Six Gainesville area teams ranked in top 100 of FHSAA's first set of football rankings
The pending threat of Hurricane Ian didn't stop the Florida High School Athletic Association from giving high school football teams and fans around the state what they've all been thirsting for.
While Week 6 matchups around the Florida peninsula were being rescheduled and canceled, the FHSAA dropped its first set of high school football rankings on Tuesday afternoon, giving the high school football landscape an early idea of what the playoffs could look like.
The FHSAA rankings, which are derived from a similar algorithm as MaxPreps, will play a big role in which high school football teams make it into the playoffs come November. While district champions get an automatic bid, the FHSAA rankings will be used to determine at-large bids.
Power Poll: Ranking Gainesville area's top 10 high school football teams after Week 5
Football freak of the week: Who gets your vote for football top player for Week 5?
Believe it or not: Diamondback rattlesnake interrupts Florida high school football game
Six area teams sit in top 100
The Gainesville area boasts six football programs ranked in the top 100 of the FHSAA's initial set of rankings.
The top-ranked team in the area comes out of Starke as the 10th-ranked Bradford Tornadoes have thrown together a perfect, 4-0 record to start their 2022 campaign. What makes Bradford so impressive? Its defense has allowed just seven points in four games.
On the Tornadoes' heels are the Buchholz Bobcats, who check in as the 11th-best team in the state. Competing in the deep and competitive 4S classification, Buchholz is the second-best team in its class, falling behind Vero Beach, which is ranked No. 9 in this week's FHSAA rankings.
The remaining four area teams in the top 100 all come out of the rural classification with 35th-ranked Chiefland leading the pack and the 1R classification. Williston (No. 40), Union County (No. 48) and Hawthorne (No. 62) all follow.
Gainesville area high school football: Breaking down what we learned in Week 5
See where everyone from the Gainesville-area landed in the first set of rankings, which are now set to be released each week.
Class 4S
Buchholz (4-0)
State ranking: No. 11
Class ranking: No. 2
Region: R1
Class 3S
Lake City Columbia (2-3)
State ranking: No. 144
Class ranking: No. 19
Region: R1
Gainesville (0-5)
State ranking: No. 474
Class ranking: No. 69
Region: R1
Class 2S
Bradford (4-0)
State ranking: No. 10
Class ranking: No. 1
Region: R2
Keystone Heights (1-3)
State ranking: No. 370
Class ranking: No. 46
Region: R2
Eastside (2-1)
State ranking: No. 149
Class ranking: No. 17
Region: R2
Santa Fe (1-5)
State ranking: No. 406
Class ranking: No. 54
Region: R2
Class 1S
P.K. Yonge (1-3)
State ranking: No. 369
Class ranking: No. 21
Region: R2
Class 1R
Chiefland (4-0)
State ranking: No. 35
Class ranking: No. 1
Region: R4
Williston (4-0)
State ranking: No. 40
Class ranking: No. 3
Region: R4
Union County (3-1)
State ranking: No. 48
Class ranking: No. 4
Region: R3
Hawthorne (4-0)
State ranking: No. 62
Class ranking: No. 6
Region: R4
Lafayette (4-0)
State ranking: No. 124
Class ranking: No. 11
Region: R3
Newberry (3-1)
State ranking: No. 184
Class ranking: No. 18
Region: R4
Fort White (2-3)
State ranking: No. 294
Class ranking: No. 21
Region: R3
Dixie County (2-3)
State ranking: No. 296
Class ranking: No. 22
Region: R4
Bell (2-3)
State ranking: No. 416
Class ranking: No. 30
Region: R3
Trenton (0-4)
State ranking: No. 477
Class ranking: No. 34
Region: R4
Bronson (0-5)
State ranking: No. 484
Class ranking: No. 36
Region: R4
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: A look at where Gainesville area football teams fall in FHSAA rankings
