Football previews for 2026 FHSAA SW Florida Independent teams
· Yahoo Sports
The News-Press and Naples Daily News will get you ready for the 2026 high school football season. Here are previews for the teams competing in the FHSAA Independent Football League.
Visit syntagm.co.za for more information.
Bonita Springs
Coach: Tony Mottola (first season)
Last year: 2-8, missed playoffs
Overview: The Bull Sharks are entering a new era with former NFL assistant Tony Mottola hired as the program’s third head coach in March. Mottola is taking over a program with an overall 14-54 record and believes his team can be the start of turning things around. “They want to be successful,” he said. “They want to make Bonita Sprigns football relevant and they want to do the community proud.” A lot will change for Bonita Springs as they will run a spread offense, breaking from the school’s reputation as a ground-and-pound style of offense. Jonathan Larkin will be running the show on offense with weapons like receiver Kenneth Garza and running back Hayden O’Connell. O’Connell is also a key contributor on defense after posting 37 tackles at linebacker last season. Seniors Justin Parker and Jeffrey Estes will also make an impact on that side of the ball. “We have some pretty decent depth at a lot of positions right now and the nice thing is I feel like we have a lot of athletes that can do numerous things for us,” Mottola said.
Making the change to an independent schedule appears to be the right move for the Bull Sharks, especially as they introduce a new head coach with different schemes. It’s been challenging for Bonita to gain traction as one of the area’s newest schools, but this shift could represent the start of a turnaround for the football team.
Canterbury
Coach: Tommy Bohanon (first season)
Last year: 6-6, made SSAA playoffs (lost to Glades Day in second round)
Overview: The Cougars made a couple of major moves in the offseason, starting with the hire of former NFL fullback and North Fort Myers High graduate Tommy Bohanon as the team’s new head coach and exiting the SSAA for the FHSAA’s Independent division. “Being part of the FHSAA and having that opportunity to go to the playoffs, it’s really cool for us to have that goal in mind,” Bohanon said. “I’ve stressed to the kids that we want to play fast and physical from the very first snap to the last.” Canterbury returns nearly all of its key performers from last season, led by senior quarterback Tony Sinatra Jr. and junior running back Banner Brockington (1,707 yards, 11 touchdowns), senior wide receiver and defensive back Brock Catlin and junior safety Darrien Rodriguez. The offensive and defensive lines should also be a strength behind seniors Joey Day, Jed Speake and Ricky Swift. “We have a lot of seniors and I think they’ve truly bought in to the point where they want to play for each other more than themselves,” Bohanon said.
Evangelical Christian
Coach: Mack Mitchell (fifth season)
Last year: 3-8, made playoffs (lost in Class 1A regional semifinals)
Overview: The Sentinels are coming off their worst finish since 2020 but have made the state playoffs in six consecutive seasons. They are hoping to make it seven in a row as an Independent and return some talented pieces that will be key to a postseason run. On offense, ECS has a promising first-time starter at quarterback in 6-foot-3 sophomore Bryson Ganley who will also see time at linebacker. “He has a cannon for an arm and is a tough, hard-nosed kid,” Mitchell said. “He has a good mind for the game and it’s just a blessing for him to come up and be able to step into this role for us.” In the backfield, ECS has a couple of speed merchants in juniors Tyce Harris and Elijah Yzaguirre. The offensive line has great size, led by 6-foot-7 senior tackle Troy Bronson, 6-foot-5 junior tackle Max Owen and 6-foot-3 senior center Lennox Washington, a state wrestling qualifier last year. Defensively, the Sentinels will be led by senior linebacker Mack Mitchell V, a Buffalo commit, who will also get his share of carries on offense, senior linebacker Colton Boring, junior linebacker Cody Edwards and senior safety Elias Morris. “Our defense should be fast and physical and definitely eager to step up to the big stage,” Mack said.
Gateway
Coach: Chris Strykowski (first season)
Last year: 2-8, missed playoffs
Overview: The Eagles enter their sixth varsity season with their third different head coach in Chris Strykowski, who most recently served as Charlotte's assistant head coach and special teams coordinator. The coach said the program’s move to the Independent class made the destination more appealing. “Coming in as an Independent and being able to schedule teams that are in similar situations was something that actually attracted me to the job,” he said. “Not having the weight of what that schedule has been allows us to focus more on the little details and the fundamentals and kind of reset ourselves a bit.” Senior quarterback Parker Ellis will run Gateway’s spread offense attack and has a couple of talented receiving targets in junior Jayden Hart and Aiden Gerardo. Senior CJ Hood and sophomore Daniel Trinidade will be the Eagles’ primary running backs. The team is a bit thin on the offensive and defensive lines and will need some young players to progress. Gateway, which is just 7-41 all-time and has never won more than two games in a season, should surpass that total in 2026.
