The Gainesville Sun has released a full slate of football schedules for every high school team in the Gainesville region for the upcoming fall 2026 season, pulling the data directly from MaxPreps.
Early‑season competition shifts to the Sunshine State Athletic Association
A number of local programs have opted to join the Sunshine State Athletic Association, a league that traditionally opens its season on August 14, giving those teams an earlier start than their peers.
In contrast, teams that remain under the Florida High School Athletic Association will not begin their campaigns until a week later, on August 21, preserving the familiar late‑summer timeline for those schools.
All of the published schedules are sourced from MaxPreps, and the platform marks district contests with an asterisk, allowing coaches, players and fans to quickly identify the games that carry conference implications.
Every listed kickoff time is presented in eastern time, ensuring consistency across the diverse slate of matchups.
The schedules span a wide geographic range, from Bell and Branford to Williston and Newberry, and they include a mixture of non‑district opponents as well as conference foes.
Notable matchups and district implications
For example, Bell’s slate features contests against Dixie County, Hamilton County, Interlachen, Branford, Harvest Community, Keystone Heights, Eagle’s View, Trenton, South Marion and P.K. Yonge, while Branford will travel to face Aucilla Christian, Eagle’s View, Wewahitchka, Bell, Oak Hall, Port St. Joe, Crescent City, St. Joseph Academy, Trenton, and Lafayette.
Other programs such as Bronson, Bradford and Buchholz also have heavily scheduled weeks, with Bronson meeting Cocoa Beach, Oak Hall, CCA, Halifax Academy, Interlachen and a host of regional rivals, Bradford taking on Menendez, West Port, Baker County and several playoff‑contending opponents, and Buchholz lining up against Lake Mary, Vanguard, Gainesville and a series of traditional district rivals.
The breadth of the schedule reflects a competitive environment in which teams are seeking to test themselves early, build chemistry and position themselves for postseason play, regardless of whether they compete in the SSAA or the FHSAA.