COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 71 West Nassau Warriors — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

West Nassau did not merely win in 2025. The Warriors imposed their preferred kind of game on nearly everyone they faced. Gunnar Cox’s team ran for 4,634 yards, scored 62 rushing touchdowns and reached the SSAA Atlantic State championship game. Now comes the more complicated assignment: replacing a decorated senior class without sanding away the program’s physical identity.

WEST NASSAU WARRIORS (CALLAHAN)

Head Coach: Gunnar Cox, fourth season Division: SSAA Atlantic-North 2024 Record: 9-2 2025 Record: 12-2 2025 Final FPRI Rating: 71.34 2025 Final State Rank: No. 43 2026 Preseason Rating: 66.88 2026 Preseason Rank: No. 71 2026 Class Rank: No. 2 2025 Playoff / FIT Finish: SSAA Atlantic State Runner-Up

The 2025 Warriors averaged 39.6 points while allowing 16.8, production that explains why their season lasted 14 games. Their rushing attack overwhelmed opponents with volume and explosiveness, but much of the supporting cast has changed. West Nassau still owns enough proven skill talent and line strength to remain dangerous. The question is whether those pieces can carry a heavier load against a schedule that becomes serious in a hurry.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Category Value Average Opponent Rating 37.40 Opponent 2025 Record 49-64 Opponent 2025 Win Percentage .434 Hardest Opponent West Deptford (NJ) District Games 0

The combined record looks manageable. The individual matchups tell a different story. West Nassau has several games it should control, but its best opponents are stacked into a four-week stretch that will reveal whether the Warriors remain championship material.

2026 FULL SCHEDULE

Week Date Time Opponent 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 0 8/14 6:30 PM @ Paxon (Jacksonville) 7-5 No. 230 | No. 13 (SSAA Atlantic) 43.16 1 8/21 7:00 PM Charlton County (GA) 6-6 — 36.52 2 8/28 7:00 PM KIPP Bold City (Jacksonville) 0-10 No. 554 | No. 36 (2A) -5.18 3 9/4 — BYE — — — 4 9/11 7:00 PM @ Bayside (Palm Bay) 3-8 No. 413 | No. 26 (SSAA Atlantic) 21.46 5 9/18 7:00 PM Yulee 8-3 No. 203 | No. 32 (4A) 46.75 6 9/25 7:00 PM @ Fernandina Beach 7-6 No. 197 | No. 10 (SSAA Atlantic) 47.32 7 10/2 7:00 PM @ Providence (Jacksonville) 4-7 No. 219 | No. 7 (IND B) 44.79 8 10/10 6:00 PM West Deptford (NJ) 9-2 — 61.31 9 10/16 7:00 PM Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) 5-7 No. 330 | No. 29 (2A) 32.53 10 10/23 7:30 PM @ Keystone Heights 0-10 No. 537 | No. 37 (SSAA Atlantic) -0.22

West Nassau receives an open week before the schedule tightens, and that placement matters. The Warriors should arrive at the heart of the season rested. They will not have many chances to catch their breath once Yulee comes to Callahan.

KEY LOSSES

Quarterback Pryce Arnold leaves after passing for 1,018 yards and 13 touchdowns. His raw attempt total was modest, but his 23.1 yards per completion gave the offense a vertical counterpunch whenever defenses crowded the line. West Nassau must replace that efficiency without pretending the passing game can operate on autopilot.

The backfield also loses Andi Ataiza and Skyler Freeman, who combined for 1,633 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. Freeman added 143 receiving yards, while Ataiza gave the Warriors a 215-pound interior option. Their departures remove both production and the variety that made West Nassau’s rushing attack difficult to diagnose.

Defensively, Bryce Mangum’s graduation creates the sharpest concern. He produced eight sacks and 13 tackles for loss, more than half of the team’s sacks by himself. Hunter Gentry added 76 tackles, Levi Bowler contributed 44 tackles and two interceptions, and Gavin Velazquez handled most of the kicking duties. This is not a cosmetic turnover. West Nassau lost important players at every level.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player Position Class 2025 Production Shamoi “Smo” Green RB Senior Rushed for 1,236 yards and 22 touchdowns on 145 carries Avery Griffin RB/ATH Senior Produced 1,379 all-purpose yards and 15 total touchdowns, including 495 receiving yards Nate Batrous MLB Senior Recorded 70 tackles, seven tackles for loss, one interception and three quarterback hurries Seth Gentry LB Senior Led returning defenders with 75 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and one interception Kayden Thompson DT/TE Junior Collected 46 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, two sacks and five quarterback hurries Josh Stafford CB/RET Junior Made 39 tackles and two interceptions while producing 347 return yards and four return touchdowns Cameron Johns RB/FB Sophomore Rushed for 246 yards and five touchdowns on 12 carries Clayton Lee OT Senior Returning 6-foot-7, 315-pound tackle and South Carolina commitment

Green is the established engine, but Griffin may be the roster’s most valuable chess piece. He can punish a defense from the backfield or turn a short passing opportunity into an explosive gain. Behind them, Johns gives West Nassau another powerful runner whose 20.5-yard average per carry demands a larger role.

The defensive nucleus is just as important. Batrous and Gentry provide reliable second-level production, while Thompson has the disruptive profile needed to replace part of Mangum’s lost pass rush. Lee gives the offense a premier anchor. Few SSAA Atlantic teams can put a tackle with his size and recruiting résumé at the front of the formation.

1ST DOWN — THE GAUNTLET

West Nassau’s season will turn between Sept. 18 and Oct. 10. Yulee, Fernandina Beach, Providence and West Deptford enter with an average preseason rating above 50, and three of those four games come away from the comfort of a standard Friday-night home routine.

Yulee and Fernandina Beach will test the Warriors’ ability to win physical, regional games in consecutive weeks. Providence then creates another road assignment before West Deptford arrives from New Jersey with the highest rating on the schedule. That is not a difficult week. It is a difficult month.

Green and Griffin will have to keep West Nassau ahead of the chains throughout that stretch. The Warriors cannot ask an unsettled quarterback situation to rescue repeated third-and-long possessions. Defensively, Thompson must generate disruption up front, because replacing Mangum’s eight sacks will require more than effort. It requires somebody offenses must account for before the snap.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT

Opponent Week/Location 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish West Deptford (NJ) Week 8/Home 9-2 — 61.31 Not applicable — New Jersey Fernandina Beach Week 6/Away 7-6 No. 198 | No. 10 (SSAA Atlantic) 47.32 SSAA Atlantic State Semifinalist

THE BOTTOM LINE: West Nassau does not need to sweep this stretch to remain a contender, but it cannot emerge battered and ordinary. A 3-1 run would establish the Warriors as one of the SSAA Atlantic favorites. A 1-3 slide would force them to spend the rest of October repairing their CCI position.

2ND DOWN — STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

The schedule gives West Nassau a reasonable runway. Paxon and Charlton County should demand the Warriors’ attention, but KIPP Bold City enters after an 0-10 season and a negative preseason rating. The Week 3 bye then separates the opening phase from the first long road trip.

That sequence is valuable because the Warriors must determine who can operate the offense alongside their veteran backs. West Nassau does not need its eventual quarterback to become the centerpiece. It needs clean exchanges, sound decisions and enough downfield competence to keep opponents from sending the entire defense after Green and Griffin.

The second half contains fewer developmental allowances. Four consecutive opponents carry ratings of at least 44.79, including West Deptford at 61.31. By then, experiments must become answers. Lee and the offensive line can make that transition easier by keeping the offense on schedule, but even an elite rushing attack becomes predictable when the quarterback position offers no credible constraint.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The overall opponent winning percentage understates the challenge. West Nassau has a soft floor and a hard ceiling built into the same schedule. The early games are for construction. The middle games are for judgment.

3RD DOWN — THE PROVING GROUND

The swing games are Yulee, Fernandina Beach and Providence. None owns West Deptford’s rating, but all three arrive during the stretch when West Nassau must prove its returning production translates against credible opposition.

Yulee is the first measuring stick. It comes at home, and a veteran roster should treat that as a game it expects to win. Fernandina Beach is more revealing because it combines a road environment with an opponent coming off an SSAA Atlantic State semifinal appearance. That matchup will test whether Batrous and Gentry can control the middle after the Warriors lost several senior tacklers.

Providence presents a different kind of pressure. It follows two emotional regional games and precedes the schedule’s highest-rated opponent. Mature teams do not overlook the middle date. They handle it. Stafford’s work in the secondary and return game could be decisive if West Nassau needs hidden yardage or one possession-changing play.

Green and Griffin will receive the headlines, but Johns may become the player who changes the offense’s dimensions. His freshman production came in a small sample, yet five touchdowns on 12 carries is difficult to ignore. A dependable third runner would keep the senior stars fresher when the schedule reaches October.

THE BOTTOM LINE: West Nassau’s ceiling will not be defined by whether it can dominate overmatched opponents. It will be defined by how consistently it handles the games in which neither sideline owns a clear talent advantage.

4TH DOWN — PLAYOFF PICTURE

West Nassau competes in the SSAA Atlantic and does not have a district or an automatic district-champion berth. Its postseason path runs through CCI positioning, which places additional value on the Warriors’ overall record, strength of schedule and performance against quality opposition.

That makes Fernandina Beach and West Deptford especially important. Fernandina Beach offers a direct comparison with another highly rated SSAA Atlantic program, while West Deptford gives West Nassau its strongest scheduled opponent. Winning either game would strengthen the Warriors’ résumé. Winning both could place them in favorable seeding territory.

The closing games against Andrew Jackson and Keystone Heights also carry weight. They may not have the same preseason profile, but CCI positioning leaves little room for careless losses. Championship-level teams do not spend October giving back work completed in September.

Green and Griffin give West Nassau the offensive production to survive a postseason game when the passing attack is limited. Thompson, Batrous and Gentry must provide the corresponding defensive identity. The Warriors reached the final last season by dictating terms. Their return path depends on doing it again with a partially rebuilt supporting cast.

THE BOTTOM LINE: West Nassau has enough high-end returners to qualify comfortably and contend for another SSAA Atlantic title. Favorable seeding, however, will require more than piling up wins against the bottom of the schedule. The Warriors must claim at least two significant victories during the Yulee-to-West Deptford stretch.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Difficulty Rating: 7/10

A 9-1 regular season is attainable, with 8-2 the more conservative projection if the quarterback transition and rebuilt pass rush require time. West Nassau’s proven backs, veteran linebackers and strength at offensive tackle provide a championship foundation, but the ceiling will be limited if opponents can sell out against the run or if Mangum’s lost pressure is not replaced.

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 71 West Nassau Warriors — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

West Nassau returns a punishing ground game and a veteran defensive core, but another SSAA Atlantic championship run will require the Warriors to survive a demanding midseason road.

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COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 71 West Nassau Warriors — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

West Nassau returns a punishing ground game and a veteran defensive core, but another SSAA Atlantic championship run will require the Warriors to survive a demanding midseason road.

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