Florida high school football has had plenty of ups and downs through the first six weeks and Hurricane Helene slamming into the state made things that much crazier.
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 6, as we see it.
Due to Hurricane Helene, the Ascenders ended up not playing Phenix City Central (Alabama), thus having an unexpected bye week. Now they’ll get to face No. 5 Venice this week on the road at Powell-Davis Stadium. This will be a treat, as long as Mother Nature cooperates.
Hitting the Florida Turnpike north into Central Florida and taking on Bishop Moore was no problem for the Raiders. St. Thomas Aquinas took over Orlando and won easily, 50-15.
Ah, how time flies? We remember a time when Lakeland against Lake Gibson was an intense rivalry game. The Dreadnaughts dominated the Braves 63-0 in a rare Tuesday night game.
The Hawks will play the first of two games next week on Monday night against always tough Plant at Dads Stadium.
No team has scored points like John Peacock’s Indians have. This time Venice took the short trip south and picked up an easy 50-7 win over Lehigh. Game of the year for Venice when they take on IMG Academy at home this week. Grab your popcorn.
The Tigers enjoyed a bye week, but this Friday will welcome Miami Norland into town. This is another game that is right up there with any in the Southeast.
Bulls versus the Rockets in what is quite possibly the Dade County game of the year. It doesn’t get any better than when these two storied programs get together at Traz Powell Stadium.
Dameon Jones has his Lions playing their best football right now and they’ll need to be with the games coming up ahead: Monarch and St. Thomas Aquinas, which the latter will be at FIU’s Pitbull Stadium on Oct. 11th.
When you can roll into Polk County and defeat a team like Auburndale 49-7, definitely says something about the talent at Jones.
The Patriots reach the .500 mark after they easily defeated Plantation, 35-0. Next time American Heritage hits the field is on Oct. 12th against Miami Norland.
The Marauders are another Tampa Bay-area team that had their Week 6 game postponed due to Hurricane Helene.
Karl Calhoun’s bunch are locked in and looked like it when they dismantled Lake Brantley 61-8. We feel like things won’t be as easy when they face Titusville this week.
After an eas 49-16 victory over Archbishop McCarthy, Ennio Yapoor and crew can set their sights on a huge tilt against Cocoa on the road.
First taste of the annual ‘Soul Bowl’ for Teddy Bridgewater as a head coach ends with a 48-6 romp of Miami Jackson. Focus now shifts to a 305 showdown with Miami Central.
Took Jeff Conaway’s crew a little bit to wake up, but once they did, the Royals were able to notch a 39-13 win over Orlando Christian Prep. Royals win first district title since 2016.
The Knights have had a heck of a time with game scheduling this season. Due to Helene, their game against Coral Springs is on Monday before the major tilt versus Chaminade-Madonna.
A 41-7 win over Gulf Breeze was nice, but now Niceville will sink its teeth into the meat of the schedule with meetings against Mosley and Lincoln back-to-back.
There was no letdown after the huge win over Lake Mary last week, defeating Olympia 42-0.
The Rams had a much needed win, 52-3, over Hagerty before taking on North Miami Beach this upcoming Friday.
Playing earlier in the week ahead of Helene, Jamie Rodgers’ bunch rolled in a 42-0 victory over Keystone Heights. A Oct. 11th meeting with Newberry looms large.
The Hurricanes didn’t get to play because of Helene, but plan to get back on the field Monday against a upset-minded Pinellas Park group.
Collin Drafts and the Panthers will test their mettle once again this Monday when they travel to Citizens Field to take on Buchholz.
All is right again in Yellow Jackets’ land with a 27-6 romp over Columbia. Next up is a matchup against a much improved Clay team.
The Cougars will travel up to St. Petersburg on Tuesday night for a district tilt against always talented Lakewood.
Rick Martin and the Golden Eagles exorcised their demons with a 21-20 overtime victory over district rival Dunbar. It doesn’t erase last year’s region final, but definitely had to feel good.
On the outside looking in: Berkeley Prep, Bishop Moore, Bishop Verot, Blanche Ely, Bolles, Buchholz, Cardinal Newman, Cardinal Gibbons, Choctawhatchee, Delray Beach Atlantic, Dunbar, Eau Gallie, Edgewater, Escambia, Kissimmee Osceola, Lincoln, First Baptist Academy, Hawthorne, Jesuit, Lake Wales, Leesburg, Madison County, Mandarin, Miami Booker T. Washington, Mitchell, Newberry, Pensacola Catholic, Raines, Sarasota Booker, Southridge, Tampa Bay Tech, Union County, Vanguard, West Orange, Wiregrass Ranch
Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school football news.
SBLIVE SPORTS LAUNCHES HIGH SCHOOL ON SI
High School On SI will serve as the premier destination for high school sports fans, delivering unparalleled coverage of high school athletics nationwide through in-depth stories, recruiting coverage, rankings, highlights and much more. The launch of a dedicated high school experience expands Sports Illustrated’s reach to even more local communities as fans can now truly follow athletes from “preps to the pros” on a single platform, bringing them closer to the action than ever before. For more information, visit si.com/high-school.
To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App
— Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl
