LAND O’ LAKES — The Gators know they will always have it tough in the swamp. And on the road. That is not just the hand they were dealt. It is partly their own doing.
Land O’ Lakes opens the season with one of the toughest schedules in the area, pairing a rugged new Class 5A-District 7 with non-district games against Zephyrhills, Newsome, Alonso, Mitchell and Bartram Trail. Coach Dan Goodspeed, 23-19 in four seasons, would not have it any other way.
The Gators are coming off a 5-6 season that ended with a 28-7 loss at Tallahassee Chiles in the inaugural Florida Invitational Tournament.
“It’s a very good district, and I hated to see Mitchell drop out, but I do like the (district) realignment,” Goodspeed said of the six-team district that keeps Land O’ Lakes with Sunlake, Wharton, Wiregrass Ranch, Wesley Chapel and Cypress Creek. “It’s a good challenge, with a sprinkling in of new teams to play, and with strength of schedule (it’s ranked) at the top, so here in Pasco, we’re getting that great football feeling again. And, of course, our Shining Star (of a game) is the Butter Bowl (vs. Sunlake) and that’s how high school football should be — stands packed playing your rival.
“The thing is,” said Goodspeed, a former NFL lineman who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, “I can’t play anymore, I tell the guys that all the time. I wish I could! The guys on the field dictate it, and we coach and teach them, but, in the end, who is tougher, more disciplined is who will win or who will lose on the field.”
Tough and disciplined is what the schedule will demand. Mitchell is no longer a district opponent, but the Mustangs stayed on the schedule anyway. So did Zephyrhills, an 11-1 regional semifinalist last season, along with Newsome (3-7), Bartram Trail (4-8) and a talented Alonso team that went 6-4.
The offense looks set. Junior quarterback Cannon West has grown steadily into the starting job, taking over for Chance Houston, who transferred to Tampa Catholic. Houston passed for 1,615 yards and 14 touchdowns and ran for five more before an injury cost him the final two-plus games of 2025.
Goodspeed is just as eager to see what junior running back Eli Melendez does for an encore. Melendez led the team with 519 yards rushing and eight touchdowns.
“It’s so great to watch him grow from a sophomore to a junior,” Goodspeed said. “I think he’s poised to have a great year.”
Melendez will run behind an offensive line led by senior Grayson Benoist and coached by Goodspeed himself. The Gators also added Tyrae Jackson, a do-it-all athlete whose motor won over the staff.
“You can’t drag him off the field,” Goodspeed quipped.
On defense, Goodspeed is counting on junior linebacker Gabe Garcia to fill the void left by Christian Vollstedt, who led the team with 75 tackles last season and anchored the unit from the time he was a sophomore. Danilo Faria, following his older brother into college-caliber football, leads a ball-hawking secondary after posting 53 tackles and an interception.
Goodspeed likes what he has seen so far.
“They’re ready to hit someone besides one another,” he said. “I think the program is growing and developing as I expected it, as we have a consistent number (90) of kids and I think the boys are up to the challenge. The difference is, to us, they came hungry to camp — ready to compete and not backing down, which we’re glad to see. Because, as you’ve seen, our schedule is not going to be easy, both district and non-district.”
Land O’ Lakes Football Schedule
Aug. 21 vs. Newsome; Aug. 28 vs. Alonso; Sept. 4 at Zephyrhills; Sept. 11 at Cypress Creek; Sept. 18 vs. Mitchell; Sept. 25 vs. Wharton; Oct. 9 at Wiregrass Ranch; Oct. 16 at Wesley Chapel; Oct. 23 vs. Sunlake; Oct. 30 at Bartram Trail