Florida High School Football Top 25 Rankings - Sept. 21

The 2025 Florida high school football season is now officially at the midway point and how things have unfolded to this point has been very interesting to say the least.

IMG Academy has remained firmly at the top of the rankings with Armwood, which is coming off a dominating 56-7 win over Hillsborough, at No. 2. What other teams made into this week’s set of Top 25 Florida rankings?

The Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory.

Here is the latest Florida high school football Top 25 rankings, according to Massey as of Sep. 21.

1. IMG Academy Ascenders

The undefeated Ascenders (5-0) continue sit atop of our Sunshine State rankings after another thrashing, this time a 57-7 romp of Mandarin last week. Little reason to not believe the Ascenders won’t be undefeated by season’s end.

IMG Academy has looked a lot more like its dominant self under the watch of first-year head coach Greg Studrawa. It’s been no easy path, either, with wins over The First Academy, Hoover (Ala.), Winslow Township and now Coronado.

Up next for IMG Academy is another road matchup in Alabama when they take on Phenix City Central this Friday. What future contest looks most appetizing looking down the stretch is a Nov. 7 visit from rival St. Frances Academy of Baltimore. The game against the Panthers could come with national implications for the top spot.

2. Armwood Hawks

Rising up to the second spot in this week’s Florida high school football rankings are the Hawks of Seffner, who are now coming off their fifth straight win, a 56-7 destruction of Hillsborough last week. Armwood could be serious contenders to upend West Boca Raton in Class 6A this fall.

There’s plenty of reasons to like this undefeated Armwood (5-0) team, including senior three-star quarterback Rhys Brush, who is committed to USF. The Hawks are expected to go 10-0 as they will be favored heavily in every game moving forward.

Looking deeper at this Armwood roster and head coach Evan Davis has a slew of Power Four recruits littered all over the defense, including in the secondary with cornerbacks Jaelen Waters (Miami commit), Larry Warren (UNLV commit) and safeties D’Montae Tims (Colorado commit), Kallen Martinez (UConn commit).

3. Miami Central Rockets

The Rockets (3-0) under the watch of first-year head coach Derrick Gibson have proven that they have gone nowhere a year after having to forfeit every victory and missing out on the 2024 playoffs. Their latest exaple of showing where they are at was an impressive 31-21 win over American Heritage.

Miami Central has plenty of talent on both sides of the ball, featuring standouts like linebacker Karon Maycock (Florida State commit) and wide receiver Brandon Kinsey (Purdue commit). Gibson has this team right back in the thick of it as one of South Florida’s best teams and there’s potential reason to believe he might have them in line to contend with a longtime foe for the Class 3A crown.

Gibson’s bunch doesn’t return to the field again until they take on rival Miami Northwestern (Oct. 4), which should serve as an indicator of where this Rockets team is at when competing with the Bulls for Class 3A.

4. St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders

St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders dropped from the second spot in last week’s rankings down to No. 4 in the latest set after a 31-7 rout of a very much improved McArthur team. The Raiders are by far the favorites to win Florida’s Class 5A state championship this fall.

Three-star quarterback Mason Mallory, who transferred from West Boca Raton during the offseason, has displayed what he could do as the Raiders’ dual-threat behind center. Mallory has so far thrown for 590 yards and eight touchdowns this fall.

The Raiders should come away winners in their next few games as they face the softer spot of their schedule with Hollywood Hills, Monarch, NFL Academy mixed in before their final two contests against American Heritage and Chaminade-Madonna, respectively. The two latter games will be nice tuneups before the postseason begins.

5. Miami Northwestern Bulls

Miami Northwestern took on a very well-coached Columbus Explorers team and made quick work of them on Friday night in a 41-6 victory. There’s little reason to believe that any other team in Florida’s Class 3A may win it all other than the Bulls with the way they’re playing as of late.

Former head coach Teddy Bridgewater was handed a year-long suspension by Miami Northwestern, accepted by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA). Sophomore Neimann Lawrence has taken over the full reigns behind center with Leon Strawder transferring to American Heritage.

There’s a real possibility that Miami Northwestern could run the table the rest of the way as the Bulls play a fairly advantageous schedule from here on out. A Oct. 4 meeting with No. 3 Miami Central will be one to watch next month.

Florida High School Football Rankings: Nos. 6 – 25

6. Chaminade-Madonna Prep (4-1)
7. Raines (3-0)
8. St. Augustine (5-0)
9. American Heritage (2-3)
10. The Bolles School (4-1)

11. Edgewater (5-0)
12. Atlantic (5-0)
13. Jesuit (3-1)
14. Choctawhatchee (5-0)
15. Clearwater Central Catholic (5-0)

16. Tampa Bay Tech (3-2)
17. Venice (2-2)
18. Mainland (4-1)
19. Lakeland (3-1)
20. F. W. Buchholz (4-1)

21. Cardinal Mooney (3-1)
22. Gaither (4-1)
23. Oakleaf (4-1)
24. Miami Southridge (4-1)
25. Vero Beach (4-0)

How to Follow Florida High School Football

For Florida high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Sunshine State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the high school football excitement across the state of Florida.