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Who's No. 1? USA Today Florida Network Week 1 high school football poll

jon santucci, naples daily news
·3 min read

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The Florida High School Athletic Association now features nine classes – four metro, four suburban and one rural – which drastically shifted the landscape.

Sort of.

The USA Today Florida Network’s Week 1 poll features eight unanimous selections at No. 1. Seven of the nine No. 1 teams also claimed the top spot in the poll at least once in 2021.

Seven teams that either won state championships or finished as a state runner-up in 2021 are No. 1 picks in this season’s inaugural poll. The list includes St. Thomas Aquinas (3M), Miami Central (2M), Chaminade-Madonna (1M), Venice (4S), Pine Forest (3S), Cocoa (2S) and Madison County (1R).

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The other two No. 1 teams are Sanford-Seminole (4M) and Naples-First Baptist Academy (1S).

Class 4M

Sanford-Seminole all-state wide receiver Darren "Goldie" Lawrence
Sanford-Seminole all-state wide receiver Darren "Goldie" Lawrence

1. Seminole (Sanford) (9 first-place votes)

2. Columbus (Miami)

3. Apopka

4. Miami Palmetto

5. Palm Beach Central

6. Western (Davie)

7. Newsome (Lithia)

8. West Orange (Winter Garden)

9. Boone (Orlando)

10. Lake Mary

ARV: Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs), Doral Academy, Winter Park, Sumner (Riverview), Mandarin (Jacksonville)

Class 3M

St. Thomas take the field to play Tampa Bay Tech in the Class 7A state championship game at DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, FL Dec. 17, 2021.
St. Thomas take the field to play Tampa Bay Tech in the Class 7A state championship game at DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, FL Dec. 17, 2021.

1. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) (8 first-place votes)

2. Jesuit (Tampa) (1 first-place vote)

3. Dillard (Fort Lauderdale)

4. Tampa Bay Tech

5. Jones (Orlando)

6. Edgewater (Orlando)

7. Homestead

8. Wharton (Tampa)

9. Hillsborough (Tampa)

10. Armwood (Seffner)

ARV: Miramar, Plantation, Gaither (Tampa), Bloomingdale (Valrico), Wekiva (Apopka)

Class 2M

The Merritt Island Mustangs meet the Miami Central Rockets in the Class 5A state football championship Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK
The Merritt Island Mustangs meet the Miami Central Rockets in the Class 5A state football championship Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK

1. Miami Central (9 first-place votes)

2. American Heritage (Plantation)

3. Miami Northwestern

4. Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale)

5. Gulliver Prep (Miami)

6. Berkeley Prep (Tampa)

7. Lakewood (St. Petersburg)

8. Bolles (Jacksonville)

9. Tampa Catholic

10. Raines (Jacksonville)

ARV: Miami Edison, Booker T. Washington (Miami), Stranahan (Fort Lauderdale), Miami Norland, Ed White (Jacksonville)

Class 1M

Chaminade-Madonna's Davion Gause (7) runs the ball down the field. Chaminade-Madonna shutout Berkeley Prep 21-0 to claim the 3A State Championship title at Gene Cox Stadium on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021.
Chaminade-Madonna's Davion Gause (7) runs the ball down the field. Chaminade-Madonna shutout Berkeley Prep 21-0 to claim the 3A State Championship title at Gene Cox Stadium on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021.

1. Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood) (9 first-place votes)

2. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville)

3. Carrollwood Day (Tampa)

4. Benjamin (Palm Beach Gardens)

5. Clearwater Central Catholic

ARV: Cardinal Newman (West Palm Beach), Dade Christian, Orlando Christian Prep, University Christian (Jacksonville), Northside Christian (St. Petersburg)

Class 4S

Venice High hosted IMG Academy at Powell-Davis Stadium in Venice on Friday. MATT HOUSTON/HERALD-TRIBUNE
Venice High hosted IMG Academy at Powell-Davis Stadium in Venice on Friday. MATT HOUSTON/HERALD-TRIBUNE

1. Venice (9 first-place votes)

2. Lakeland

3. Osceola (Kissimmee)

4. Treasure Coast

5. Buchholz (Gainesville)

6. Lehigh (Lehigh Acres)

7. Palmetto

8. Sarasota Riverview

9. Flagler Palm Coast

10. Vero Beach

ARV: Bartram Trail (St. Johns), Nease (Ponte Vedra), Spruce Creek (Port Orange), Melbourne, Niceville

Class 3S

Pine Forest take the field to play Jesuit in the Class 6A state championship game at DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, FL Dec. 17, 2021.
Pine Forest take the field to play Jesuit in the Class 6A state championship game at DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, FL Dec. 17, 2021.

1. Pine Forest (Pensacola) (9 first-place votes)

2. Naples

3. Rockledge

4. Vanguard (Ocala)

5. Mainland (Daytona Beach)

6. Lincoln (Tallahassee)

7. Sebring

8. Rickards (Tallahassee)

9. Lake Wales

10. St. Augustine

ARV: Choctawhatchee (Fort Walton Beach), Columbia (Lake City), North Fort Myers, Merritt Island, Terry Parker (Jacksonville)

Class 2S

Cocoa football head coach Ryan Schneider directs his players during the game against Merritt Island Friday August 20, 2021. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK
Cocoa football head coach Ryan Schneider directs his players during the game against Merritt Island Friday August 20, 2021. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK

1. Cocoa (9 first-place votes)

2. Florida High (Tallahassee)

3. Wakulla (Crawfordville)

4. West Florida (Pensacola)

5. Baker County (Glen St. Mary)

6. North Marion (Citra)

7. Bishop Verot (Fort Myers)

8. South Sumter (Bushnell)

9. Gadsden County (Havana)

10. Lemon Bay (Englewood)

ARV: Pensacola Catholic, Yulee, Palm Bay, Walton (DeFuniak Springs), Villages Charter

Class 1S

Photos from the First Baptist Academy football practice and intrasquad scrimmage, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022, at First Baptist Academy in Naples, Fla.
Photos from the First Baptist Academy football practice and intrasquad scrimmage, Friday, Aug. 12, 2022, at First Baptist Academy in Naples, Fla.

1. First Baptist Academy (Naples) (9 first-place votes)

2. Lakeland Christian

3. John Carroll Catholic (Fort Pierce)

4. Munroe (Quincy)

5. Trinity Catholic (Ocala)

ARV: Victory Christian (Lakeland), P.K. Yonge (Gainesville), Zephyrhills Christian, Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota), St. John Paul II (Tallahassee)

Class 1R

Madison County junior wide receiver Varian Terry (15) rushes the ball in a game against Wakulla on Aug. 20, 2022, at Boot Hill. The Cowboys won, 25-14.
Madison County junior wide receiver Varian Terry (15) rushes the ball in a game against Wakulla on Aug. 20, 2022, at Boot Hill. The Cowboys won, 25-14.

1. Madison County (9 first-place votes)

2. Hawthorne

3. Pahokee

4. Blountstown

5. Union County (Lake Butler)

ARV: Chipley, Wildwood, Baker, Chiefland, Hillard,

Jon Santucci is the statewide high school football recruiting reporter for the USA Today Florida Network. He can be reached at jsantucci@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Who's No. 1? USA Today Florida Network Week 1 high school football poll