COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 87 Plantation Colonels — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

EDITOR’S NOTE: This preview has been corrected to reflect that D’Tyler Marc is no longer on Plantation’s 2026 roster. References to Marc as a returning contributor have been removed, and the roster analysis has been updated accordingly.

Plantation’s 2025 identity was unmistakable. The Colonels ran the football, attacked quarterbacks and created takeaways in bunches. Now Cam Thomas takes over from Darrell Strong after an offseason that removed many of the players responsible for that formula. The program still carries the résumé of a playoff team. The roster carrying it into 2026 looks dramatically different. This is no longer a retooling job. It is a rebuild.

PLANTATION COLONELS

Head Coach: Cam Thomas, first year District: 4A-14 2024 Record: 6-5 2025 Record: 7-5 2025 Final FPRI Rating: 63.82 2025 Final State Rank: No. 86 2026 Preseason Rating: 64.02 2026 Preseason Rank: No. 87 2026 Class Rank: No. 17 2025 Playoff / FIT Finish: 4A Regional Semifinalist

Plantation went 7-5 while producing 50 sacks, 24 interceptions and 124 tackles for loss, and the offense rushed for 2,223 yards at 8.3 yards per carry. Those numbers explain how the Colonels reached the regional semifinals. They do not describe what returns. Graduation and transfers have removed most of the rushing production, pass rush, tackling volume and ball production that defined the 2025 team.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Category Value Average Opponent Rating 43.85 Opponent 2025 Record 62-50 Opponent 2025 Win Percentage .554 Hardest Opponent Atlantic (Delray Beach) District Games 3

The schedule gives a rebuilding roster something valuable: time to develop before the hardest games arrive. Plantation has several manageable September opportunities, but the closing stretch is a different conversation. Atlantic and Dillard sit at the end of the road. The Colonels have a runway, but they cannot spend all season taxiing.

2026 FULL SCHEDULE

Week Date Time Opponent 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 1 8/21 7:00 PM @ Coconut Creek 9-3 No. 134 | No. 35 (5A) 55.58 2 8/28 7:00 PM @ Piper (Sunrise) 7-5 No. 143 | No. 36 (5A) 54.66 3 9/4 7:00 PM @ Stranahan (Fort Lauderdale) 2-8 No. 450 | No. 56 (3A) 15.44 4 9/10 7:00 PM South Plantation 6-5 No. 335 | No. 53 (6A) 32.20 5 9/17 7:00 PM Northeast (Oakland Park)* 2-8 No. 572 | No. 87 (4A) -19.30 6 9/25 7:00 PM @ Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale) 10-4 No. 74 | No. 9 (3A) 66.24 7 10/2 7:00 PM Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach)* 2-7 No. 273 | No. 45 (4A) 39.18 8 10/9 — BYE — — — 9 10/16 7:00 PM @ Miramar 4-7 No. 175 | No. 30 (4A) 49.98 10 10/22 6:30 PM @ Atlantic (Delray Beach)* 10-2 No. 27 | No. 5 (4A) 77.65 11 10/30 7:00 PM Dillard (Fort Lauderdale) 10-1 No. 70 | No. 6 (3A) 66.88

*District game

Four of Plantation’s first six games are on the road, adding another complication for a roster searching for new leaders. Still, Stranahan, South Plantation and Northeast create a valuable three-game window before Cardinal Gibbons raises the degree of difficulty. By October, development has to become production.

KEY LOSSES

The offensive losses begin with the running game. Zachariah Ray graduated after rushing for 959 yards and adding 154 receiving yards with five total touchdowns. Za’Kari Johnson transferred after accounting for 777 rushing yards, 551 passing yards and 10 total touchdowns in nine games. Together, they provided 1,736 of Plantation’s 2,223 rushing yards.

D’Tyler Marc is also no longer on the roster after flashing in limited work with 153 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries in three games. His departure removes another player who might have helped absorb the massive vacancy in the backfield. Plantation now enters 2026 without a returning runner in the available data who owns significant established production.

The defensive turnover is even more dramatic. Meshi Dobson departed after producing 72 tackles, 31 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. Chanavis Chance transferred to Columbus after leading the Colonels with 126 tackles while adding 20 tackles for loss and four sacks. Clarence Gillis Jr. transferred to St. Thomas Aquinas after recording 38 tackles, six tackles for loss and five sacks. Kendall Smith and Joseph James are also gone after combining for 121 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 14 sacks.

