Florida State High School Football Rankings – Week 1

In the over 50 years that we have put out team and player rankings, it has been done in a manner of living up to a certain spot or falling behind.

While you have already had the opportunity to see a number of state rankings as far as teams are concerned, they are subjective at best. They always are. It usually is an opinion that the author had at the time.

If you have followed us long enough, you already know that are player and team ratings are done by seeing them perform live – many times during a course of a year. It doesn't mean we do it any better, but it does give us an opportunity to see the potential in teams and players that could elevate them or perhaps drop them.

We have always believed that you play yourself in or out of a position or a ranking. What comes out on August 22 will certainly not be the same in the last week of December when we list the final Top 25 plus.

Each Tuesday we will make adjustments to reflect the way a team is playing. We did that in 1970 – and are still doing that in 2023, and no matter how someone will feel about what we produce, it is our personal opinion and not gospel.

Taking no shots, but how can you actually put much into someone from Ohio, Texas, Minnesota and California coming up with a Florida ranking? It's logical to understand that everyone needs to have an audience and subscriptions, but when we have watched 250 teams and 4,000 players from Florida this off-season alone – at some 20 different camps, combines and 7-on-7 events, you need to trust in what you see live.

As we begin, it's tough not to have a co-defending national champion like Miami Central not in the top spot. The Rockets could play themselves out of No. 1, but until they do, it's tough to imagine many programs in the Sunshine State beating them.

St. Thomas Aquinas has won 24 straight and has been in the state championship in eight of the past 10 years. IMG Academy is in the same boat. They are loaded with top players from across the country.

For Chaminade-Madonna, they are once again loaded up and will definitely dictate their chances of staying in the national picture with one of the most challenging schedules in the country.

While we release our Week 1 schedule, understand that it is a starting point and teams will be shifted as early as next Tuesday:

1. Miami Central (2M, 14-0). THIS WEEK: Bye. NEXT WEEK: at Las Vegas Bishop Gorman.

2. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (3M, 14-0). THIS WEEK: Bellflower, St. John Bosco. NEXT WEEK: Fort Myers.

3. Bradenton IMG Academy (Independent, 1-0). THIS WEEK: at Philadelphia, St. Joseph's Prep. NEXT WEEK: at Alabaster Thompson, Alabama.

4. Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna (1M, 13-1). THIS WEEK: Baltimore St. Frances Academy. NEXT WEEK: at No. 13 Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons.

5. Lakeland (4S, 14-0). THIS WEEK: No. 8 Miami Norland. NEXT WEEK: at Largo.

6. Miami Christopher Columbus (4M, 14-1). THIS WEEK: at No. 18 Clearwater Academy International. NEXT WEEK: Miami Killian.

7. Homestead (3M, 11-3). THIS WEEK: Bye. NEXT WEEK: Miami Palmetto.

8. Miami Norland (2M, 9-3). THIS WEEK: at No. 5 Lakeland. NEXT WEEK: at Miami Carol City.

9. Plantation American Heritage (2M, 13-2). THIS WEEK: St. John's, Washington, D.C. NEXT WEEK: No. 25 Jacksonville Trinity Christian

10. Davie Western (4M, 7-4). THIS WEEK: Milton, Georgia. NEXT WEEK: Bye.

11. Orlando Jones (3M, 11-3). THIS WEEK: No. 14 Cocoa. NEXT WEEK: at Olney Our Lady of Good Counsel, Maryland.

12. Apopka (4M, 11-4). THIS WEEK: Ocoee. NEXT WEEK: Winter Garden West Orange.

13. Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons (2M, 10-2). THIS WEEK: Cardinal Gibbons, Raleigh, North Carolina. NEXT WEEK: No. 4 Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna.

14. Cocoa (2S, 11-3). THIS WEEK: at No. 10 Orlando Jones. NEXT WEEK: No. 15 Venice.

15. Venice (4S, 9-4). THIS WEEK: Seffner Armwood. NEXT WEEK: No. 14 Cocoa.

16. Vero Beach (4S, 11-2). THIS WEEK: Miami Northwestern. NEXT WEEK: Palm Beach Gardens.

17. West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman (1M, 12-1). THIS WEEK: Miami Gardens Monsignor Pace. NEXT WEEK: at Miami Belen Jesuit.

18. Clearwater Academy International (Independent, 11-1). THIS WEEK: No. 7 Miami Christopher Columbus. NEXT WEEK: at No. 19 Orlando Edgewater.

