record: 8-4 2025 Final FPRI Rating: 63.19 2025 Final State Rank: No. 92 2026 Preseason Rating: 64.33 2026 Preseason Rank: No. 82 2026 Class Rank: No. 22 2025 Playoff / FIT Finish: 5A Regional Semifinalist

Beachside’s 2025 offense was built through the air, averaging 226.1 passing yards per game and producing 27 touchdown passes against only three interceptions. The Barracudas finished with 3,813 total yards and reached the second weekend of the playoff bracket. That résumé was real. So is the rebuilding job after quarterback Eddie Jordan and the bulk of his receiving and rushing production graduated.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Category Value Average Opponent Rating 36.00 Opponent 2025 Record 48-61 Opponent 2025 Win Percentage 0.440 Hardest Opponent Nease (Ponte Vedra) District Games 5

The overall numbers make the schedule look manageable. The district numbers tell a different story. Beachside plays three opponents ranked among the preseason top 42 statewide, and all three are district games.

2026 FULL SCHEDULE

Week Date Time Opponent 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 1 8/21 6:30 PM @ KIPP Bold City (Jacksonville) 0-10 No. 554 | No. 34 -5.18 2 8/28 — BYE — — — 3 9/4 7:00 PM @ Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) 4-6 No. 290 | No. 45 36.92 4 9/11 7:00 PM Ponte Vedra* 11-3 No. 42 | No. 14 (5A) 73.38 5 9/18 6:30 PM @ Englewood (Jacksonville) 0-10 No. 548 | No. 23 -3.89 6 9/24 7:00 PM @ Nease (Ponte Vedra)* 9-3 No. 23 | No. 6 (5A) 79.69 7 10/1 7:00 PM @ Legacy (Port St. Lucie) 3-6 No. 434 | No. 73 17.94 8 10/9 7:00 PM Bartram Trail (St. Johns)* 4-8 No. 249 | No. 49 (5A) 41.41 9 10/16 7:00 PM Mandarin (Jacksonville)* 11-2 No. 28 | No. 8 (5A) 77.55 10 10/23 6:30 PM @ Fletcher (Neptune Beach)* 6-4 No. 208 | No. 43 (5A) 46.18 11 10/30 7:00 PM Westside (Jacksonville) 0-9 No. 550 | No. 70 -4.05

*District game

There are wins available here, particularly outside district play. Beachside’s season will be judged by what happens when the schedule shifts from opportunity to confrontation.

KEY LOSSES

Quarterback Eddie Jordan leaves the largest vacancy after completing 186 of 261 passes for 2,465 yards and 22 touchdowns with only two interceptions. Backup Aidan Kuglar also graduated after throwing three touchdown passes, removing the two senior quarterbacks responsible for 2,556 passing yards.

The receiving room lost its two biggest vertical threats. Drew Watson produced 745 yards on 41 receptions, while Maddox Hunstad added 664 yards on 43 catches. Drew Aldrich’s 296 receiving yards also depart. Together, those three accounted for 1,705 yards — nearly three-quarters of Beachside’s listed receiving production.

Vincent Galella’s graduation creates another major hole. He rushed for 870 yards on 148 carries and contributed 84 receiving yards, finishing with 954 all-purpose yards. Beachside is not replacing one centerpiece. It is replacing almost the entire structure around which the 2025 offense operated.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player Position Class 2025 Production Brennan Monaco WR Senior Team-high 44 receptions for 474 yards in 10 games Dominick Sportsman RB Senior Returning back positioned to compete for a larger role Jameson Sells MLB/DE Senior Returning 6-foot-2, 220-pound front-seven defender Chase Weller DE Senior Returning edge defender in the pass-rush rotation Aiden Tan FS Senior Returning safety expected to provide experience in the secondary Jason Antolin CB Senior Recorded an interception in limited listed action Tyler Richardson OLB Junior Returning 5-foot-11, 220-pound linebacker Chandler Meeks DE/DT Junior Versatile defensive lineman who can work inside or off the edge Parker Dickey T Senior Returning 6-foot-6, 285-pound offensive tackle Christian Capriglione C Senior Returning 6-foot-1, 260-pound interior lineman

Monaco is the proven offensive piece. The rest of the equation depends on players expanding their responsibilities rather than simply occupying vacated positions.

1ST DOWN — THE GAUNTLET

Beachside’s defining stretch begins immediately with Ponte Vedra in Week 4 and resumes after one favorable matchup with a Thursday trip to Nease. Later, Mandarin arrives in Week 9. Those three district opponents combined to finish 31-8 last season and carry preseason ratings above 73.

The Barracudas need a functional running game before that stretch tightens. Dominick Sportsman is among the returning options in a backfield replacing Galella’s 148 carries, but no proven 800-yard successor is waiting in the wings. Beachside cannot ask its new quarterback to solve every third-and-long against three top-42 defenses.

