It’s week three of the high school football season and there’s a new clear-cut No. 1.
Not among the teams – Batesville (Miss.) South Panola maintains the top spot over Euless (Texas) Trinity and Sacramento (Calif.) Grant for the second straight week.
But among the states.
Florida, which looked to be down in the opening week, is proving to be a force. This week it has 14 schools in the Top 100, bettering both California (10) and Texas (8).
That’s what happens when you take three of four games in the Florida vs. Texas showcase. That’s what happens when your Top 12 teams in the state go unbeaten.
Bradenton (Fla.) Manatee leads the way at No. 7. Traditional powers Lakeland (Fla.) High (at No. 84) and Miami (Fla.) Booker T. Washington (at No. 94) join the party.
And to think, Florida was the only one of the three power states to only have one Top 10 team a week ago.
California still has Grant, but it was hurt when Long Beach (Calif.) Poly lost and fell from No. 10 to the unranked masses.
Texas still has Trinity, but it was hurt when Abilene (Texas) High lost and fell from No. 5 to No. 25.
Of course, Abilene’s loss was legitimate – it fell to Cocoa (Fla.), which jumped from No. 58 to No. 18.
With that, a look at the new Top 20 HS Football Teams.
1. South Panola
2. Trinity
3. Grant
4. Hoover
5. Camden County
6. West Monroe
7. Manatee
8. Phoebus
9. Butler
10. Hamilton
11. Doreman
12. Colerain
13. Glenville Academic Campus
14. Miami Central
15. Bingham
16. Junipero Serra
17. Kahuhu
18. Cocoa
19. Dwyer
20. St. Peter’s Prep