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.
Calvary Christian out of Fort Lauderdale finished the season with another Class 3A state title. Not only that, but they also finished fifth at a loaded City of Palms and won the prestigious Bass Pro Tournament in Springfield, Missouri. Their only loss on the season came to Paul VI out of Virginia in the quarterfinals of the City of Palms. For their effort, Calvary was ranked the #2 team in the country by Max Preps, right behind Paul VI. Cayden Daughtry, a 6’1 junior, paced the team, proving to be one of the top players in the country regardless of class. He got plenty of help from 6’4 senior K.J. Francis, 6’7 senior Aiden Bolden, and 6’1 senior Jacob Zhu. One has to wonder how this team would have been had Collin Paul, a 6’7 senior and Florida State signee, not missed all season with a knee injury.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
Riviera Beach Suncoast got through a tough region in Class 4A to make it to Jacksonville. They took down a high-scoring Mater Lakes squad by four at home in the regional semis then defeated district rival and defending state champion Stranahan in the region final. Just a few weeks earlier, Stranahan defeated the Chargers for that district title. After that type of gauntlet, the Final Four in Jacksonville seemed like a cakewalk. They got past Boca Ciega by 30+ in the semis and Port Orange Atlantic by 20+ in the title game. Not having much size, the Chargers used their individual and collective speed and quickness force opponents into mistakes and get easy baskets in transition. The whole was greater than the sum of the individual parts.
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: Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian – Class 3A state champion is the highest nationally-ranked team
#2 Seed: Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas – Repeat winners in Class 6A, the Raiders played a challenging schedule and finished as a top fifty team in the country. They get the nod here with a win over Miami Columbus
#3 Seed: Miami Columbus – The Explorers won a record fifth consecutive state title in Class 7A, the state’s largest. Columbus took a few “L”s thanks to a national schedule and a short bench, but their overall talent cannot be denied.
#4 Seed: Jacksonville Providence – The 2A champs didn’t have the national schedule like the three teams above them but played many of the better Florida schools and came out on top.
#5 Seed: Pembroke Pines Charter – The 5A state champs got things in gear as the season headed toward the finish line, peaking at the right time. Robert Guishard, a 6’7 senior, controlled the paint while 5’11 junior Zac Dawson vastly improved over the course of the season to become a reliable scorer and distributor.
#6 Seed: Weston Sagemont – When 6’7 senior Kevin Thomas returned at Thanksgiving from a short time at Montverde, Sagemont quickly became the favorite in Class 1A. The former LSU commit gave the team a talent most could not match up with.
#7 Seed: Riviera Beach Suncoast – The Chargers didn’t get the opportunity to play as many top teams as those above them, but the schedule wasn’t a walk in the park either. The group was prepared to play at a high level from the start and gained confidence as the season went on, resulting in the 4A state title.
#8 Seed: Quincy Cross Road Academy – Winners of the Rural Classification, the Scorpions may be the lowest seed but would not have been an easy out if matched up against any of the above seven teams.
NEVER-TOO-EARLY LOOK AHEAD
Below is an early look at a team and player to watch in each classification heading into 2026-2027. These are the teams and players that we think will have a breakout season:
Rural: Team to Watch: Trenton; Player to Watch: Zay Jenkins, Port St. Joe
Class 1A: Team to Watch: Miami Schoolhouse Prep; Player to Watch: Christian Fuller, Lakeland Victory Christian
Class 2A: Team to Watch: Bradenton St. Stephen’s; Player to Watch: Quincy Douby, Miami Riviera Prep
Class 3A: Team to Watch: Coconut Creek North Broward Prep; Player to Watch: Neo Flores, Tampa Catholic
Class 4A: Team to Watch: Hialeah Mater Lakes; Player to Watch: Anthony Brown, Boca Ciega
Class 5A: Team to Watch: Tampa Jesuit; Player to Watch: Henry Robinson, Deltona Pine Ridge
Class 6A: Team to Watch: Bartow; Player to Watch: Julian Fox, Orlando Edgewater
Class 7A: Team to Watch: Orlando Oak Ridge; Player to Watch: Johnny Lackaff, Sarasota
Independent: Team to Watch: Daytona Beach DME Academy; Player to Watch: C.J. Rosser, Orlando Southeastern Prep