COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 89 Calvary Christian Warriors (Clearwater) 2026 — Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

Calvary Christian does not have the luxury of easing into a transition year. The Warriors graduated their leading passer, leading rusher and three of their four most productive receivers from an 8-4 team. What remains is a physical offensive line, an experienced collection of linebackers and defensive backs, and a schedule that will expose uncertainty quickly. Wes Safford’s third season will be defined by how rapidly those returning pieces become a new identity rather than merely remnants of the old one.

CALVARY CHRISTIAN WARRIORS (CLEARWATER)

Head Coach: Wes Safford, third year District: District 2A-6 2024 Record: 6-3 2025 Record: 8-4 2025 Final FPRI Rating: 58.65 2025 Final State Rank: No. 115 2026 Preseason Rating: 62.30 2026 Preseason Rank: No. 89 2026 Class Rank: No. 11 2025 Playoff / FIT Finish: 2A Regional Semifinalist

Calvary Christian’s 2025 team could score. The Warriors averaged 33.3 points and 385.3 yards per game, rushed for 2,781 yards and reached the 2A regional semifinals. The catch is that most of the explosive production walked out the door. Quarterback Oni Abasial accounted for 2,268 yards of offense, Lane Roberts rushed for 1,181 yards in seven games, and seniors Tristan Richards and Niko Panagiotopoulos combined for 987 receiving yards. The defense returns considerably more certainty. That imbalance will shape the season.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Category Value Average Opponent Rating 51.77 Opponent 2025 Record 61-52 Opponent 2025 Win Percentage .540 Hardest Opponent Clearwater Central Catholic District Games 5

The average is respectable, but it does not fully capture the challenge. Three district opponents carry top-16 rankings in Class 2A, and the regular-season finale brings a University Christian team coming off a regional final appearance. The soft spots are obvious. So are the weeks Calvary Christian cannot afford to waste.

2026 FULL SCHEDULE

Week Date Time Opponent 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 1 8/21 7:00 PM North Miami 7-4 No. 222 | No. 36 (4A) 44.17 2 8/28 7:00 PM King (Tampa) 2-8 No. 561 | No. 71 (3A) -7.13 3 9/4 7:00 PM Victory Christian (Lakeland) 6-6 No. 168 | No. 20 (1A) 50.78 4 9/11 7:00 PM @ Clearwater Central Catholic* 9-3 No. 37 | No. 5 (2A) 73.93 5 9/18 — BYE — — — 6 9/25 7:30 PM @ Boca Ciega (Gulfport)* 4-7 No. 284 | No. 27 (2A) 37.30 7 10/2 7:00 PM @ Northside Christian (St. Petersburg) 7-4 No. 226 | No. 26 (1A) 43.54 8 10/9 7:00 PM Lakewood (St. Petersburg)* 11-2 No. 63 | No. 10 (2A) 67.83 9 10/16 7:00 PM Berkeley Prep (Tampa)* 5-5 No. 114 | No. 16 (2A) 58.72 10 10/23 7:00 PM @ Tampa Catholic* 1-9 No. 352 | No. 30 (2A) 29.94 11 10/30 7:00 PM University Christian (Jacksonville) 9-4 No. 109 | No. 14 (1A) 59.72

*District game

There is a clean dividing line in this schedule. Calvary Christian gets three nondistrict games to solve its offensive questions, then spends much of the final seven weeks navigating the district race. The Warriors should know exactly what they are by October.

KEY LOSSES

The largest departure is Abasial, who completed 131 of 225 passes for 1,776 yards and 18 touchdowns while adding 492 rushing yards. He was not simply the quarterback. He was the stabilizer who could erase a poor protection rep or extend a possession with his legs. Calvary Christian enters 2026 without a returning passer who recorded meaningful varsity production in 2025.

Roberts leaves an even larger statistical hole in the backfield. His 1,181 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns came on only 144 carries, an average of 8.2 yards per attempt. Jack Wang added 466 yards and four touchdowns, while Karston Ash produced 324 rushing yards, five scores and 658 all-purpose yards. That is a serious amount of acceleration and finishing power to replace.