Then there is the secondary. Jemari Foreman transferred to West Boca Raton after recording 70 tackles, 10 interceptions and 11 pass breakups. Desmond Christian transferred to Cypress Bay after catching 27 passes for 489 yards and six touchdowns while adding two interceptions. Marlin Johnson Jr. also left for Cypress Bay after recording four interceptions and 515 kickoff-return yards with two return touchdowns. Jeffrey O’Neal transferred to American Heritage (Plantation) after producing 428 receiving yards, five touchdown catches and three interceptions. Jaheim Pierre-Paul is another confirmed departure to Cypress Bay after recording 11 tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack.

That is not normal year-to-year attrition. Plantation lost important production at virtually every level of the offense and defense.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player Position Class 2025 Production Cory Brown DT Senior 27 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and two sacks in eight games Nikko Thompson FS/TE Senior Current 2026 roster member; no verified 2025 production provided AJ Maxon C/SS Senior Current 2026 roster member; no verified 2025 production provided Jalen Rolle CB Junior Current 2026 roster member; no verified 2025 production provided Zakai Guyher RB Junior Current 2026 roster member; no verified 2025 production provided Brandon Mcfarley Jr. MLB/RB Freshman Current 2026 roster member; no verified 2025 production provided

Brown is now the lone player on this list with substantial verified 2025 production. His 27 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and two sacks in eight games give Plantation at least one established disruptive piece on a defense otherwise being rebuilt almost from scratch.

The offensive picture is far less settled. Guyher and Mcfarley are among the backs listed on the current roster, but neither has verified 2025 production in the available information, and neither should be treated as an established starter. Thompson, Maxon and Rolle likewise have opportunities because so many snaps are available, not because their roles have already been decided. At Plantation, the most important players of 2026 may still be introducing themselves.

1ST DOWN — THE GAUNTLET

Plantation’s hardest stretch comes after the bye: at Miramar, at Atlantic and home against Dillard. Miramar carries the lowest preseason rating of those three at 49.98, but Atlantic sits at 77.65 and Dillard at 66.88. The Colonels finish with two of their three highest-rated opponents in eight days.

That stretch will test whether Plantation has found a functional running game. Ray, Johnson and Marc are all gone, leaving the Colonels without a returning runner in the available data who has proven he can shoulder significant varsity production. Guyher and other backs on the current roster have opportunities, but opportunity is not the same thing as an established answer.

The pass rush has just as much rebuilding to do. Brown returns after 12 tackles for loss and two sacks, but the Colonels have lost Dobson, Chance, Gillis, Smith, James and Pierre-Paul from a defense that recorded 50 sacks. Brown cannot replace all of that production himself. Someone else has to become disruptive.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT

Opponent Week/Location 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Atlantic (Delray Beach) Week 10/Away 10-2 No. 27 | No. 5 (4A) 77.65 5A Regional Semifinalist Dillard (Fort Lauderdale) Week 11/Home 10-1 No. 70 | No. 6 (3A) 66.88 4A Regional Quarterfinalist

Atlantic is the schedule’s defining game because it combines Plantation’s toughest opponent with its largest district obstacle. Dillard follows immediately afterward with a 10-1 record from 2025. There is nowhere to hide at the finish.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Plantation has until late October to identify a dependable running game and rebuild its pass rush. If those answers are still unclear when Atlantic arrives, the schedule will expose it quickly.

2ND DOWN — STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

The first half of the schedule is more developmental than destructive. Coconut Creek and Piper provide immediate road tests, but Stranahan, South Plantation and Northeast all carry considerably lower preseason ratings than Plantation. For a team dealing with this much turnover, that matters.

Quarterback is one of the largest unresolved areas. The current roster provided does not establish a quarterback, so there is no proven 2026 starter to name. Plantation must work through that competition without the benefit of the established rushing production that helped stabilize last season’s offense.

The backfield is just as unsettled. With Ray, Johnson and Marc gone, Plantation has no returning runner in the available data with significant established production. Guyher and the other backs on the roster will have opportunities to change that, but the early weeks have to determine who can actually handle the workload.