The defensive front faces the same pressure. Jameson Sells, Chase Weller and Chandler Meeks must generate enough disruption to prevent Ponte Vedra, Nease and Mandarin from dictating tempo. Against that caliber of opponent, a quiet pass rush becomes a long evening.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT

Opponent Week/Location 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Nease (Ponte Vedra) Week 6/Away 9-3 No. 23 | No. 6 (5A) 79.69 6A Regional Semifinalist Mandarin (Jacksonville) Week 9/Home 11-2 No. 28 | No. 8 (5A) 77.55 6A Regional Finalist

THE BOTTOM LINE: Beachside does not need to sweep the district heavyweights. It does need to prove it can stay on the field with them. That begins with a credible ground game and a front seven capable of changing possessions.

2ND DOWN — STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

The schedule is front-loaded with breathing room but interrupted by heavyweight district games. KIPP Bold City opens the season after going 0-10, the Week 2 bye provides additional preparation time, and Tocoi Creek offers a reasonable road test before Ponte Vedra arrives. Englewood’s 0-10 record then separates the Ponte Vedra and Nease games.

That structure should help Beachside manage its quarterback competition. The Barracudas do not need to force an early declaration or manufacture certainty where none exists. They need to use August and early September to identify which quarterback protects the football, operates the offense and gets the ball to Monaco without turning every possession into an audition.

The second half presents another developmental window against Legacy before the district race takes over. Bartram Trail, Mandarin and Fletcher appear in consecutive weeks. By then, the quarterback position cannot still be a weekly experiment.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The schedule gives Beachside time to build, but it does not give the Barracudas permission to build slowly. The offense must have a clear identity before the October district run begins.

3RD DOWN — THE PROVING GROUND

Bartram Trail and Fletcher are the swing games. Beachside is rated above both entering the preseason, and those matchups surround the Mandarin game in the district stretch. Winning both would create a realistic path toward another winning season even if the Barracudas struggle against the district’s three highest-rated teams.

Bartram Trail is especially revealing. It comes at home after the trip to Legacy and gives Beachside a chance to prove its returning offensive line — led by Parker Dickey and Christian Capriglione — can control a district opponent. Fletcher poses a different challenge on the road one week after Mandarin, when health, depth and emotional recovery will matter.

The same games will test the defense’s returning core. Aiden Tan and Jason Antolin must stabilize the back end, while Tyler Richardson and Jameson Sells must help keep routine downs from becoming explosive plays. Beachside’s ceiling will not be defined by whether it can shock Nease. It will be defined by whether it handles the games it should be capable of winning.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Bartram Trail and Fletcher are not filler between marquee matchups. They are the games most likely to determine whether Beachside is chasing a district title, a wildcard bid or simply a winning record.

4TH DOWN — PLAYOFF PICTURE

District 5A-2 offers no comfortable route. Nease, Mandarin and Ponte Vedra all begin the season ranked ahead of Beachside, while Bartram Trail and Fletcher give the district five opponents with credible postseason ambitions. The district champion receives an automatic playoff bid. Everyone else must rely on MaxPreps positioning for wildcard selection and seeding.

That makes margin for error important. Beachside can strengthen its wildcard profile by banking non-district victories and defeating the district teams rated below it, but losses to Bartram Trail or Fletcher would complicate the mathematics quickly. The Barracudas cannot control how the district giants perform. They can control whether their own résumé contains avoidable damage.

Offensively, Monaco must remain a reliable chain-mover while Sportsman and the rest of the backfield provide balance. Defensively, Sells, Richardson and Tan give Beachside experienced pieces at all three levels. Those players do not have to replace every graduate individually. They must prevent the transition from becoming collapse.

DISTRICT BREAKDOWN

Team 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Nease (Ponte Vedra) 9-3 No. 23 | No. 6 (5A) 79.69 6A Regional Semifinalist Mandarin (Jacksonville) 11-2 No. 28 | No. 8 (5A) 77.55 6A Regional Finalist Ponte Vedra 11-3 No. 42 | No. 14 (5A) 73.38 5A State Semifinalist Beachside (St. Johns) 8-4 No. 82 | No. 22 (5A) 64.33 5A Regional Semifinalist @ Fletcher (Neptune Beach) 6-4 No. 209 | No. 43 (5A) 46.18 Missed postseason Bartram Trail (St. Johns) 4-8 No. 250 | No. 49 (5A) 41.41 FIT 4A-7A Regional Finalist

THE BOTTOM LINE: A district championship would require Beachside to outperform three teams carrying top-42 preseason rankings. The more realistic playoff path runs through victories over Bartram Trail and Fletcher, a clean non-district record and enough MaxPreps strength to secure a wildcard.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Difficulty Rating: 7/10

A 7-3 regular season is realistic if Beachside develops dependable quarterback play, creates a productive backfield rotation and wins the district games in which it holds the preseason edge. The ceiling rises if the Barracudas steal a game from Ponte Vedra, Nease or Mandarin, but the amount of graduated offensive production makes another regional-semifinal run a demanding standard rather than an expectation.

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 82 Beachside Barracudas — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

Beachside has already proved it belongs in the postseason conversation. Now the Barracudas must rebuild their offensive identity while navigating one of Northeast Florida’s most unforgiving districts.

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COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 82 Beachside Barracudas — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

Beachside has already proved it belongs in the postseason conversation. Now the Barracudas must rebuild their offensive identity while navigating one of Northeast Florida’s most unforgiving districts.

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