- December 4, 2025
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The high school football games on Aug. 15 don’t count for teams’ records, but it’s foolish to think that they don’t matter.
The Kickoff Classic games set the tone of the season and can reveal crucial details about roles certain players will have, and which players have taken a step forward this past offseason.
Though all eyes will be on Cardinal Mooney and Booker, two teams that made it to their respective state semifinal games last season, the games are equally important for Riverview and Sarasota, two teams that are looking to bounce back after subpar 2024 seasons.
Coaches and players shared some of their thoughts on the upcoming season at a Suncoast Media Day at Carroll GMC in Venice Aug. 8.
This is one of the best matchups that any Sarasota area team will have this season. Good luck telling the Cougars this game doesn’t count if they come away with a win.
The Raiders have won 16 state championships, five more than any other school in state history — adding one last season in a 34-0 win over Lakeland.
Fort Lauderdale's Saint Thomas Aquinas graduated many of its top playmakers from last season and have a new head coach in Jasiah Crockett, which makes it hard to tell how good they’ll be in this game, but the Raiders have won at least 10 games for 20 straight years, so it’s unlikely they have much of a drop-off, if any at all.
Tidbit: The quarterback position will be one to watch. Devin Mignery is back for his senior year and junior quarterback Davin Davidson is an impressive talent as well.
“They’re so talented, both of those guys,” Cougars coach Jared Clark said. “Devin Mignery is everything you want in a leader, and he’s your quarterback. The kid can do it all. He played without an MCL against Cocoa. Tore it the week before, rehabbed it for a week, played four quarters with no MCL. That’s the type of kid he is. I can’t say enough about him. He’s an incredible young man. Davin Davidson is going to play a lot of football this year. That’s how talented he is.”
Booker has fallen short in the state semifinal round two years in a row, and with most of its best players entering their senior year, this feels like a championship or bust season for the Tornadoes.
The team lost just one impact player — sophomore wide receiver Tyree Mannings Jr. — to transfer.
They also added junior Nazir Pitchford, Palmetto’s leading receiver in 2024, to replace him, and added edge rusher Jamaun Thompson from Riverview to fortify the defense.
The Hurricanes lost to Saint Thomas 16-13 in the state semifinal round.
Tidbit: Coach Carlos Woods was Booker’s strength coach last fall, but is now the head coach, and said he is looking to change some things.
Those changes are most likely to happen on offense, based on what Woods said at media day.
“Offensively, we’ve made some tweaks, especially at the offensive line position as far as what we wanted to do schematically,” he said. “But from a defensive standpoint, these guys have been in the system the last three years. At the end of the day, we don’t even call the defense. Our defensive guys, they make all the checks.”
Riverview lost last year’s Kickoff Classic game to Port Charlotte, and lost four of its next six games to open the season at 2-4.
The Rams rallied to finish the season at 4-6 and made it to the regional playoffs, but lost 47-28 to Plant City.
Port Charlotte will still be a challenge. The Pirates return quarterback Logan Flaherty, who broke the school record for most touchdowns in a season last fall, along with leading tackler Ahmad’dra Greene.
Tidbit: Riverview has three quarterbacks on its roster who could start. Last year’s starter, Anthony Miller, has been moved to wide receiver, which leaves Parker Nippert and Logan Carillo.
Rams offensive coordinator Brody Wiseman said Nippert will be the starter for the Kickoff Classic, and Carillo will be an option off the bench if needed.
“We have Parker going into his senior year,” Wiseman said. “You talk about arm talent and the things he can execute and do. I’m so impressed with his progress. And Logan Carillo is one of the smartest football players I’ve ever coached. It’s a situation as an offensive playcaller and a coordinator where I have two guys I have a lot of confidence in.”
The Sailors opened last season with an encouraging 3-2 start, but lost all five games down the stretch to finish at 3-7 in their first year under coach Amp Campbell.
This year, Sarasota is expected to take a step forward. The Sailors have a new offensive coordinator in Tommie Battie III, a quarterback with Division-I offers entering his sophomore season, and added three playmakers from Lakewood Ranch.
Their Kickoff Classic game is unlikely to reveal much, however. Brandon had a 1-9 record last year and was shut out five times last season.
Tidbit: Sarasota did not show up to Suncoast Media Day. With a light schedule to open the year, not much can be learned about the Sailors until games against an improved St. Petersburg Gibbs team on Sept. 12 and Riverview on Sept. 26.
