Football Hotbed Week 5 Florida High School Football Rankings

Marcus Benjamin @_benjaminmoney

There was some big boy football played last weekend.  Miami Central‘s fire power proved too much for St. Thomas Aquinas in the second half as they emerged victorious in Fort Lauderdale 43-27.  Maurice Underwood had another huge game for the Rockets accounting for five touchdowns (4 rushing, 1 passing).  The one passing touchdown was to one of his speedy receivers Anthony Colonel.  Colonel slipped a tackle on his way to scoring on a 62-yard play.

IMG Academy (Bradenton) traveled to California to take on the defending national champion Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA), in what many considered the game of the year.  Five star quarterback and USC commit Bryce Young went six for six on the final drive and capped it off the 75-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run.  The school out west snapped IMG’s 40-game winning streak with the win.

American Heritage (Plantation) and Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood) battled in another other big game of the week between two top 25 teams in South Florida.  The Patriots of Heritage are back to their bread and butter of a strong defense and strong running game.  The combination of Lavelton Williams and Tyler Jones is a duo that can carry Heritage to another 5A state title.  Both rushed for over 100 yards.

Vero Beach escaped with a victory over Pahokee 27-20 to keep their regular season 48-game winning streak in tact.  The Fighting Indians needed a last minute scoop and score from Miami commit Jahfari Harvey from  six yards out to preserve the win.

Columbia (Lake City) found themselves in a battle with 1A defending state champion Madison County.  This was a back and fourth game in the first half, but Columbia did pull away in the second half behind the arm of quarterback Jordan Smith and the legs of junior running back Kylen Callum to emerge with a 48-24 victory.  It was Columbia’s first victory over Madison County in over 50 years as the Cowboys won 8 straight against the Tigers.

Miami Northwestern let everyone know that they are not to be counted out for the 6A- 16 district race.  They scored 26 unanswered points to dominate Miami Booker T. Washington 47-17 on Friday night.  The Bulls have one of the toughest schedules in the country as they get IMG Academy this Saturday night in Bradenton, then after a bye, have district rivals Miami Carol City and Miami Central in back to back weeks.

Almost three weeks ago, Miami Southridge lost to Miami Booker T. Washington on their home field in double overtime in their only loss of the season.  Southridge traveled to Rockledge and got a strong road win 24-12 behind a strong game from UNLV commit Courtney Reese.  Also in the state, Raines (Jacksonville) and Navarre escaped with narrow wins over Mandarin (Jacksonville) 27-24 and Pine Forest (Pensacola) 26-25 respectively.  While Tampa Bay Tech needed an interception on a two-point conversion by Jeremiah Brown to win against Hillsborough (Tampa) in one of the surprises of the weekend.

Top Performers

Tatum Bethune, LB/DE, Henry Gray, CB, Maurice Underwood, QB, Miami Central – Underwood and Gray received MVP honors but Bethune was a terror on the defensive end.  The senior totaled ten tackles, four tackles for loss and 2 sacks.

Lavelton Williams, RB, American Heritage (Plantation) – The senior back was beasting Friday night gaining 138 yards on 19 carries scoring two touchdowns.

Jordan Smith, QB, Columbia (Lake City) – After battling concussion symptoms last week, the junior quarterback bounced back passing for 391 yards and three scores.

Isaiah Velez, QB, Miami Northwestern – Velez battled through a leg injury in this game, but still managed to complete 80% of passes and threw for three touchdowns.

Dwayne McGee, RB, Osceola (Kissimmee) – The Kowboys overwhelmed Winter Haven behind the junior backs 182 yards and two touchdowns.

Games to Watch This Week

Columbia (Lake City) At Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) Friday 7:30 PM

Wekiva (Apopka) At West Orange Friday 7:30 PM

Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood) vs. Piper (Sunrise) Friday 7:00 PM

Miami Northwestern at IMG Academy (Bradenton) Friday 7:30 PM

Vero Beach at Centennial (Port St. Lucie) Friday 7:30 PM

Baron Collier (Naples) At Golden Gate (Naples) Friday 7:00 PM

Pine Forest (Pensacola) At Escambia Friday 7:00 PM

Godby (Tallahassee) at Wakulla (Crawfordville) Friday 7:30 PM

Miami Palmetto vs. Miami Southridge At Tropical Park Friday 7:00 PM

Cocoa at Glades Central (Belle Glade) Friday 6:00 PM

Top 25

1. Miami Carol City (6A) (4-0)

Last week: Defeated Dr. Krop 76-0

This week:  At Hialeah-Miami Lakes Thursday 7:00

2. Miami Central (6A) (4-1)

Last week: Defeated St. Thomas Aquinas 43-27

This week: At Traz Powell Stadium Vs. Miami Norland Friday 7:30 PM

3. Deerfield Beach (8A) (5-0)

Last week: Defeated Coral Springs 55-6

This week: At Coral Springs High Vs. Taravella (Coral Springs) Thursday 7:00 PM

4. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) (7A) (4-1)

Last week: Lost to Miami Central 43-27

This week: Idle

5. Columbia (Lake City) (7A) (5-0)

Last week: Defeated Madison County 48-24

This week: At Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) Friday 7:30 PM

6. American Heritage (Plantation) (5A) (5-1)

Last week: Defeated Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood) 31-21

