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Football Teams In This Article
The regional pecking order is set. Now it is time to look at the races that ultimately matter when the postseason arrives.
The Enhanced Florida Power Rankings Index (FPRI) preseason classification rankings bring together teams competing for the same championship paths, establishing an opening order across Classes 6A through 1A along with the SSAA and independent classifications.
At the top, there are plenty of familiar names.
Lake Mary leads Class 6A. St. Thomas Aquinas starts atop Class 5A. Miami Northwestern gets the first nod in Class 4A. Raines sits comfortably ahead of the Class 3A field. Cardinal Newman leads a loaded Class 2A, and Hawthorne begins No. 1 in Class 1A.
Those are the starting points.
What happens once the regular season begins will decide how long they last.
One important note: preseason and kickoff classic games do not count toward the FPRI and will not affect the rankings. The first movement in the rankings will come from regular-season results.
Explore the Full Florida Power Rankings Index
Classification rankings are only one part of the Enhanced FPRI.
FloridaHSFootball.com provides free rankings throughout the season, including the Florida Power 25, classification Power 10s, regional rankings, SSAA rankings and independent classifications.
View the complete Florida Power Rankings Index →
Class 6A Starts With Lake Mary, but the Depth Is Behind It
Lake Mary gets the opening No. 1 in Class 6A with a 94.12 rating.
Venice follows at No. 2 with an 86.52, while Vero Beach sits third at 83.82. West Broward is only two-hundredths of a point behind Vero Beach at No. 4, and Edgewater rounds out the Top 5 at 83.16.
That creates an interesting shape to the classification.
Lake Mary has some preseason separation at the top, but Nos. 3 through 5 are packed tightly enough that one or two significant early results could change the order quickly.
Dr. Phillips starts sixth, followed by DeLand, West Orange, Spruce Creek and Jupiter.
Lake Mary owns the first No. 1.
Class 6A has enough contenders behind the Rams to make keeping it another matter entirely.
Class 5A Might Have the Strongest Top Four in Florida
There is no gentle introduction to Class 5A.
St. Thomas Aquinas opens at No. 1 with a 99.20 rating.
West Boca Raton is right behind at 95.98.
Lakeland sits third at 94.73.
Buchholz is fourth at 92.37.
All four also sit among the highest-rated teams in the entire state.
Then comes Armwood at No. 5, meaning even getting through the first handful of teams requires navigating programs accustomed to playing deep into November and December.
Nease is sixth, followed by Miami Southridge, Mandarin, Oakleaf and Archbishop McCarthy.
St. Thomas Aquinas starts in the familiar position of being the team everyone is chasing who is going after their eigth straight state championship.
There are plenty of teams equipped to chase.
Miami Northwestern and American Heritage Are Nearly Side by Side in Class 4A
Class 4A begins with one of the tightest races for No. 1.
Miami Northwestern opens at 97.06.
American Heritage (Plantation) is second at 96.06.
One point separates them.
Jones gives the classification another heavyweight at No. 3 with an 88.79 rating, while St. Augustine is fourth at 87.34.
Then comes a more substantial break to Atlantic at No. 5.
Port Charlotte, Lake Wales, Miami Norland, Bishop Moore and Jesuit complete the preseason Power 10.
Northwestern gets the first No. 1.
American Heritage begins close enough that there is no reason to treat it as anything more than an opening edge.
Raines Has Room Between Itself and the Rest of Class 3A
If Class 4A starts tight, Class 3A starts very differently.
Raines opens with a 101.14 rating, the highest mark of any FHSAA-classified team in the preseason FPRI.
Cardinal Mooney is No. 2 at 96.46.
Then comes Miami Central at 84.04.
That gives Raines and Cardinal Mooney considerable numerical separation from the rest of the opening field, although Miami Central is not exactly the kind of program anyone dismisses because of an August rating.
Eau Gallie starts fourth, Dillard fifth and Bishop Verot sixth.
Glades Central, Cardinal Gibbons, Bishop Kenny and The Villages complete the Top 10.
For now, Class 3A looks like a race with two teams clearly in front.
Football has a way of complicating those things.
Class 2A Is Loaded Before Anyone Plays a Down
There may not be a more intriguing preseason classification than Class 2A.
Cardinal Newman opens No. 1 with a 93.05 rating.
Chaminade-Madonna is No. 2 at 88.36.
Bolles sits third at 85.50.
Cocoa is fourth at 77.73.
Those four names alone give the classification plenty of weight.
