2026 Public Schools Top 100 Preview: No. 39 Lakeland

2026 Schedule

• August 21: at Kathleen
• September 4: Venice
• September 11: at Osceola
• September 18: American Heritage
• September 25: at Auburndale
• October 2: SFA (FL)
• October 9: at Sebring
• October 16: at Bartow
• October 22: Lake Gibson
• October 30: The First Academy

T25PS Prediction

Prediction: 8-2. Venice, American Heritage and The First Academy are the regular-season games most likely to decide whether Lakeland has a chance at the newly formed Open division playoffs. I think they drop the first two, but beat TFA.

Playoffs: 5A State Champions. The Dreadnaughts will be a major beneficiary to the new Open division (depending on how you look at it) with St. Thomas Aquinas being one of the favorites to reach the top 8, it should leave Lakeland as the favorites heading into 5A once the playoff brackets are determined.

Conclusion

Lakeland does not need a rebuild. It needs Hendrix to take the next step and the new defensive leaders to match the level set by the last four teams. If that happens, another deep November run is the expectation, not the ceiling.

Thanks for reading,

Alex | T25PS

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