GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Two of the top five teams in the Sunshine State fell last week in season openers dropping what were anticipated season-opening matchups by double digits, a surprising result for most across the state.
Overall, five of our top 10 teams and nine of the top 25 teams fell in opening week action which will result in a very different look in the Week 2 Sunshine State rankings set to come out later on Monday evening or early Tuesday morning on FloridaHSFootball.com.
Here is how the teams fared in the Sunshine State Top 25 after Week 1:
SUNSHINE STATE TOP 25
Rank, Team (City), Classification, 2017 record
- Miami Carol City, 6A, 1-0 – d. No. 4 American Heritage (Plantation) (5A), 34-16
- St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale), 7A, 1-0 – d. DeMatha Catholic, Md., 38-0
- Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale) – LOST TO No. 5 Miami Central (6A), 48-21
- American Heritage (Plantation), 5A, 0-1 – LOST TO No. 1 Miami Carol City (6A), 34-16
- Miami Central, 6A, 1-0 – d. No. 3 Cardinal Gibbons (5A), 48-21
- Miami Northwestern, 6A, 1-0 – d. Miramar (8A), 30-12
- Columbia (Lake City), 7A, 1-0 – d. Gainesville (6A), 44-21
- Dr. Phillips (Orlando), 8A, 0-1 – LOST TO Lee County, Ga., 35-3
- Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood), 3A, 0-1 – LOST TO Deerfield Beach (8A), 13-10
- Raines (Jacksonville), 4A, 0-1 – LOST TO Robert E. Lee (7A), 16-15
- Columbus (Miami), 8A, 1-0 – d. Mater Academy (7A), 35-0
- Wekiva (Apopka), 8A, 1-0 – d. Jones (5A), 17-3
- Armwood (Seffner), 6A, 0-1 – LOST TO Tampa Bay Tech (7A), 20-12
- Trinity Christian (Jacksonville), 5A, 1-0 – d. Braden River (7A), 27-22
- Immokalee, 5A, 0-1 – LOST TO Golden Gate (6A), 37-8
- Venice, 7A, 0-1 – LOST TO No. 23 Vero Beach (8A), 42-20
- Lakeland, 7A, 1-0 – d. Manatee (8A), 36-14
- Cocoa, 4A, 1-0 – d. Palm Bay (5A), 35-14
- Plant (Tampa), 7A, 1-0 – d. Hillsborough (6A), 45-28
- Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens), 7A, 1-0 – d. Park Vista (8A), 40-0
- South Dade (Homestead), 8A, 1-0 – d. Coral Gables (8A), 14-6
- Vanguard (Ocala), 6A, 1-0 – d. Kathleen (7A), 35-0
- Vero Beach, 8A, 1-0 – d. No. 16 Venice (7A), 42-20
- Clay (Green Cove Springs), 5A, 0-1 – LOST TO Fleming Island (7A), 27-20
- Godby (Tallahassee), 5A, 1-0 – d. Chiles (7A), 45-24
![Ponte Vedra is making its debut in the Florida Top 25 this week. [Joshua Wilson/FloridaHSFootball.com]](https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Week-6-Florida-Top-25-and-Classification-Rankings-Flag-Football-Featured-120x86.jpg)
![Manatee is beefing up their schedule for the 2025 season. [Joshua Wilson/FloridaHSFootball.com]](https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Manatee-2025-Schedule-Analysis-Featured-120x86.jpg)
![The FHSAA established the first playoff rules for football in 1963 which led to the meeting of Robinson (Tampa) and Coral Gables for the Class AA State Championship in this photo that was published in the now-defunct Miami News on Sat. Dec. 14, 1963. [Associated Press Wirephoto, The Miami News via Newspapers.com]](https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/History-Huddle-Featured-FHSAA-Establishes-first-playoff-rules-1963-120x86.jpg)
![Middleburg seeks a fourth consecutive trip to the playoffs in 2025 [via Head Coach Ryan Wolfe - @coachwolfe16/X]](https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Middleburg-2025-Schedule-Analaysis-Featured-120x86.jpg)
![The front page and masthead of the The Morning Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.) on November 5, 1916 [Newspapers.com]](https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/History-Huddle-Florida-High-School-Footbal-State-Championship-of-1916-120x86.jpg)
![St. Thomas Aquinas has QB Sherice Newton up for vote in the South Florida Girls Flag Football Player of the Week Poll this week [St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders Athletics/Instagram]](https://floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Week-4-South-Florida-POTW-Voting-Featured-120x86.jpg)
