Top Performers From A Competitive Week 1

Week 1 is in the books and there were some big surprises around the Sunshine State with five teams in the top 10 going down to defeat, opening the way for some newcomers to slide into the spotlight.   Welcome to the 2025 high school football season – and every Monday right until the end of the season at Pitbull Stadium in Miami, we will take a look at some of the prospects – many under the radar – who are making a difference.   As you already know, Prep Redzone Florida is indeed in a class by itself with year-round coverage and promotion of more football talent than any other source has the manpower to produce.   With Drew Johnson, Shannon Jordan and Larry Blustein leading the way, there is not a city or town that we have not been about to bring you with so many schools who play this game at a different level.   Today, we bring you some of the first week's players who have jumped out and deserve that recognition:   2027 – Steven Alexis, RB, 6'0, 203, St. Petersburg Gibbs – 3.04 GPA. An outstanding opening night for this quality talent as he ran for 248 yards and 3 touchdowns.   TAPE: <a>https://www.hudl.com/video/3/19459807/68a9b71d867c6104e9f3ff7f</a>   2027 – Blaze Allen, LB, 6'0, 205, Orlando Bishop Moore – 3.72 GPA. In a convincing win against Oviedo, he had 11 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 3 quarterback pressure.   TAPE: <a>https://www.hudl.com/profile/22416864/Blaze-Allen</a>   2026 – Cameryn Arbelaez, OLB/Edge/TE, 6'0, 195, Hudson. Track & Field. Weightlifting. Quite an opening week with 3 sacks, 2 strip sacks, 1 defensive score and five quarterback pressures.   TAPE: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/17800483/68aa7961c874bff5c035f7a1   2026 – Jeffrey Bervin, OG/NG, 6'0, 260, Winter Garden Horizon – 3.0 GPA. In a huge opening-night win against Orlando Olympia, he was one of the many catalysts up front.   TAPE: <a>https://www.hudl.com/profile/19710863/Jeffrey-Bervin</a>   2027 – Damien Grant, RB/Athlete, 5'8, 170, Southwest Ranches Archbishop McCarthy – 3.0 GPA. Carried 17 times for 260 yards and two scores in an upset win against Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons.   TAPE: <a>https://www.hudl.com/video/3/20312279/68a9d24f55684e240b225496</a>   2026 – [player_tooltip player_id='958342' first='Leandro' last='Gutierrez'], LB/RB, 5'11, 180, Oviedo Hagerty – 4.0 GPA. This two-sport (wrestling) athlete got his final year off to a great start in leading his team to a win on both sides of the ball. He had 1 sack, 1 pass breakup, 2 solo /4 assists- 6 total tackles. 6/6 snaps extra points, 3/3 snap – punts, 4 carries for 26 yards and  6 offensive blocks.   TAPE: <a>https://www.hudl.com/video/3/17705997/68a9ee98211f8d6f4e061add</a>   2026 – Elliot Ortiz, DT, 5'11, 230, Lakeland George Jenkins. Finished the opening week with seven tackles, two for loss against Eagle Lake – Lake Region. This is a quality athlete who was also a wrestler for the state-rated team.   TAPE: <a>https://www.hudl.com/video/3/20124009/678484ed6517cc0a961b4450</a>   2026 – Raszir Phelps, Athlete/Slot, 5'10, 160, Interlachen – 3.6 GPA. Finished the first game with 7 rushes for 146 yards, 1 TD and 2 receptions for 71 yards, 1 TD.   TAPE: <a href="https://access.qwikcut.com/highlights/68ab3faa9dd9f34607260ab8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://access.qwikcut.com/highlights/68ab3faa9dd9f34607260ab8</a>   2027 - Timothy Potts, QB, 6'0, 160, Miami Lakes Barbara Goleman. In the Gators' convincing 62-21 win against Key West, he set a school record with six touchdown passes and helped to lead an offense that went over 400 total yards.   TAPE: <a>https://www.hudl.com/profile/19464273/Timothy-Potts</a>   2026 – [player_tooltip player_id='1628903' first='Omari' last='Russell'] III, WR/DB, 6'1, 185, Fort Meade – 3.8 GPA. This student/athlete opened his final season with a solid evening in a 27-0 win with five tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception and 2 pass break ups on defense – and over 100 receiving yards.   TAPE: <a>https://www.hudl.com/profile/16371503/Omari-Russell</a>   2026 – Chris Siska, QB, 6'1, 175, Boynton Beach – 3.6 GPA. His first game as a senior was indeed special as he threw for 359 yards and 4 touchdowns.   TAPE: <a>https://www.hudl.com/profile/22263383/Chris-Siska</a>   2026 – [player_tooltip player_id='1583258' first='Lavonski' last='Tubbs'], RB/SS/P/QB, 6'0, 210, Davenport Ridge Community. Started the season with a huge game, carrying the ball 25 times for 275 yards in a win against Lakeland Kathleen.   TAPE: <a>https://www.hudl.com/video/3/19823167/68a9617955684e240b2115c1</a>   2026 – [player_tooltip player_id='1372056' first='Kyle' last='Valdes'], WR/DB, 5'8, 152, Riverview Bell Creek – 4.41 GPA. He began his final season with 7 total tackles, 2 pass deflections and 1 interception on defense. Offensively, he caught 5 balls for 56 yards, added a 2-point conversion, ran for 116 yards and finished with 187 total yards.   TAPE: <a>https://access.qwikcut.com/highlights/68482f306f92d2e06c1edf10</a>   2027 – Mikey Vernon, WR/CB, 5'9, 160, Tampa Jesuit – 3.1 GPA. What a way to start his junior year – reeling in seven balls for 140 yards and a score in a win over Fort Myers Bishop Verot.   TAPE: <a>https://www.hudl.com/video/3/19599136/68a9cfa955684e240b224ffd</a>   UPDATED CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS. <a>https://prepredzone.com/florida/rankings/2026-rankings/</a>   Statewide Coverage Daily. https://prepredzone.com/florida/   You Can Contact Larry Blustein with prospect or team information at: Floridakids1@aol.com.   COACHES, PLAYERS: Do You Have A Subscription? Contact us for a savings code so you can see what everyone has been talking about! <a href="mailto:Floridakids1@aol.com">Floridakids1@aol.com</a>.

Week 1 is in the books and there were some big surprises around the Sunshine State with five teams in the top 10 going down to defeat, opening the way for some newcomers to slide into the spotlight.