Interstate Athletic Conference 2026 Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Interstate Athletic Conference heads into 2026 coming off a rare three-way title share between Bullis, Georgetown Prep, and St. Albans. With talent returning across the top programs and competitive non-conference schedules, another tight race for the championship appears likely.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2025 Season Recap</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FINAL STANDINGS</strong> (Co-champs in bold)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Albans (9-3, 3-1 conference)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bullis (7-4, 3-1 conference)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Georgetown Prep (5-5, 3-1 conference)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Landon (6-4, 1-3 conference)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Episcopal (3-5, 0-4 confernce)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Stephen's &amp; St. Agnes (1-8, 1-3 overall)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2025 season ended with Bullis, Georgetown Prep, and St. Albans ending up in a three-way tie for the conference title. Bullis beat Georgetown Prep 13-12 in the final week to claim their first title share in nine years. Overall. St. Albans had the strongest season due their DCSAA post-season run. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TOUGHEST 2026 OUT-OF-CONFERENCE SCHEDULES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1. Georgetown Prep</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2. Bullis</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3. Episcopal</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>4. Landon</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5. St. Albans</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6. St. Stephen's &amp; St. Agnes<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All three teams that tied for the conference championship last season lost some key players on offense. With that being said, St. Albans, Bullis, and Georgetown Prep will be top contenders again. St. Albans has the best overall player coming back in quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1570610' first='Brett' last='Paukstis'] who is headed into his third year as a starter. I believe they have to be considered the favorites. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Contenders Heading into 2026</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TOP RANKED PLAYERS FROM EACH TEAM</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Landon</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2027: [player_tooltip player_id='1311704' first='Zack' last='Helmreich'] | Lineman | 6-4 | 280 | No. 78 overall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2028: [player_tooltip player_id='2194525' first='Bryan' last='Moore'] | Defensive back - Athlete | 5-11 | 170 | No. 114 overall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Episcopal</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2027: [player_tooltip player_id='1311483' first='Levi' last='Babin'] | Athlete | 6-1 | 195 | No. 12 overall (Virginia)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2028: [player_tooltip player_id='1905639' first='Darren' last='Armstrong'] | Defensive Lineman - Edge | 6-0 | 265 | No. 92 overall </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Albans</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2027: [player_tooltip player_id='1570610' first='Brett' last='Paukstis'] | Quarterback | 6-0 | 185 | No. 133 overall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2028: [player_tooltip player_id='1865201' first='Max' last='Dilanian'] | Linebacker | 6-1 | 195 | No. 134 overall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Georgetown Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2027: [player_tooltip player_id='1705208' first='Kyle' last='Davis'] | Athlete | 6-5 | 225 | No. 15 overall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2028: N/A</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bullis</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2027: [player_tooltip player_id='2252638' first='Nolan' last='Donkor']. | Edge | 6-4 | 232 | No. 48 overall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2028: N/A</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Stephen's and St. Agnes</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2027: N/A </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2028: [player_tooltip player_id='1740912' first='Landon' last='Scott'] | Athlete - Wide Receiver | 6-1 | 185 | No. 159 overall</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>EXTRA POINTS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Georgetown Prep lost [player_tooltip player_id='1134909' first='Japhya' last='Rouson'], one of the top running backs in the DMV, after he transferred to St. John's College (DC). It's going to be hard to replace a talent like that on top of having a new quarterback (Rylan Umphrey graduated). Bullis will have a new signal-caller as well this upcoming season. Episcopal will have a new head coach going into the 2026 season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FINAL THOUGHT</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The IAC will be one of the most competitive small private-school conferences in the DMV. Expect another close race decided by 1-2 key games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->