West Orange has built what looks to be the most difficult schedule among OCPS teams. The Warriors open with Sanford Seminole and added games against Lake Mary, Edgewater, Dr. Phillips, South Lake and Jones.<\/p>\n
Windermere, which went 20-0 playing within the OCPS Independent Division the past two seasons, has upgraded its schedule. The Wolverines will face tough opponents in Winter Park, Edgewater, St. Cloud and Dr. Phillips.<\/p>\n
Edgewater has rescheduled The First Academy, which beat the Eagles in 2024, and added Lake Nona and historical rival Evans.<\/p>\n
Evans also added Lake Nona, Boone, Winter Park, St. Augustine, South Lake and Dr. Phillips.<\/p>\n
![\"2026](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/OCPS-football-sked.png\")
2026 football schedules for all 23 OCPS schools<\/p>\n
Jones head coach Elijah Williams said traveling to face Santa Margarita will be a tremendous challenge, but it\u2019s not just a football trip for his players.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe used to travel every year out of state, we just haven\u2019t the past two years. This is an experience for our kids. A lot of them have never even been on an airplane before or out of the state,\u201d Williams said. \u201cWe have an opportunity to play them so we took it. They won state last year in California and beat teams like Mater Dei and St. John Bosco.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also about learning and exposure. The Jones players will tour several university campuses in Southern California and will also visit the California African American Museum in Los Angeles, the Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade in San Diego and the Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park in the San Joaquin Valley.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe set up some tours while we\u2019re there, and honestly if some of that wasn\u2019t available, we wouldn\u2019t be going,\u201d Williams said. \u201cThey\u2019re excited. One of the biggest things and why we chose this trip is because they have the California African American Museum. We went to the one in D.C. a few years ago and it was awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones has traveled out of state for games in the Washington, D.C., area, Texas twice and Georgia during the past eight years. Williams has been at Jones since 2016.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnytime we take a trip like this there\u2019s always going to an educational purpose to it,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n
He estimates that this trip will cost about $35,000, with airfare taking up about $18,000 of that expense. But he said with the support system in place at Jones, funding has never been a problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cNormally for a high school, it would be tough, but at Jones High School, our community support and our alumni support. \u2026 it is unheard of,\u201d Williams said. \u201cSo these trips are actually easy to fund.\u201d<\/p>\n
They are also relatively easy to plan after so many long trips.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve kind of got it down to a T, now,\u201d Williams said. \u201cWe have to arrange the flights and the hotels and all of the buses for transportation, the places to practice, where to eat, all of that stuff. But most of that is almost already taken care of.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hotels need one certain amenity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to find the best hotels with the best prices with free breakfast,\u201d Williams said with laugh.<\/p>\n
Jones starts off the year with a tough challenge in its preseason Kickoff Classic game, traveling to Miami Central a week before opening the regular season in California.<\/p>\n
![\"West](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/TOS-L-Evans-West-Orange-Football23789_8c8482.jpg\")
West Orange coach Geno Thompson has compiled what will likely make up the most difficult football schedule among all Orange County Public Schools this upcoming season. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n
West Orange will face two teams that made appearances in 2025 state championship games n 7A state champ Lake Mary and Jones, the 4A runner-up. Also, Dr. Phillips was a 7A region finalist, South Lake made a 6A region final, Edgewater was a 5A region finalist and Seminole is a perennial playoff contender.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s challenging. Obviously when you get to play good, quality opponents like we have on the schedule, it\u2019s only gonna make us better,\u201d West Orange coach Geno Thompson said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot different than the teams we played last year. Last year we had a lot of games that ended, honestly, at halftime, so these are gonna be full four-quarter games for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thompson has the luxury of returning a quarterback who is already a two-year starter in AJ Chung. That gives him confidence to be able to compete.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you have a quarterback you have a chance, and I strongly believe we have the best quarterback in the state,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cHe\u2019s a phenomenal person, a phenomenal leader and he\u2019s gonna get us to wear we need to go.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re young and we\u2019re going to be relying on our 2028 class.\u201d<\/p>\n