FORTE MEADE — All third-year Auburndale head football coach Antonio Thomas wanted to do was evaluate his unproven guys headed into the spring games versus Manatee and Fort Meade Thursday at Fort Meade High School.
After all, the Bloodhounds head into the 2026 fall season having graduated 18 seniors in 2025. But even after going down 7-0 to Manatee in the first game but beating local rival Fort Meade by a score of 22-0, Thomas said it was tough to evaluate based on the format.
In essence, Thomas just wanted a little more time, as the game against Fort Meade was a 20-minute running clock.
“Neither of the teams out here got maximum reps. You talk about Manatee coming 50-something miles away. … I don’t think they got the quality reps. I think it could have been better, but it is what it is. No big deal. We’ve just got to move forward,” Thomas said.
Good signs for Auburndale
Still, there were some good signs from both games in that short time. Sophomore quarterback Teo Edwards threw for 117 yards and a touchdown and put up 41 yards rushing in both games; senior running back Pat Weir Jr. posted a touchdown; junior wide receiver Major McBath hauled in a receiving touchdown; and freshman defensive back Rakeem River recorded a pick-six.
Other solid defensive performers were junior linebacker Malachi Moore, a transfer from Lake Gibson, and junior linebacker Charles Calhoun, as they were able to make plays in the middle of the field, play from sideline to sideline and rush the quarterback in the second game.
Auburndale highlights
While defense wins ballgames and championships, it’s the offense that puts up the necessary plays that lead to scores.
In the first game, Edwards evaded the rush, made a nice scramble on the outside to the right sidelines before unleashing an intermediate rope, a nice touch pass to sophomore receiver Isiah Johnson — a transfer from Winter Haven.
In the second game, Johnson also ran for 45 yards before Weir jammed it in for a 2-yard touchdown.
Edwards then threw a 5-yard slant touchdown pass to McBath.
And River had a pick-six to eventually put the score to 22-0.
And these are all the players, among others, Thomas expects to have an incredible 2026, which could build off an 8-3 2025.
The Fort Meade experience
The Miners won the FHSAA Rural Florida Invitational in 2024.
Last year, Fort Meade went 7-4, but in 2026, there weren’t enough FHSAA member schools committed to play in the rural division, so the FHSAA suspended the classification, which means the Miners will likely compete in Class 1A with the likes of Lakeland Christian and Victory Christian.
Gearing up for a new classification that includes a vacancy of playmaker Omari Russell — an Alabama State commit — Fort Meade head football coach Maurice Russell said his team has to put in the work.
“We have a lot of work to do. It’s the little things that we are messing up at that we gotta build on. So once we build on that, we will be a lot better,” Russell said.
The Miners can build on a stout offensive line, which played pretty well in their earlier games leading up to Auburndale.
And the defense was moving around and made some good hits early on.
“I expect a big year. We’ve just got to fix the little things that we have problems with and build on what we are already doing now,” Russell said.
Heading into the new season, Russell said his team needs to work on catching and being more physical.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Observations on Auburndale, Fort Meade spring football game
Reporting by Robert Magobet, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
