Two seasons ago, the Homestead Spartans, powered by a core of standout sophomores, made it to semistate weekend.

Last year, Homestead was one of the most talked-about teams in the state, finishing the regular season ranked third in multiple polls before being knocked out by No. 1 Hamilton Southeastern in the Class 4A regional title game, ending the season with a 24-3 record.

This year, the Spartans return almost all of their production and open the season as the No. 1 team in the state, drawing 11 of 22 first-place votes in the IBCA preseason poll. But the Class of 2026 knows that their window to accomplish their biggest goals – most notably winning the program's second state title – is almost closed.

"I feel like everybody has had a little bit of a mindset shift, coming to the realizat

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