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Before the 2026 season begins reshaping the picture on the field, there is a starting point.
The Enhanced Florida Power Rankings Index (FPRI) opens its preseason rankings rollout by looking across Florida’s eight regions, identifying the programs that enter the new season setting the pace in their respective parts of the state.
Some regions have a clear preseason leader. Others have enough depth near the top that the order could change quickly once regular-season results begin replacing preseason projections.
And that is what makes the regional rankings worth watching.
They are not just another way to sort teams by classification. They put programs of different sizes and affiliations into the same regional conversation and answer a simpler question:
Who owns their part of Florida entering 2026?
One important note before the games get underway: preseason and kickoff classic results do not count toward the FPRI and will not affect the rankings. The first movement in the rankings will come once regular-season results begin being added to the system.
Explore the Full Florida Power Rankings Index
The regional rankings are only one part of the Enhanced FPRI.
FloridaHSFootball.com provides free rankings for every classification and region across Florida, including the statewide Florida Power 25, Classes 6A through 1A, SSAA 11-Man, SSAA Atlantic, SSAA 8-Man, Independent League A, Independent League B and Independent programs.
View the complete Florida Power Rankings Index →
Pace Gets the First Nod in the Panhandle
The Panhandle begins with Pace at No. 1, carrying a 73.64 rating into the season.
Choctawhatchee follows at No. 2, with Pensacola Catholic, Blountstown and Madison County completing the opening Top 5. Aucilla Christian gives the SSAA a presence at No. 7, while Lincoln and Niceville are also inside the regional Top 10.
What stands out here is the lack of overwhelming separation at the top.
Pace has the first No. 1, but the Panhandle begins with enough quality immediately behind it that this could become one of the more fluid regional races once the games start counting.
Buchholz Leads a Strong North Central Florida Group
North Central Florida begins with one of the state’s stronger headliners.
Buchholz opens No. 1 with a 92.37 rating, followed by Hawthorne at 84.04.
Bradford sits third, Vanguard fourth and Chiefland fifth. Columbia, Williston, Newberry, The Villages and Eastside complete the opening Top 10.
The top of this region also shows why regional rankings can be so interesting.
Buchholz enters as a large-school contender. Hawthorne has established itself as one of Florida’s premier small-school programs. Bradford, Vanguard and Chiefland bring their own expectations.
Different classifications, same regional race.
Raines Sets the Standard in Northeast Florida
There is considerably more separation at the top in Northeast Florida.
Raines opens No. 1 with a 101.14 rating, giving the Vikings one of the highest preseason marks anywhere in the state.
St. Augustine follows at No. 2, Bolles is third, Nease fourth and Mandarin fifth. Oakleaf, Ponte Vedra, Trinity Christian, West Nassau and Bishop Kenny complete the Top 10.
The depth continues well beyond that first group, with Beachside, University Christian, Ed White, Fleming Island and Middleburg rounding out a regional Power 15.
Raines owns the first No. 1.
The more interesting question may be how much movement develops behind the Vikings.
Lake Mary Opens on Top in Central Florida
Central Florida begins with Lake Mary at No. 1 with a 94.12 rating.
Jones follows at No. 2 with an 88.79, while Edgewater sits third at 83.16.
Dr. Phillips and The First Academy complete the opening Top 5. DeLand, West Orange, Evans, Windermere and Spruce Creek are among the teams immediately behind them.
There is real depth here.
Central Florida’s opening rankings stretch across traditional powers, programs coming off deep postseason runs and teams capable of changing the regional order with only a few early results.
Lake Mary gets the first word.
It probably will not get the last.
Lakeland Leads a Deep Tampa Bay Power 25
Tampa Bay has enough depth to warrant a full regional Power 25, and Lakeland begins at the top with a 94.73 rating.
Armwood follows at No. 2.
