Football is back and the first games of the 2026 season will kickoff Thursday night with a pair of FHSAA Kickoff Classic exhibition games. Defending Class 7A state champion Lake Mary plays host to Buchholz High of Gainesville, while Winter Park will be at Spruce Creek.
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Other Orlando-area teams have games on Friday night, including handful of very interesting matchups between state-playoff contenders. These games will not count toward regular-season records and rankings.
Jones, the 4A runner-up last year, travels to play perennial power Miami Central at Ted Hendricks Stadium in Hialeah on Friday. The Tigers then head out to California to open the regular season at Santa Margarita High, which is about an hour south of Los Angeles.
Lake Brantley, a team that jumped out to a 4-0 start, before finishing 6-4 a year ago, will invade Bishop Moore on Friday with star quarterback Jackson Stecher. The host Hornets were one game away from playing for the 3A state title a year ago. The game features two of the best junior quarterbacks in the Orlando area in Stecher and Bishop Moore’s Blake McCullough.
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Armwood, a Class 6A semifinalist last year, will be at Edgewater, which was 12-0 a year ago before running into Lakeland in a 5A quarterfinal.
Two 2025 district champions go head-to-head when St. Cloud travels to South Lake.
A pair of 6A hopefuls will tangle in Sanford as Seminole hosts Lake Nona.
And Osceola (Kissimmee), a 5A contender, will play host to 6A power Mainland of Daytona Beach.
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Kickoff classic games
Thursday
Buchholz at Lake Mary, 6:30
Winter Park at Spruce Creek
Friday
Apopka at West Orange
Lake Brantley at Bishop Moore
Dr. Phillips at Boone
River Ridge at Celebration
Discovery at Central Florida Christian
Colonial at Timber Creek
Faith Christian at Cornerstone Charter
Cypress Creek at Liberty
DeLand at Sumner
St. Cloud at East Ridge
Astronaut at East River
Armwood at Edgewater
North Miami Beach at Eustis
Evans at Wakulla
Bradenton Christian at Leesburg First Academy
Orlando The First Academy at Kathleen
The Master’s Academy at Foundation
Harmony at Freedom
Orlando University at Gateway
Orangewood Christian at Geneva School, 6:30
Lyman at Hagerty
Winter Springs at Horizon
Innovation at Tohopekaliga
Jones at Miami Central
Lake Buena Vista at South Marion, 7:30
Lake Howell at Deltona
Leesburg at Lake Minneola
Seminole at Lake Nona
Legacy Charter, Seven Rivers at West Oaks
Pasco at Mount Dora
Oak Hall at Mount Dora Christian
Nova Lakes at Pine Ridge
Tenoroc at Oak Ridge
Olympia at Ocoee
All Saints at Orangewood Christian
Orlando Christian Prep
Mainland at Osceola
Orange City University at Oviedo
Palm Bay at Poinciana
Real Life Christian Academy
Viera at South Lake
Wekiva at Tavares
Umatilla at Pierson-Taylor
Windermere at Father Lopez jamboree with NFEI, 6:45
No Kickoff Classic game: Lake Highland Prep, Trinity Prep, Windermere Prep.
Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays.