Florida has long been known for one of the best states in the nation when it comes to high school football, but how do we tell who is really the best football team in a certain time frame? There are many answers to this question, but we are going to provide you with our answer. That answer is 10 years.
Why 1o years? It is a decade and we felt it would be a good thing to keep things in perspective. Going beyond 10 years or cutting it short with the amount of information readily available for us ton consider could have many different effects.
With that we are launching what we believe is the first ever attempt to establish dynasty rankings for high school football in Florida. We have compiled data from nearly 450 teams that have made the playoffs in the last 10 years and we taking a look at the top 200 teams based on a points system we came up with.
First, we took 10 years worth of the Associated Press/Florida Sports Writers Association final regular season polls and gave teams points in each classification based upon final standing. That means a first place team in any classification would get 10 points.
Second, we came up with a playoff points system going from 32 points with the state champion of each classification down to 1 point for the worst team in the playoffs. To make this as simple as possible, the later a team exited the playoffs, they received a higher point value after records were imputed with amount of points determined based upon overall winning percentage. If a bracket only had 16 teams the highest 8 teams were given 32 points down to 25 points. The last 8 teams, which exited in the first round got points anywhere from 8 points down to 1 point.
As the points added up it became clear this was easily the best way to determine dynasty rankings and we think you will be impressed what our formula has churned out on our end.
With that said, we want to present to you the first part of the Florida HS Football Ultimate Dynasty Rankings, which will expand out over 10 days. Everything will be counted down in groups and you can easily share them with anyone using our share buttons above.
Breakdowns: 1-25 | 26-50 | 52-75 | 76-100 | 102-123 | 127-150 | 151-175 | 178-197
Condensed list: View full condensed list here
The Varsity Message Board: Share you thoughts on the Ultimate Dynasty Rankings here
| 52. Edgewater | 182 points | ||||
| Only one of the three straight state finals appearances in (2002-2004) Edgewater made counts here dynasty rankings and with missing the playoffs or poor performance in the playoffs will see the Eagles stock go down in next year’s dynasty rankings. | |||||
| 53t. Chaminade-Madonna | 181 points | ||||
| Chaminade has been a playoff contender almost every year and has several state semifinalist finishes and a state championship that helped boost the Lions in the dynasty rankings | |||||
| 53t. Fletcher | 181 points | ||||
| Fletcher has come on strong over the last few years as a playoff team that can run deep into November. The Senators best run came in 2011 when they reach the state semifinals for the first time in school history | |||||
| 55. Immokalee | 178 points | ||||
| The Indians have a state championship win and a state runner-up finish that counts in the dynasty rankings. Immokalee shouldn’t slip too far next year when the state championship win comes off the points total as the Indians are usually consistent playoff contenders. | |||||
| 56. Palm Beach Gardens | 176 points | ||||
| The Gators won a state championship in 2005 and blew up everything we knew about them this past season as they came within one game of reaching the state championship game again. Both of these facts helped big time in the points area. | |||||
| 57. Winter Haven | 175 points | ||||
| The Blue Devils have been one of the top teams alongside programs like Lakeland and Lake Gibson and have been in the running almost every single season to reach the playoffs. | |||||
| 58. Port St. Joe | 174 points | ||||
| The Tiger Sharks get their former head coach back this year, the one that helped them win state back in 2005. Overall, don’t count out Port St. Joe from being a playoff contender or possible state championship team in any season. | |||||
| 59t. Lake Brantley | 170 points | ||||
| The Patriots have a state finalist appearance in our 10 years of research, but overall, this is one team that has made the playoffs every single year for quite a while now. | |||||
| 59t. Pasco | 170 points | ||||
| The Pirates are arguably the best program in Pasco County. Pasco made it to the state semifinals in 2011 and came very close to being in the state championship game that year. Overall, don’t count out the Pirates in any year. | |||||
| 61. Victory Christian | 169 points | ||||
| The Storm have made the state finals twice since launching a program in 2006. Overall, though this one team that is usually in the playoff hunt in almost any given year now. | |||||
| 62. Cypress Bay | 168 points | ||||
| The Lightning have been highly successful under the leadership of Mark Guandolo. The Lightning can count a state finalist appearance and a state semifinalist finish as part of the accomplishments over the last decade. | |||||
| 63t. Hardee | 167 points | ||||
| Hardee has been an annual playoff contender and when they do make the playoffs watch out. Most times when you see the Wildcats, expect a deep run that could get them to the regional finals or even deeper. | |||||
| 63t. Hillsborough | 167 points | ||||
| Tampa’s oldest program has been highly successful under the leadership of Earl Garcia, Jr. Over the last decade the Terriers have only missed the playoffs twice and most runs usually lasted through the second and third rounds of the playoffs. | |||||
| 65. Bartram Trail | 165 points | ||||
| The Bears have three state semifinalists appearances in the last decade including two in the last four seasons. Say what you want to say, the Bears can be competitive, even if they have never beaten rival St. Augustine. | |||||
| 66t. Lake Wales | 164 points | ||||
| Lake Wales has been a highly successful program in Polk County over the last three decades or so. You can count in the past season’s state semifinalist team in helping give this program points to get in the Top 75. | |||||
| 66t. Venice | 164 points | ||||
| The Indians have only missed the playoffs twice in the last decade, but when they usually make the playoffs they can go deep. | |||||
| 68t. The First Academy (Orlando) | 163 points | ||||
| The Royals have been one of the most successful teams in the Orlando area over the last decade, but only reached the state semifinals for the first time in 2012. | |||||
| 68t. Nease | 163 points | ||||
| Nease made the state finals three time straight between 2005 and 2007, but only one time. The Panthers haven’t been to the playoffs since 2008, which will likely hurt their stock next year in the dynasty rankings. | |||||
| 70t. Boyd Anderson | 161 points | ||||
| The Cobras are another Broward County team that is usually in the playoff hunt almost every year. However, the Cobras haven’t made it to the state championship game or the state semifinals at all in the last decade. | |||||
| 70t. Pace | 161 points | ||||
| This is one Panhandle team you never want to count of the playoff hunt in almost any single year. The Patriots have fallen one game short of getting to the state championship game twice in the last decade | |||||
| 72. Dade Christian | 160 points | ||||
| The Crusaders have a state runner-up finish from 2012 they can say was a big booster for the program, but success in the middle of the last decade help them as well. | |||||
| 73t. Blanche Ely | 159 points | ||||
| Blanche Ely is one school that can seemingly make the playoffs in most years and should be in position to continue doing such in future years. | |||||
| 73t. Gainesville | 159 points | ||||
| A state runner-up finish in 2012 helped the Hurricanes a lot here in the dynasty rankings, plus add in a state semifinalist finish in 2010 as well. Overall, Gainesville has improved a lot since the middle of last decade. | |||||
| 75. Fort Pierce Central | 156 points | ||||
| With several impressive playoff performances over the last several seasons, we expect the Cobras to continue to rise in future dynasty rankings. | |||||
Breakdowns: 1-25 | 26-50 | 52-75 | 76-100 | 102-123 | 127-150 | 151-175 | 178-197
Condensed list: View full condensed list here
The Varsity Message Board: Share you thoughts on the Ultimate Dynasty Rankings here
