High School Varsity Football Touchdown Preview: Seffner Christian Academy, 2026

Seffner Christian Academy (SCA) Head Coach Travis Puelo has built a highly successful football program over his last 14 seasons at the helm. He, along with his coaching staff, have cultivated a family atmosphere built on team chemistry and leadership.

Puelo took 19 players and coaches on their yearly mission trip to Tennessee to help build team chemistry. A week later, they took the whole team to a three-day, two-night camp where they continued to practice and bond.

The Crusaders had another winning season in 2025, going 7-4 and making the playoffs for a second straight season. The team lost 15 seniors from last year and is going from a 53-man roster to around 30. Puelo has another young roster with talent, poised to make another playoff run. They will have to gain experience throughout the season with only seven seniors on the depth chart. Puelo also has a new defensive coordinator for the first time in 11 years. Stewart Weiss will take over those duties after joining the staff last year.

The head coach wants his team to play with relentless effort this year. The team slogan for 2026 is “relentless effort.” The Crusader players and coaches don’t want to leave anything on the table and want to give it their all on and off the field.

SCA returns five starters on offense and five on defense. They will have to replace two-year starting quarterback Gabe Hagan, who did a tremendous job leading the team. Senior transfer Marino Cozzens will take the reins at QB-1. Puelo said that he already commands leadership of the team and has the strongest arm of any quarterback he’s worked with. Puelo said that Cozzens’ dual-threat skill set will allow them to open up their spread offense and run it the way they envisioned.

Seffner Christian will rely on their skill position players to help out Cozzens. Senior wide receiver/cornerback Luke McLaughlin has sure hands and has played on the team for four seasons. Senior Plant High School transfer receiver Jasiah Bennett will pair nicely with McLaughlin and start at the other cornerback position. Sophomore running back Isaiah Balthazar could potentially rush for 1,000 yards. The Crusaders will run behind captain left tackle Dylan Edwards and left guard Ryan Rogers, who will both anchor the offensive line.

Puelo wants his team to cut down on penalties and take care of the ball better than they did the last two years. He wants his defense to tackle better and not give up as many big plays. Special teams will play a big role in the team’s success. Junior kicker/punter Zack McKeehan has a big leg and will handle all kicking duties. He can hit field goals from 50 yards and beyond.

“I’m looking forward to seeing these guys grow together, being such a young and new team, watching these guys gel together excites me,” said Puelo. “It’s really a new team with the roster turnover. For me, in my 14 seasons at SCA, I haven’t had this experience, and it’s kind of reinvigorated me just watching it play out in front of my eyes. If this team can stay healthy and gel together quickly like I believe they can, like they’re starting to do already, there’s going to be some exciting days for this team for sure.”

The expectations haven’t changed at SCA. Puelo wants his team to play with relentless effort and discipline, taking it one game at a time. He said that his players are extremely coachable and soak up everything they learn like a sponge. The schedule is really tough, especially the last six games. Expect the Crusaders to go to the playoffs for a third straight season.

Schedule:

8/14 vs. Avon Park

10/23 vs. MDCA