COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 86 Seminole Fighting Seminoles (Sanford) — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

The Fighting Seminoles return proven targets, useful pieces in the secondary and several disruptive defensive linemen. What they do not bring back is the engine of last year’s offense or the heartbeat of its defense. Karl Calhoun Jr.’s fourth team will have to grow up quickly because this schedule offers very little room for a slow September.

SEMINOLE FIGHTING SEMINOLES (SANFORD)

Head Coach: Karl Calhoun Jr., fourth year District: District 6A-3 2024 Record: 10-2 2025 Record: 5-6 2025 Final FPRI Rating: 51.50 2025 Final State Rank: No. 163 2026 Preseason Rating: 64.21 2026 Preseason Rank: No. 86 2026 Class Rank: No. 13 2025 Playoff / FIT Finish: 7A Regional Quarterfinalist

Seminole’s 5-6 finish was more complicated than the record suggests. The Fighting Seminoles scored 254 points, allowed 229 and averaged 349.3 yards per game, yet never consistently turned that production into wins. They still reached the playoff bracket, but the season ended in the regional quarterfinals. The lesson was blunt: yardage can make an offense interesting; execution makes a team dangerous.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Category Value Average Opponent Rating 57.80 Opponent 2025 Record 75-40 Opponent 2025 Win Percentage .652 Hardest Opponent Lake Mary District Games 3

Seminole will face four opponents rated above 68 and five that won at least nine games in 2025. There are manageable weeks here, but very few disposable ones.

2026 FULL SCHEDULE

Week Date Time Opponent 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 1 8/20 7:00 PM Mountain Vista (CO) 12-1 — 74.90 2 8/28 7:00 PM @ Lake Howell (Winter Park) 7-3 No. 270 | No. 52 (6A) 39.82 3 9/4 7:00 PM Eau Gallie (Melbourne) 9-4 No. 44 | No. 5 (3A) 72.87 4 9/10 7:00 PM University (Orange City) 1-9 No. 310 | No. 47 (5A) 34.63 5 9/18 7:00 PM @ Mainland (Daytona Beach) 9-3 No. 83 | No. 12 (5A) 64.31 6 9/25 7:00 PM Apopka* 2-7 No. 367 | No. 64 (6A) 27.92 7 10/2 — BYE — — — 8 10/9 7:00 PM Lake Mary* 12-3 No. 9 | No. 1 (6A) 94.12 9 10/16 7:00 PM @ Spruce Creek (Port Orange) 9-3 No. 61 | No. 9 (6A) 68.37 10 10/23 7:00 PM @ Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs)* 6-4 No. 251 | No. 38 (6A) 41.26 11 10/30 7:00 PM @ Oviedo 8-3 No. 107 | No. 27 (6A) 59.77

*District game

The calendar has two distinct pressure points: Mountain Vista and Eau Gallie in the opening three weeks, then Lake Mary and Spruce Creek immediately after the bye. Seminole will know early whether it has improved. It will know by mid-October whether that improvement is enough.

KEY LOSSES

The largest hole is not at one position. It is in total offensive responsibility.

Anthony Gay III produced 1,254 all-purpose yards, including 650 rushing and 604 receiving, and accounted for nine touchdowns. J’len Chaplin added 1,226 total yards, led the team with 732 passing yards and rushed for 461 yards and nine scores. Together, they gave Seminole flexibility, explosiveness and answers when structure broke down. Replacing that kind of versatility will require several players, not one imitation.

The defense loses even more established production. Rasheem Turner Jr. finished with 93 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four sacks and two interceptions. Terrence Thompson Jr. added 13.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, while Kamoi Stevenson recorded 66 tackles and two interceptions. Milton Roebuck contributed another 48 tackles. Seminole did not just lose statistics. It lost the players who ended bad drives before they became bad quarters.

There is also turnover up front, including Ashaad Bakhsh, Julian Rogers and Heirington Gay. That matters because every offensive transition looks cleaner behind an experienced line. Seminole’s skill talent can help, but the reconstruction begins with protection and run-game consistency.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player Position Class 2025 Production Jamar Buckner RB Senior Rushed nine times for 80 yards and one touchdown in three games Cameron Roberts WR Senior Caught 14 passes for 199 yards in seven games Luis Ojeda WR/KR Senior Recorded 19 receptions for 297 yards and one touchdown; added 84 return yards Markel Barber TE Senior Caught three passes for 90 yards, with all three receptions producing touchdowns Isaiah Taylor QB Sophomore Completed 29 of 50 passes for 297 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions Robert Hampton CB/FS Senior Posted 20 tackles, two interceptions and 13 pass breakups Mason Wills DT Senior Recorded 32 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks King Manley DT Junior Finished with 25 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a half-sack Jayvn Green-Sanders DE Senior Produced three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in five games Austin Plebanski K/P Senior Made two of three field goals and all three PAT attempts, with a long of 24 yards

Buckner enters the season as the leading returning statistical rusher, but 80 yards is a starting point, not a guarantee. Seminole needs someone to seize the backfield rather than merely occupy it.

The receiving corps offers more certainty. Roberts and Ojeda have already produced in varsity games, while Barber’s three-touchdown season on only three receptions suggests a matchup piece Seminole barely began to explore. At 6-foot-6, Barber can change the geometry of third down and the red zone.

Defensively, the interior has legitimate experience. Wills and Manley combined for 57 tackles last season, while Hampton gives the secondary a proven ball disruptor. Those are useful building blocks. Seminole now needs them to become weekly anchors.

1ST DOWN — THE GAUNTLET

Seminole’s most revealing stretch begins at Mainland in Week 5 and continues through the Lake Mary-Spruce Creek combination after the bye. Apopka sits between those tests, but that district game cannot be treated as a breather. A loss there would make the Lake Mary showdown even more unforgiving.

The running game will be under immediate scrutiny. Buckner showed burst in limited work, averaging 8.9 yards per carry, but Seminole graduated 1,801 rushing yards from Gay, Chaplin, Kemahri Freeman and Davarian Jefferson alone. Buckner, Andrew Schramski and the rest of the backfield do not need to replace every yard immediately. They do need to keep the offense out of predictable passing situations.

The other side of the gauntlet belongs to the pass rush. Green-Sanders, Wills and Kendrick Miles flashed disruption in 2025, combining for 4.5 sacks despite none playing more than 10 games. Against Lake Mary and Mountain Vista, flashes will not be enough. Seminole needs pressure that survives four quarters.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT

Opponent Week/Location 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Lake Mary Week 8/Home 12-3 No. 9 | No. 1 (6A) 94.12 7A State Champion Mountain Vista (CO) Week 1/Home 12-1 — 74.90 Colorado 5A State Semifinalist

Lake Mary is the schedule’s centerpiece and the district’s measuring stick. Mountain Vista is the opening examination, arriving with a 12-1 record and a Colorado 5A state semifinal appearance. One tests Seminole’s readiness. The other tests its ceiling.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Seminole does not need to dominate this stretch to prove it belongs. It must run the ball efficiently, generate pressure without constant blitzing and avoid allowing one difficult matchup to become a two-week hangover.

2ND DOWN — STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

The early schedule is built to accelerate development, whether Seminole is ready for it or not.

Mountain Vista arrives first. Eau Gallie follows two weeks later with a No. 44 overall preseason ranking and a 72.87 rating. Between them is a road game against a Lake Howell team that won seven games last season. That opening month should give the coaching staff an honest answer about the offensive line, the backfield rotation and the quarterback position.

The quarterback competition remains open. Taylor is the only returning passer with meaningful 2025 production, completing 58 percent of his attempts with three touchdowns and three interceptions. That experience matters, but it does not settle the position. Seminole must use the first month to identify the quarterback who protects the football, distributes it to Roberts, Ojeda and Barber, and keeps the offense on schedule.

The late schedule changes the challenge. Lake Mary, Spruce Creek, Lake Brantley and Oviedo require four consecutive weeks of physical and emotional discipline. Young teams can survive one difficult Friday. Mature teams avoid giving the next one away.

