Booker High School in Sarasota just canceled its 2026 varsity football season, just days before kickoff. Instead, the Tornadoes will only field a junior varsity team this year. It’s a big shift for a program that’s appeared in three straight state semifinals.
This decision follows a turbulent summer. After Booker fired head coach Carlos Woods in July, 21 players transferred out to other schools. On top of that, the Florida High School Athletic Association fined Booker $500 and put the school on probation until May 25, 2027, all because they let eighth-graders practice with the team last spring.
Principal Jamal Crook admits that rebuilding won’t happen overnight. “This isn’t us giving up on football at Booker. We’re investing in its future,” he wrote.
Retired area coach James Ward didn’t hide his disappointment. He’s watched Booker football become a powerful program and hates seeing the players who helped build it leave. “I just hate to see the young men who worked so hard have to change schools,” Ward told ABC7. “Xavier, our county, plays really good football, and I’m excited to see how this season unfolds.”
Booker High announced its decision on social media, emphasizing that this move came after “careful consideration of the current needs of our student-athletes and the long-term health of the football program.” The school stressed its proud athletic tradition and the aim to rebuild a football program that lives up to it.
Booker also thanked students, families, and alumni for sticking with them through such a tough period, a gesture that means a lot while the program starts to regroup and look ahead.
