South Florida high school football is loaded with talent once again

South Florida, year in and year out, fields some of the top high school football teams in the state.

The 2018 season provided yet another example of that, with teams from Miami-Dade and Broward counties reaching state championship games in six of eight classifications. Three — Northwestern in Class 6A, Cardinal Gibbons in 5A and Chaminade-Madonna in 3A — brought home titles.

It should be more of the same this year. Even with the Florida High School Athletic Association’s latest wave of realignments shaking up the district, regional and classification landscape, Miami-Dade and Broward have more than enough teams who can make a statement and be one of the last teams standing.

Here’s is a look, class by class, at how South Florida’s top teams stack up with the rest of the Sunshine State.

Class 8A

The state’s largest classification once again offers the most intrigue. In Miami-Dade, Columbus, Palmetto, South Dade and Coral Gables all have loaded rosters and could conceivably make a playoff run. Deerfield Beach and Davie Western are turning heads in Broward.

Jacksonville Mandarin, which defeated Columbus in the title game last year, is eyeing a chance for a repeat and has senior quarterback Carson Beck (a Georgia commit) leading the way again. Apopka and Tampa Plant are also worthy candidates of a playoff push.

Class 7A

Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, once again, is South Florida’s top team in Class 7A. That’s to be expected for a team loaded with Power 5 recruits. The main question: Will they stop their state title drought? There are other teams in the area that will look to make noise, including Plantation, Doral Academy and McArthur.

The rest of the class, however, is loaded across the state with the likes of defending champion Lakeland (with top running back Demarkcus Bowman), Delray Atlantic, Venice, Seffner Armwood and Edgewater all vying for postseason runs of their own.

Class 6A

District 16-6A has been home to the Class 6A state champion each of the past seven years. It very well could be the case again in 2019 even with Northwestern and Carol City moving down to Class 5A and 4A, respectively. The new monster district: Belen Jesuit, Central, Norland, Southridge and South Miami. Central won four consecutive titles from 2012 to 2015. Southridge won the Class 8A title in 2016. Belen has one of the top running backs in the state in senior Donald Chaney Jr. Dillard in District 15-6A is likely to be Broward’s top team in this class.

Elsewhere in the state, Lake City Columbia, Naples and Pensacola Escambia are poised for big years.

Class 5A

Miami Northwestern and Plantation American Heritage seem to be the early front-runners for their districts and could very well make playoff runs. Northwestern, which is coming off back-to-back state championship seasons in Class 6A, is loaded at wide receiver with senior Marcus Fleming as well as juniors Romello Brinson and Kahlil Brantley. American Heritage, which lost in the regional finals to eventual champion Cardinal Gibbons last year after putting up back-to-back perfect seasons before that, has talent but will need to make up for the losses of top defenders James Williams and Ruben Hyppolite.

Look out for Jacksonville Raines (Class 4A state champ in 2018), Tampa Jesuit and Ocala Vangaurd as well this year.

Class 4A

Region 4-4A has the potential to be the most competitive grouping in the state this year. The early favorites to make the six-team playoff field in the region: Cardinal Gibbons (defending Class 5A champ), Carol City (moved down from 6A), Davie University School (Class 4A state runner-up), Miami Booker T. Washington, Miami Gulliver Prep and Miami Monsignor Pace. How Carol City and Booker T. Washington react to losing their head coaches right before the start of the season will be an interesting development.

Jacksonville Bolles in Region 1, Cocoa in Region 2, and the combination of Glades Central, Tampa Catholic and Delray American Heritage in Region 3 figure to be the other main contenders around the state.

Class 3A

Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna is going for a three-peat and has the talent to do so. Running back Thad Franklin, offensive lineman Willie Moise and wide receiver Elijah Cannon are just three of their FBS-caliber players who will help them through a gauntlet of a regular-season schedule that includes Carol City, Delray Atlantic, Central, Pahokee and Vero Beach.

Jacksonville Trinity Christian, which won back-to-back Class 3A titles in 2015 and 2016 before Chaminade began its current run, is the Lions’ main competitor. Clearwater Central Catholic, Tallahassee Florida High, Palm Beach King’s Academy (last year’s state runner-up) and Cardinal Mooney all will likely factor into the playoff picture, as well.

Class 2A

Champagnat and Miami Christian remain the main two area contenders in Class 2A. Hialeah Champagnat will be road warriors once again as they attempt to reach the state title game for a fourth consecutive year and take home the school’s third state title (winning in 2013 and 2017). Miami Christian, which revived its football program in 2017, went 8-2 last year before falling to Champagnat in the first round of the playoffs.

Tallahassee North Florida Christian, which defeated Champagnat in the title game last season, returns a stacked roster and could very well make a run back to state. Tampa-area Admiral Farragut and Jacksonville’s University Christian are also contenders.

Class 1A

Neither Dade nor Broward has a team in Class 1A. The usual names — including two-time defending champion Madison County, Baker, Chiefland and Pahokee — should remain at the top of the class here.