SOUTH FLORIDA POWER 25: Cardinal Newman Climbs to No. 3 as Columbus Rockets Into the Top 10

South Florida delivered the kind of Week 2 that can transform an early-season ranking in a hurry.

St. Thomas Aquinas remains No. 1 after beating DeSoto (Texas) 38-14, while West Boca Raton holds the No. 2 spot during an open week. Cardinal Newman moves into No. 3 after surviving Cardinal Mooney 47-46, and Columbus makes the biggest move near the top, climbing 12 positions to No. 8 after stunning Bishop Gorman (Nev.) 33-28.

There was significant movement in the other direction as well. Miami Norland drops eight spots after a 21-6 loss to Vanguard, while Archbishop McCarthy, True North and Dillard each fall seven positions. With 25 teams in the regional rankings and only two weeks of regular-season results in the system, South Florida is already producing some of the most dramatic movement in the FPRI.

St. Thomas Aquinas Strengthens Its Grip on No. 1

St. Thomas Aquinas entered Week 2 with West Boca close behind, making its matchup against DeSoto one of the most important games of the weekend. The Raiders answered with a 38-14 victory, improving to 2-0 after opening the season with a 42-0 shutout of Western.

That gives St. Thomas Aquinas an 80-14 scoring advantage through two games and, more importantly, another meaningful current-season result supporting its place at the top. West Boca had no opportunity to add one of its own during an open week after its 24-7 Week 1 victory over American Heritage had propelled the Bulls to No. 2.

With the preseason portion of the FPRI gradually losing influence, St. Thomas Aquinas has done exactly what a No. 1 team needs to do: keep supplying the system with strong results.

Cardinal Newman Wins a Thriller and Climbs to No. 3

Cardinal Newman has built one of the most impressive early résumés in South Florida. The Crusaders followed a 37-7 victory over Community School of Naples with a 47-46 win over Cardinal Mooney in a matchup between defending state champions.

The Week 2 game could hardly have looked more different from the opener. Cardinal Newman had to survive a 93-point shootout and finish a one-point game against one of the state’s strongest programs, but the result was the same: another victory.

At 2-0, the Crusaders move from No. 4 to No. 3 and establish themselves firmly among the regional leaders. Miami Northwestern is also 2-0 after following its 20-18 win over Lakewood with a 42-0 shutout of Miami Jackson, giving the upper portion of the Power 25 another unbeaten contender.

Columbus Makes Another Enormous Jump

No team has rewritten its preseason outlook faster than Columbus.

The Explorers opened the season by beating Miami Southridge 45-7, a result that sent them soaring 13 positions to No. 20 after Week 1. Then came Bishop Gorman, one of the most prominent national programs in high school football, and Columbus delivered an even bigger statement with a 33-28 victory.

The reward is another enormous move. Columbus jumps 12 places to No. 8, meaning the Explorers have climbed 25 regional positions over the first two updates.

That is not movement created by reputation or preseason expectation. Columbus has forced the issue with two results on the field, including a win over Bishop Gorman that immediately becomes one of the most significant results on any South Florida résumé.

American Heritage Responds, Chaminade-Madonna Takes a Loss

American Heritage needed a response after West Boca handed the Patriots a 24-7 loss in the opener. Week 2 provided no easy recovery game, but American Heritage answered by beating East St. Louis (Ill.) 35-28.

That moves the Patriots to 1-1 and gives the FPRI a substantially different second result to evaluate. The opening loss remains part of the profile, but American Heritage now has a strong victory to place beside it.

Chaminade-Madonna experienced the opposite swing. The Lions opened with a 49-21 win over Monarch before falling 24-7 to Sierra Canyon (Calif.) in Week 2. They also sit at 1-1, setting up a Week 3 matchup with American Heritage that should provide one of the cleanest head-to-head comparisons in the South Florida Power 25.

Norland, Dillard and Others Take a Hit

The depth of South Florida means losses can quickly become expensive when other teams throughout the Power 25 are adding victories.