The middle of the Power 10 does not offer much relief, either.
Clearwater Central Catholic and The First Academy both enter with identical 73.93 ratings, followed by Bradford, Pensacola Catholic, Immaculata-La Salle and Lakewood.
Cardinal Newman gets the preseason edge, but this is not a classification where anyone should feel comfortable in August.
There are too many teams with legitimate reasons to expect December football.
Hawthorne Has the Early Separation in Class 1A
Hawthorne begins Class 1A at No. 1 with an 84.04 rating.
Carrollwood Day follows at 77.79, creating a noticeable gap between the first two teams and another drop before Blountstown at No. 3 with a 69.39.
True North is fourth and Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) fifth.
Chiefland, Lakeland Christian, Madison County, Pahokee and Taylor County round out the Top 10.
The classification mixes programs from every corner of the state, but Hawthorne enters with the clearest numerical advantage.
That gives the Hornets the first target on their back.
Jupiter Christian and NSU University School Are Almost Even in SSAA 11-Man
You cannot get much tighter than the top of SSAA 11-Man.
Jupiter Christian opens No. 1 with a 65.59 rating.
NSU University School is No. 2 at 65.54.
That is a difference of 0.05 points.
Aucilla Christian begins third, followed by Out-of-Door and St. Joseph.
Florida Christian, Monsignor Pace, Maclay, Seffner Christian and Christ’s Church Academy complete the preseason Power 10.
There may be a No. 1 next to Jupiter Christian’s name.
There is essentially no daylight behind it.
American Heritage Gets the First Nod in SSAA Atlantic
American Heritage (Delray Beach) begins the season atop SSAA Atlantic with a 68.95 rating.
West Nassau is second at 66.88, while Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale) opens third at 61.56.
Lafayette and Space Coast round out the Top 5.
Frostproof, Branford, King’s Academy, LaBelle and Fernandina Beach fill out the rest of the preseason Power 10.
Unlike some classifications with a dominant preseason favorite, the Atlantic division begins with multiple teams close enough to make the opening order worth watching immediately.
Real Life Christian Leads the SSAA 8-Man Field
Real Life Christian opens No. 1 in SSAA 8-Man with a 66.88 rating.
Merritt Island Christian is not far behind at 64.73, followed by Shorecrest Prep at 60.81 and Donahue Academy at 57.59. Florida Deaf and Blind rounds out the Top 5.
Bradenton Christian sits sixth, with Ocala Christian, Hernando Christian, Foundation Christian and Academy at the Lakes completing the Top 10.
The first two teams have an early edge.
There is enough depth behind them to keep the race from feeling settled before it begins.
Windermere Leads Independent League A
Windermere enters 2026 at No. 1 in Independent League A with a 69.80 rating.
The gap behind the Wolverines is substantial.
Umatilla starts second at 51.30, followed by Innovation, Somerset Academy (Pembroke Pines) and Oasis.
South Broward, Hallandale, Cooper City, Hollywood Hills and Oak Ridge complete the Power 10.
Of all the classification leaders, Windermere begins with one of the more pronounced numerical advantages over the field.
Mount Dora Christian Opens on Top in Independent League B
Independent League B begins with Mount Dora Christian at No. 1 with a 61.29 rating.
Lake Highland Prep follows at 55.57, with Foundation Academy third, The Masters Academy fourth and Southwest Florida Christian fifth.
Jay, Providence, Oak Hall, Holy Trinity and Santa Fe Catholic round out the Top 10.
Mount Dora Christian has the early separation.
The rest of the classification begins much more tightly packed.
IMG Academy National Is in Its Own Territory Among Independents
Then there is the Independent classification.
IMG Academy National opens at 105.70.
IMG Academy Junior National is second at 62.16.
That is not a typo.
The gap reflects the very different level at which IMG Academy National operates, with the Ascenders building a schedule that extends well beyond Florida and competing in the national conversation rather than an FHSAA championship bracket.
Coral Reef starts third, followed by Reagan and SFA Academy.
Cornerstone Charter, Ferguson, Zarephath Academy, Varela and Hialeah Gardens round out the preseason Top 10.
For IMG Academy National, the question is not whether it begins No. 1 among Florida’s independents.
It is how the Ascenders stack up against the best teams in the state and beyond.
The Rankings Start Here, Not Finish Here
Every classification has a preseason No. 1.
Lake Mary.
St. Thomas Aquinas.
Miami Northwestern.
Raines.
Cardinal Newman.
Hawthorne.
Jupiter Christian.
American Heritage (Delray Beach).
Real Life Christian.
Windermere.
Mount Dora Christian.
IMG Academy National.
Those names establish the opening order.
Nothing guarantees they will still be there when the games that count start reshaping the rankings.
Preseason and kickoff classic results will not be factored into the FPRI. Once the regular season begins, actual results, opponent strength and team performance will increasingly drive the ratings.
Some of these No. 1 teams will strengthen their grip.
Others will get caught.
And across 12 separate classification races, there will be plenty of opportunities for the numbers to change their mind.
That starts when the games start counting.
Want to See Where Every Team Ranks?
The classification Power 10s are only part of the full FPRI.
Explore the Florida Power 25, every classification ranking, all eight regional rankings, SSAA classifications and independent rankings throughout the 2026 season.
Every ranking is free to view.
Explore the complete Florida Power Rankings Index →
2026 Preseason Classification Power Rankings
Rating
94.12
Central Florida
Rating
86.52
Southwest Florida
Rating
83.82
Space & Treasure Coast
Rating
83.80
South Florida
Rating
83.16
Central Florida
Rating
76.33
Central Florida
Rating
73.12
Central Florida
Rating
70.59
Central Florida
Rating
68.37
Central Florida
Rating
67.39
South Florida
Rating
99.20
South Florida
Rating
95.98
South Florida
Rating
92.37
North Central Florida
Rating
79.69
Northeast Florida
Rating
77.70
South Florida
Rating
77.55
Northeast Florida
Rating
75.26
Northeast Florida
Rating
75.25
South Florida
Rating
97.06
South Florida
Rating
96.06
South Florida
Rating
88.79
Central Florida
Rating
87.34
Northeast Florida
Rating
77.65
South Florida
Rating
76.14
Southwest Florida
Rating
73.59
South Florida
Rating
73.39
Central Florida
Rating
101.14
Northeast Florida
Rating
96.46
Southwest Florida
Rating
84.04
South Florida
Rating
72.87
Space & Treasure Coast
Rating
66.88
South Florida
Rating
66.62
Southwest Florida
Rating
66.28
South Florida
Rating
66.24
South Florida
Rating
65.26
Northeast Florida
Rating
57.94
North Central Florida
Rating
93.05
South Florida
Rating
88.36
South Florida
Rating
85.50
Northeast Florida
Rating
77.73
Space & Treasure Coast
Rating
73.93
Central Florida
Rating
71.61
North Central Florida
Rating
68.82
South Florida
Rating
84.04
North Central Florida
Rating
68.64
South Florida
Rating
67.66
Northeast Florida
Rating
67.41
North Central Florida
Rating
60.93
South Florida
Rating
65.59
South Florida
Rating
65.54
South Florida
Rating
56.58
Southwest Florida
Rating
52.56
Northeast Florida
Rating
50.68
South Florida
Rating
49.41
South Florida
Rating
47.42
Northeast Florida
Rating
68.95
South Florida
Rating
66.88
Northeast Florida
Rating
61.56
South Florida
Rating
53.98
North Central Florida
Rating
51.30
Space & Treasure Coast
Rating
48.54
North Central Florida
Rating
47.59
South Florida
Rating
47.52
Southwest Florida
Rating
47.32
Northeast Florida
Rating
66.88
Central Florida
Rating
64.73
Space & Treasure Coast
Rating
57.59
Southwest Florida
Rating
55.59
Northeast Florida
Rating
54.31
Southwest Florida
Rating
50.41
North Central Florida
Rating
69.80
Central Florida
Rating
51.30
Central Florida
Rating
42.53
Central Florida
Rating
38.17
South Florida
Rating
35.09
Southwest Florida
Rating
33.64
South Florida
Rating
28.17
South Florida
Rating
27.51
South Florida
Rating
24.24
South Florida
Rating
23.50
Central Florida
Rating
61.29
Central Florida
Rating
55.57
Central Florida
Rating
49.53
Central Florida
Rating
48.30
Central Florida
Rating
47.53
Southwest Florida
Rating
44.79
Northeast Florida
Rating
43.03
North Central Florida
Rating
42.70
Space & Treasure Coast
Rating
105.70
Southwest Florida
Rating
62.16
Southwest Florida
Rating
57.06
South Florida
Rating
45.84
South Florida
Rating
40.07
Central Florida
Rating
34.93
South Florida
Rating
32.61
Northeast Florida
Rating
32.01
South Florida
Rating
27.38
South Florida
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