St. Thomas Aquinas is still holding onto that No. 1 spot in Florida high school football, but man, did they make it interesting this past week. The Raiders, who’ve been at the top since preseason, needed a last-second field goal block to scrape by Chaminade-Madonna 21-20 on the road in Week 7. It was a nail-biter, a real fight to the finish. Meanwhile, their rivals, IMG Academy, are breathing down their necks after putting up 44 points and pulling off their *own* last-second field goal heroics to take down previously undefeated St. James.
The Top Spot Is Slipping, Or Is It?
Aquinas got nine first-place votes to keep their perch, and they’re rocking a perfect 6-0 record. But that 21-20 win, sealed with a crucial block, shows they’re not invincible. You gotta wonder if that close call is going to light a fire or plant a seed of doubt. Across the state, IMG Academy snagged five first-place votes, which is the most any team not named Aquinas has seen all season. They’re also undefeated at 6-0, and their 44-42 victory over a tough St. James team, coming down to a last-second field goal, just screams momentum. It feels like this is the closest the gap has been all year, and that No. 1 spot suddenly looks a lot less secure.
Who’s Chasing the Leaders?
Columbus sits at No. 3 with a 6-1 record, while Chaminade-Madonna, despite that tough loss to Aquinas, is still holding strong at No. 4 with a 4-2 record. West Boca (5-1) rounds out the top five. Miami Central (5-1) and DeLand (5-1) are right there, too, at six and seven. Keep an eye on Columbia, they’re sitting pretty at 7-0, undefeated and hungry, just like Raines at 6-0 and Tampa Bay Tech at 7-0, Carrollwood Day at 7-0, Buchholz at 7-0, and Hawthorne at 7-0. These guys aren’t messing around. We even saw some big plays from guys like DeLand’s Gardner Nordman scrambling, Lake Wales quarterback Kingston Loydd slinging the ball, and Cardinal Newman’s Janarro Sumpter making moves. The talent pool in Florida is just insane right now.
Aquinas will host McArthur on October 9, and you know everyone will be watching to see if they can put together a more dominant performance. IMG, on the other hand, heads to Indiana to take on New Palestine on October 9. Both teams have huge targets on their backs, and it feels like this race for No. 1 is just getting started. You gotta be ready for the fireworks!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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