THE BOTTOM LINE: This schedule will help Seminole develop only if the offense learns from its early mistakes instead of repeatedly paying for them. The quarterback decision must become clearer before the bye, because October is no place for an identity search.

3RD DOWN — THE PROVING GROUND

Eau Gallie, Mainland, Spruce Creek and Oviedo are the games that should define Seminole’s season.

Lake Mary is the obvious heavyweight, but the four swing games will reveal whether the Fighting Seminoles are simply competitive or genuinely dangerous. Eau Gallie brings a top-five 3A preseason ranking. Mainland is almost rating-even with Seminole. Spruce Creek won nine games and owns a top-10 class ranking. Oviedo waits at the end of the regular season with an 8-3 record and enough quality to punish a team looking ahead.

Those games will put Seminole’s returning playmakers under a harsher light. Roberts and Ojeda must prove they can create separation when opponents know where the ball is going. Barber must turn his unusual size into consistent production, not just occasional highlights. Hampton will see quarterbacks willing to test him, while Wills and Manley must hold up against offenses that can sustain drives.

Special teams could become a separator. Plebanski has already handled kicking duties, and close games against similarly rated opponents often turn on hidden yards and one clean operation. Seminole’s schedule contains too many narrow margins to treat that phase as background noise.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Split the four swing games, and Seminole has a path to a winning season. Win three, and the Fighting Seminoles become a difficult playoff draw. Lose three, and the margin for error inside the district disappears.

4TH DOWN — PLAYOFF PICTURE

District 6A-3 runs through Lake Mary until somebody proves otherwise.

The defending 7A state champion enters 2026 ranked No. 9 overall, No. 1 in Class 6A and more than 29 rating points ahead of Seminole. That makes the Oct. 9 meeting both an opportunity and a reality check. Seminole does not have to be better than Lake Mary every week. It has to be better for one night to take command of the district race.

The district champion receives an automatic playoff berth. Everyone else must rely on MaxPreps rankings for wildcard selection and seeding. That means Seminole’s non-district schedule carries real value. Wins against Mountain Vista, Eau Gallie, Mainland, Spruce Creek or Oviedo would strengthen the résumé. Losses to lower-rated Lake Howell or University would be much harder to absorb.

Player development is directly tied to that path. Buckner and the running backs must give Seminole an offense that travels. Taylor’s experience — or the emergence of another quarterback from the open competition — must produce steadier possession football. Wills, Manley, Green-Sanders and Hampton must build a defense capable of winning when the offense scores in the 20s rather than the 30s.

DISTRICT BREAKDOWN

Team 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Lake Mary 12-3 No. 9 | No. 1 (6A) 94.12 7A State Champion Seminole (Sanford) 5-6 No. 86 | No. 13 (6A) 64.21 7A Regional Quarterfinalist Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs) 6-4 No. 251 | No. 38 (6A) 41.26 Missed postseason Apopka 2-7 No. 367 | No. 64 (6A) 27.92 Missed postseason

Seminole is the clear preseason No. 2 in the district by rating. That is a favorable position, but not a comfortable one. The Fighting Seminoles must handle Apopka and Lake Brantley, then either upset Lake Mary or build a wildcard résumé strong enough to remove doubt.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The cleanest route is the district title, but the realistic route may be a strong second-place finish backed by quality non-district wins. Seminole’s schedule provides enough résumé opportunities. It also provides enough traps to waste them.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Difficulty Rating: 7/10

A 6-4 regular season is a realistic projection, with 7-3 attainable if the quarterback position stabilizes, the new backfield produces and the returning defensive front replaces lost disruption. The ceiling will be limited if Seminole remains inconsistent in close games or reaches October without a dependable offensive identity.

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 86 Seminole Fighting Seminoles (Sanford) — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

Seminole has enough returning muscle to rebound, but a demanding schedule will expose every unfinished part of the rebuild.

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COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 86 Seminole Fighting Seminoles (Sanford) — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

Seminole has enough returning muscle to rebound, but a demanding schedule will expose every unfinished part of the rebuild.

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