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
![Mount Dora Christian finished the 2025 season as the SSAA 11-Man State Runner-up and is now transitioning back to the FHSAA with the new Independent League. [Mount Dora Christian Athletics/Instagram]](https://i0.wp.com/floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Countdown-To-Kickoff-No.-94-Mount-Dora-Christian-Featured.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1)
![The Lincoln Trojans are looking to build upon a 6-5 record from the 2025 season with a new district that spans from Panama City to Tallahasse in District 4A-2. [Lincoln Trojan Football/Instagram]](https://i0.wp.com/floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Countdown-To-Kickoff-No.-95-Lincoln-Featured.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1)
![Palm Beach Central will look to bounce back from an early playoff exit from 2025 during the 2026 season that also encompasses a much larger district schedule. [@PBCbroncosFBALL/X]](https://i0.wp.com/floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Countdown-To-Kickoff-No.-96-Palm-Beach-Central-Featured-1.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1)
![The Pahokee Blue Devils will face district competition for the first time in a long while as member of District 1A-10 in 2026. [Pahokee Football/Instagram]](https://i0.wp.com/floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Countdown-To-Kickoff-No.-97-Pahokee-Featured.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1)