This week: Idle

7. Atlantic (Delray) (8A) (4-0)

Last week: Defeated Park Vista 21-7

This week: At Spanish River (Boca) 7:00 PM

8. Lakeland (7A) (5-0)

Last week: Defeated East Lake (Tarpon Springs) 42-6

This week: Vs. Bartow Friday 7:30 PM

9. Wekiva (Apopka) (8A) (4-0)

Last week: Defeated Olympia (Orlando) 43-7

This week:  At West Orange (Winter Garden) Friday 7:00PM

10. Vero Beach (8A) (5-0)

Last week: Defeated Pahokee 27-20

This week: At Centennial (Port St. Lucie) Friday 7:00 PM

11. Osceola (Kissimmee) (8A) (4-0)

Last week: Defeated Winter Haven 31-0

This week: At Ridge Community (Davenport) Friday 7:30 PM

12. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (5A) (5-0)

Last week: Defeated Palm Beach Lakes 25-6

This week: Vs. Columbia (Lake City) Friday 7:30 PM

13. Miami Columbus (8A) (4-1)

Last week: Defeated  Belen Jesuit (Miami) 21-7

This week: Vs. Miami Thursday 7:00 PM

14. Tampa Bay Tech (7A) (4-0)

Last week: Defeated Hillsborough (Tampa) 28-27

This week: At Lennard (Ruskin) Friday 7:30 PM

16. University School (Davie) (4A) (5-0)

Last week: Defeated Monsignor Pace (Miami) 49-0

This week: Idle

17. South Dade (8A) (Homestead) (4-0)

Last week: Defeated Miami Jackson 39-14

This week: Idle

18. Lee (Jacksonville) (7A) (3-1)

Last week: Idle

This week: Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) Friday 7:00 PM

19. Armwood (Seffner) (6A) (3-1)

Last week: Defeated Jefferson (Tampa) 24-14

This week: Vs Blake (Tampa) Friday 7:30 PM

20. Pinellas Park (Largo) (7A) (4-0)

Last week: Defeated East Lake 45-24 (Tarpon Springs)

This week: At St. Petersburg Friday 7:30 PM

21. Vanguard (Ocala) (6A) (5-0)

Last week: Defeated South Lake (Groveland) 41-13

This week: At Leesburg Friday 7:00 PM

22. Plantation (8A) (4-0)

Last week: Defeated Cypress Bay (Weston) 50-3

This week: Vs. Flanagan (Pembroke Pines) Friday 7:00 PM

23. Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood) (3A) (3-2)

Last week: Lost to American Heritage (Plantation) 31-21

This week: Vs. Piper (Sunrise) Friday 7:00 PM

24. Miami Palmetto (8A) (4-0)

Last week: Defeated Coral Gables 16-13 OT

This week: At Tropical Park Vs. Miami Southridge Friday 7:00 PM

25. Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens) (7A) (4-1)

Last week: Defeated Palm Beach Gardens 42-7

This week: At Olympic Heights (Boca) Friday 7:00 PM

Also Receiving Votes:

American Heritage (Delray) (3A) (4-0)

Last week: Defeated Archbishop McCarthy (Southwest Ranches) 44-0

This week: At Pensacola Catholic Friday 7:30 PM

Apopka (8A) (4-1)

Last week: Defeated Boone (Orlando) 49-13

This week: Vs. Evans (Orlando) Friday 7:00 PM

Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale) (5A) (3-2)

Last week: Defeated Stoneman Douglas (Parkland) 45-8

This week: Vs. Coconut Creek Friday 7:00 PM

Clearwater Central Catholic (3A) (5-0)

Last week: Defeated Northeast (St. Petersburg) 38-17

This week: At St. Petersburg Catholic Friday 7:00 PM

Edgewater (Orlando) (7A) (4-0)

Last week: Idle

This week: West Port (Ocala) Friday 7:00 PM

Escambia (6A) (4-0)

Last week: Idle

This week: Vs. Pine Forest (Pensacola) Friday 7:00 PM

Golden Gate (Naples) (6A) (5-0)

Last week: Defeated East Lee County (Lehigh Acres) 44-7

This week: Vs. Barron Collier (Naples) Friday 7:00 PM

Godby (5A) (Tallahassee) (5-0)

Last week: Defeated Titusville 59-0

This week: At Wakulla (Crawfordville) Friday 7:30 PM

Madison County (1A) (4-1)

Last week: Lost to Columbia (Lake City) 48-24

This week: Vs. Dunnellon Friday 7:30 PM

McArthur (Hollywood)  (7A) (5-0)

Last week: Defeated Nova (Davie) 40-12

This week: Vs. Archbishop McArthy (Southwest Ranches) Friday 7:00 PM

Miami Northwestern (6A) (3-2)

Last week: Defeated Miami Booker T. Washington 47-21

This week: At IMG Academy (Bradenton) Saturday 7:00 PM

Miami Southridge (8A) (4-1)

Last week: Defeated Rockledge 24-12

This week: At Tropical Park Vs. Miami Palmetto Friday 7:30 PM

Navarre (4-0) (6A) (5-0)

Last week: Defeated Pine Forest (Pensacola) 26-25

This week: At Pace Friday 7:30 PM

Plant (Tampa) (7A) (3-1)

Last week: Defeated Gaither (Tampa) 44-34

This week: At Sickles (Tampa) Friday 7:30 PM

Plant City (7A) (5-0)

Last week: Defeated East Bay (Gibonston) 24-7

This week: At Strawberry Crest (Dover) Friday 7:30 PM

Piper (Sunrise) (8A) (3-1)

Last week: Idle

This week: At Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood) Friday 7:00 PM

Raines (Jacksonville) (4A) (4-1)

Last week: Defeated Mandarin (Jacksonville) 27-24

This week: Idle