Week 3
- Plant (6-2) – Plant earned two more wins last week, with their third game against Mitchell cancelled due to weather. Plant travels to Sickles to begin week 4, then is again on the road to state powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas.
- Newsome (2-1) – The Wolves handled Bloomingdale (12-point win) last week, but their second game against Alonso ended up being cancelled. Newsome finds themselves on the road again in week 4, traveling first to Steinbrenner, then to Sarasota for a match against Cardinal Mooney.
- Manatee (5-1) – Manatee moves up a spot this week following a big win against Canterbury, a team that beat Mitchell 21-8. That itself is a huge win. Their only loss so far was a road OT loss to TLR #1 Jesuit. Manatee gets to stay home next week as they host both Riverview and Osceola.
- Mitchell (5-1) – Mitchell earned wins against Land O’ Lakes and Riverview last week. They will host Pasco to get week 4 started, then they travel to both Wiregrass and Berkeley Prep.
- Sickles (4-2) – The Gryphons earned wins last week against Wharton and Robinson. No easy games for them next wee as they host TLR #1 Plant, then travel to Palm Harbor University. TLR is keeping an eye on the 5th spot in this poll. Lakewood Ranch is doing well and could earn this spot in the future.
Week 2
- Plant (4-2) – The Panthers went 2-1 during week 2. They beat Wharton on the road, blanked Bloomingdale at home, then dropped a 10-5 game against Saint Andrew’s. Plant hosts all three games next week: Berkeley Prep, Steinbrenner, and Mitchell.
- Newsome (1-1) – Last week, Newsome shutout Durant, then dropped their home game against Bishop Moore by 10. Next week, Newsome travels to Bloomingdale, then hosts Alonso. TLR assumes they will keep their #2 spot on this poll.
- Mitchell (3-1) – The Mustangs hosted Sickles last week and came away with a shutout win. They then made the long trip to Canterbury where they dropped that game 8-21. Next week, Mitchell hosts Land O’ Lakes, then travels to both Riverview and TLR #1 Plant.
- Manatee (3-1) – Manatee earned two wins last week with big dubs over both Sarasota and Calvary Christian. Next week, Manatee first hosts Lakewood Ranch, then travels to a very strong Canterbury team.
- Sickles (2-2) – Sickles went 1-2 last week. They first hosted Georgia’s Harrison, but dropped that game by a single goal. Then then travelled to TLR #3 Mitchell and got shutout. Their final game of the week was against rival Steinbrenner, where they earned a nice 12-8 victory. Three more games next week as Sickles is on the road against Wharton, Robinson, and Wiregrass.
Week 1
- Plant (2-1) – Plant began the season with a shutout over Durant, a 6-11 road loss to 2025 FL 1A #3 Bishop Moore, then another shutout, this one over Alonso. Next week’s schedule contains a home opener against Bloomingdale, then with Plant hosting 2025 FL 1A #2 Saint Andrew’s School on Saturday at 7:00 pm. That game is FL #2 at FL #5 and shouldn’t be missed.
- Newsome (0-0) – Newsome did not play in games during the first week. They will open the season at home against Durant on the 18th and against a very tough Bishop Moore on the 20th.
- Mitchell (2-0) – The Mustangs began the 2026 season by shutting out Alonso at home, then travelled to Calvary Christian, leaving with a 10-5 win. Next week they will host Sickles on 2/19, then make the long drive to Canterbury on 2/21.
- Manatee (0-1) – Manatee had their season-opener postponed. Their second match was on the road to TLR’s 1A #1 Jesuit where they battled hard, but lost 10-11. Instead of a knock against Manatee, TLR sees that outcome as more of a plus. If Manatee can go toe-to-toe with the likes of Jesuit, other teams should take notice. The season continues next week when Manatee hosts Sarasota, then Calvary Christian.
- Sickles (1-0) – The Gryphons began the season on the road against Alonso and came away with a big win. Next week, Sickles will host Harrison HS from Georgia on 2/17, then travel to both Mitchell and Steinbrenner.
Pre-Season
- Plant – As we predicted, the Panthers went on a hell of a run in 2025. They graduated 9 seniors from that squad, including some very key players. While TLR doesn’t expect Plant to make such a deep run this season, we can certainly say they are still the top 2A boys team in this area and may still do well in regionals. Their first test may come on February 10th when they travel to Bishop Moore, but fans should also circle games on 2/21 when Plant hosts Saint Andrew’s, 3/6 at St. Thomas Aquinas, and obviously, 3/27 when the Panthers host rivals Jesuit.
- Newsome – The Wolves will be without 11 seniors from their 2025 team. And like Plant, many of them were team leaders in multiple categories. However, TLR is never surprised when they show up with ‘unknown’ players that compete at a very high level. Newsome backfills along with some of the best teams in our area, and 2026 likely won’t see that change. The Wolves’ big games to keep an eye on are against Bishop Moore on 2/20, Cardinal Mooney on 3/6, and against Plant on 3/24.
- Mitchell – The Mitchell Mustangs gave a lot of teams trouble in 2025. For 2026, they will have to deal with the loss of 13 seniors. (Do you see a trend yet in this list?) Some of their losses are players that appeared on TLR’s Player of the Week lists multiple times. The Mustangs are well coached and draw from very good, young talent. We expect that to continue. Their first test will be early as they host Calvary Christian on 2/12. Others worth watching are against Canterbury on 2/21, Plant on 2/27, and Jesuit on 3/11.
- Manatee – The Hurricanes were a young team in 2025. In 2026, having graduated only 4 seniors, TLR expects even more from them. With about 19 players this year being either juniors or seniors, this may be their time to shine – their moment to strike. Maybe keep an eye on them this season to see if/when they surprise. The Hurricanes face an ultra-tough opponent in their second match in Jesuit, on February 13. Other tough games are against Calvary Christian on 2/20, Canterbury on 2/27, and Osceola on 3/6. In fact, TLR’s assessment of their schedule is that it is very tough – the games listed here only account for a few of their many difficult matches.
- Sickles – With only 4 seniors graduating from last year, Sickles – like Manatee – may be prepared for a better outing in 2026 than they had in 2025. However, this year’s schedule looks like it is much more difficult than in 2025. If they can go toe-to-toe with schools like Mitchell, Newsome, and Calvary, it would mark a turning point in their program and a sign of good things to come for them. Look for important games against Mitchell on 2/19, Plant on 3/3, Newsome on 3/9, and Calvary Christian on 3/12.