Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams - September 2
After an exciting week two of games in the Sunshine State, the Florida high school football rankings have seen movement once again — with two major changes near the top.
No. 2 Chaminade-Madonna Prep fell in a shocking upset to Blanche Ely while Venice pulled off a top-10 win over Northwestern. IMG Academy bounced back against Bergen Catholic (N.J.) after a week one loss, and Cocoa blasted a defending state champ.
Below is the updated Florida On3 Massey Ratings top 25, as of Sept. 2.
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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1. IMG Academy
Previous Ranking: No. 1
IMG Academy faced another elite out-of-state opponent last week as the Ascenders took on Bergen Catholic (N.J.) with former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick in attendance. IMG came away with the two-score 27-14 win over the Crusaders. SMU quarterback commit Ty Hawkins broke a 7-7 tie in the third quarter with a 51-yard touchdown run before finding freshman wide receiver Eric McFarland for a 45-yard strike on the next drive. Next up for IMG is an in-state showdown against No. 4 Cocoa on Friday.
2. Venice
Previous Ranking: No. 4 (+2)
Florida game of the week last Friday, Venice took down Northwestern in a top-10 matchup, downing the Bulls 48-42 in overtime. Sophomore running back Dorien Irving-Jones scored the game-winning rushing touchdown. Venice’s James Madison running back commit, Jamarice Wilder, rushed for an astonishing 341 yards and two touchdowns. Venice will go on the road Friday to face No. 16 Bishop Verot.
3. St. Thomas Aquinas
Previous Ranking: No. 3
St. Thomas Aquinas shut out Boyd Anderson on the road 51-0. The Raiders have a big home showdown with No. 23 Columbus coming on Friday. The Explorers fells to Good Counsel (Md.) 14-10 last week.
4. Cocoa
Previous Ranking: No. 6 (+2)
Cocoa went on the road against defending state champion Mainland and thrashed the Buccaneers 51-0. UCF commit Jayvan Boggs caught all four passing touchdowns from Michigan quarterback commit and Cocoa junior Brady Hart. Next up for the Tigers is the Florida game of the week — a road clash with No. 1 IMG Academy.
5. Lakeland
Previous Ranking: No. 5
Lakeland was idle on the second week of games in the Sunshine State. Previously, Lakeland took down top-5 Miami Central in a major upset victory for the Dreadnoughts. Junior four-star linebacker Malik Morris accounted for a rushing touchdown, a blocked punt and a stuffed Miami Central third-down run on the 1-yard line. Lakeland will play at No. 9 Lake Mary on Friday in one of the state’s best games of the week.
6. F. W. Buchholz
Previous Ranking: No. 7 (+1)
Buchholz faced a stiff test from Vero Beach in week two, overcoming the Fighting Indians 38-23 with a 21-point fourth quarter. Junior quarterback Trace Johnson threw for 179 yards and two scores while running back Jasiah Powell ran for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The Bobcats will face Eastside on the road this Friday.
7. Miami Central
Previous Ranking: No. 14 (+7)
Miami Central smacked Edison 54-7 to move to 1-1 on the season. The Central defense accounted for five sacks and six turnovers, while Anthony McQueen replaced Penn State commit Bekkem Kritza at quarterback following the loss to Lakeland the week prior. The Rockets will play Booker T. Washington on Saturday.
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8. Norland
Previous Ranking: No. 8
Norland took down Miami Carol City at home by a 36-10 score last Friday. Defensive back Jerrard Smith came down with multiple takeaways for the Vikings while quarterback Ennio Yapoor threw for three touchdowns. Norland is idle this week, next playing No. 18 Northwestern on Sept. 13.
9. Lake Mary
Previous Ranking: No. 13 (+4)
Lake Mary beat Osceola 24-7 behind a nearly 200-yard effort from junior Notre Dame quarterback commit Noah Grubbs. Through the third quarter, Osceola had gained just 28 yards on 25 snaps. Lake Mary will host No. 5 Lakeland on Friday in a marquee Sunshine State showdown.
10. Chaminade-Madonna Prep
Previous Ranking: No. 2 (-8)
Chaminade-Madonna fell in a shocker over the weekend with a 35-34 overtime loss to Blanche Ely. Senior quarterback Preston Wright was 9-of-14 passing for 106 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore Tyler Chance was 6-of-11 for 113 yards and an interception. Elite junior athlete Derrek Cooper ran 29 times for 184 yards and four touchdowns. The Lions will look to pick up their first win of the season this Friday at home against No. 11 American Heritage.
Teams 11-25 in latest Florida High School Football Rankings
11. American Heritage (+7)
12. Armwood (-3)
13. Sanford Seminole (-2)
14. Mandarin (+2)
15. Niceville (+7)
16. Bishop Verot (+7)
17. Choctawhatchee (+4)
18. Northwestern (-8)
19. St. Augustine (+1)
20. Jones (-1)
21. Naples (+4)
22. Clearwater Central Catholic (-5)
23. Columbus (-11)
24. Lincoln (NR)
25. Tampa Bay Tech (NR)
Dropped from rankings: Bartram Trail, Miami Palmetto