Week 3 Preview: Heritage-Viera, tough road games spotlight slate

The third week of the 2026 high school football season kicks off Thursday, Sept. 3, with a pair of SSAA games before a full slate of games on Sept. 4.

Heritage at Viera is the lone all-Brevard matchup of Week 3 with several of the county’s top teams on the road for challenging games.

Merritt Island, Melbourne Central Catholic, Titusville and Viera look to keep their perfect FHSAA records intact. Calvary Chapel, Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island Christian and Satellite will look to do the same in the SSAA.

Here’s a preview of the Week 3 games.

Sept. 3

SSAA, 8-man

Florida School for the Deaf & Blind (0-0) at Merritt Island Christian (3-0), 5 p.m.

Merritt Island Christian plays its first home game of the season, closing out the regular season with seven straight home games.

After a forfeit win in Week 2, the Cougars returned to the field and shut out Bell Creek Academy 39-0 behind six touchdowns from senior quarterback Maddux Martinson. He threw for 169 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 21 yards and one touchdown.

Senior John Hey led the receiving unit with three receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Micah Branch caught two passes for 52 yards and two touchdowns.

This is rematch of last year’s state quarterfinal won by Merritt Island Christian 42-6. Florida School for the Deaf & Blind will play its first game of the season on Sept. 3.

SSAA

Seabreeze (2-0) at Satellite (3-0), 7 p.m.

Satellite returns home for the first time in three weeks after back-to-back road blowout wins against Halifax Academy and Legacy Charter.

Through three games, the Scorpions outscored their opponents 125-7. They have not conceded a point since the 8:41 mark of the first quarter of the season opener on Aug. 13.

Seabreeze enters with a 2-0 record in FHSAA Class 4A after a 30-14 win at Father Lopez and a 21-14 win over Tocoi Creek. Sandcrabs quarterback Noah Bogdanowicz has thrown for 265 yards and three touchdowns this season. Defensively, senior AJ Brown intercepted 2 passes.

Sept. 4

FHSAA

Heritage (0-2) at Viera (2-0), 7 p.m.

After two road wins at Rockledge and Sebastian River, Viera plays its first home game of the season against a Heritage team playing its first road game of 2026.

Viera sophomore quarterback Jaamal Crittington completed 9-of-9 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Duke Butler rushed for two touchdowns. Wide receivers Raundae Monroe, Slade Pulliam and Mason Strater caught one touchdown pass each.

Hawks sophomore Derek Schmadeke posted six tackles and three sacks to lead the defense.

Heritage is coming off a 41-0 defeat to Eau Gallie in Week 2. The Panthers allowed 472 total yards.

Eau Gallie (1-1) at Seminole (2-0), 7 p.m.

The Commodores continue their four-game road trip with a meeting against Class 6A Seminole.

Eau Gallie got back on track with a 41-0 win at Heritage behind 290 yards and two touchdowns from senior quarterback Joseph Allen, two rushing touchdowns from Donovan Richardson and 109 rushing yards and one touchdown by sophomore X’Zavier Corbin.

In his second game with the Commodores, junior Troy Silberzahn caught eight passes for 132 yards and one touchdown.

Junior Gabriel Player led the defensive shutout with 13 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks. Corbin recorded one interception.

Seminole enters with a 2-0 record after a 26-17 win over Mountain Vista, Colorado and a 24-7 win against Lake Howell.

The Seminoles possess three runners with over 100 rushing yards and quarterback Daniel Proenza threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Their defense recorded 14 sacks and four takeaways this season.

Melbourne Central Catholic (2-0) at Bishop Moore (0-2), 7 p.m.

The Hustlers prevailed at home against Benjamin 35-28 to improve to 2-0. Sophomore quarterback Trenton Washington threw for 202 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Senior Grady Bonenberger caught five passes for 103 yards and one touchdown. On the ground, senior Noah Gabriel gained 109 yards on 13 rushes and scored one touchdown.

Hustlers junior Will Warren raised his season total to 36 tackles after tallying 20 against Benjamin. Senior Ty Goetsch recorded 15 tackles and one sack. Senior Isaiah Crockett intercepted his third pass of the season.

Melbourne Central Catholic is looking to avenge last year’s 41-13 defeat to Bishop Moore. The Hornets are 0-2 after an overtime loss to Hawthorne and a three-point defeat to Palos Verdes, California.

Quarterback Blake McCullough, who played in last year’s meeting, thrown for 438 yards and two touchdowns this season.

Merritt Island (2-0) at Ponte Vedra (0-2), 7 p.m.

After two convincing road wins at Cocoa and Melbourne, Merritt Island faces its second 2025 state semifinalist of the season at Ponte Vedra.

Mustangs senior quarterback Kevin Verpaele rushed for three touchdowns and tossed one touchdown in the 35-7 win at Melbourne. He finished with 298 total yards.

Junior running back Zaylan Chapple scored two more touchdowns against the Bulldogs, one on a backward pass and one on the ground for four total this season. Senior Alain Adams led the defense with eight tackles and one fumble recovery.

Ponte Vedra is 0-2 after a 2-point loss to University Christian and a 7-point overtime loss to Bishop Kenny.

Sharks quarterback Carter Sole has thrown for 639 yards and five touchdowns this season. Junior wide receiver Cade Turner caught 15 passes for 213 yards and four touchdowns. Senior Carter Ottesen leads the defense with 21 tackles and four tackles for loss.

Spruce Creek (1-0) at Titusville (2-0), 7 p.m.

Titusville cruised to a 44-9 win over Holy Trinity behind 197 total yards and three touchdowns from senior Tank Harvey. Senior quarterback Remy Vigne combined for three touchdowns and 167 passing yards. Junior running back Tamarion Walker rushed for 101 yards on 14 carries.

