Florida high school football has had plenty of ups and downs through the first five weeks.
Upsets and close calls have filled the scoreboards as we try and configure every week who are exactly the Sunshine State’s top football programs week in and week out.
This past week was no different. Plenty of exciting games were on tap, bringing to you a whole new perspective on the best out of Florida.
We list every team’s most impressive win this season in this week’s rankings.
Here’s the Top 25 Florida high school football teams after Week 5, as we see it.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: When the Ascenders defeated Cocoa 34-13 back on Sep. 6th, we feel like that’s been the best win for Billy Miller’s group thus far. Games against Phenix City Central (Alabama), St. Frances Academy (Maryland) and Venice loom large.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: Just last week, defeating a talented Western squad 23-15 definitely was a better victory than most would give the Raiders credit for.
Ernst Peters/The Ledger / Ernst Peters/The Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: The Dreadnaughts knocking off Miami Centra, 16-8, on the road at Traz Powell remains Lakeland’s best victory this season.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: The Sep. 6th come-from-behind victory over rival Tampa Bay Tehc, 31-27, is Armwood’s best victory in 2024.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: Got to go with this most recent one against Cocoa, 54-51. It displayed a little bit of everything and arguably, the most difficult one to date.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: Strolling into Daytona Stadium and blasting Mainland, last year;s Class 3S state champion 51-0, is the Tigers’ most impressive win.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: Friday night’s 35-32 victory over Plantation American Heritage becomes Miami Central’s best victory of the season so far.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: Thursday’s 45-20 win over Miami Norland is Chaminade-Madonna’s best victory of the season. The Lions still face St. Thomas Aquinas this fall, which could be game of the year in South Florida.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: We know it just happened on Thursday night, but the 34-28 overtime win over Kissimmee Osceola has to be the Fightin’ Tigers top win this season.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: The Patriots best victory came in a Week 2 51-12 romp of Western. Plantation American Heritage has to be the best 3-loss team in the country.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: Chris Harvey leading his team to a ho-hum 28-14 season opening victory over Berkeley Prep is the Marauders’ best win to date.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: Give us last week’s victory over Monarch, 30-26, as the Seminoles best victory this season. We would get more excited about Lake Mary, but the Rams dropping another game lessens the importance.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: Look no further than the guys below the Vikings, the Miami Northwestern Bulls. That’s Miami Norland’s best win this season.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: Starting off the season with a 45-0 shellacking of Coconut Creek was the Bulls’ best victory of 2024 so far.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: Something about Week 1’s trip up to Nashville and beating Lipscomb Academy, 28-23, reasonates within us. That’s the Royals best win thus far.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: Defeating a solid Peachtree Ridge team out of Georgia, 30-29, at the Broward County Classic remains the Knights’ top victory to date.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: The season opening 35-28 win over South Sumter really set the tone for the strong start. This has all happened without the services of East Carolina commitment Eddie Love Jr.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: The win that catapulted the Panthers into these rankings, a 26-21 upset of Lake Mary. Yeah, we’re pretty sure that’s the one.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: We’ll roll with the 49-20 drubbing of Cardinal Gibbons at the Broward County Classic as the Rams’ best win.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: Week 4’s 18-13 win over Mandarin was expected by the Bradford faithful. We call it the Tornadoes’ best victory so far.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: It’s got to be last week’s against Buchholz on the road, defeating the Bobcats 34-27. Jacquez Green has his best team in his tenure at Manatee.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: We’re going to say this Week 5 victory, 35-34, over rival St. Augustine is the win that’s really impressed us the most.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: We like Week 4’s 47-35 victory over Riverside. The Yellow Jackets took a big dip this week after the loss to Nease.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: Blowing the doors off of previously ranked Bishop Verot 49-28 now stands as by far Cardinal Mooney’s best victory.
MOST IMPRESSIVE WIN: We’re going to go with the Eagles 42-13 thrashing of Blanche Ely as this club’s best victory.
On the outside looking in: Apopka, Berkeley Prep, Bishop Moore, Bishop Verot, Blanche Ely, Bolles, Buchholz, Cardinal Newman, Cardinal Gibbons, Choctawhatchee, Coconut Creek, Dunbar, Eau Gallie, Edgewater, Escambia, Kissimmee Osceola, Lincoln, First Baptist Academy, Hawthorne, Jesuit, Lake Wales, Leesburg, Madison County, Mandarin, Miami Booker T. Washington, Miami Palmetto, Mitchell, Naples, Newberry, Pensacola Catholic, Raines, Sarasota Booker, Tampa Bay Tech, Union County, Vanguard, West Orange, Wiregrass Ranch
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— Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl
