2026 Teams to Know Season Preview: BFA-St. Albans (VT)
Fourteen returning starters and a senior-heavy backfield give the Bobwhites a realistic path from the No. 8 seed into Vermont’s top four.
Top 25 Public HSFB9/1/20264 min read
T25PS
BFA-St. Albans enters Kris Sabourin’s third season with a much more experienced roster. The Bobwhites went 3-6 and entered last year’s Vermont Division I playoffs as the No. 8 seed before losing 35-6 to eventual champion Middlebury. They now return seven offensive starters and seven defensive starters.
The clearest strength is the backfield. Seniors Porter Sweeney, Davion Jones and Brayden Manning all return, and senior Duffy Smith gives the offense an experienced receiver.
Team Snapshot
Location: St. Albans, Vermont
Head Coach: Kris Sabourin
2025 Record: 3-6
2025 Finish: Vermont Division I No. 8 seed
Returning Starters: 7 offense, 7 defense
The Ground Game Is the Starting Point
Sweeney, Jones and Manning give Sabourin three senior backs who can also contribute on defense. BFA does not need to place the entire offense on the new quarterback immediately. It can begin with the part of the roster that has the most experience.
Smith is listed at receiver and defensive back and gives the passing game a senior target. The goal is not to hide the passing game. It is to develop it without abandoning the roster’s clearest advantage.
Fourteen Starters Give BFA a Base
Seven returning starters on each side is the strongest reason to expect improvement. BFA is not asking a new lineup to learn every important role at once, and the senior backfield gives Sabourin options while the quarterback order takes shape.
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Sabourin was a record-setting quarterback at Norwich and took over his alma mater in 2024. Year three should provide a clearer measure of how far the program has moved under his direction.
Players to Know
Porter Sweeney, RB/LB, senior
Sweeney is one of the lead returners in a senior backfield and should carry a major two-way role.
Duffy Smith, WR/DB, senior
Smith gives the eventual starting quarterback a veteran target and returns to the secondary.
Davion Jones, RB/DB, senior
Jones adds another experienced runner and defensive back to a roster returning seven starters on each side.
Brayden Manning, RB/LB, senior
Manning gives BFA another senior option in the backfield and at linebacker.
Schedule Breakdown
BFA opens at home against Rutland and Burlington/South Burlington before playing six consecutive games against the heart of its Division I schedule.
The four-game stretch from Essex through Mount Mansfield should determine whether the Bobwhites have moved from the bottom of the bracket into the middle. St. Johnsbury and Champlain Valley close the regular season and provide the clearest top-four measuring points.
Complete 2026 Schedule
Sept. 4: Rutland
Sept. 10: Burlington/South Burlington
Sept. 18: at Essex
Sept. 25: Colchester
Oct. 2: at Mount Anthony
Oct. 10: at Mount Mansfield
Oct. 16: at St. Johnsbury Academy
Oct. 23: Champlain Valley Union
Biggest Question
Can the returning experience move BFA from the No. 8 seed into Vermont’s top four?
The Bobwhites return enough of last year’s lineup to expect progress. The real test is whether that continuity produces better results against the middle and top of Division I, especially during the four-game stretch from Essex through Mount Mansfield.
Bottom Line
BFA-St. Albans has a veteran backfield, 14 returning starters and a coach entering his third season. That is a much stronger base than the No. 8 seed carried into last year’s playoffs.
The quarterback order will become clear soon enough. The larger question is whether the returning roster can turn experience into a top-four finish and a home playoff game.
This preview is presented as part of MISTER F00TBALL’s National High School Football Composite Rankings, partnered with and powered by Prep Gridiron Logistics, the only rankings to include every national poll and every team receiving a Top 25 vote.
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T25PS Prediction
Projected Regular-Season Record: 6-2
Projected Postseason Finish: Vermont Division I state semifinalist
A two-win to three-win improvement is attainable with seven starters back on both sides and a senior-heavy backfield. The first two games give Sabourin a chance to establish the new lineup before the strongest Division I opponents arrive.
The semifinal projection assumes BFA climbs out of the No. 8 position and earns a more workable first-round matchup. A top-four regular-season finish is ambitious but consistent with the experience returning.
Thanks for reading,
Alex | T25PS
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