Incredibly five out of six top
Florida High School
Football Teams competed
for FHSAA Titles
Five out of the top six Florida High School Football teams that visited Texas this season won a state title or competed in the title game.
Cocoa Tigers (14-0), ranked No.79 defeated previously No.3 ranked Abilene (9-4) 24-21 at the Florida vs. Texas Showcase in Desoto, Texas. They went on to claim their second straight Class 2A title over Belle Glades Central (12-2) who crushed Denison (TX) 53-17 in the same Showcase. The Tigers squeaked by Glades Central 14-13 in this year’s title game and last season, 27-13. Central is a hotbed for college talent.
Before No.11 Miami Central Rockets (15-1) flatten Dallas Madison 48-6 in the Showcase, most Texans questioned the match up. Madison known for their basketball history and Central a Florida Football power who competes in Class 6A, the highest classification in the state. The Rockets went on to beat Dr. Phillips (Florida) 42-27 for title. Only loss of the season came to Camden County (Georgia), 45-42.
Preseason No.36, St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) (15-0) also known for sending multiple Division I Prospects to college, easily took out Dallas Skyline 31-3 in the Kirk Herbstreit National Kickoff Classic at Cowboy Stadium. Just a couple of weeks before the game Skyline dropped a 6-0 decision to Glades Central in Florida. The Raiders iced their season with a 29-7 Class 5A State Championship Title over back to back defending Champion Plant Panthers and in doing so finished the season ranked 2 in the nation under the leadership of legendary Coach George Smith.
Plant was the preseason No.1 ranked team who lost to No.3 Abilene 27-17 in week three.
The lone loser was Miramar Patriots (Florida) who went down in overtime to host DeSoto 42-41. Miramar opted to go for the two points and the win but fail to execute the conversion. The Patriots were the only team to visit the Lone Star State in the classic that didn’t advance to the title game in Florida.
Denison was the lone Texas School that didn’t earn a playoff birth, although none of the other Texas Schools reached the championship round.
