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Now that we are at the midway point of the season, we now notice teams begin to evolve.  Teams start to rise, while others fall.  Contenders start to separate themselves from the pretenders. Champions reveal themselves to the forefront while others fade to the background.  Quality wins, close losses to top teams, and the eye test are what keep teams in or out of these rankings.  

Venice continues to look impressive week after week, the Indians dominated Manatee (Bradenton) 41-8.   Tampa Jesuit arguably has the best win of the season over the defending 7A champions St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale).  The Lions continue to win games in a business-like manner and that continued last week in beating Clearwater Central Catholic 35-21.  Miami Central still resembles a team that can beat any team on any given Friday and Chaminade-Madonna arguably is the best team in the entire state.

Last week, with not many high-profile games on the docket.  The 2020 5A state champions American Heritage Plantation traveled to Jacksonville to take on Trinity Christian.  Both teams went into this game with completely different moods. The 2020 3A state champions were looking to bounce back from a 35-0 shellacking to Bolles (Jacksonville) while Heritage was fresh off a solid victory over rival Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale).  

Trinity forced three first-half turnovers to set the tone early in this game.  Heritage quarterback Brandon Inniss threw two interceptions and a fumble on a kickoff helped the Conquerors take an early lead.  Four-Star Penn State commit Cam Miller scored twice in the first half with a one-yard run and an eleven-yard catch.  Freshman Colin Hurley threw three touchdowns and sophomore Darnell Rogers had 11 carries for 90 yards in a 27-14 win.

Niceville was anything but nice to Miami Edison from class 3A.  The Eagles defense dominated with a shutout in the second half en route to a 21-14 win. Four-star Azareyeh Davis accounted for all three touchdowns, gained 155 yards on 13 touches.  Niceville (7A) has now won 24-straight games in the regular season.  

Games To Watch This Week

St. Thomas Aquinas Vs. Cardinal Gibbons

Miami Central Vs. Miami Edison

Chaminade-Madonna Vs. Gulliver

Cocoa Vs. Viera

Treasure Coast Vs. Vero Beach

Bolles Vs. Bucholz

Rockledge Vs. Satellite

Florida State High School Vs. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville)

Champagnat Catholic (Hialeah) Vs. Benjamin (Palm Beach Gardens)

State Rankings

1. Venice (6-0) (8A)

Ryan Browne, Quarterback, Venice

Last Game: Beat Manatee (Bradenton) 41-8

Best Win: Cocoa 21-20

Next Game: Gulf Coast (Naples) 

2. Tampa Jesuit (6-0) (6A)

Last Game: Beat Clearwater Central Catholic 35-21

Best Win: St. Thomas Aquinas 24-21

Next Game: Jefferson (Tampa)

3. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) (6-1) (7A)

Zion Turner, Quarterback, St. Thomas Aquinas

Last Game: Beat South Plantation 62-0

Best Win: American Heritage Plantation 24-16

Next Game: Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale)

4. Miami Central (4-2) (5A)

Wesley Bissainthe, Linebacker, Miami Central

Last Game: Beat Hialeah Miami Lakes 56-0

Best Win: Miami Northwestern 24-21

Next Game: Miami Edison

5. Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood) (4-1) (3A)

Last Game: Beat Seminole (Sanford) 26-23

Best Win: Buford (GA) 7-0

Next Game: Gulliver (Miami)

6. Cocoa (4-1) (4A)

Last Game: Beat Dr. Phillips (Orlando) 19-15

Best Win: Treasure Coast 56-55

Next Game: Viera

7. Treasure Coast (Port St. Lucie) (4-1) (8A)

Eden James, Running Back, Treasure Coast

Last Game: Beat Fort Pierce Central 35-7

Best Win: American Heritage Plantation 29-21

Next Game: Vero Beach

8. Gulliver (Miami) (5-0) (4A)

Carson Haggard, Quarterback, Gulliver

Last Game: Beat Champagnat 52-27

Best Win: Champagnat 52-27

Next Game: Chaminade-Madonna

9. Bolles (Jacksonville) (6-0) (4A)

Last Game: Beat Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) 35-0

Best Win: Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) 35-0

Next Game: Bucholz (Gainesville) 10/22

10. Seminole (Sanford) (6-1) (8A)

Last Game: Beat Lake Brantley 34-16

Best Win: Mainland (Daytona) 27-13

Next Game: Oviedo

Top Four Teams By Class

8A

1. Venice
2. Treasure Coast
3. Seminole (Sanford)
4. Osceola (Kissimmee)

7A

1. St. Thomas Aquinas
2. Orlando Edgewater
3. Dillard (Fort Lauderdale)
4. Tampa Bay Tech

6A

1. Jesuit
2. Miami Northwestern
3. Orlando Jones
4. Naples

5A

1. Miami Central
2. American Heritage Plantation
3. Miami Killian 
4. Rockledge

4A

1. Cocoa
2. Gulliver
3. Bolles
4. Cardinal Gibbons

3A

1. Chaminade-Madonna
2. Miami Edison
3. Berkeley Prep (Tampa)
4. Florida High (Tallahassee)

2A

1. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville)
2. Champagnat Catholic (Hialeah)
3. Dade Christian
4. University Christian (Jacksonville)

1A

1. Madison County 
2. Pahokee
3. Baker 
4. Hawthorne