Ida Baker
Coach: Cullen O'Brien (second season)
Last year: 3-7
Overview: The Bulldogs were ahead of the curve, making the move to independent a year ago in head coach Cullen O’Brien’s first season. Last year’s results are already helping to revive the program with stronger numbers, including 31 seniors on the roster. “I think we are headed in the right direction in terms of changing our focus from last year compared to this year,” O’Brien said. The team has high hopes for running back Patryell Coleman, who will help to fill the void of a 1,400 rusher in Nikolas Korf. Key West transfer Aspen Turner and junior Aiden Thurber are in the mix for the starting quarterback job. The team brings back a 1,000-yard receiver in senior Caelum Cragin, but he will get a later start to his season as he recovers from an ACL injury. The team will look to players like senior receiver Ian Cunha and senior tight end Jimmy Hynes to step up. The team added former Gateway head coach Chad Powell, who was on O’Brien’s staff at Gateway, to run the defense. Senior defensive lineman Luke Butler is back after recording 68 tackles and five tackles last year. “We are super excited about the way our defense is headed,” O’Brien said.
Despite a 3-7 record last season, this is an Ida Baker squad with a bright outlook. The team consistently put points on the board last year and appears poised to once again have a strong offense. Other schools that made the move to independent are in a rebuilding phase, but the Bulldogs are already one step ahead. Don’t be surprised if this team makes a push for the Independent League playoffs.
Marco Island
Coach: Rich Costante (second season)
Last year: 4-6
Overview: The Manta Rays are entering the 2026 season with some momentum for the first time in a while. The program, which has struggled to win games, went 4-6 in their first year under head coach Rich Costante. The team is seeing growing numbers and more players coming in for summer workouts. The team returns starting quarterback Carter Goode, who threw for 1,335 yards and 11 touchdowns against nine interceptions and also rushed for three scores last season. The passing game will be a strength with weapons like senior Hutch Hamilton as well as some younger players on the roster. Junior Anthony Abin will get some touches out of the backfield. On defense, the team will have several players in the trenches going both ways. Look out for sophomore defensive end Tyler Hanna, who posted 31 tackles and three sacks in seven games as a freshman.
Things are brighter for the Manta Rays than they have been in recent years with the team beginning to forge an identity. With a manageable schedule and key players coming back, this could be a team that could surprise some this season.
Oasis
Coach: Brice Bearman (third season)
Last year: 4-7, made FIT playoffs
Overview: The Sharks were a young team last season and took their lumps as they faced high-end competition like Community School, Bishop Verot and St. John Neumann. As the program transitions to independent, head coach Brice Bearman believes it will serve his team well. “It’s good to step up the competition that’s what you want to face when you want to go farther,” he said. “Now a lot of these guys know what to expect on Friday nights.” The Sharks return sophomore running back Cameron Hill (479 yards and a TD on 96 carries) and have high hopes for 6-foot-2 freshman quarterback Ashton Alveiro, who saw action in six games last season. On defense, senior linebackers Nicholas Galeano and Jaxon Reese as well as safeties Nico De Magalhaes and James Cannon will set the tone. “I think our defense is going to be fast and we’re going to get after it,” Bearman said.
The Oasis offense could be slow to get going as some key players on the offensive line make their way back from injury. However, Bearman has guided the Sharks to 11 wins in the last two seasons, including a shutout playoff win in last year’s Florida Invitational Tournament against Inlet Grove. In the inaugural season of the Independent postseason, Oasis has a great chance to be in the mix in November.
Palmetto Ridge
Coach: Jordan Hampton (first season)
Last year: 0-10, missed playoffs
Overview: The energetic Hampton, who closed out last season as the team’s interim coach, is tasked with reconstructing a Bears program that won just six games in the past four seasons. “The whole spring and summer was about inside our four walls, rebuilding Palmetto Ridge and creating a program that kids when they grow up want to be a part of one day,” Hampton said. “These guys have capitalized on every opportunity that’s been given to them: extra work sessions, weight room, on-the-field conditioning. It’s really been exciting to be a part of.” Hampton, a 2016 Golden Gate High graduate who played offensive line for the Titans, said Palmetto Ridge’s offensive front will be a strength behind senior Ayani Rodriguez and juniors Gervens David and Alex Acosta. They’ll be tasked with creating running room for junior tailback Daniel Volcy, who will also start for the Bears at safety. Junior linebacker Blake Casey will be another player to watch on the defensive side of the ball.
SFCA
Coach: Matt Davidson (first season)
Last year: 9-2, made playoffs (lost in the Class 1A regional quarterfinals to St. John Neumann)
Overview: The King’s will be in a different place after their historic district championship season a year ago. Head coach Roy Stabler departed for a job in Georgia after leading the team for three seasons. The school tabbed Matt Davidson, a former head coach at LaBelle, to take over. Davidson, who was on the staff last season, acknowledged the program is rebuilding after the team graduated a large senior class and other players transferred out. “Sometimes the growth is just slow, so just trying to be positive on the little things they’re doing each day to get better,” he said. Senior linemen Eli Hart and Sammy Mafra, as well as senior linebacker Kru Voltz, have been key leaders in this new phase for the program. “These guys have been good at helping the younger kids out and setting a standard as to what we want for the program,” Davidson said. Voltz is the leading tackler in SFCA history and is coming off a season where he posted 79 tackles. Davidson said the team has some speed to work with, including senior receiver Austin Jennings Jr., who caught 12 passes for 155 yards and two scores last season.
This is a much younger SFCA team in a new phase for the program. Davidson’s background as a former player – he is the leading rusher in LaBelle football history – and state champion weightlifter give him a unique perspective on establishing the fundamentals necessary to begin this new chapter for SFCA.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Football previews for 2026 FHSAA SW Florida Independent teams