2026 High School Football Preview

Cornell football: Raiders face new challenges in 2026 season

Antonio Rossetti

August 24, 2026

The Cornell Raiders have become accustomed to success over the past few seasons but maintaining that success for 2026 will require a new cast of players.

After graduating another group of key contributors, including record-setting running back Khylil Johnson, Cornell enters the 2026 season looking to prove its young roster can compete in a new conference landscape.

The Raiders were one win away from reaching the WPIAL Class 1A championship game two seasons ago, falling to Fort Cherry 27-20 in the semifinals. Since then, Cornell has undergone significant roster turnover, graduating several key seniors.

The Raiders still racked up 17 wins during the 2023 and 2024 seasons before finishing 5-5 last year with a younger roster. Now, Cornell enters another season of transition, with a young group looking to maintain the standard set by previous teams.

Coach Ed Dawson has been pleased with the turnout this year.

“We've been getting a consistent 22 to 25, which is one of our better-attended offseasons this year,” Dawson said. “The kids have been working their tails off. It's not a totally new team. We've graduated 10-plus the past three years, so the turnover is crazy right now. But we've got a young group that's working their tails off, and I think we'll be competitive again.”

The aforementioned Johnson, who ran for 1,265 yards and caught 22 passes for 456 receiving yards for 19 total touchdowns last season, has graduated. Johnson ran for 2,535 yards in his four seasons and tallied 1,064 receiving yards.

Dawson said replacing him is a tall task, but he has confidence in his running backs in freshman Chris Ford and Swiss Army-knife type player Ja’kil Turner.

“Chris is a big, strong kid,” Dawson said. “He's a freshman, so he'll have to figure out how to maneuver his way through and become a high school football player. Ja’kil Turner, who's a receiver and special teams back for us, will help carry the load a little bit. We've got a nice running back room.”

Dawson said that the Raiders’ strong suit is up front. Salomon Bance and Kenny Wade spearhead the line on both sides of the ball. Their other three lineman have all received playing time and experience.

“Our relationship is great,” Wade said of the line’s chemistry. “We're always hanging out and talking to each other and things like that. We really have great bonds with each other.”

Wade continues to step up as a leader on the line.

“They're really going to feed off my energy and how I carry myself as a player,” Wade said. “It's very important to me because when I leave the program, I want to know it's going to keep going for the next few years.”

Three-year starting quarterback MJ Stuckey also graduated last season. Ta’rell Jones and DJ Collier are the two quarterbacks battling for the starting job.

Dawson said the two were “making their way toward a head-to-head competition” as training camp was about to start.

 “Whoever doesn't start at quarterback will be a receiver,” Dawson said. “They both played receiver a lot for us a year ago.”

Collier caught 13 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown last season.

DJ Stuckey, MJ’s brother, returns to the receiving core after tallying 112 receiving yards on six catches. Turner and Christian Albro, a newcomer from Imani Christian, join the fray.

Wade is excited to see the skill positions players’ work come to fruition. He spoke about what key players like Turner, Ford and Albro do on the field.

“Jakil’s coming up as a starter from last year,” Wade said. “He's a great athlete, who has a very big heart and really shows some personality. Chris Ford -- he's pretty strong in the weight room, very athletic, has a big heart and a great work ethic. Chris (Albro) just got here, but he's already shown what he can do and that he's going to be a great asset to the team and help us throughout the season.”

Cornell has plenty of talent to go around, and the team will have a chance to showcase that in a brand new section as the Raiders will be battling against the likes of Laurel, Northgate, Rochester, Shenango, South Side Area Summit Academy and Union.

“We were in the Big Seven Conference four or six years ago, so it's still a tough conference,” Dawson said. “It'll be a lot different landscape than the Black Hills Conference we just left, but I'm excited for the change. Laurel was obviously the runner-up, so their program is solid. Northgate and Shenango are there. I don't know much about Southern Academy right now, but we'll figure that out as time goes on.”

A year ago, Laurel defeated Matt Sieg and the Fort Cherry Rangers, preventing a WPIAL three-peat.

Cornell, heading into a whole new landscape, is preparing for any challenge taking it day-by-day. Dawson said that he wants to keep things simple and dominate the details, getting as clean and perfect as they can keep things on the field.

“We just try to make sure every little detail, from breaking the huddle to even how we get dressed and putting on our equipment the right way, is done correctly,” Dawson said. “We're just trying to stress the little things to this group because we've got talent. It's just going to be unfamiliar, plus we're playing all new teams.”

He also wants to put them in opportunities to win.

“I tell them all the time, one of the biggest lies I think that's ever been told is, ‘If you work hard, good things will happen and you'll win,’” he said. “That's not always true. So we kind of flip that around and just say, ‘We earn our opportunity to win. Every Friday, and every Thursday when we get done with walkthroughs, they wait for me to say, ‘Opportunity earned.’”

A young Cornell team is excited to get back on the field. Wade leads the charge motivated to make a run like the team did two seasons ago.

“This team is probably the most exciting team I’ve seen collectively,” Dawson said. “It's fun. I'm honestly looking forward to seeing the light come on for these kids.”

Wade added: “We're really excited to get suited up and hit somebody that's not on our own team, of course. But it's to show people what we'll be able to do despite being a young team.”