Florida Youth and High School Sports News Blog

LocalReplay Class 1B Florida Football Rankings (Preseason Edition)

The countdown to Florida Football 2007 continues. It’s officially Monday now, which means that 2A and 2B Florida football rankings will arrive sometime today. So check back often and share your thoughts with us. Of course, what most folks are awaiting are the big 6A rankings to come later this week. Where will your team be picked? It’s tough to wait, but hang in there. After all, it’s not quite kickoff time yet.

1. (Tallahassee) FAMU—The Baby Rattlers are still celebrating after last November’s 14-10 state championship victory in a matchup with Victory Christian, and there will be plenty of reasons to cheer this fall, when senior RB Richard Watson takes the field before heading off to Georgia Tech in 2009. All Watson did in 2006 was rush for 2,140 yards and a bazillion touchdowns (actually 34). Normally, I tell folks to expect more from someone during his senior year, but just how many times can a guy score, 50? Well, probably not. But 45 is a possibility for a team ready to roll through District 1B-1 and return to the state championship a little closer to home in Orlando’s Citrus Bowl. If they win it again, it would be their fifth time in 43 years. Speaking of big numbers, there’s also junior LB Willie Ferrell, who was in on 214 tackles last year. He even made 14 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, a good sign that FAMU is happy to send him in a blitz. Opposing quarterbacks be warned: audibles are life-savers. By the way, there’s a new quarterback calling plays for FAMU, and that’s one area of concern. But just how much does a guy need to learn about handing off to one of the country’s top running backs? I could do it. I’d just need someone to bend down and take the ball from the center. It won’t take long to learn how FAMU adjusts to its new season. The face Class 1A powerhouse North Florida Christian on Sept. 13 and travel to Cottondale the next week.

2. (Lakeland) Victory Christian—Just in time for the heart of Florida’s hurricane season, here comes the Storm, a team that followed a 2005 state championship with a 14-10 loss to FAMU in the 2006 state title game. Senior QB Mike Skjefte is back this fall after leading the Storm to a 10-4 overall mark and an unbeaten record in District 1B-5. Brian Davis is back, too, as the team’s head coach. He returns after a two-year absence and inherits a team that returns eight offensive starters, including 6-5, 210-pound WR Tegan Johnson and FB David Wilson. The big game for the Storm is an Oct. 5 trip to Fort Meade, a Class 1A team at No. 6 in our preseason rankings.

3. (Deltona) Trinity Christian—Here’s a team so loaded that it will have to choose between two runners who topped 1,000 yards in 2006. Jacolby Washington is a punishing runner who has rushed for more than 3,000 in three years with the team. Neiko Pate rushed for more than 1,000 yards last fall at Class 6A DeLand High before a circus-like ordeal began that had the senior jumping all over, including a rumored brief departure to Daytona Beach Mainland. Both backs use the same upright running style, and both can bore through the heart of defenses. Washington is expected to anchor the defense again this fall, and senior WR/DB Steven Rogers, who picked off seven passes in 2006 to go with 64 tackles. Rogers also had seven touchdowns for the Trinity Christian offense.

4. (St. Petersburg) Keswick Christian—The Crusaders were 9-2 in 2006 but lost 32-13 to Pine Castle Christian in the regional semifinals. Now they’re in better position without Victory Christian’s presence in District 1B-6. The team’s offense is virtually intact in 2007, and a state title runner is a distinct possibility. Joltin’ Jared DiMaggio is one of several veterans. The senior rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 2006. Look for him to go well over 1,500 yards this fall and score approximately 20 touchdowns.

5. (Orlando) Pine Castle Christian—Here’s a team that was on the cuff of a state championships last fall behind QB Thomas Austin and 5-9. 172-pound FB Cody Large, now a junior. The two combined for nearly 1,800 rushing yards and 41 touchdowns, including 23 from Austin, who also threw for nearly 1,000 yards. This year, both are ready to finish the task a season after losing 30-12 to Victory Christian, the eventual state runner-up. There’s plenty of size on the offensive line once again in 2007, so opening holes for Austin and Large shouldn’t be a problem.

