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Umatilla Set For Football Season Opener

    After a preseason jamboree last Friday night, the Umatilla High School varsity football team will kick off its regular season this Friday, hosting Stanton for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
    Stanton, a school out of the Jacksonville area, is one of several new teams appearing on the Bulldog Schedule this year, as Umatilla transitions to a new conference.  Umatilla has left the FHSAA, its traditional oversight organization in football for the SSAA, an organization designed for programs from smaller schools or those looking to create a new baseline.
    "It will allow us to compete with teams of our caliber," said second-year head coach Eric Samuels this week.  
    The new conference has led to the early start of the season, with last week’s tuneup against Seven Rivers and Trinity Christian setting the tone for the types of teams the Bulldogs will face this season.
    While Mount Dora and Tavares remain on Umatilla’s schedule, Eustis doesn’t appear.  Mount Dora Christian Academy awaits at the end of the month, with Central High, Interlachen, Lake Weir, and Crystal River all set to face off against the Bulldogs this season.