Florida High School Football Games of the Week: September 26-28

Last week, Chaminade-Madonna Prep and Venice both won top-10 showdowns, while Miami Central and Nease handled business against ranked opponents.

This week, No. 1 IMG Academy heads out of the state for a clash with Alabama’s No. 1 — Phenix City (Ala.) Central. The lone in-state ranked matchup of the week is between No. 24 F. W. Buchholz and No. 17 Nease.

Below are the Florida high school football games of the week.

The On3 Massey Ratings — which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated college high school sports team rankings since 1995 — rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.

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Top high school football games in Florida

#1 IMG Academy at Phenix City (Ala.) Central — Friday, Sept. 27
IMG Academy improved to 4-1 on the season with a dominant 49-6 win over Mandarin. The Ascenders’ lone loss of the season came at the start of the year when they went out west to Corner Canyon (Utah) and fell 35-34. This week, IMG will travel to Phenix City Central (Ala.) — the home of several NFL draft picks and current Power 4 players. The Red Devils are undefeated on the year and No. 1 in Alabama after beating Enterprise (Ala.) 34-21 last week. The On3 Massey Ratings project a 38-21 IMG Academy win.

#3 St. Thomas Aquinas at Bishop Moore Catholic— Friday, Sept. 27
Bishop Moore Catholic ranks No. 48 overall in the state of Florida and has yet to drop a game this year. The Hornets currently have wins over Oviedo, Tottenville, Bartow and Mt. Dora. But their toughest test of the year comes on Friday when Bishop Moore hosts No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas. STA is 4-1 this year, its loss coming in week one in a national showcase against Bishop Gorman (Nev.). The Raiders lost that game 29-21 before hitting a four-game winning streak against Boyd Anderson, Columbus, Western and McArthur. Thomas Aquinas is led by multiple Power 4 prospects, including elite safety Justice Fitzpatrick, Illinois running back commit Cedric Wyche and Maryland defensive back commit Travares Daniels. The On3 Massey Ratings project a 42-7 St. Thomas Aquinas victory.

#16 Cardinal Newman at Tampa Jesuit — Friday, Sept. 27
Cardinal Newman hits the road this week as the Crusaders look to remain perfect on the season. Four-star junior athlete Jyron Hughley and Florida State defensive back commit Max Redmon headline a top-25 defense in the Sunshine State. Newman will travel to play Tampa Jesuit, which is 2-2 this season with wins over Benjamin and Blake — and losses to Bishop Verot and Valdosta. Tampa Jesuit is a slight one-point favorite over the Crusaders, per the On3 Massey Ratings.

#24 F. W. Buchholz at #17 Nease — Friday, Sept. 27
Buchholz heads to No. 17 Nease this week as 15-point favorites over the Panthers. Buchholz is 3-2 with wins over Vanguard, Vero Beach and Eastside — but the Bobcats have dropped two straight to Manatee and Richmond Hill. Nease is still undefeated with wins over Ponte Vedra, Creekside, Duncan U. Fletcher and St. Augustine — winning the most recent 35-34. The On3 Massey Ratings project a 35-20 Buchholz win.