Time to close out our HS End of Season Awards with some team categories.
BEST TEAM
For this category, we are only going to consider teams that participated in the FHSAA playoffs. Both Montverde Academy and IMG Academy are members of the FHSAA but do not participate in the playoffs.
Miami Christopher Columbus recently won its fourth state title in a row. The Explorers are currently the top team in the national polls and the top seed in the Chipotle Nationals starting in a couple of weeks. Now is as good a time as any to discuss this group in a historical context, at least for the past quarter-century. Only three other teams have won both their semi-final and championship games by thirty points or more in that time frame: The 2018 University School team of Vernon Carey, Scottie Barnes & company and the 2012 editions of both Lake Wales and Pompano Beach Ely. Andrew Moran and crew took on a ridiculously challenging schedule this season and the team came through with flying colors. While the Boozers are moving on to Duke, the “ball firm” of Gaskins, Jaxon, Jackson, and Jackson could certainly lead Columbus to a record-tying fifth straight state championship should they decide to stay together. The 24-25 Explorers will be in any and every discussion of top high school teams to have ever competed for a Florida state title.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
Tocoi Creek out of St. Johns County near St. Augustine is only in its fourth year of existence. So when the Toros bolted out to a regular season record of 22-3, defeated all district and regional tournament opponents by double digits and reached Lakeland, many were caught off-guard. They won’t have that luxury next season as four of the Toros’ top five scorers return.
FLORIDA HS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS SEEDING
Wouldn’t it be great if Florida held a Tournament of Champions for all its classification winners? If that had taken place this season, below is our seeding for the bracket.
#1 Seed: Miami Christopher Columbus – Highest nationally-ranked team
#2 Seed: Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian – Only one loss on the season and that was to Montverde Academy, who the Eagles had on the ropes until the final two minutes of the game.
#3 Seed: Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas – The Raiders played a challenging schedule and defeated the teams listed below that they played.
#4 Seed: Weston Sagemont – The Lions lost to St. Thomas and split a pair of games against Riviera Prep. Sagemont’s margin of victory was far more than its loss to Riviera Prep, so the Lions get the nod here.
#5 Seed: Miami Riviera Prep – The Bulldogs pulled together and won their third straight state title without the services of 7’0 Gustavo Gumareas. Coach Shabazz and his team played a ridiculously difficult schedule.
#6 Seed: Fort Lauderdale Stranahan – The Dragons didn’t play the teams above them but do have a win over neighboring Ely. By the time the playoffs came around, this group had things kicked into high gear.
#7 Seed: Pompano Beach Ely – The Tigers surprised a lot of people with their state title run. This was a case of the whole being greater than the sum of the individual parts.
#8 Seed: Hawthorne – The champions of the newly created Rural Classification, Hawthorne proved to be a gritty and tough group with a championship DNA.
NEVER-TOO-EARLY LOOK AHEAD
Below is an early look at a team and player to watch in each classification heading into 2024-2025. These are the teams and players that we think will have a breakout season:
Rural: Team to Watch: Quincy Crossroad Academy; Player to Watch: Clifford Love, Moore Haven
1A: Team to Watch: Lakeland Victory Christian; Player to Watch: Kevin Thomas, Weston Sagemont
2A: Team to Watch: Tampa Prep; Player to Watch: Jasen Lopez, Hollywood Chaminade
3A: Team to Watch: The Villages Charter; Player to Watch: Willie Piggott, Tampa Catholic
4A: Team to Watch: Miami Northwestern; Player to Watch: Christian Yeargin, Fort Lauderdale Stranahan
5A: Team to Watch: Fleming Island; Player to Watch: Sam Powell, Naples Golden Gate
6A: Team to Watch: Bartow; Player to Watch: Brandon Brazell, Stuart Martin County
7A: Team to Watch: Orlando Olympia; Player to Watch: Asa Kohn, Oviedo Hagerty
Independent: Team to Watch: Academy of Central Florida; Player to Watch: Rylen Kelly, Maitland Southeastern Prep