Destination Tallahassee – Week 1 State Championships

As we head into the first week of the 2021 high school football state playoffs, there are 16 teams who all have the chance to call themselves state champions. With three games being played this week (Thursday through Saturday) at Gene Cox Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida will crown 1A, 2A and 3A state champs, it will set the table for the following week in Fort Lauderdale. Like we do each and every week during the year, we continue to bring you a Top 25 – and when the season comes to an end – we will have our champion and final list. Here is a look at the latest ranking from Florida Prep Redzone, heading into the small school state championships: 1. Tampa Jesuit (6A, 14-0). The Tigers remained unbeaten and atop the Top 25 ranking once again this week after a 37-12 state semifinal win over Miami Northwestern. NEXT OPPONENT: Pensacola Pine Forest on Saturday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m. at DRV PNK Stadium Fort Lauderdale. 2. Miami Central (5A, 11-2). The Rockets blasted off in the second half and went on to a convincing 54-21 win over Baker County. NEXT OPPONENT: Merritt Island on Friday, Dec. 17, 1 p.m. at DRV PNK Stadium Fort Lauderdale. 3. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (7A, 13-1). The two-time defending state champion Raiders scored early and often in a 45-7 win at home against Gainesville Buchholz. NEXT OPPONENT: The unbeaten Tampa Bay Tech game on Friday, Dec. 17, 7 p.m. at DRV PNK Stadium Fort Lauderdale. 4. Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna (3A, 11-1). From start to finish, the Lions were impressive in beating Tallahassee Florida High at home, 38-3. NEXT OPPONENT: Unbeaten Tampa Berkeley Prep on Friday, Dec. 10, 7 p.m. at Gene Cox Stadium, Tallahassee. 5. Bradenton IMG Academy (Independent, 9-1). With a week off, the Ascenders get back to it this week. SEASON IS FINISHED. 6. Venice (8A, 13-1). The Indians flexed their collective muscles in an impressive 35-7 win over Miami Christopher Columbus. NEXT OPPONENT: Red-hot Apopka on Saturday, Dec. 18, 1 p.m. at DRV PNK Stadium Fort Lauderdale. 7. Tampa Bay Tech (7A, 14-0). The Titans made their way to the state finals for the first time in school history, beating Lakeland Lake Gibson, 42-24. NEXT OPPONENT: The nationally-rated St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders on Friday, Dec. 17, 1 p.m. at DRV PNK Stadium Fort Lauderdale. 8. Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons (4A, 10-2). After falling behind for the second straight week, the defending state champion Chiefs got it together in a 36-18 win against St. Petersburg Lakewood. NEXT OPPONENT: The streaking Cocoa Tigers on Thursday, Dec. 16, 7 p.m. at DRV PNK Stadium Fort Lauderdale. 9. Cocoa (4A, 11-1). The Tigers came from behind and poured it on in the fourth quarter against Jacksonville Bolles, 35-24. NEXT OPPONENT: The defending 4A state champion Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs on Thursday, Dec. 16, 7 p.m. at DRV PNK Stadium Fort Lauderdale. 10. Tampa Berkeley Prep (3A, 12-0). In staying unbeaten, the Buccaneers put it all together in a 42-14 win over previously unbeaten Lakeland Christian. NEXT OPPONENT: The Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna Prep Lions on Friday, Dec. 10, 7 p.m. at Gene Cox Stadium, Tallahassee. 11. Apopka (8A, 10-2). The Blue Darters put it all together in beating Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast, 21-0. NEXT OPPONENT: The nationally-rated and red-hot Venice Indians on Saturday, Dec. 18, 1 p.m. at DRV PNK Stadium Fort Lauderdale. 12. Merritt Island (5A, 13-1). The glory days of Mustang football has returned as 12-10 win over Sebring sends this program back to the state finals for the first time in a decades. NEXT OPPONENT: The two-time defending state champion Miami Central Rockets on Friday, Dec. 17, 1 p.m. at DRV PNK Stadium Fort Lauderdale. 13. Pensacola Pine Forest (6A, 13-1). It took overtime, but the Eagles will make their return to the state title game with a 20-12 overtime win against Orlando Jones and a 652 mile trip to south Florida. NEXT OPPONENT: The unbeaten Tampa Jesuit Tigers on Saturday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m. at DRV PNK Stadium Fort Lauderdale. 14. Hawthorne (1A, 11-0). The defending state runner up Hornets remained unbeaten with a 24-6 win against Chipley. NEXT OPPONENT: The Madison County Cowboys on Saturday, Dec. 11, 7 p.m. at Gene Cox Stadium, Tallahassee. 