Miami Norland provides the clearest example. The Vikings opened with a 20-0 shutout of South Dade but lost 21-6 to Vanguard in Week 2, sending them down eight positions in the regional rankings.

Dillard also reverses course after a strong opener. The Panthers beat Piper 44-21 in Week 1 before losing 17-7 to St. Peter’s Prep (N.J.), and the result sends them down seven spots. Archbishop McCarthy and True North also fall seven positions as the middle of the Power 25 undergoes another significant reshuffle.

Atlantic takes its first loss after Vero Beach won 45-30, while West Broward drops its first completed game after being open in Week 1. With so many teams packed into the rankings, there is very little room to absorb a loss without feeling pressure from programs underneath.

Several Teams Continue Stacking Wins

While much of the attention is focused on the movement near the top, several South Florida teams are quietly building strong starts.

Miami Palmetto is 2-0 after following a 35-0 win over Miami Killian with another convincing Week 2 victory. Cardinal Gibbons has also reached 2-0 after beating Miramar in the opener and surviving a high-scoring Week 2 game.

American Heritage Delray and Immaculata-La Salle are among the other teams continuing to stack victories, creating even more competition throughout a Power 25 where movement can come from almost anywhere.

That depth is what makes South Florida especially volatile. A team does not need to lose to another top-five program to move backward; there are too many teams behind it producing useful results of their own.

Week 3 Spotlight: Columbus Gets St. Thomas Aquinas

There is no debate about the headline game in South Florida this week.

Columbus travels to Brian Piccolo Stadium on Friday to face St. Thomas Aquinas at 7 p.m., putting the region’s biggest early-season riser directly against the team that has held the No. 1 spot from the start.

St. Thomas Aquinas is 2-0 after beating Western 42-0 and DeSoto 38-14. Columbus is 2-0 after beating Miami Southridge 45-7 and Bishop Gorman 33-28. The Explorers have already climbed 25 regional positions in two updates, and now they get the opportunity to test that rise against the regional leader.

For the FPRI, it is about as useful a Week 3 result as possible. There is no need for indirect comparisons or speculation about how the teams stack up. They will settle it head-to-head.

American Heritage-Chaminade Adds Another Major Head-to-Head Game

The other marquee matchup comes Friday night when American Heritage travels to face Chaminade-Madonna at 6:30 p.m.

Both programs enter 1-1 after challenging opening schedules. American Heritage has a loss to West Boca and a win over East St. Louis, while Chaminade-Madonna has a win over Monarch and a loss to Sierra Canyon.

That makes Friday important for both. The winner adds a significant second victory and a direct result against another highly regarded South Florida program; the loser falls to 1-2 with three weeks of current-season information beginning to carry substantially more influence in the ratings.

West Boca also returns from its open week against Spanish River, while Cardinal Newman looks to reach 3-0 against John Carroll. After two weeks of major movement, the Week 3 schedule offers several opportunities for the Power 25 to shift again.

South Florida Is Already Moving Beyond the Preseason

The most important takeaway from Week 2 is not simply that St. Thomas Aquinas remains No. 1. It is how quickly the structure underneath the Raiders is changing.

Cardinal Newman is 2-0 and up to No. 3. Columbus has gone from deep in the rankings to No. 8 after consecutive statement wins. Miami Northwestern remains unbeaten, while American Heritage has answered its opening loss with a major victory.

At the same time, Miami Norland has fallen eight positions, and Archbishop McCarthy, True North and Dillard have each dropped seven. The movement is significant because South Florida’s depth gives the FPRI a constant stream of meaningful results to process.

The preseason established the starting point. Two weeks of football are already replacing it, and Week 3 brings exactly the kind of head-to-head games that can accelerate the process.

Explore the Complete Florida Power Rankings Index

The South Florida Power 25 is part of FloridaHSFootball.com’s Enhanced Florida Power Rankings Index, which ranks all 587 football teams in Florida — 563 11-man teams and 24 8-man teams — while also powering the Florida Power 25, classification rankings and eight regional rankings throughout the season.

As more games are played, current performance and opponent strength will continue replacing preseason information within the ratings.

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