- November 7, 2025
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The 2025 football season wasn't all that kind to local public high schools.
While nearby programs are gearing up for the postseason, Lakewood Ranch and Braden River high schools are bound for the offseason.
The high hopes of late summer came crashing down at the final whistle of Week 10. Braden River (4-6) and Lakewood Ranch (4-6) both finished with losing records.
It marked the fourth-straight year at .500 or worse for the Pirates, who are now a combined 6-13 in two years under coach Jason Grain. The Mustangs, who were coming off a winning season in 2024, are 14-18 since Scott Paravicini took the helm ahead of 2023 season.
The two leaders have been working to build their respective cultures and find players who fit their vision.
Whatever hard work they’ve done still has fallen short of where they want to be. There remains something greater out there to be accomplished.
Talent would seem to be out there for the taking. Neighboring public programs Parrish Community, Booker and Southeast provide plenty of proof.
Each of them were wildly successful in their own rights this regular season. They went 26-4 combined as the Tornadoes won district 3A-11. The Bulls and Seminoles, meanwhile, wound up second in districts 6A-11 and 4A-11, respectively.
As of the Oct. 28 FHSAA rankings, all three of those teams place within the top 30 of their classifications. Booker is No. 3 in 3A and No. 16 overall, while Parrish Community is No. 13 in 6A and Southeast is No. 30 in 4A.
The Mustangs are No. 52 in 6A. The Pirates are No. 48 in 5A.
Obviously, the coaches have to find a way to attract the missing pieces.
Paravicini knows that reality.
“Obviously, what we’ve got to do is figure out something we've been plagued by while I've been here — transfers,” Paravicini said. “It’s worked out for some guys who have left, and hasn't worked out for others. We’ve got to do a good job of getting the guys in our building to stay.”
Lakewood Ranch had momentum. The squad improved from 4-7 in 2023 to 6-5 in 2024. Initially, an upward trend seemed to be in the cards with several playmakers poised to return.
But then junior quarterback Liam Fernandez and junior running back Colton Dempsey transferred to Southeast and Sarasota, respectively. Five other players followed them, leaving the Mustangs with just one returning player for 2025 who had scored a touchdown the season prior.
Grain had to start from scratch when former coach Curt Bradley left for Southeast and a tidal wave of staff and players followed him.
“It’s the landscape. Today, whenever you have changes, you're going to have roster attrition,” Grain said. “That hasn't been the greatest thing, but it's a credit to our players that they’ve fought and done what they've done.”
For the Pirates, it’s been about trying to recover from the loss of Bradley — who coached at Braden River from 2012 to 2023 and who oversaw the program’s glory days.
Braden River was rockin’ and rollin’ under his tutelage in the mid-2010s. It assembled a 32-4 record from 2014 to 2016, even reaching the 2015 FHSAA Class 7A state semifinals. As recently as 2021, Bradley guided the team to nine wins and the 6A regional semifinals.
In the eyes of Braden River Athletic Director Matt Nesser, another factor was just as tough on the program as Bradley leaving. He said the program has not been the same since the opening of Parrish Community High School in August 2019.
“When Parrish came in, (the School District of Manatee County) re-zoned Braden River’s area, and that hurt us,” Nesser said. “They took a big portion of our people and moved it actually up to the northern school at Parrish. So hopefully they could re-zone the proper way — and keep everybody south of the river toward us.”
Lakewood Ranch Athletic Director Kent Ringquist would not comment on Mustangs football program, instead requesting that all questions be directed to Paravicini.
Beyond the transfer problem, both Grain and Paravicini pointed out that winning is a process. It comes with time.
There’s truth to that. Though they've had time to establish foundations, neither of them have been in charge long enough to see a player stick with their program for four years.
That being said, coaching and development can make a winning difference, but ultimately, elite athletes are necessary to play an elite brand of football.
Grain also noted that Braden River’s strength of schedule this season was a major factor in their results.
“I'm pretty pleased with the kids’ effort,” Grain said. “Our margin for error is not very great. So it’s just really about ratcheting up the focus on little things.”
Paravicini, meanwhile, was candid about the heap of turnovers the Mustangs surrendered in 2025, and how offseason transfers put multiple inexperienced players in starting positions.
Both Grain and Paravicini affirmed that their respective athletic departments have given them the tools required to win.
“Failure or success is based upon us, and the opportunities that we have in front of us,” Paravicini said. “Our admin is supportive. They give us what we need.”
Braden River and Lakewood Ranch may not have the sparkling track records which attract top talent, but it's a coach's job to be a billboard for their program. They have to sell prospective players on what's possible.
Neighboring programs are evidence that a winning future is possible for both teams. There's talent to be had.
The task is to find and keep it.