Richards and Panagiotopoulos accounted for 65 receptions, 987 yards and seven touchdowns. Defensively, Barrett Mauldin’s seven sacks and 20 quarterback hurries disappear, as do Blake Milanes’ 55 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. The Warriors are not replacing one star. They are replacing the spine of the offense and their two most productive pass rushers.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player Position Class 2025 Production Colton Outzen WR/DB Junior 17 receptions, 290 yards and five receiving touchdowns; averaged 17.1 yards per catch Gavin Holloway LB/RB Senior Team-high 94 tackles, four tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hurries and one interception Tripp Foote LB Junior 77 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions and two forced fumbles Quinn Conrad DB/RB Senior 28 tackles, four interceptions and four pass breakups Travis Lau TE/DL Senior 24 receptions, 310 yards and four touchdowns; added 14 tackles and one sack Max Staszewski OL/DL Senior 35 tackles in nine games while contributing on both lines Chris Wood DB/WR Senior 21 tackles and three pass breakups in 11 games Jordan Sanchez WR/DB Senior Nine receptions for 85 yards and one touchdown in 10 games AJ Avila-Mena RB Senior 49 rushing yards and one touchdown on 13 carries in limited action

Outzen is the most obvious candidate to become the offense’s featured playmaker. He already showed touchdown efficiency and downfield ability as a sophomore. Holloway and Foote, meanwhile, give the defense two proven volume tacklers at its center. This roster has experience. The unresolved question is whether it has enough proven production at the positions that touch the ball most often.

1ST DOWN — THE GAUNTLET

The defining stretch runs from Week 8 through Week 11: Lakewood, Berkeley Prep, Tampa Catholic and University Christian. Three district games are packed into that window, followed by a regular-season finale against a program that reached a 2025 regional final.

Lakewood is the most dangerous home game. The Spartans went 11-2, finished as a 2A regional finalist and enter 2026 ranked No. 63 overall. Berkeley Prep is not as highly rated, but its physical style and No. 16 class ranking make it a poor opponent to face one week later. There is no recovery lap between those games.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT

Opponent Week/Location 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Clearwater Central Catholic Week 4/Away 9-3 No. 37 | No. 5 (2A) 73.93 1A Regional Finalist Lakewood (St. Petersburg) Week 8/Home 11-2 No. 63 | No. 10 (2A) 67.83 2A Regional Finalist

Calvary Christian’s running game must be functional by the time this stretch arrives. Avila-Mena is the only returning back with recorded varsity carries, but his 13 attempts are not enough to declare the position settled. The Warriors will need a committee or a breakout option to emerge behind an experienced line. On the other side, replacing Mauldin and Milanes as edge pressure sources is essential. Holloway produced 11 hurries from linebacker, while Lau and Foote each recorded a sack. Pressure cannot become an occasional event against the district’s best quarterbacks.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The Warriors do not need to sweep the gauntlet. They do need to prove they can run the ball, affect the quarterback and avoid letting one difficult Friday become two.

2ND DOWN — STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

The opening three weeks offer a reasonable development runway. North Miami brings a winning 2025 record but a manageable 44.17 preseason rating. King is the schedule’s clear outlier at -7.13. Victory Christian is a stronger checkpoint, but Calvary Christian should reach the district opener with enough evidence to know what is working.

That matters because the quarterback job is open in every meaningful sense. The 2026 roster lists several candidates, but none produced varsity passing statistics for Calvary Christian in 2025. Naming a favorite would be guesswork. The task is less about finding another Abasial and more about finding someone who protects the football, distributes to Outzen and Lau, and allows the defense to dictate games.

The Week 5 bye is exceptionally well placed. It follows the trip to Clearwater Central Catholic and precedes another district road game at Boca Ciega. That gives Safford’s staff time to correct whatever the district favorite exposes.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The schedule provides three weeks to develop a quarterback and one bye week to repair the plan. After that, experimentation becomes expensive.