Terriers senior Matthew Graham recorded three sacks and one forced fumble. Senior Dewight Jenkins returned an interception for a touchdown and senior Khamari Fletcher also intercepted one pass.

Spruce Creek’s Week 2 game at Rockledge was canceled, so the Hawks play their first game since beating Erie, Colorado 14-10 on Aug. 20.

They rushed for 345 yards, including 213 yards from junior Dontez Culley and 102 yards and two touchdowns from senior Keenan Nephew. Sophomore Ryan Oneal posted 10 tackles.

Winter Springs (0-2) at Melbourne (1-1), 7 p.m.

Melbourne looking to bounce back against Winter Springs after a 35-7 defeat to Merritt Island in its home opener.

The Bulldogs continued to lean on sophomore running back Tyrese Jefferson as he carried the ball 22 times for 162 yards. Senior Howard Dewitt caught his first touchdown of the season on a 43-yard completion from backup quarterback Will Reinhold.

Sophomore Teshawn Ross Jr. led the defense with nine tackles. Sophomore Jace Richardson recorded eight tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack.

Winter Springs fell to 0-2 on Aug. 31 with a 33-25 defeat to Hagerty. It lost at Lake Howell 57-16 in Week 1.

Rockledge (0-1) at Fort Pierce Central (1-0), 7 p.m.

Both teams are coming off canceled games in Week 2. In Week 1, the Raiders fell to Viera 25-20 and Fort Pierce Central defeated Legacy 49-0.

Rockledge sophomore Matthew Ford caught two touchdowns for 69 yards from junior quarterback Carter Kemmerling. Junior Vondexter Tyler posted 13 tackles. Seniors Jamarion Manning and Dontavius Harvey and freshman John Holmes Jr. recovered a fumble.

Central quarterback Drew LaPlante threw for 200 yards and four touchdowns. The Cobras rushed for 138 yards as a team. Senior Marguez Burgess intercepted two passes and recorded one sack. The Central defense finished Week 1 with six sacks and four interceptions.

Cocoa (0-1) at Newberry (0-2), 7:30 p.m.

Cocoa plays its first road game of the season after its Week 2 game was canceled. The Tigers fell to Merritt Island in Week 1 as sophomore quarterback Kadin Claflin-Coy threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns in his debut. Senior Tank White caught eight passes for 73 yards and one touchdown.

Senior Kenny Brooks finished the game with two forced fumbles and a scoop-and-score touchdown. Senior Mycul Glover also recovered a fumble.

Newberry is winless after a 30-16 defeat to Santa Fe and an 8-0 loss to Hawthorne. Quarterback Richard Roundtree Jr. has thrown for 347 yards and three touchdowns. Juniors Maverick Jones and Willie Sutton have 100 yards receiving. Senior Ari Bentley tallied 29 tackles and Jones intercepted two passes.

SSAA

Foundation Academy (1-0) at Cocoa Beach (2-0), 7 p.m.

Cocoa Beach returns to the field following its bye week after two dominant wins over Bronson and Discovery.

Minutemen junior quarterback Jay Craft has thrown for 318 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior running back Ryan Rogers leads the team with 122 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Freshman Jaxen McQueen is at 104 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Freshman Jordan Stevens intercepted one pass and recovered two fumbles. Sophomore Graham Kimmey recorded one interception and one sack.

Foundation Academy opened the season with a 27-0 win versus Lake Highland Prep on Aug. 28. The Lions recorded two sacks and one interception in the win.

Celebration (0-2) at Space Coast (2-1), 7 p.m.

Space Coast secured its second blowout win in a row after shutting out Okeechobee 48-0.

The Vipers finished with 185 rushing yards and 153 passing yards from junior quarterback Zion Sandy. Seven different players scored an offensive touchdown. Sophomore Chad Johnson finished with 87 total yards and one rushing touchdown.

Junior Javier Shivers led the team with 8 tackles. Junior Devon Greene, senior Dominic Berger and sophomore Solomon Snaith recovered one fumble each.

Celebration is 0-2 in FHSAA Class 6A with defeats to Poinciana and Tavares by a combined score of 86-7. The Storm recorded 290 total yards through two games.

Bayside (2-1) at Hardee (3-0), 7:30 p.m.

Bayside, coming off its first win over Palm Bay in six years last week, returns to SSAA play with a road contest at Hardee.

The Bears were led by junior Zion Jones’ four touchdowns combining for 140 yards. Senior Evan Sherburne scored two touchdowns, catching a 22-yard pass from senior Joey Costa and rushing for a one-yard score.

Junior Caiden Cavzos recorded 11 tackles. Seniors Gage Campbell and Isaiah Brenes tallied 10 tackles each.

Hardee is 3-0 with every win coming by at least 21 points over Lemon Bay, Fort Meade and LaBelle.

Wildcats junior Dariyon Watson leads the team with 453 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Jose Gomez thrown for 317 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, sophomore James Cherry sacked the quarterback four times. Senior Parker McCoy and junior Josiah Cisneros recorded three sacks each.

SSAA 8-man

Riverview Academy (0-2) at Calvary Chapel (2-0), 7 p.m.

Calvary Chapel saw its game on Aug. 28 canceled as it heads into its second home game of the season. The Eagles defeated Geneva Classical Academy 40-0 on Aug. 21 behind a 40-0 win.

Riverview Academy is 0-2 with a 45-0 loss to Classical Academy Sarasota and a 36-7 defeat against Foundation Christian Academy.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Week 3 Preview: Heritage-Viera, tough road games spotlight slate