Out-of-Door Academy is 3-0 because the defense has not blinked. Devin Erdei is a big reason. The senior, 6-foot-2 and 184 pounds, plays receiver, linebacker and defensive back, wears No. 30, and last fall led the Thunder with 83 tackles, four interceptions and four forced fumbles. He added 18 tackles for loss. That is not a part-time two-way résumé. That is a captain of the defense. “I feel amazing about the performance of the team recently,” Erdei said. “I really feel like

Nate Schueller did not ease his way onto the Saint Stephen’s offense. The 5-foot-10 senior came into the Falcons’ program this summer and immediately looked like lightning, the kind that changes how defenses have to play. Ask what jumps off his film and he does not pause. “Speed. I run a 4.46 40, so I feel like, you can ask QB1 over there, if I’m pressed 1-on-1, put that ball up I’m gonna go get it.” That is the Friday night bet. Schueller plays receiver and corner, but t

Saint Stephen’s welcomed a sophomore quarterback this summer and made him the starter. Steven LeBlanc, a true 2029 at 6-foot, 215 pounds, has already shown why. The Falcons opened 50-0 over Bishop McLaughlin, beat Hudson in Week 2, then dropped a 35-32 road game that still bothers him: they never found a second gear and held it. “We just came out really slow. First game on the road,” LeBlanc said. “We had a lot of really big explosive plays. We’re easy to turn the switch, but

Linemen do not get the first quote on Friday nights. Trevor Kovatch is fine with that. The Out-of-Door senior, 6-foot-4 and nearly 300 pounds in a No. 56 jersey, lives in the trenches. At guard on one snap, defensive tackle on the next, and the Thunder are 3-0 because that pile has been in their control. “Me personally, I feel like I’ve played pretty well,” Kovatch said. “Overall as a team, we’ve been pretty great. Especially last week, I think last week was big for us. Fin

Wellen Park football has a rising defensive play-maker to keep an eye on this season in junior edge rusher David Gjoka. Gjoka brings a combination of size, physicality and athleticism to the defensive front, giving Wellen Park an important weapon when it comes to putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks and disrupting the running game. A standout wrestler as well, Gjoka competed at 215 pounds and has demonstrated the kind of leverage, balance and physical toughness that can

Eight-man football does not hide anybody. Finley Hendricks is just fine with that. The Classical Academy sophomore wears No. 25, plays both sides of the line, and already talks like a kid who has decided the trench is his. Week 1 told him the same thing. The Patriots beat Riverview Academy 45-0. Hendricks left that night sure of two things. "I felt really good. Got a lot of really good pressure on the quarterback. Did pretty good on the o-line, nobody got past me, feel good a

Bradenton Christian opened the year on the road on purpose, at least in Marc Tassy’s head. The senior receiver and defensive back wears No. 1 for a reason. He wanted the first test away from home. "Me personally, I like the feeling of starting the season out with an away game," Tassy said at Suncoast Media Day. "It gives us the chance to go out and show what we can do, instead of having that pressure of being at home first game. I think we’re ready as a team. We’ve been pract

Image Courtesy of Premier Studio @premierstudiofl on IG Cruz Seppala is no stranger to eight-man, he’s been playing since the seventh grade. He is a sophomore now, wears No. 3, and plays running back and linebacker as a leader of his Classical Academy team. SLAM Tampa beat the Patriots 42-14 and left Classical 1-1. Seppala did not treat it like a funeral. He treated it like film. "I had good coverage. But I was gassed, bro. We need to condition a little more." The next week,

In football, the spotlight usually goes to the quarterback throwing the passes, the running back breaking tackles or the receiver making the big catch. But behind every big play is an offensive lineman doing the dirty work. For Venice High School junior Dominic Badagliacco, that work has become his calling. Badagliacco, a member of the Class of 2028, enters the 2026 season as one of the young linemen looking to help keep the Venice Indians among Florida’s premier high school

Wellen Park junior running back William Campbell, is loving being part of the Eagles’ inaugural football team and has an opportunity to help establish something that could last for years. Campbell, a member of the Class of 2028, enters the season as one of the players looking to make an impact in Wellen Park’s young offensive program. The 5-foot-8, 170-pound running back transferred from Venice to become part of the Eagles’ first football team. Wellen Park opened its doors in

To be on the starting lineup of such a prominent varsity team as a lowerclassman is something every athlete hopes to earn bragging rights to. And luckily for the sophomore Kinsey Judge, she earned those rights her freshman year. Last year, Judge had forty-five kills, sixteen aces, sixty-nine digs, and a hitting percentage of .200. For a freshman who only played forty-eight sets on a team full of talented athletes, she made a promising addition and showed great potential. And

Venice senior edge rusher Gabriel Octtaviani is developing into a nightmare for area offensive coordinators. At approximately 6-foot-4 and 230-plus pounds, Octtaviani possesses the length and physical frame college coaches look for in an edge defender. He enters the 2026 season as one of the key pieces of a Venice defense that expects to compete at a high level once again. For an edge rusher, the ability to consistently create pressure is one of the most valuable commoditie