Booker High School will not have a varsity football team in 2026, Principal Jamal Crook posted on Booker's Facebook page on Wednesday, Aug. 12. Instead, the Tornadoes will only field a junior varsity team.
The decision comes less than a month after former Booker head coach Carlos Woods was and more than 21 players left the program. The Tornadoes announced hiring Lance Hoeltke
as head coach on July 29."As we prepare for the 2026 football season, Booker High School has made the decision to field a junior varsity football team rather than a varsity team this year," Crook wrote. "This decision was made after careful consideration of the current needs of our student-athletes and the long-term health of the football program."
The statement described this time in Booker football as a period of transition.
"Following changes within the football program, it became clear that rebuilding consistent student participation, trust, and commitment would require time and intentional leadership," Crook wrote. "Rather than move forward with a varsity season before those foundations are firmly in place, Booker High School is choosing to focus this year on developing the program from the ground up."
On Tuesday, Aug. 11, Booker was fined by the FHSAA and Woods was suspended from coaching the Tornadoes' fall preseason games after eighth graders participated in spring football practices, according to a report obtained by the Herald-Tribune.
FHSAA rules state eighth graders "may not participate in practice or have physical contact in any manner with student-athletes in 9th, 10th or 11th grades who are members of the high school team."
An FHSAA investigation found incoming Booker freshmen were seen participating during an intrasquad scrimmage on an NFHS Network broadcast. The incoming students were also seen in social media posts participating in spring practices against high school students.
Booker was fined $500 and will be placed on administrative probation until May 25, 2027, meaning that the school will be under strict observation for one full school calendar year. Woods was also suspended from coaching or attending the fall preseason game. But before serving the suspension, Woods was dismissed as football coach and athletic director in mid-July for still unspecified reasons.
On July 30, the Sarasota Police Department released a statement stating Woods was being investigated criminally after the police department received allegations "from an outside agency."
"The investigation is active and ongoing," the statement said. "At this time, the criminal investigation involving Mr. Woods does not involve any harm or wrongdoings toward any student."
The SPD has no updates as of Monday, Aug. 10, stating that the criminal investigation is still ongoing.
Woods has denied his involvement in any criminal investigation in a statement posted to his Facebook page on July 29.
"I am not the subject of any active criminal investigation," Woods wrote, adding later, "I have always been willing to answer questions honestly and transparently, and I remain committed to protecting my reputation and the truth."
In 2025, Woods replaced former coach and athletic director Scottie Littles after he resigned in April 2025. Littles was suspended twice by the FHSAA during his three seasons leading the Tornadoes. He had a six-game suspension reduced to three games in 2025 after an FHSAA investigation determined Littles violated its improper conduct and impermissible benefits policy for meeting with a Riverview student and his mother.
He was fined $5,000 and placed on a one-year probationary program. Littles also received a three-game suspension for use of profanity toward game officials during a 2024 Class 3A state semifinal game, while the school received a $550 fine.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Booker cancels 2026 varsity football season after Carlos Woods' dismissal