15. Hialeah Champagnat Catholic (2A, 10-2). The Lions secured their sixth consecutive trip to the state finals with a 27-8 win over Naples First Baptist. NEXT OPPONENT: It will be defending 3A state champion Jacksonville Trinity Christian on Thursday, Dec. 9, 7 p.m. at Gene Cox Stadium, Tallahassee. 16. Jacksonville Trinity Christian (2A, 9-4). The defending 3A state champions – now 2A – fought off a gallant effort at Orlando Christian Prep, winning 29-12. NEXT OPPONENT: Two-time defending state champion Hialeah Champagnat Catholic on Thursday, Dec. 9, 7 p.m. at Gene Cox Stadium, Tallahassee. 17. Madison County (1A, 10-3). The Cowboys, left out of the state title mix a year ago, is back after a 37-0 win over Chiefland. NEXT OPPONENT: The team that knocked them from the playoffs last season, unbeaten Hawthorne, on Saturday, Dec. 11, 7 p.m. at Gene Cox Stadium, Tallahassee. 18. Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast (8A, 10-2). Tremendous season came to an end for the Titans against Apopka, 21-0. 19. Gainesville Buchholz (7A, 12-2). Amazing year came to an end for the Bobcats at Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, 45-7. 20. Miami Northwestern (6A, 10-4). It certainly was not the type of season that the Bulls are used to having, losing to No. 1 Tampa Jesuit, 37-12. 21. Tallahassee Florida State University High (3A, 11-2). Another outstanding year came to an end for the Seminole at Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna, 38-3. 22. Lakeland Christian (3A, 11-1). A tremendous season for the Vikings came to an end against unbeaten Tampa Berkeley Prep, 42-14. 23. Jacksonville Bolles (4A, 8-3). An up and down season came to an end for the Bulldogs on the road at Cocoa, 35-24. 24. Miami Christopher Columbus (8A, 9-4). It was a rewarding season for the Explorers as they reached the fourth round of the state playoffs once again, losing to Venice, 35-7. 25. Orlando Jones (6A, 11-3). Heart-breaking end to such a competitive season, traveling to Pensacola and losing to Pine Forest, 20-13 in overtime. TEAMS FINISHED FOR THE SEASON: Altamonte Springs Lake Brantley (8A, 6-5), Auburndale (6A, 9-1), Baker County (5A, 11-3), Belleview (6A, 8-3),  Boca Raton (8A, 8-3), Boynton Beach (5A, 7-4), Chiefland (1A, 11-2), Chipley (1A, 9-4), Citra North Marion (5A, 6-4), Clearwater (5A, 10-1), Clearwater Countryside (6A, 5-6), Clewiston (4A, 8-3), Coral Springs Coral Glades (8A, 6-3), Daytona Beach Mainland (6A, 5-5), Daytona Beach Seabreeze (5A, 6-5), Doral Academy (7A, 8-2), Fort Lauderdale Dillard (7A, 9-2), Fort Myers (6A, 5-4), Fort Myers Dunbar (6A, 9-1), Gulf Breeze (6A, 7-4), Hollywood South Broward (7A, 8-2), Jacksonville Terry Parker (5A, 7-4), Jacksonville Raines (5A, 8-3), Jacksonville Riverside (6A, 9-2), Lake Butler Union County (1A, 12-1), Lake City Columbia (6A, 6-5), Lakeland (7A, 9-2), Lakeland Lake Gibson (7A, 9-3), Lake Mary (8A, 10-2), Leesburg (5A, 6-4), Lehigh (7A, 7-3), Lithia Newsome (8A, 8-3), Lutz Steinbrenner (8A, 7-4), Lynn Haven Mosley (6A, 11-2), Melbourne (7A, 10-3), Miami Florida Christian (4A, 8-2), Naples First Baptist (2A, 10-2), Ocala Vanguard (6A, 12-1), Miami Gulliver Prep (4A, 9-2), Miami Killian (5A, 12-1), Miami Palmetto (8A, 9-3), Naples (6A, 10-1), Neptune Beach Fletcher (7A, 5-6), Niceville (7A, 10-2), No. 1 Ocala Trinity Catholic (3A, 7-3), Orlando Edgewater (7A, 10-2), No. 2 Pahokee (1A, 8-2), No. 7 Ponte Vedra Nease (7A, 9-4), Port Orange Spruce Creek (7A, 8-2), Pensacola West Florida (5A, 9-2), Port St. Lucie (6A, 7-3), Rockledge (5A, 9-3), Sanford Seminole (8A, 11-2), Satellite (5A, 10-3), Sebring (5A, 9-3), South Fort Myers (6A, 8-3), St. Johns Creekside (8A, 8-3), St. Lucie West Centennial (8A, 5-5), St. Petersburg Gibbs (5A, 8-4), St. Petersburg Lakewood (4A, 9-3), St. Petersburg Northeast (6A, 9-2), Stuart Martin County (7A, 9-1), Tallahassee Rickards (6A, 6-5), Tampa Gaither (7A, 6-5), No. 6 Tampa Wharton (7A, 9-3), Trenton (1A, 4-6), No. 2 The Villages Charter (4A, 10-1), Trinity Mitchell (7A, 8-3), Viera (7A, 5-5), Wellington (8A, 7-4), Wellington Palm Beach Central (8A, 10-1), West Palm Beach Forest Hill (8A, 6-3), Winter Garden West Orange (8A, 11-2), Zephyrhills (5A, 9-2) TRACKING FLORIDA: Teams Look At 2021 Season. https://prepredzone.com/2021/03/tracking-florida-teams-look-at-2021-season/ You Can Contact Larry Blustein with prospect or team information at: Floridakids1@aol.com.