Ten teams to watch in Class 5A for 2013

Class 5A has long been home to some of the state’s top teams and we are looking again of having some outstanding teams to watch in the 2013 season. While there are more than 10 teams to watch in each of the highest four classifications, we feel the teams we select have importance in some form or fashion.

BISHOP KENNY CRUSADERS | District 5A-3

John Wolford is back for his final year at the helm at center for Crusaders and has been a consistent leader for the team that has seen quite a bit of talent come through the stadium in recent years. Coming off the best season in school history, where the Crusaders made a regional final appearance in the playoffs. However, they will need to fill in some considerable holes this year including replacing talented wide receiver Ahmad Fulwood, plus their district now expands out to eight teams meaning more challenges lay ahead.

DUNBAR TIGERS | District 5A-14

Dunbar make the jump up to Class 5A and could be an immediate contender in their district to make the playoffs. With some talented playmakers on the roster already they should not have trouble navigating their district, but will they be ready for a bigger challenge if they do make the playoffs this season considering other teams in the region that could provide a challenge in the playoffs?

GODBY COUGARS | District 5A-2

Godby is coming off a state championship season for the first time since 1987. One of the biggest challenges that the Cougars will face with is filling in some open holes due to graduation. However, the regional setup for Godby will play a favorable part that could allow the Cougars to make another run again. Are they up for the challenge again?

IMMOKALEE INDIANS | District 5A-15

Immokalee is coming off its second ever appearance in a state championship game with a lot of different factors going on. First a few talented playmakers have been lost due to graduation, but they do have talent coming back that should balance things out. However, the second thing is a new head coach is in town to keep the pace up in Immoaklee in the name of Rich Dombroski. Will the Indians continue the path of being in the state title talk again this season?

JESUIT TIGERS | District 5A-9

The Jesuit Tigers are shifting down one district this season, but that is not the only change the Tigers have made. New head coach Matt Thompson comes over from Armwood to take the reins of a program that looked promising to make a run in 2011 only to slip behind in 2012. Thompson will no doubt  inherit a team that has talent, but returning to the playoffs should not be an issue this year as Jesuit is just one of three teams to make up their district.

MERRITT ISLAND MUSTANGS | District 5A-12

Merritt Island has been a pretty consistent playoff team over the years, but now they have been facing some challenges heading into the season as they have faced some big losses due to graduation and played a spring game against Palm Bay Heritage in which they were trounced heavily. Can the Mustangs make up the ground needed to stay competitive not only in Brevard County, but keep their dot on the map this season?

MIAMI JACKSON GENERALS | District 5A-16

The Generals made some big noise last year as they went all the way to the state semifinals before finally being knocked out by Class 5A runner-up Immokalee. With talent usually never being an issue for a lot of schools in the Miami area, including Miami Jackson, the Generals could find themselves still playing late into November. Will they be able to and be at the top in a district that now includes competitive teams, Cardinal Gibbons and American Heritage (Plantation) in the district?

PASCO PIRATES | District 5A-6

Pasco has always been one team to keep an eye out for, especially when it comes to talks about possible state title contenders year-in and year-out. While Pasco was fairly young last year, they appear to have the makings of a team that will be stronger and year older this season. However, they will not have a walk in the park when it comes to their district as South Sumter moves up a classification to join the district.

WAKULLA WAR EAGLES | District 5A-2

Wakulla is looking to pick up where they left off after finishing with a perfect regular season, but bailing out of the playoffs after getting beaten by eventual 5A state champion Godby. the biggest question will be how to replace the void left due to a huge graduation loss. However, even Wakulla slips downward this season, they still could find themselves in the playoffs again due to the size of the district, which is only three teams.

YULEE HORNETS | District 5A-3

The Yulee Hornets are making the jump up to Class 5A after playing the last two seasons in Class 4A. However, the big thing is Yulee will make the jump as they move into the post-Derrick Henry era, who broke the national rushing record last season. While the Hornets will have talent, they will face a challenge in their new district that includes teams like Bishop Kenny and Ribault. Will Yulee continue to stay strong without Henry in the backfield?