North Bay Haven’s football program has spent the past two seasons trying to find its footing.
After going winless in 2024, the Buccaneers improved to 3-7 last season. Now, with new head coach Jack Glover taking over, North Bay Haven enters the 2026 season with renewed optimism, even as the road to the top of its district remains a difficult one.
Glover is no stranger to the programs standing in North Bay Haven’s way. He previously coached at Marianna, which was a familiar opponent for the Buccaneers when the two schools shared a district.
Now, Glover is on the other sideline, tasked with taking North Bay Haven to another level.
“We got stuff we’re trying to install, we got people we’re trying to find places to play, and now it’s, ‘Oh my God, we’re here,'” Glover said.
The first test comes Friday in a Kickoff Classic against Arnold. Glover and Arnold coach Jason Griffin have agreed on a plan for the game: varsity starters will play the first half, with some second-team players rotating in. The second- and third-string players will take over in the third quarter before the fourth quarter is turned over to the junior varsity.
For Glover, the goal is less about the final score and more about getting his players ready for the games that count.
“I want to get the first game jitters out now,” Glover said. “I want them to make the mistakes that they’re gonna make, let’s see it on film and fix it, and then when we go to Cottondale, we’re ready to play.”
There is plenty of reason for optimism on the offensive side of the ball.
Quarterback Caleb Muszynski returns after accounting for 25 touchdowns last season, giving North Bay Haven an experienced playmaker to build around. Running back Sean Williams Jr. joins him in the backfield, along with a deep group of receivers.
“Our offense is really our bright spot on our team this year,” Glover said. “We got a lot of guys coming back that are seniors that have been through the fire in a lot of different ways.”
Glover is particularly excited about what Muszynski and the rest of the offense can bring.
“We have a bushel of receivers that can run and catch,” Glover said. “We should be able to put points up.”
The bigger question may be how the Buccaneers hold up defensively.
North Bay Haven will be young on that side of the ball, with several players expected to take on two-way responsibilities.
The Buccaneers are expected to start a freshman and sophomore at cornerback and a sophomore at safety, while juniors Garrett Carmon and Caleb Francom have earned starting spots at linebacker after making significant strides during the summer.
“In the spring, they were iffy, but they put in a lot of work this summer and, man, they’ve really got better,” Glover said.
Glover isn’t shying away from the youth. He sees it as an investment in the future of the program.
“When I say young, it’s young, but we’re here to build a program,” he said. “So if I have to take a lump with these guys this year to make them better for next year, I’m willing to do that.”
That growth will be tested in a difficult district.
North Bay Haven will have to navigate a group that includes programs such as Florida High and Gadsden County, two teams Glover knows well from his time at Marianna.
Glover remembers what it was like trying to compete with Florida High at Marianna. The difference, he said, wasn’t always talent.
“The difference between us was Florida High came in knowing they’re gonna win,” Glover said. “Marianna was hoping they were gonna win.”
Eventually, Marianna developed a different mindset.
“And then we got where like, ‘Hey, we can win.’ And then we got where we can do this,” he said.
That mentality is what Glover wants to establish at North Bay Haven.
“We got to build the mentality that when we walk on the field, we know we can win,” he said. “Not hoping we can win, thinking we can win, but we know we can win.”
That mentality is wrapped into the team’s motto for the season: “grit over comfort.”
For Glover, the phrase extends beyond football.
“It’s my job to make you uncomfortable,” he said. “Everybody in their life, from their mama to their grandmother, everybody, some of their dads, they’re there to try to make them comfortable. I’m here to make them uncomfortable.”
The idea is that learning to compete through adversity will benefit his players long after their football careers end.
“If they can play and they can succeed uncomfortable, man, they’re gonna succeed in life,” Glover said.
Adebanji Bamidele is a sports reporter for the Panama City News Herald. He can be reached at abamidele@gannett.com or through X, formerly known as Twitter, @AdebanjiBamide1.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: North Bay Haven football embraces grit over comfort in 2026
Reporting by Adebanji Bamidele, Panama City News Herald / The News Herald
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adebanji Bamidele, Panama City News Herald | USA TODAY Network
