DeLand added national powerhouse St. Frances Academy to its 2026 football schedule in hopes of spotlighting its athletes.
DeLand football will host national powerhouse St. Frances Academy (MD) on Aug. 28 at Spec Martin Stadium, Bulldogs’ athletic director Lance Jenkins announced in a press release on Monday, Feb. 2.
The Baltimore-based Panthers were ranked by MaxPreps as Maryland’s No. 1 team and the No. 2 high school football team in the entire United States in 2025. St. Frances Academy won Overtime’s high school football national championship on Dec. 10, 2025, with a 37-20 victory over Corner Canyon (UT).
The Bulldogs wrapped up the 2025 season as 12-1 regional finalists and spent some time as the FHSAA’s No. 1 team. They scored 48.3 points per game in the process.
The Bulldogs haven’t played a team outside of Florida and Georgia since they began uploading their schedules to MaxPreps in 2004. The move to add a national program aims to put a spotlight on their players and community in response to the increased influence of the NCAA transfer portal on high school recruiting.
“With the limiting effect the transfer portal has had on high school recruiting, we believe it is essential to begin competing on a national stage,” Jenkins said in the press release. “Playing elite programs like St. Frances Academy every year gives our athletes more visibility to college coaches than a traditional local or statewide schedule can provide. Our goal is to put our players in the best position to succeed.”
St. Frances Academy, on the other hand, isn’t eligible to win Maryland state championships because it plays a national schedule. The Panthers played two Florida schools in 2025, beating the First Academy 37-0 and Chaminade-Madonna 42-13.
The game will kick off at 7 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: DeLand vs. national powerhouse St. Frances Academy football in 2026
Category: General Sports