6. Cottondale—The Hornets had their share of both glory and disappointment in 2006. After a 7-3 regular season, they lost 41-6 to eventual state champion FAMU in the regional quarterfinals. Just their luck: This year, FAMU and Cottondale are together in the six-team District 1B-1. But hold the sympathy. It might be an advantage, as it will guarantee that the Hornets won’t face the defending state champs in the first round of the state playoffs. Perhaps that’s positive news for a team that returns most of its offensive starters, including senior RB James Oliver, who is primed for a big year behind a big offensive line.

7. (Orlando) Agape Christian—If the Saints’ inaugural year is any sign of what’s to come, you can lock them into a battle for a playoff spot right now. They’re not likely to knock off a powerful Pine Castle Christian team vying for a state title, but Agape Christian could snag the 1B-4 runner-up spot in its first year of district play and slide into the playoffs. That’s if they can rebound after losing some key players from 2006, including most of their offensive skill players. They’ll also have to upend 2005 1B state champ (Lakeland) Victory Christian, which nearly won its second title in as many years last fall. It won’t take long to judge Agape’s chances. After all, they start the season against 1B power North Florida Christian and end the regular season at Victory Christian on Nov. 2.

8. Jupiter Christian—The Eagles were 10-2 in 2006, when the turned it on to finish the season with a 41-0 regional semifinal victory against Hollywood Christian. then came a 24-15 loss to Calvary Christian. There are no powerhouses in the District 1B-8, so expect the Eagles to win their first district championship. With holes to fill, though, it will take some new faces to help Jupiter Christian reach Orlando’s Citrus Bowl.

9. (Jacksonville) Arlington Country Day—The Apaches are District 1B-2 defending champs and return all but one offensive starter for 2007. So that bodes well for a team that stayed alive last year until losing 14-7 to Warner Christian in the regional semifinals. Under second-year coach James Sims, Country Day is ready for more, but they’ll have to bolster a graduation-depleted defense before they can mount another title run. Senior DL Joey Frenett (6-0, 250) is expected to be a key run-stopper this fall. With so much talent packed away in District 1B-1, it should be a smooth road ahead for Arlington Country Day. An Oct. 12 matchup with district foe (Jacksonville) Eagle’s View appears to be the biggest roadblock for a team that plays a fairly weak schedule.

10. (Daytona Beach) Warner Christian—Coach Andy Price’s team reached the state semifinals in 2006, but their star on both sides of the ball, Caleb King, has gone off to the Naval Academy to play football, leaving some uncertainty in the backfield. Eagles’ RB Richard Wallace, though, answered some questions in the team’s preseason title with (St. Augustine) St. Josephs. Wallace rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns, and Price says he’ll be the guy to carry the team this year. But can Wallace fill King’s shoes? Doubtful. The bull-nosed King had a fiery nature, and his determination played a key role in the team’s playoff victory against district rival Trinity Christian. This year, Trinity returns the favor, and Warner Christian will have to battle a rising Lighthouse Christian squad for a playoff spot.

11. (Orlando) West Oaks Academy—While the Flames were just 4-6 in 2006, they return most of their key offensive weapons. That’s enough to get them on this list, but it’s not enough to get them to the playoffs in District 1B-4, where 2006 state runner-up Lakeland Victory Christian could also miss the postseason.

12. (Tampa) Cambridge—The Lancers only won five games in 2006, but most of their starters are back for more this fall. Life isn’t bad in District 1B-7, where there is only one team that earned a regional playoff berth last fall, Jupiter Christian. That makes Cambridge a strong postseason contender. Of the team’s five losses in 2006, though, four of them were in district play. So the Lancers are going to have to play big when the games count most, and it shouldn’t be tough to play big with their ginormous offensive line, wich is anchored by 6-0, 260-pound senior DL D.J. Vasquez and fellow Cambridge High School senior Michael Miller.

