Madison County 2026 Football Preview: Schedule, Playoffs

Madison County enters a genuine transition season after losing nearly every major offensive producer and its top two tacklers from a 6-6 regional-final run. Price Harris still has size, speed and a handful of tested juniors, but this schedule will expose any position group that is not ready. The Cowboys will not be permitted to rebuild quietly.

MADISON COUNTY COWBOYS (MADISON)

Head Coach: Price Harris, fifth year District: District 1A-3 2024 Record: 10-3 2025 Record: 6-6 2025 Final FPRI Rating: 57.37 2025 Final State Rank: No. 119 2026 Preseason Rating: 64.95 2026 Preseason Rank: No. 79 2026 Class Rank: No. 8 2025 Playoff / FIT Finish: RURAL Regional Finalist

Madison County was uneven in 2025, but it remained dangerous enough to reach a regional final. The Cowboys averaged 220.8 rushing yards while generating 36 touchdowns on the ground, leaning on a senior-heavy group that supplied nearly all of the explosive production. That formula worked. Replicating it with a younger cast will be the season’s defining challenge.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Category Value Average Opponent Rating 50.03 Opponent 2025 Record 66-39 Opponent 2025 Win Percentage .629 Hardest Opponent Bradford (Starke) District Games 2

The average rating is dragged down by Hollis Christian’s minus-12.20 mark. Remove that outlier, and the schedule looks far less forgiving. Seven opponents won at least five games last season, and five carry preseason ratings above 59.00.

2026 FULL SCHEDULE

Week Date Time Opponent 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 1 8/21 7:30 PM Lecanto 6-5 No. 239 | No. 40 (4A) 42.44 2 8/28 7:00 PM @ Gadsden County (Havana) 3-5 No. 145 | No. 17 (2A) 54.07 3 9/4 7:30 PM @ Columbia (Lake City) 9-4 No. 100 | No. 19 (4A) 60.64 4 9/11 7:30 PM Hollis Christian (Jacksonville) 0-2 No. 569 | No. 24 (IND) -12.20 5 9/18 7:00 PM @ Florida High (Tallahassee) 5-7 No. 108 | No. 13 (2A) 59.72 6 9/25 7:00 PM Bradford (Starke) 11-2 No. 48 | No. 7 (2A) 71.61 7 10/2 7:30 PM Bay (Panama City) 9-2 No. 141 | No. 18 (3A) 54.78 8 10/9 7:30 PM Fort White* 8-4 No. 188 | No. 22 (1A) 48.54 9 10/16 — BYE — — — 10 10/23 7:30 PM @ Taylor County (Perry)* 10-2 No. 101 | No. 10 (1A) 60.63 11 10/30 7:30 PM @ Newberry 5-6 No. 105 | No. 12 (2A) 60.04

*District game

Madison County receives one obvious breather, but not many. The Cowboys face five opponents rated between 59.72 and 71.61, then finish with consecutive road games against Taylor County and Newberry. The bye comes at the right time. It may also come one week too late.

KEY LOSSES

The offensive turnover is severe. LJ Crumity accounted for 837 passing yards, 655 rushing yards and 22 combined offensive touchdowns. Na'Quez Christian added 955 all-purpose yards and 14 touchdowns, while Travis Arnold Jr. produced 725 yards from scrimmage and six scores.

Ryshard Miller and Davyon Gallon are also gone after combining for 617 rushing yards. In total, Madison County must replace more than 2,250 rushing yards from its senior class. That is not a vacancy. It is an offensive reconstruction.

The defense loses its two leading tacklers in Dre Arnold and Vincent Sanders. Arnold finished with 114 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks; Sanders added 103 tackles. Brandon Williams, Zakari Neal and Johnny Norwood also depart from the front. The Cowboys lost the heart of their defense and most of its muscle in one graduating class.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player Position Class 2025 Production Chad Mitchell QB/SS Senior 361 passing yards, one passing touchdown, 23 tackles and one interception Kemonte Lee QB/FS Junior 80 rushing yards, one touchdown, 33 tackles and one interception Dre Mitchell WR/TE Senior 10 receptions for 125 yards Morgan Scurry RB/OLB Junior Eight tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and one forced fumble Kemari Ansley DE Sophomore 12 tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks Jordan Capi DT/G Junior 25 tackles and one tackle for loss Jordyn Davis FS/K Junior Eight tackles, 50.2-yard kickoff average and 35.3-yard punt average Vince Coley CB/WR Senior 10 tackles in five games Michael Pride RB/WR Junior 52 rushing yards and one touchdown on one carry Keontae Mattair RB/LB Sophomore Three tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks in three games

Mitchell and Lee provide experience at quarterback, but the position should be treated as a competition until the Cowboys establish a clear answer. The more immediate concern is the supporting cast. Madison County needs several players to graduate from small roles to central ones at the same time.

1ST DOWN — THE GAUNTLET

The defining stretch runs from Week 5 through Week 7: Florida High, Bradford and Bay. Those teams present three different problems, and Madison County meets them before opening district play.

Bradford is the centerpiece. The Tornadoes went 11-2, allowed only 7.2 points per game and enter with a 71.61 rating. A rebuilding offense will not be able to waste possessions. Whether Michael Pride, Morgan Scurry or another back claims the featured role, Madison County needs a runner who can create yards without perfect blocking.

The Cowboys also need a new source of pressure after losing Arnold’s seven sacks. Scurry, Kemari Ansley and Keontae Mattair each recorded two sacks in limited or secondary roles last season. At least one must become a weekly problem for opposing tackles.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT

Opponent Week/Location 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Bradford (Starke) Week 6/Home 11-2 No. 48 | No. 7 (2A) 71.61 2A Regional Finalist Taylor County (Perry) Week 10/Away 10-2 No. 101 | No. 10 (1A) 60.63 RURAL Regional Finalist

Bradford is the best team on the schedule. Taylor County is the most important. One measures Madison County’s overall quality; the other may decide whether the Cowboys control their postseason path.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Madison County cannot replace Crumity, Christian and Arnold with one player apiece. The Cowboys must spread the work, protect the football and manufacture pressure from several spots.

2ND DOWN — STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

The early schedule offers Madison County a narrow developmental window. Lecanto and Gadsden County are manageable, but the trip to Columbia in Week 3 is an immediate escalation. The Cowboys then move into the Florida High-Bradford-Bay stretch after their lone low-rated matchup against Hollis Christian.

That sequencing puts the quarterback situation under a spotlight. Chad Mitchell has the larger passing sample after throwing for 361 yards in 2025, while Kemonte Lee brings more rushing production. Neither should be handed the job in print or in theory. The position must be won.

Dre Mitchell is the leading returning receiver with 10 catches for 125 yards. That makes his development essential, not optional. Jordyn Davis can help Madison County control field position, but special teams cannot compensate for an offense that fails to create explosive plays.

The late schedule is no easier. Fort White opens district play, Taylor County follows the bye, and Newberry closes the regular season with a 60.04 rating. Madison County must improve while playing games that leave little room for experimentation.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The schedule gives the Cowboys September to identify their offense, but not to baby it. By the time Bradford arrives, the quarterback, backfield rotation and protection plan must have real answers.

3RD DOWN — THE PROVING GROUND

Columbia, Florida High and Fort White are the swing games.

Columbia will reveal whether Madison County’s younger linemen can withstand a physical road environment. Florida High tests the Cowboys’ ability to respond after facing contrasting opponents in the first month. Fort White is the first district game and therefore the first result with direct playoff consequences.

Jordan Capi and Brody Adlam must help stabilize a front replacing several seniors. Behind them, Lee, Scurry and Vince Coley are among the few returning defenders with varsity production. That group does not need to duplicate last year’s veterans immediately. It does need to stop ordinary gains from becoming defining plays.

Offensively, Dre Mitchell’s ability to become a dependable target matters in these games. So does the backfield’s ability to avoid negative plays. Madison County rushed for 2,649 yards last season because it could create numbers and break tackles. The new version must prove it can do both.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Beat Columbia or Florida High, then handle Fort White, and Madison County will have evidence that the rebuild is ahead of schedule. Lose all three, and the margin for error disappears before the Taylor County trip.

4TH DOWN — PLAYOFF PICTURE

District 1A-3 is compact and unforgiving. Only Fort White and Taylor County appear on Madison County’s district schedule, which makes every district possession more valuable. There is no long standings table to hide behind.

The district champion receives an automatic playoff berth. For Madison County, that path likely runs through Taylor County, which enters at 60.63 after a 10-2 season and a regional-final appearance. The Oct. 23 trip to Perry could determine the district in one night.

A wildcard remains available through the MaxPreps rankings, and Madison County’s non-district schedule supplies several chances to build its position. Games against Columbia, Florida High, Bradford, Bay and Newberry should carry value if the Cowboys remain competitive and collect enough wins. Still, a difficult schedule only helps when it produces results.

Chad Mitchell or Kemonte Lee must give the offense stability by October. Scurry, Ansley, Mattair and Capi must also generate enough disruption to prevent Taylor County from controlling the game on the ground. The playoff route depends on development becoming production before the bye.

DISTRICT BREAKDOWN

Team 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Madison County (Madison) 6-6 No. 79 | No. 8 (1A) 64.95 RURAL Regional Finalist @ Taylor County (Perry) 10-2 No. 101 | No. 10 (1A) 60.63 RURAL Regional Finalist Fort White 8-4 No. 189 | No. 22 (1A) 48.54 FIT RURAL Champion

THE BOTTOM LINE: Madison County is the district’s highest-rated team, but Taylor County owns the more settled résumé. The Cowboys can win this district. They cannot assume their history will win it for them.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Difficulty Rating: 8/10

A 6-4 regular season is realistic, with 7-3 attainable if the quarterback competition produces consistency and the young front develops quickly. Madison County still has enough talent to win District 1A-3, but the volume of elite production lost — combined with five opponents rated above 59.00 — places a firm limit on how slowly this roster can mature.

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 79 Madison County Cowboys — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

The names that carried Madison County in 2025 are mostly gone. The expectations are not.

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