3RD DOWN — THE PROVING GROUND

North Miami and Victory Christian are the early measuring sticks, but Boca Ciega and Berkeley Prep are the true swing games. Calvary Christian will be favored on paper against Boca Ciega, which enters with a 37.30 rating after a 4-7 season. That is the kind of district game a playoff team handles without drama.

Berkeley Prep is different. The Buccaneers are rated only 3.58 points behind Calvary Christian in the preseason model. That matchup may reveal whether the Warriors belong in the district’s upper tier with Clearwater Central Catholic and Lakewood or are fighting primarily for a wildcard position.

Those games will test Outzen’s ability to create offense when defenses know where the ball should go. They will test Lau as both a dependable target and an edge defender. They also will place Holloway, Foote and Conrad in situations where one missed tackle or one takeaway could decide the night. Experienced players have to become consequential players.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Boca Ciega is a game Calvary Christian should win. Berkeley Prep is the game that may tell everyone how much winning the Warriors are capable of.

4TH DOWN — PLAYOFF PICTURE

District 2A-6 is not forgiving. Clearwater Central Catholic begins the season ranked No. 5 in the class, Lakewood is No. 10, Calvary Christian is No. 11 and Berkeley Prep is No. 16. Four teams enter the year inside the top 16 of Class 2A. That is less a district race than a weekly argument over playoff position.

The district champion receives an automatic playoff bid. Everyone else must rely on the MaxPreps rankings for wildcard qualification and seeding. That makes the games against Clearwater Central Catholic, Lakewood and Berkeley Prep doubly important: They affect the standings directly and carry the strength needed to influence the wildcard picture.

DISTRICT BREAKDOWN

Team 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Clearwater Central Catholic 9-3 No. 37 | No. 5 (2A) 73.93 1A Regional Finalist Lakewood (St. Petersburg) 11-2 No. 63 | No. 10 (2A) 67.83 2A Regional Finalist Calvary Christian (Clearwater) 8-4 No. 89 | No. 11 (2A) 62.30 2A Regional Semifinalist Berkeley Prep (Tampa) 5-5 No. 114 | No. 16 (2A) 58.72 2A Regional Semifinalist Boca Ciega (Gulfport) 4-7 No. 284 | No. 27 (2A) 37.30 3A Regional Quarterfinalist Tampa Catholic 1-9 No. 352 | No. 30 (2A) 29.94 Missed postseason

The veteran defense gives Calvary Christian a plausible wildcard floor. Holloway and Foote can prevent manageable games from turning chaotic, while Conrad’s ball production offers the secondary a genuine possession-stealing threat. The playoff ceiling, however, will be determined by whether the new offense can score enough against the district’s top three.

THE BOTTOM LINE: A district title is possible but not the most probable outcome. The more realistic path is beating the district’s lower half, taking at least one game from the top tier and building a MaxPreps résumé sturdy enough for a favorable wildcard position.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Difficulty Rating: 7/10

An experienced defense and manageable opening month should keep Calvary Christian in the playoff conversation, but replacing nearly every major offensive producer lowers the margin for error. A 7-3 regular season is realistic if the quarterback competition produces a dependable distributor and the running game develops; continued uncertainty at those spots could pull the Warriors closer to 5-5 in one of Class 2A’s deepest districts.

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 89 Calvary Christian Warriors (Clearwater) 2026 — Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

A veteran defensive core gives the Warriors a sturdy foundation, but replacing the engine of a 33-point-per-game offense will determine whether Calvary Christian remains a factor in a demanding District 2A-6.

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COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 89 Calvary Christian Warriors (Clearwater) 2026 — Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

A veteran defensive core gives the Warriors a sturdy foundation, but replacing the engine of a 33-point-per-game offense will determine whether Calvary Christian remains a factor in a demanding District 2A-6.

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