ANALYSIS: In-depth look at the Florida #HSFB Top 25 – Preseason

FloridaHSFootball.com and FlaVarsity.com teamed up to give readers the best statewide weekly poll regardless of classification. The poll is voted on by sportswriters and sportscasters from around the Sunshine State.

The rankings dropped on Tuesday afternoon, and now after a full 24 hours to reflect, FlaHSFootball.com publisher Josh Wilson and FlaVarsity.com publisher Mike Singer give their thoughts on how the rankings panned out. Wilson has tackled the task of analyzing the 1-12 ranks, and Singer will look some teams and storylines in the 13-25 as well as who missed the cut.

Below, Wilson weighs in..

• I was surprised that St. Thomas Aquinas was not No. 1 to start in the poll. A couple of low to mid-range votes on top of a couple no votes really hurt the Raiders to start at No. 1. I believe this issue will correct itself after Week 1.

• Booker T. Washington starting at No. 1 is not surprising at all. They are the defending National Champions and some will say they should stay at No. 1 until they are defeated. They will get a good test at Oscar Smith (VA) on Saturday.

• American Heritage could have some say on the direction of the poll when it plays St. Thomas Aquinas next week in Week 1 action. Their high votes by most voters is an indication most believe that American Heritage is ready to run the tables again.

• Miami Central has earned its right in to the Top 5, but can they keep it? That is the question that will hold as they start the season at Hoover (AL) on Saturday. Some voters weren’t as confident in Miami Central as were others.

• Armwood starting in the Top 5 is no shocker either. The Hawks have a lot of talent returning and I expect them to remain within the Top 5 or possibly Top 10 teams all season. I think all of our voters see that Armwood is likely the team to beat in Class 6A North this season.

• Trinity Christian is likely right around the right place where they should start and the ballots reflected that for the most part. The Conquerors face a big test this weekend at Buford, so this ranking may or may not hold depending on the performance we see come Saturday night.
• Miramar, Mainland, Apopka and Cocoa rounding out the Top 10 is very decent and it shows that they are getting a decent amount of respect from the voting panel around the state.

• Seeing the 7A state champions in Dwyer and the runner-up in Niceville back-to-back at No. 11 and No. 12 is not surprising. Dwyer might have a few question marks, but Niceville will be a team that is stocked with talent and ready to make another run this season.

Now Singer breaks down 13-25 and those who missed thecut…

• Looking at the ballots, there are some very deserving teams that were left out of the Top 25, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. Clay and Naples received 61 and 60 votes respectively and just barely knocked Godby out of the poll as they sit with 59 votes. For the Cougars, they were upset by Pensacola Catholic, who just missed the cut as well with 49 votes, early on in the 5A playoffs, but you have to believe that the Cougars will be back strong in 2014. Sickles is a team that I actually had in the top 20, and they will be a force in Tampa once again. Ray Ray McCloud is a legitimate five-star prospect, and although I don’t think he’ll rush for 2,000 yards again, he has a pretty decent shot. Isaac Holder is a capable quarterback as well. Palm Beach Gardens upset Miramar last year in the 8A quarterfinals last year, but they didn’t make the top 25 either. It’s easy to make cases for what teams should be in the rankings with schools like Godby, Pensacola Catholic, Sickles, Monarch Palm Beach Gardens, and the defending 2A state champions Champagnat Catholic not making the cut, but then you have to take out very deserving teams that currently sit in the 20-25 range. For me personally, I could understand putting a few of these teams over Columbia and/or Clay, but I think the bottom of the rankings are fine the way they are.

• I think the teams that lined up in the 13-15 range is interesting to dissect. Orlando’s Dr. Phillips sits at 13, Jacksonville’s First Coast at 14, and Tampa Bay’s Plant at 15. Plant knocked off Dr. Phillips in a closely contested battle 24-23 at their home stadium. Plant has a new signal caller this year, and it’s Rex Culpepper who’s already rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com for the 2016 class and holds offers from the likes of Ole Miss and Virginia. I’d have to give the edge to Plant over Dr. Phillips, but First Coast is another intriguing team. First Coast and Plant both lost to Apopka in the 8A playoffs last year, and by similar scores. First Coast is top heavy with talent with South Carolina LB commit Sherrod Pittman, FSU commit QB De’Andre Johnson, and USC WR commit Tristin Payton. The Bucs will have plenty of firepower. With these three teams and the 8A runner up Apopka Blue Darters all in the north region, it’s going to be fun to see which team comes out of the region to play Miramar, who I see coming out of the south.

• Living in the area, I’ll be keeping an eye on what the East Lake Eagles do this season. They lost Artavis Scott to Clemson which will surely hurt their offense, but they still have talent to work with. George Campbell is a four-star wide receiver prospect, but his stock has dropped a little bit this summer as he’s fallen in the last two Rivals’ rankings. No one doubts Campbell’s talent, but he has question marks surrounding his hands, and he will have the opportunity to quiet the doubters this fall. We just want to see you be consistent, George. You’ll be the focal point of the offense, and the number one task for the defense to stop, but you can rise to the top.

• There’s so much talk about the top four teams, Miramar, and Dwyer in south Florida, but I know that no. 19 Flanagan and no. 20 Coral Gables are using that as fuel. Flanagan lost a close first round match up to Deerfield Beach last year, and Coral Gables got knocked out by South Dade 6-0. For Flanagan, Ryan Stanley and Emonee Spence are both three-star prospects that are looking for breakout seasons. I think they can make some noise this year, but I really see Coral Gables making a breakthrough, and beating South Dade if the two teams match up in the playoffs. Georgia commit Shaquery Wilson is the headliner for Coral Gables, but they’re littered with 2015 and 2016 quality football players.