Carrollwood Day is third, Lake Wales fourth and Tampa Bay Tech fifth. Mitchell, Clearwater Central Catholic, Jesuit, Zephyrhills and Gaither round out the Top 10.
And the list does not thin out much after that.
Lakewood, Lakeland Christian, Sumner, Clearwater, Calvary Christian, Wiregrass Ranch and Berkeley Prep are among the programs deeper in the region.
That depth is what makes Tampa Bay different from several other regions.
Lakeland may start No. 1, but there are plenty of teams below the Dreadnaughts capable of making the weekly rankings move.
IMG Academy National Towers Over Southwest Florida
Southwest Florida begins with the state’s most imposing regional No. 1.
IMG Academy National opens with a 105.70 rating, well ahead of Cardinal Mooney at No. 2 with a 96.46.
Venice follows at No. 3, Port Charlotte is fourth and Manatee fifth.
Palmetto, Riverdale, Naples, Bishop Verot and IMG Academy Junior National complete the Top 10.
The region has quality well beyond IMG, but the Ascenders begin with significant numerical separation.
That makes the race for No. 2 almost as interesting as the race for No. 1.
Vero Beach Leads the Space & Treasure Coast
The Space & Treasure Coast starts with Vero Beach at No. 1 with an 83.82 rating.
Cocoa is second at 77.73, while Eau Gallie sits third at 72.87.
Merritt Island and John Carroll complete the Top 5, followed by Fort Pierce Central, Jensen Beach, Titusville, Melbourne Central Catholic and Space Coast.
There may not be the same volume of highly rated teams here as in Tampa Bay or South Florida, but the region has a strong core at the top.
Vero Beach gets the opening edge.
Cocoa and Eau Gallie give the region plenty of reason to watch what happens next.
South Florida Has the Deepest Top End
Then there is South Florida.
St. Thomas Aquinas opens No. 1 with a 99.20 rating, but there is almost no room to relax behind the Raiders.
Miami Northwestern is No. 2.
American Heritage (Plantation) is No. 3.
West Boca Raton is No. 4.
Cardinal Newman is No. 5.
Chaminade-Madonna is sixth, Miami Central seventh and West Broward eighth.
And that is only the beginning.
Miami Southridge, Atlantic, Archbishop McCarthy, Miami Norland, American Heritage (Delray Beach), Immaculata-La Salle and True North are all inside the regional Top 15.
Jupiter, Dillard, Glades Central, Cardinal Gibbons, Miami Palmetto, Jupiter Christian and NSU University School appear deeper in a regional Power 25 that barely gives the rankings room to breathe.
Other regions have excellent teams.
South Florida begins with the deepest concentration of them.
Eight Regions, Eight Starting Points
For the moment, the regional No. 1 teams are set:
Pace in the Panhandle.
Buchholz in North Central Florida.
Raines in Northeast Florida.
Lake Mary in Central Florida.
Lakeland in Tampa Bay.
IMG Academy National in Southwest Florida.
Vero Beach along the Space & Treasure Coast.
St. Thomas Aquinas in South Florida.
That is the preseason picture.
It will not stay that way.
Once games begin, the Enhanced FPRI will increasingly shift toward what teams actually accomplish on the field. Results, opponent strength and week-to-week performance will begin changing the regional order.
Some preseason favorites will hold their ground.
Others will not.
And by the time the season gets rolling, there will almost certainly be a few teams forcing their way into conversations they were not part of in August.
For now, though, every region has its starting point.
The chase begins there.
Want to See Where Every Team Ranks?
The regional rankings are just one way to explore the FPRI.
See the Florida Power 25, classification Power 10s, regional rankings and rankings for the SSAA and independent classifications all in one place throughout the 2026 season.
Rankings are free to view and will continue to update as the season unfolds.
Explore all Florida Power Rankings Index rankings →
2026 Preseason Regional Power Rankings
North Central Florida Power 10
Northeast Florida Power 15
Southwest Florida Power 10
Space & Treasure Coast Power 10
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