High School Varsity Football Touchdown Preview: Newsome High School, 2026

The Newsome Wolves are in a new district and have a young but talented roster that they hope to make noise within 2026.

Third-year Head Coach Jeff Turner is happy with his team’s progress so far, with a productive off-season under their belt. The team went to the Webber International team camp, where they worked on fundamentals and gained some more team chemistry in the process. He said they just want to worry about the process and getting better every day, not necessarily who they are going to play. He wants his team to focus on fundamentals, such as tackling and blocking.

The team lost starters that transferred and didn’t gain any transfers, so they will be a young roster again like last season. They will have to develop talent from within and learn through game experience throughout the season. They return two starters on offense and five on defense.

Sophomore quarterback Lukas Guenther will enter his second season as the head signal-caller and team leader. Turner said that Guenther, who got bigger and stronger in the off-season, is their best player and does everything well. They will lean on his leadership ability and athleticism all season long. Guenther threw for 1,200 yards as a freshman last year and is very capable of running as well.

Turner thinks that his offense will be a major strength of the team with Guenther and senior bruiser running back Gianni Flore leading the charge. Flore will work in tandem with his fellow running back, sophomore Ashton Ramos, as a one-two punch, splitting carries.

Ryan Moran, a 6’3” tight end/defensive end, will be a handful for opposing teams on both offense and defense. He currently has seven college offers and is considered one of Newsome’s most talented players. Receiver and West Point commit, 6’5” senior Max Urbanec will be a big target for Guenther. Senior offensive/defensive lineman Jacob Rupe will also play both ways. Cornerback Tre Curatelli will be a key player on defense and has a couple Division II offers on the table. Turner wants his team to continue improving on defense and taking care of the ball on offense.

Turner and his team have goals of winning a district title and beating their rivals, Durant and Bloomingdale. Newsome is in a tough new district with Durant, Lennard, Plant City and Riverview and has a difficult overall schedule as well. They will likely get better each week and will be battle-tested by the end of the season, improving on their 3-7 2025 record.

“I’m looking forward to watching these guys grow,” said Turner. “We’ve got the right guys. We are going to be great on leadership, and these guys are going to get a lot better quicker. They’ve helped build a culture around here. When you get the right kids on the bus and working and rowing in the same direction, good things tend to happen. You tend to enjoy it a lot more around kids that want to be here and want to be Newsome Wolves. That’s what we want.”

Schedule:

8/14 vs. Northeast

10/30 vs. Blake