Brown gives the defense one proven disruptive piece up front. Around him, Plantation must identify an entirely new collection of pressure players before Cardinal Gibbons arrives in Week 6.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Plantation’s early schedule gives Thomas time to evaluate a largely rebuilt roster. The Colonels need the quarterback competition, rushing rotation and defensive front much closer to settled by the time Cardinal Gibbons arrives.

3RD DOWN — THE PROVING GROUND

Coconut Creek and Piper are immediate measuring sticks. Both won at least seven games in 2025, both are on the road, and neither carries a preseason rating above Plantation’s. Those are the kinds of games that will show whether the Colonels remain ahead of the middle of the Broward pack despite the offseason losses.

Blanche Ely is another critical test because it counts in District 4A-14. Plantation enters with the stronger preseason rating, but the game comes one week after Cardinal Gibbons. A rebuilding roster has to learn how to respond to physical games without allowing one week to bleed into the next.

Miramar is the final checkpoint before Atlantic. By then, the quarterback picture should be clearer, a rushing rotation should have emerged and Brown should have help established around him on defense. Players such as Thompson, Rolle, Maxon and Guyher will have had enough time to show whether they can handle expanded responsibility.

The names are less important than the emergence. By Week 9, Plantation cannot still be asking who its team is.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Coconut Creek, Piper, Blanche Ely and Miramar will tell us more about Plantation than any preseason ranking. Consistently winning those games would show the rebuild is moving fast enough to keep the Colonels in the playoff conversation.

4TH DOWN — PLAYOFF PICTURE

The roster has changed. The district opportunity has not.

Plantation opens District 4A-14 play against Northeast on Sept. 17, hosts Blanche Ely on Oct. 2 and travels to Atlantic on Oct. 22. The preseason ratings create a clear hierarchy: Atlantic leads the district at 77.65, Plantation follows at 64.02, then comes Blanche Ely at 39.18 and Northeast at -19.30.

That makes the first two district games essential. Plantation cannot control how quickly Atlantic develops, but it can put itself in position to make the trip to Delray Beach meaningful by handling Northeast and Blanche Ely.

A district champion automatically qualifies for the playoff bracket. If Plantation does not win District 4A-14, the Colonels would need the wildcard route through the MaxPreps rankings, which also makes games against Coconut Creek, Piper, Cardinal Gibbons, Miramar and Dillard important for postseason positioning and seeding.

Brown is the most established returning defensive producer in the available data and therefore one of the few known quantities in this playoff equation. Offensively, there is no equivalent proven returner now that the backfield has been stripped of its major 2025 production. Plantation’s postseason ceiling will depend heavily on players emerging who were not central pieces of last year’s statistical profile.

DISTRICT BREAKDOWN

Team 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Atlantic (Delray Beach) 10-2 No. 27 | No. 5 (4A) 77.65 5A Regional Semifinalist Plantation 7-5 No. 87 | No. 17 (4A) 64.02 4A Regional Semifinalist Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach) 2-7 No. 273 | No. 45 (4A) 39.18 Missed postseason Northeast (Oakland Park) 2-8 No. 572 | No. 87 (4A) -19.30 Missed postseason

Plantation sits comfortably second by preseason rating, but that number cannot tell us how effectively the Colonels will replace the production that left after 2025. The gap over Blanche Ely and Northeast still exists on paper. The current roster has to prove it exists on the field.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The clean playoff path is to handle Northeast and Blanche Ely and arrive at Atlantic with the district championship available. Plantation can still get there, but this roster must build almost all of its offensive identity and much of its defensive identity along the way.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Difficulty Rating: 7/10

A 5-5 or 6-4 regular season is a realistic range given the amount of proven production Plantation must replace, with a better finish possible if a quarterback, rushing rotation and new defensive playmakers emerge quickly around Brown. The district schedule still offers a viable playoff path, but the lack of established returning offensive production and the enormous defensive turnover leave far less margin for error than the No. 87 preseason ranking suggests.

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 87 Plantation Colonels — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

A regional semifinal team a year ago, Plantation enters 2026 with a new head coach, massive personnel turnover and far fewer proven pieces than its preseason ranking might suggest.

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COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 87 Plantation Colonels — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

A regional semifinal team a year ago, Plantation enters 2026 with a new head coach, massive personnel turnover and far fewer proven pieces than its preseason ranking might suggest.

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