Notable Stock Up Programs Midway Through Season 

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first few weeks gave us plenty of storylines, but Week 4 gave us even more answers. Some teams strengthened their case as legitimate contenders, some programs raised more questions, and a few teams are starting to separate themselves from the pack.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At this point in the season, we're getting a much better idea of which preseason evaluations were right and which teams still have something to prove.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STOCK UP</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1. TAMPA BAY TECH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Record: 4-0</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Players:</strong> Kesean Smith, [player_tooltip player_id='2339078' first='Carlos' last='Lemons'], Martavious Conway</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A dominant 48-0 win over Plant has moved Tampa Bay Tech up 17 spots to No. 12 in the state on MaxPreps.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tampa Bay Tech is in the hunt for a Top 8 finish with Gaither, Lennard and Armwood still awaiting on the schedule. One loss could hurt, but the Titans are still a frontrunner in a competitive race for the 5A state championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Back-to-back weeks holding an opponent to zero points. We already know this team has weapons, but a defense playing lights out can take you a long way once the postseason starts. That's what really stands out to me right now.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2. LAKE WALES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Record: 3-1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Players: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1670990' first='Kaneilius' last='Purdy'], [player_tooltip player_id='2336546' first='Kamari' last='Smith'], [player_tooltip player_id='2376746' first='Kingston' last='Loydd'], Raeshaun Pugh, [player_tooltip player_id='2124075' first='Loobensky' last='LaFortune']&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lake Wales picked up a dominant district win over county opponent Lake Region. The Highlanders have held opponents to just 14 points over their last three games and have moved to No. 17 in the state on MaxPreps.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I think Lake Wales has one of the more talented rosters in the state. When they're firing on all cylinders, they can compete with nearly anyone, especially in a competitive Class 4A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>141-14.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's the scoring-to-defense ratio for this program. The offense has legit playmakers and the defense doesn't have very many holes. That's a pretty good formula heading into the second half of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3. WEST BOCA RATON</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Record: 3-0</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Players: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2251474' first='Trey' last='Moran'], Quinton Miller Jr, [player_tooltip player_id='1681579' first='Maxwell' last='Reid'], [player_tooltip player_id='2267689' first='Terriel' last='Harmon']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Boca closed out a dominant 24-7 win over last year's Class 1A state champion Cardinal Newman. A lot of eyes were on this one, and the Bulls handled business.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I think this program has solidified itself since the Kickoff Classic showdown as a team that should be in the Top 8 conversation at the end of the season. They have all the right ingredients for a full feast in the postseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Boca has now dominated two state champions from last season, holding them to 14 points total while scoring 48 points between the two games. That tells me the Bulls are firing on all cylinders on both sides of the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>4. TAMPA CATHOLIC</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Record: 4-0</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Players:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2365209' first='Chance' last='Houston'], [player_tooltip player_id='2194702' first='Mannie' last='McKinney'], [player_tooltip player_id='2237234' first='Eastyn' last='Billingsley']&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Huge win over Berkeley Prep, a program that's only a couple years removed from a state championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Program momentum and visibility is real in this day and age of transferring and everything else that comes with high school football. This is a big deal for a program that won just one game a season ago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The bounce-back from the offense after scoring just seven points in a close one last week has to feel good for that coaching staff. They're 4-0, they're getting attention, and there's real momentum around this program right now.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TEAMS I'M WATCHING OUT FOR</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The First Academy</strong> — They've won four solid games and now they're heading into a major program measuring stick against IMG Academy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DeLand</strong> — Huge blowout win over Lake Mary. This is a team that's starting to get harder and harder to ignore.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cardinal Mooney</strong> — Things look back on track as they eye a potential Top 8 finish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hawthorne</strong> — Two big wins over Bishop Moore and Northwestern, but it came at a major cost with their star 2028 quarterback out for the season with an injury.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lake Nona</strong> — Should have won that Winter Park game and they'd be undefeated right now. They followed that up with a big win over Edgewater, so I'm still keeping a close eye on this team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>THE TEAM I'M BUYING</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>DELAND</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Players:</strong> Kaveon Jackson, [player_tooltip player_id='1870925' first='Taihj' last='Moore'], Atif Austin</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We've all known this was a formidable program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They beat Lake Wales on the road to start the season, went toe-to-toe with St. Francis Academy, one of the top teams in the country, and then dominated previous 7A state champion Lake Mary.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>This team is hard to beat.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What makes DeLand interesting to me isn't necessarily anything that has dramatically changed. It's the schedule.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They don't play another undefeated team, and they should be favorites in all of their remaining contests.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maybe not Top 8, but if they win out, they won't have a single in-state loss and will have a pretty solid season resume.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With Columbus and Venice sitting at the top of 6A, a state championship run looks very possible.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mainland</strong> is the matchup I'm watching.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I think the Buccaneers will have things together about this time in the season to make this an interesting measuring game before the postseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->