Plantation 2026 Football Preview: Schedule, Players, Playoffs

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.

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 much 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.

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 D’Tyler Marc WR Senior 153 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries in three games 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

Marc is the most established offensive returner in the available numbers, although even that comes from a limited sample. Ten carries produced 153 yards and two touchdowns — an eye-catching 15.3 yards per attempt — but Plantation cannot simply assume that efficiency survives a dramatically larger workload.

Brown provides the strongest verified returning production on defense with 27 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and two sacks in eight games. Beyond Marc and Brown, the current roster identifies players who now have opportunities, not players with established 2025 résumés. Thompson, Maxon, Rolle and Guyher are worth monitoring precisely because so many snaps and responsibilities are available. At Plantation, the depth chart itself is one of the biggest stories of August.

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 a new offensive identity has actually formed. Marc is the only returning player with meaningful rushing production verified from 2025, and Guyher is listed at running back on the current roster, but the available information does not establish a featured back. Whoever emerges must give Plantation enough of a running game to keep those late opponents from controlling down and distance.

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 by 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.

Marc gives the Colonels one explosive returning option, while the current roster lists Guyher and other backs who can compete for opportunities. Brown gives the defense one proven disruptive piece up front. The early weeks have to reveal who belongs beside them.

Cardinal Gibbons in Week 6 changes the temperature. From there, Blanche Ely carries district implications, the bye provides one reset, and the final three games bring Miramar, Atlantic and Dillard.

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, Marc’s offensive role should be clear, Brown should have help established around him on defense, and players such as Thompson, Rolle, Maxon and Guyher should have shown 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.

Marc and Brown matter directly to that equation because they are the most established returning producers in the available data. Plantation needs Marc to help stabilize an offense replacing nearly all of its primary 2025 rushing production, and it needs Brown to anchor a defensive front replacing a large share of its pressure production. Everything around them has to develop fast.

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 was established before the season could reveal the full effect of the roster turnover. The Colonels have to prove the gap over Blanche Ely and Northeast still 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 earn the position that last year’s team helped create.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Difficulty Rating: 7/10

A 6-4 regular season is a realistic projection given the amount of proven production Plantation must replace, with 7-3 attainable if Marc helps stabilize the offense, Brown anchors a rebuilt front and new contributors emerge quickly around them. The district schedule still offers a viable playoff path, but unresolved quarterback play and the loss of so much defensive production could lower the ceiling considerably.

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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