About Buddy Collings

Buddy Collings is a senior sports writer for the Orlando Sentinel. He has covered high school sports since the 1970s, when you had to get fouled to make a 3-point play. For the more than 20 years, he has been the clearing house for state high school records in all varsity sports. buddy@varsitygridiron.com

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Buddy Collings offers new state rankings and projects state title matchups

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Written by Buddy Collings   

The Associated Press ended its state football rankings with the close of the regular season. We’re going to keep going, generating a weekly top 10 all the way through the state finals and projecting the state championship matchups on the Road to Orlando. There is a significant shakeup in these standings this week after four district runner-ups won rematches against league rivals in Class 6A alone. Remember, these top 10’s are just one man’s opinion - not a poll. But there was

CLASS 6A

1.  Miami Northwestern (11-1)

2. Miami Killian (10-2)

3. Seminole (10-2)

4. Apopka (10-2)

5. Miramar (10-2)

6. Boone (10-2)

7. Deerfield Beach (10-2)

8. Miami Central (8-4*)

9. Weston Cypress Bay (10-2*)

10. Miami Columbus (9-1*)

Round 1 victims: Columbus, the top-ranked team in the final AP poll, was knocked out by Northwestern, 21-6.

Round 2 victims: District champs Miami Central, Cypress Bay, Dr. Phillips and East Ridge all lost rematches against rivals they had beaten in the regular season.

Projected final – Seminole vs. Northwestern. The two teams I had in this slot last week, Miami Central and Dr. Phillips, are history. Again, let me say I wouldn’t bet my Citrus Bowl parking pass on anything in this classification.

Take note: I’m sure Royal Palm Beach (11-1), which has won 11in straight since losing its opener to 5A Dwyer, is again wondering what it takes to crack my top 10. Beat Boone and you're in, that's for sure.

CLASS 5A

1. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (12-0)

2. Pensacola Pine Forest (11-0)

3. Lakeland (12-0)

4. Tampa Chamberlain (11-1)

5. Punta Gorda Charlotte (11-1)

6.  Largo (11-1)

7. Orange Park (10-2)

8. Daytona Beach Mainland (11-1*)

9.  Venice (11-1*)

10. Niceville (9-2*)

Round 1 victims: Tenth-ranked Neptune Beach Fletcher (10-1) suffered first loss and was eliminated by Niceville, 28-14.

Round 2 victims: Mainland let a two-touchdown lead melt away at home and lost 21-20 to an Orange Park team was 1-9 a year ago. And two unbeaten teams, Venice and Delray Beach Atlantic, lost rematches against district rivals. Charlotte topped Venice 25-21 and Stuart South Fork (9-3) stunned Atlantic 35-28. Niceville lost 21-18 at Pine Forest.

Projected final – Aquinas vs. Pine Forest.

Take note: Stacked class with six unbeatens when the playoffs opened. Stiill, Aquinas, the National Prep Poll No. 1, is a no-brainer at the top.

CLASS 4A

1. Seffner Armwood (11-0)

2. Tampa Plant (10-1)

3. Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer (10-1)

4. Miami Booker T. Washington (9-1)

5. Tampa Bay Tech (10-1)

6. Fort Walton Beach (9-1)

7. Fort Pierce Westwood (10-1)

8. Tallahassee Lincoln (8-3)

9. Ponte Vedra Beach Nease (7-3)

10. Bradenton Southeast (9-2)

Round 1 victims: Fifth-ranked Gainesville Eastside (9-2) was hammered 43-13 by Nease and No. 10 Okeechobee (8-3) was routed 40-7 by Dwyer.

Top second round showdowns: Tampa Bay Tech at Armwood, Southeast at Plant, Westwood at Dwyer.

Projected final: Armwood-Dwyer.

Take note: We’re one week away from the Plant-Armwood rematch. The Hawks shut down the Panthers’ potent passing game and won 9-2 at Plant in a season opener. … Nease is a district runner-up, but I think a tradition-rich program avenges their regular season loss to Orange Park Riverview (7-4) this week to justify my ranking. … Dwyer would get defending champ Booker T. at home in the Region 4 final if both advance this week. … … Five district rematches this week.

CLASS 3A

1. Belle Glade Glades Central (11-0)

2. Jacksonville Jackson (11-0)

3. St. Augustine (11-0)

4. Cocoa (10-1)

5. Naples (10-1)

6. Tallahassee Godby (9-2)

7. Ridge Community (10-1)

8. Panama City Beach Arnold (10-0)

9. Miami Monsignor Pace (9-2)

10. Dade City Pasco (10-1)

Round 1 victims: No. 7 Lake Wales 9-2) was spankced 41-7 by Cocoa.

Top second round showdowns: Arnold at Godby, Jackson at St. Augustine, Dunbar at Naples, Monsignor Pace at Glades Central, New Port Richey Gulf (10-1) at Dade City Pasco (10-1) in a rivalry rematch.

Projected final: Jackson vs. Glades Central.

Take note: Jackson was only No. 4 in the final AP poll but I believe that was a tad under-rated. … Godby was also under-ranked at No. 10 in the AP voting. The Cougars losses are to No. 1, 2A Madison County and 4A Tallahassee Lincoln and the brutal schedule could pay off big-time. … Don’t forget that Monsignor Pace gave Glades Central all it could handle in the playoffs a year ago.

CLASS 2A

1. Madison County (9-0)

2. Jacksonville Bolles (11-0)

3. Bushnell South Sumter (10-1)

4. Tampa Catholic (8-3)

5. Miami Archbishop Carroll (8-2)

Round 1 victims: No. 4 North Broward Prep (10-1) was outscored 40-45 by Miami Gulliver Prep (10-1).

Top second round showdowns: South Sumter at Bolles, Gulliver vs. Archbishop Carroll.

Projected final: Madison vs. Tampa Catholic.

Take note: Bolles bumped its scoring average up to 52.9 points with a 70-6 win over Orlando Jones (7-4) last week. But the Bulldogs are mindful that they are 1-2 in second round matchups with South Sumter the past three years. That includes a 19-10 loss last year in Bushnell. … Mulberry (8-4) at Tampa Catholic and Gulliver-Archbishop Carroll are rematches of district games that got heated in the regular season.

CLASS 2B

1. Pahokee (9-2)

2. Ocala Trinity Catholic (10-1)

3. Frostproof (9-1)

4. Tallahassee Florida High (10-1)

5. Newberry (9-2)

Round 1 victims: None of the AP ranked teams lost.

Top second round showdowns: Fort Lauderdale University School (11-0) at Pahokee, Newberry at Trinity.

Projected final: Pahokee vs. Trinity Catholic.

Take note: A week after two-time defending state champ Pahokee was held scoreless in the second half of a win over Miramar Academy, you wonder if the Blue Devils will have any trouble vs. unbeaten University. Last season Pahokee tore the through playoffs by scores of 62-0, 39-10, 41-13 and 53-14 and really looked like it was toying with opponents in this classification.

CLASS 1A

1. Fort Meade (10-1)

2. Tallahassee North Florida Christian (8-2)

3. West Gadsden (9-2)

4. Delray Beach American Heritage (8-2)

5. Port St. Joe (9-2)

Round 1 victims: Top-ranked Mayo Lafayette (10-1) lost 18-14 at home to Port St. Joe. Largo Indian Rocks Christian (9-2), which was tied for No. 3 with NFC in the AP poll, lost 35-21 to Belle Glade Glades Day (6-5).

Top second round showdowns: NFC at Orlando First Academy (10-1), West Gadsden at Port St. Joe.

Projected final: Fort Meade vs. NFC.

Take note: I had Fort Meade No. 1 on my ballot even before Lafayette lost last week. … West Gadsden pounded lost only to 5A Niceville and 4A Crestview in the regular season and pounded Port St. Joe 38-0. You have to believe the Sharks can make it closer this time. … NFC makes over a 500-mile round trip to play First Academy, but would be at home for the semifinal round if it gets past a Royals team seeking the school’s first second round victory.

CLASS 1B

1. Jupiter Christian (11-0)

2. Tallahassee FAMU (8-3)

3. South Daytona Warner Christian (10-1)

4. Lakeland Victory Christian (8-3)

5. Jacksonville Eagle’s View (7-4)

Round 1 victims: Fourth-ranked Graceville (8-3) lost at Eagle’s View (7-4) in overtime, 22-16.

Top second round showdowns: FAMU vs. Eagle’s View.

Projected final: Jupiter Christian vs. FAMU.

Take note: Defending champ Jupiter Christian is on a 24-game winning streak and looks all but unbeatable this year. … FAMU, the 2006 state champ and 2007 runner-up, has to go to Jacksonville this week and would have to travel to Central Florida to face either Warner or Maitland Orangewood Christian (8-3) in the semifinal round.

 

 

 

 

 

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Buddy's Breaking News 

Buddy Collings is a senior sports writer for the Orlando Sentinel. He has covered high school sports since the 1970s, when you had to get fouled to manage a 3-point play in basketball. Collings graduated from Melbourne High and the University of Florida, then worked for the Gainesville Sun for 12 years before coming to the Sentinel in 1998. In college he began tracking Florida high school sports record and later  published record books. For more than 20 years he has been a clearing house for state records. He is married with three children. You can e-mail Buddy by clicking here.

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Charles King is the producer of the weekly Orlando Sentinel Varsity Sports television show. Before that, he created and ran his own high school football Web site, FridayNightFootball.net, from 2002-07. He also developed, produced and co-hosted Friday Night Football, a radio show that broadcast a high school game every week and followed up with a post-game show. The show broadcast more than 90 games, including six state championships. In 2004 he created and produced FNF-TV, a half-hour weekly TV show dedicated to high school football in Central Florida. You can e-mail Charles by clicking here.

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