13. Hollywood Christian—After a 7-4 season, Hollywood Christian hopes for a return to the playoffs, but they’ll likely be competing for a runner-up spot in District 1B-8, where Jupiter Christian is king after upending Hollywood Christian in a lopsided 41-0 regional semifinal loss.

14. (Oviedo) Master’s Academy—The Eagles are a playoff contender despite going just 4-6 a season ago. In the weak District 1B-4, though, almost everybody is a playoff contender. Orangewood-Christian upended Master’s Academy in preseason action, but look for the Eagles to repay the favor when the teams meet on Nov. 2.

15. (DeLand) Lighthouse Christian—The second-year school is ready for flight under coach Chad Rhodes and his fellow assistants. Most of the team’s coaches are also assistants for the Daytona Beach Thunder, a professional indoor football team, so they have lots of experience in preparing players. Last year, Rhodes’ team couldn’t even watch game film, because they couldn’t make sense of anything. This year, Lighthouse hopes to break into the playoffs. With rival Trinity Christian in the hunt for a state title, though, Lighthouse might have to settle for a runner-up finish in Class 1B-4, and that’s if they can hold off Warner Christian, which upended Trinity Christian last year to reach the state semifinals. Remember the name Marlin Lane Jr. He’s just an eighth-grader this fall, but this RB already has a 1,000-yard rushing season in his hip pocket.

16. (Monticello) Aucilla Christian—The Warriors return most of their starters on both sides of the ball following a disappointing 5-6 season under first-year coach Joe Striplin. But there’s plenty of time for QB Matt Dobson, who is just in the eighth grade this fall. Dobson threw for nearly 2,000 yards, with 17 touchdowns, in 2006. He should be good for similar stats in 2007, and there’s a chance that he’ll be dubbed the cream of the crop for the Class of—gulp—2012. But it’s a crapshoot for the District 1-1B playoff spots this year, as realignment matches the Warriors with defending state champs FAMU, Graceville and Cottondale. But what an all-district team it’ll make, huh?

17. Graceville—The city that’s just a few thousand yards from the Georgia state line features a guy who could come within a few thousand yards of one of Florida’s most untouchable records. Senior RB J.J. Laster has 3,900 rushing yeards, including 1,277 last year on 207 carries. A big year could put him among the state’s best all-time rushers, but he’s not going to come close to Emmitt Smith’s 8,804 rushing yards, the all-time career record for Florida preps. He could, though, finish within 1,000 or so yards of career third-place RB Ciatrick Fason, who also has NFL experience, so that’s good company to have. If the Tigers are to challenge for a state title, though, they’ll need to improve upon their 5-5 season of 2006, which ended with a 34-4 regional final loss to eventual state champion FAMU. They’ll also have to do it while battling Cottondale and FAMU for a playoff spot in District 1B-1, the odds-on favorite to produce this year’s state champs. The Tigers face FAMU on Oct. 19 and Cottondale on Nov. 2.

18. Merritt Island Christian—The Cougars were 5-5 in 2006, but they won five straight after an 0-5 start to end the season 3-2 in district games. District 1B-4 is possibly the state’s weakest, and that bodes well for Merritt Island Christian, which returns most of its 2006 starters, including RB Erik Hall, who rushed for 1,243 yards in 2006.

19. (Maitland) Orangewood Christian—Before the ticker-tape parade, let’s remember that there are only 16 playoff spots and 47 teams in 1B, so four teams in our Top 20 won’t make the playoffs. Here’s one that probably will. The Rams were 4-6 last year, and they play in one of the state’s weakest districts, 1B-4. That bodes well, but they’ll have to get past Master’s Academy and Merritt Island Christian to have a shot. Expect them to get it done, as the school has a tradition of winning.

20. (Deerfield Beach) Zion Lutheran—One could go the easy route and pick Upper Room Christian, which drops from 1A to 1B, to fill out the Top 20. Instead, I’ll take a gamble on sophomore QB Jonathan Randolph, who showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman starter for the Lions. Zion Lutheran won just once in 2006, but expect at least three wins for the Lions, who play a weak schedule.

Favorite, bookmark, save, or post to Digg, Yahoo, Google, and more: