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TEAMS TO KNOW 2026: Middletown (DE)
Middletown enters 2026 coming off an 11-3 season and back-to-back Delaware Class 3A state championships. The Cavaliers return a strong core under head coach Zachary Blum
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Series
Middletown enters 2026 coming off an 11-3 season and back-to-back Delaware Class 3A state championships. The Cavaliers return a strong core under head coach Zachary Blum
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Pine Creek enters 2026 with the pieces to make another push in Colorado 5A. Coming off a 7-3 season and a second-round playoff appearance, the Eagles return 9 starters on offense and 7 on defense under head coach Trevor Hudson
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Avonworth enters 2026 with a championship standard to defend. Coming off a perfect 15-0 season, the Antelopes are the defending Pennsylvania 3A state champions and carry the longest active winning streak in the state into the fall.
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Carrollton enters 2026 coming off a 14-1 season, a Georgia 6A state runner-up finish, and a #8 ranking in the #PublicSchoolsTop25.
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West Deptford enters 2026 with one of the most experienced returning groups in South Jersey. The Eagles are coming off a 9-2 season and a second-round playoff appearance, but the bigger story is what comes back. West Deptford returns 8 starters on offense and 11 on defense under head coach John Emel, giving the Eagles a veteran foundation heading into the fall.
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Manatee enters 2026 with serious momentum after a regional finals appearance and a roster built around experience. The Hurricanes return 17 total starters under head coach Jacquez Green ( @JacquezGreen ), with key names like Nolan Downes, Tavares Powell, Nowlin Lawson, Cooper Kolbe, Caodon White, and Jared Sanders leading the way. With Sumner, Plant, and Naples on the schedule, Manatee has the pieces to be a real factor in Florida 5A.
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Southlake Carroll enters 2026 coming off a 14-1 season, a Texas 6A Division II state semifinal appearance, and a final ranking of #23 in the 2025 Public Schools Top 25.
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Centennial is coming off an 11-2 season, and a CIF-SS Open Divisions finals appearance, along with finishing #7 in the #PublicSchoolsTop25, the Huskies enter 2026 with championship expectations again. HC Matt Logan brings back 5 starters on offense and 6 on defense, with Jaden Walk-Green, Miles Schirmer , Malaki Davis, Xavier Baca, Brett Smith, and Dean Gibson among the key returners. Jordan Kirkpatrick, Mason Fowler, Caleb Bynum, and Jaden Bynum headline an elite group of underclassmen. The schedule is massive: Servite, Santa Margarita, Mater Dei, De La Salle, and Chaparral. This is a team you can expect to see towards the top of the Preseason #PublicSchoolsTop25
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TEAMS TO KNOW 2026: Westlake (GA) Westlake went 4-7 last season, but that record doesn’t tell the story. The Lions played one of the toughest schedules in the country, return 8 starters on offense and 6 on defense, and bring back a loaded core led by Khamani Estrada, Roscoe Hayes, Cannon Robinson, BJ Allen, and Elijah Cox. Carrollton, Douglas County, Newton, and Houston County headline another loaded schedule.
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Point Boro is coming off a rare 4-5 season and a 17-14 first-round loss to Rumson-Fair Haven, but the Panthers have an experienced group ready to get back to their programs winning ways. 3-year starters QB Jake Clayton and RB Nick Spanola, along with Mason Morris, Aidan Dombrowsky, and DJ Albanese headline a tough returning core for HC Brian Staub. They play in one of, if not the, toughest division in the Shore Conference, as a Group 2 school. The division is loaded with three Group 5 schools, a Group 4 school, and a Non-Public B School which will help prepare them to make a Group 2 Sectional championship run.
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TEAMS TO KNOW 2026: Bolingbrook (IL) Bolingbrook was inches away from the Illinois 8A semifinals last season, finishing 9-3, winning the conference, and falling by one point in the quarterfinals. Now the Raiders enter 2026 with high expectations and a young but loaded roster. QB Tyson Ward after producing through the air and on the ground, RB TJ Lewis is back after a huge season, 4⭐️ Darieon Prescott gives Bolingbrook one of the top defensive prospects in the country, and Antoine Norfleet helps lead a strong returning defense. Add in rising RB Jordan Donald and solid new pieces up front, and Bolingbrook has the talent to be right in the Illinois 8A championship conversation.
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Friendship Collegiate is coming off a 9-3 season and a DCSAA semifinal appearance, and the Knights enter 2026 with championship expectations. HC Mike Hunter brings back 8 starters on offense, with Christ Alston, Deyon Smith, Kemontae Chaplin, Deyon Smith, and JayQuan Springs among the names to know.
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TEAMS TO KNOW 2026: McKeesport (PA) Coming off a 9-4 season and a trip to the state quarterfinals, McKeesport enters 2026 with the experience and star power to make a serious run in Pennsylvania 4A. The Tigers return 7 starters on offense and 7 on defense for head coach Matthew Miller, led by the nation’s No. 1 ranked RB in the Class of 2027, 5⭐️ Georgia commit Kemon Spell Add in ELITE 4⭐️ WR Javien Robinson, Justin Powell, Makia Daniels, and Nick Beerman, and McKeesport has one of the most dangerous public-school cores in the country. The Tigers are a serious 4A title contender.
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Millville is coming off a 7-5 season and a sectional playoff run, and the Thunderbolts enter 2026 with the talent to climb back into the Group 4 state-title picture. Robert O’Connor, Reggie Holley, Jaden Days, and Savion Jones headline a strong returning core for HC Humberto Ayala. Millville has built a reputation as an athletic public-school program that produces Division I talent and competes in one of the toughest public-school divisions in New Jersey. Don't be surprised if this team is still playing in the last week in November.
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TEAMS TO KNOW 2026: Pacifica (Oxnard, CA) Pacifica is coming off a 15-1 season, a CIF-SS Division 3 title, a SoCal D1-A regional championship, and a second straight trip to a state title game. The Tritons return 7 starters on offense and 5 on defense for HC Mike Moon, with Isaiah Phelps, Taylor Lee, Alijah Royster, Peewee Wilson, Will Jones, Anthony Loreto , and Jamarcus Harmon among the names to know. Loaded roster. Big schedule. State-title standard.
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TEAMS TO KNOW 2026: Jenks (OK) Jenks is coming off a 10-2 season and a semifinal appearance, and the Trojans enter 2026 loaded with experience on both sides. With 8 starters back on offense and 8 more on defense, Jenks has a veteran core led by Kailib Dillard, Odaefe Oruru, Braxton Daniel, Landon Kizzar, and Luke McInelly. The schedule is big-time too: Southlake Carroll, Rogers, & Bixby are on the slate in the first three weeks of the season.
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TEAMS TO KNOW 2026: Dunbar (FL) Dunbar went 7-4 last season, but the Tigers believe the experience gained by a young group can turn into a much bigger 2026. Andre Moss, Frederick Jackson, Jr, Eddie Gore, Jr., Emmanuel James, Brandon Seabrook, Ke'Non Fuller, Ta’rajah Denson, Sandler Pierre headline a group built to take the next step. Spruce Creek, Port Charlotte, and South Fort Myers headline the schedule.
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TEAMS TO KNOW 2026: Cleveland (NC) Cleveland is coming off a 10-2 season and a second-round playoff appearance, and the program enters 2026 with balance on both sides. The Rams bring back 6 starters on offense and 6 on defense, with Owen Hulbert, Kaleb Ferrell, Markus Medley, Kaden Blake, and Brody Barnes among the names to know as Cleveland looks to take the next step this fall. “Average is the enemy.”
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Rock Hill is coming off a 7-5 season and enters 2026 with one of the bigger returning cores in South Carolina. The Bearcats bring back 9 starters on offense and 10 on defense for HC Leon Boulware, with Myles “Jojo” Brooks, Nigel Lighnter, Kaleb Wright, Devin Erby , and Johan Young among the names to know. This is a team with a lot of experience that you should definitely keep an eye on heading into 2026.
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TEAMS TO KNOW 2026: Lincoln (OR) Lincoln went 8-2 last season and enters 2026 with a physical identity built around effort, detail, and playing for each other. The Cardinals return a loaded core up front and on defense, led by Leonardo Correani, Greyson Murff, Devin Prendergast, Alex Lydgate, and Reed Eldridge. Grant, Lakeridge, and Roosevelt are the games to highlight on the schedule.
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TEAMS TO KNOW 2026: Buena (AZ) A new era is underway in Sierra Vista. Buena went 7-4 last season and now turns to new HC Chris Determan, a multiple-time state champion coach and NAIA Hall of Famer, to reset the standard after a large senior class moved on. Jax Kraus, Tariq Howard, James Lesueur, Giovanni Henderson, and Charlie Crouch headline a tough, disciplined group.
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TEAMS TO KNOW 2026: Crescent (SC) Crescent is a program on the rise. The Tigers went 8-4 last season, reached the second round, and return 7 starters on offense plus 9 on defense as they chase their first region title since 1997. QB Mason Evans returns after throwing for over 2,000 yards, rushing for over 1,000 more, and accounting for 40+ TDs in 2025. His supporting cast includes Hunter Dale, PJ Deveaux, Austin Whitcomb, Jace Devlin, and Tinsley Evans.
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TEAMS TO KNOW 2026: Irwin County (GA) A new era is underway in Ocilla. Irwin County enters 2026 under new HC Beau Johnson after a season that fell below the program’s standard. The Indians have state-title history in 2019 and 2020, and the expectation is to get back to the version of Irwin County that South Georgia knows. Players to know: QB Christian Clark 2028 RB EJ Nelson 2028 RB Dreek Wynn 2028 WR Evan Stephens 2027 C Christian Phillips 2028 OG Owen Griffin 2027 OT Justin Tatum 2028 RB/LB Brock Simpson 2029 Reset year. Same standard.
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Gallatin enters 2026 young, athletic, and built around a standard. The Green Wave went 6-4 last season and return 8 defensive starters, with Preston Mooney, Jason Morton, K’Saun Barksdale, Jo Jo McMurray, Christian Gentry, and Zae McMurry among the names to know. Hendersonville, Station Camp, and Beech make the rivalry slate one to watch.
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