19. Orlando Edgewater (3M, 11-1). THIS WEEK: Orlando Bishop Moore. NEXT WEEK: No. 18 Clearwater Academy International.

20. Daytona Beach Mainland (3S, 10-4). THIS WEEK: at Deland. NEXT WEEK: Pembroke Pines West Broward.

21. Tampa Bay Tech (3M, 8-3). THIS WEEK: Tampa Plant. NEXT WEEK: at Lutz Steinbrenner.

22. Pensacola Pine Forest (3S, 9-1). THIS WEEK: at Cantonment Tate. NEXT WEEK: Navarre.

23. Sanford Seminole (4M, 8-3). THIS WEEK: Rockledge. NEXT WEEK: No. 24 Kissimmee Osceola.

24. Kissimmee Osceola (4S, 10-4). THIS WEEK: Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast. NEXT WEEK: at No. 23 Sanford Seminole.

25. Jacksonville Trinity Christian (1M, 11-1). THIS WEEK: Jacksonville Ed White. NEXT WEEK: at No. 11 Plantation American Heritage.

OTHER TEAMS TO WATCH

While the competition was truly impressive last season, expect more teams to emerge.

Apopka Wekiva (3M, 5-6)

Blountstown (1R, 8-5)

Bratt Northview (1R, 13-1 – State Runner Up)

Bushnell South Sumter (2S, 12-1)

Chipley (1R, 11-1)

Clearwater Academy International (Independent, 10-1)

Clearwater Calvary Christian (2M, 10-3)

Clearwater Central Catholic (1M, 12-2 – State Runner up)

Coconut Creek (3M, 6-5)

Coconut Creek Monarch (4M, 9-3)

DeLand (4S, 6-5)

Delray Beach Atlantic (3M, 8-4)

Doral Academy (4M, 8-5)

Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian (2M, 9-3)

Fort Lauderdale Dillard (3M, 7-4)

Fort Myers Bishop Verot (2S, 9-3)

Fort Myers Dunbar (3S, 9-2)

Fort Pierce John Carroll (1S, 9-2)

Fort Walton Beach Choctawhatchee (3S, 7-6)

Frostproof (2S, 10-3)

Gainesville Buchholz (4S, 10-3)

Gainesville P.K. Yonge (1S, 4-8)

Glen St. Mary Baker County (2S, 7-4)

Hawthorne (1R, 12-0 – State Champions)

Jacksonville Bolles (2M, 8-5)

Jacksonville Mandarin (4M, 8-4)

Jacksonville Raines (2M, 9-3)

Jacksonville University Christian (1M, 11-2)

Jensen Beach (3S, 10-3)

Lake Butler Union County (1R, 7-3)

Lake City Columbia (3S, 8-4)

Lake Mary (4M, 8-4)

Lake Minneola (4S, 10-2)

Lake Wales (3S, 15-0). Won a first ever state title in 3S.

Lakeland Christian (1S, 8-2)

Land O'Lakes (4S, 9-2)

Largo (3M, 9-3)

Live Oak Suwannee (2S, 10-3)

Miami Booker T. Washington (2M, 9-3)

Mayo Lafayette (1R, 10-2)

Miami Palmer Trinity (1M, 6-6)

Naples First Baptist (1S, 10-2 – State Champions)

Niceville (4S, 9-2)

Miami Northwestern (2M, 6-5)

Miami True North Classical Academy (1M, 8-4)

Miramar (3M, 10-2)

Moore Haven (1S, 8-4)

Naples (3S, 9-3)

Navarre (4S, 8-3)

New Port Richey Mitchell (4S, 8-4)

Ocala Trinity Catholic (1S, 9-3 – State Runner up)

Ocoee (4M, 8-5)

Orlando Olympia (4M, 6-5)

Pahokee (1R, 9-3)

Palm Beach Gardens (4M, 9-4)

Palm Beach Gardens Benjamin (1M, 5-5)

Pensacola Catholic (2S, 10-2)

Pompano Beach Blanche Ely (3M, 10-1)

Plantation (3M, 7-4).

Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast (4S, 4-7)

Quincy Munroe (1S, 5-7)

Rockledge (3S, 8-3)

Sarasota Riverview (4S, 5-7)

Seffner Armwood (3M, 6-4)

Sneads (1R, 11-1)

Starke Bradford County (2S, 11-2)

St. John's Bartram Trail (4S, 12-1).

St. John's Creekside (4S, 9-3)

St. Petersburg Lakewood (2M, 9-5)

Tallahassee FSU High (2S, 14-1 – State Runner up)

Tallahassee North Florida Christian (1S, 11-1)

Tampa Carrollwood Day (1M, 6-4)

Tampa Catholic (2M, 9-2)

Tampa Plant (4M, 9-3)

Tampa Wharton (3M, 8-3)

Tarpon Springs East Lake (4M, 10-2)

Wellington Palm Beach Central (4M, 12-2)

Winter Park (4M, 9-2)

Zephyrhills (3S, 9-4)

PROSPECT SHEET: Statewide Coverage Daily. https://prepredzone.com/2023/03/statewide-daily-team-coverage/

You Can Contact Larry Blustein with prospect or team information at: Floridakids1@aol.com.