Three-Peat: 2026 5A District 8 Champions
Make it three in a row. Your Gaither Cowboys are the 2026 5A District 8 champions — the program’s third straight district title.
Friday night’s 24–9 win over Mitchell, who came in 3–0 in district play, finished off a perfect 4–0 district record and a 7–3 regular season.
Junior quarterback Daniel Terry threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 35 more. It was his third straight game with at least three touchdown passes. Freshman Rudolph “Blaze” Ingram added 113 total yards and a score, and the defense lived in the Mitchell backfield all night with three sacks.
The 2026 regular season
- District: East Lake 35–9 · Largo 31–14 · Sickles 56–0 · Mitchell 24–9
- Non-district wins: Blake 56–0 · Plant 24–21 · Riverview 53–7
- Two shutouts, and 327 points scored against 148 allowed
Not bad for a group the preseason previews called short on battle scars.
Next up: the playoffs. The Cowboys play on Friday, Nov. 13 — opponent, site and kickoff time to be announced. Watch the schedule for details.
Thank you to our players, coaches, families and everyone who filled the stands this fall. Let’s keep it going.
Scores and stats via MaxPreps.