10 Sunshine State Games That Will Steal The Week 2 Spotlight

After an exciting first week of the 2026 high school football season, we now move to Week 2 where the stakes will continue to rise.   As we told you all off season, this year has the chance to be one of the most competitive that we have watched in a long time – with several elite teams playing each other.   After Miami Central and Orlando Jones headed to California last week, this second week will see more games that will showcase contests that will pit the state of Florida against schools from Maryland, Illinois, Texas, California, New Jersey, Georgia, Alabama, Colorado, Nevada, Louisiana and several other states.   With ESPN2 cameras rolling along with other contests being televised across the country, this is the week where some of the top teams will have the opportunity to show how they have improved over the past eight months.   Once again this week, we bring you 10 games to keep an eye on. After Week 1, you can plainly see that we have a good idea of which direction to look in.   No. 1 Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (5A, 1-0) vs. DeSoto, Texas (0-0). Once again, the Broward County National High School Football Showcase struck gold with this marquee matchup as Texas come to Florida ready to show that they have some of the best football in the country. The Raiders are the No. 2 teams in the country and have dominated Florida competition with seven straight state titles. ESPN2 will be in hand for this one!   No. 5. Miami Carol City (2A, 1-0) at Lee County, Georgia (1-0). Here isanother game where a Florida squad will be on the road to play a Georgia power with high hopes. The Chiefs have been down for a few years, but with the infusion of quality talent, they are looking to continue to play well on the road.   St. Frances, Maryland (0-0) at No. 9 DeLand (6A, 1-0). If the Bulldogs play the defense they did last week and in the spring against Orland The First Academy, this could be a long evening against one of the nation's best teams. They have done well on offense and put up plenty of points, but this is a different team that is rolling into town this evening. Avoid the mistakes. St. Frances does not need any help!   No. 11. Seffner Armwood (5A, 1-0) at Ramsey Don Bosco Prep, New Jersey (0-0). The Hawks opened with a win last week as they look to make another legitimate run in Florida and wipe away the past two years when they fell short. But this is a different opponent than they are used to playing. This is a national program with elite prospects who have played at a high level for decades. The key here is to play mistake free football and try to run the ball and take time off the clock.   No. 1 Las Vegas Bishop Gorman (2-0) vs. No. 15 Miami Christopher Columbus (6A, 1-0). After dominating the previous No. 1 team in the country – Bellflower St. John Bosco last week – the Gaels come east once again as a huge favorite against a much-improved Explorers' squad that had a dominating win in the opener against Miami Southridge. We know that Bishop Gorman is talented and deep, but as we saw a few years ago when they played St. Thomas Aquinas, they also make mistakes. Columbus will have to play their best game and keep their own mistakes at a bare minimum. The Explorers have not played a national game like this – while the Gaels pretty much face this spotlight every week.   No. 27 Tampa Bay Tech (5A, 1-0) at Riverview Sumner (5A, 1-0). Both of these programs got out of the gate fast last week and each are in a position where the winner will continue to emerge as a program to watch. Both teams are well coached and have playmakers that colleges and universities around the nation have been keeping an eye on.   East St. Louis, Illinois (1-0) at No. 29 Plantation American Heritage (4A, 0-1). There is no getting around the fact that each team has been a national power for a number of years – and while the Patriots had numerous starters out for last week's game against West Boca Raton, they are still a very thin team and cannot afford to lose any starter. They were outmatched up front last week, and if they don't get some of those players back, this will be a tough assignment against an elite team that has Power 4 prospects on both sides of the ball. Last year they fell behind St. Joe's Prep by 28. They cannot do that again and expect to come out with a victory.   St. Petersburg Lakewood (2A, 0-1) at No. 30 [player_tooltip player_id='2122848' first='Lake' last='City Columbia'] (4A, 1-0). This could be a decent matchup against the 2A Spartans who fell short in their season-opener at home against power Miami Northwestern and a Tigers' squad that pulled a huge upset against state runner up Jacksonville Bolles. While these teams may not get the spotlight, an early season win can go a long way in determining the future of each team this season.   Merritt Island (3A, 1-0) at Melbourne (5A, 1-0). Who knew that this Week 2 matchup between these two Space Coast programs could produce the top team in the area. Both the Mustangs and Bulldogs have worked hard in the off season and have shown that they have the talent and coaching to not only be the best in this area, but could really make an impact statewide. Easily one of the most important early season games.   Tallahassee Godby (3A, 1-0) at Lynn Haven Mosley (4A, 1-0). This could be the best matchup in the Panhandle this week – especially after last week when both teams came up with opening-night wins. For the Dolphins, their victory over Fort Walton Beach Choctawhatchee was one of the huge surprises as this program continues to climb the ladder and become a playoff team that can make a serious run at a state title. Godby has plenty of talent and is also looking to establish itself as a top-flight program.     FLORIDA STATE SCOREBOARD   THURSDAY   Boca Raton Olympic Heights 50, Port St. Lucie Tradition Prep 0   Boca Raton Spanish River 43, South Plantation 0   Chatsworth Sierra Canyon, California 24, Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna   Coconut Creek Monarch 48, Miramar 41   Cooper City 42, Parkland Douglas 6   Coral Springs Taravella 19, Oakland Park Northeast 6   Cottondale 62, Graceville 20   Deerfield Beach 35, Davie Nova 21   Eagle Lake – Lake Region 25, Fort Meade 0   Fort Lauderdale 32, Hollywood South Broward 20   Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian 35, Fort Lauderdale NSU University School 18   Fort Pierce John Carroll 42, Belle Glade Glades Central 27   Gainesville Countryside Christian 21, Land O'Lakes Countryside Christian 18   Jacksonville Duval Charter 40, Jacksonville Harvest Community 22   Jensen Beach 33, Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast 2   Lauderdale Lakes Boyd Anderson 28, Fort Lauderdale Stranahan 12   Miami Killian 34, Homestead South Dade 29   Miami Lakes Goleman 49, Miami Coral Reef 0   Miami Northwestern 42, Miami Jackson 0   Niceville 41, Pensacola West Florida 14   North Lauderdale Somerset Prep 40, Pompano Beach 16   Ocala Forest 39, Gainesville Eastside 15   Palos Verdes, California 21, Orlando Bishop Moore 18   Pembroke Pines Charter 53, Coral Springs Charter 35   Pompano Beach NEXTGEN Prep 20, Riviera Beach Inlet Grove 12   Powder Spring McEachern, Georgia 20, Pembroke Pines West Broward 13   South Fort Myers 20, Fort Myers Riverdale 17   Stuart South Fork 48, Port St. Lucie Legacy Charter 0       Statewide Coverage Daily. <a href="https://prepredzone.com/florida/">https://prepredzone.com/florida/</a>   You Can Contact Larry Blustein with prospect or team information at: Floridakids1@aol.com.   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After an exciting first week of the 2026 high school football season, we now move to Week 2 where the stakes will continue to rise.