Top 25 Florida high school football rankings: Chaminade-Madonna moves to No. 2

Whatever can and will happen in high school football down in the Sunshine State just appears to be the theme for 2023.

You want the marquee matchups with out-of-state teams, we've got it. You want upsets of ranked teams, we've got that. Heck, if you're big into weather, we've even got inclement conditions you can look into every day leading into Friday nights.

What we're trying to say here is the Power 25 definitely has seen shakeups since the preseason and though not a lot of newbies, there has been some movement.

Here’s the complete breakdown of Florida's elite high school football teams, heading into Week 3 of the 2023 season, as we see it.

SBLIVE FLORIDA TOP 25 FOOTBALL RANKINGS

SBLive Florida Power 25 Rankings: Week 3

1. IMG Academy (2-0)

Next game: at Ben Davis (Indiana)

Ranking rationale: Another out of state game, another win for the Ascenders on the road. They'll log in the flier miles when they travel to Indiana to face Ben Davis.

2. Chaminade-Madonna (2-0)

Next game: vs. Bergen Catholic (New Jersey)

Ranking rationale: Still not sure how you fall behind 4-0 in a football game, but what does that matter. The Lions went on to score 41 straight points unanswered to cruise past Cardinal Gibbons. Could this be the team that contends for a national championship this fall?

3. Miami Central (0-1)

Next game: at Miami Booker T. Washington

Ranking rationale: Jube Joseph's group was one drive away from winning out in Sin City. A late turnover spoiled the Rockets chances and now they begin their difficult regular season stretch, beginning with a tough Booker T. Washington bunch. The Rockets may need to figure out who might be QB1 between the three talented signal callers in their quarterback room.

4. Plantation American Heritage (2-0)

Next game: at Glades Central

Ranking rationale: A season opening win against St. John's should've made believers out of everyone, but if it didn't, the Patriots got you covered. Mike Smith's bunch dispatched an always tough Trinity Christian Academy 27-14 at home.

5. St. Thomas Aquinas (1-1)

Next game: vs. No. 8 Cocoa

Ranking rationale: After facing quite possibly the best team in the country in St. John Bosco (California), the Raiders got to take things down a notch at home. St. Thomas Aquinas cruised by Fort Myers 49-0 and now have another mega matchup, this time with No. 8 Cocoa.

6. Columbus (2-0)

Next game: at Jesuit

Ranking rationale: Two up and two down for the Explorers as they continue through the season. Columbus can't let its guard down as they head to Tampa for the second time in three weeks to face an offensively talented Jesuit team. Points might be at a premium that game.

7. Miami Norland (2-0)

Next game: at Southridge

Ranking rationale: Beating Lakeland to start the season gives us all the rationale enough that this Vikings team is for real. A 66-0 beatdown of Carol City has this team not overlooking anyone, with the Oct. 13 meeting Miami Central looming ahead.

8. Cocoa (2-0)

Next game: at No. 5 St. Thomas Aquinas

Ranking rationale: Brady Hart is the real deal at quarterback for the Tigers after throwing for over 400 yards in a 31-21 win over Venice. We thought life after Blake Boda might be hard, but that remains to be seen. Now comes the test when Cocoa attempts to take down St. Thomas Aquinas.

9. Lakeland (1-1)

Next game: vs. St. Joseph's Prep (PA)

Ranking rationale: The Dreadnaughts facing a national opponent during the regular season? This is your post-Bill Castle Era under Marvin Frazier and Lakeland is taking on all comers. After dispatching a talented Largo team, Lakeland has a chance to defeat a national power at Bryant Stadium.

10. Western (1-0)

Next game: vs. Coconut Creek

Ranking rationale: Losing running back Tovani Mizell for the season is tough for the Wildcats, but they weathered through it in the season opener against Milton of Georgia. Western's defense put on a strong performance, keeping Miami (FL) commit Luke Nickel in check.

11. Mainland (2-0)

Next game: at No. 18 Bartram Trail

Ranking rationale: Travis Roland might possibly have the most talented defense in the state. The Buccaneers feature Power Five talents like defensive linemen LJ McCray, Christian Hudson with linebackers Rodney Hill, Malik Daniels joining them in a strong front seven. Now comes one of the toughest challenges of the season when they face Bartram Trail on Friday night.

12. Homestead (1-1)

Next game: vs. Lakewood

The Broncos introduce a new head coach in Ronnie Thornton Jr. and the team has a bevy of weapons on offense back. Quarterback Joshua Townsend along with Mainland transfer James Randle and Louisville commit Isaac Brown make this a formidable trio. Homestead should climb over the .500 mark when they welcome Lakewood of St. Petersburg into town.

13. Sanford Seminole (2-0)

Next game: at No. 23 Treasure Coast

Ranking rationale: Karl Calhoun enters his first season as the program’s head coach and being an alum, he already knows the standard for the Seminoles. The Seminoles have a myriad of talent returning, including wide receiver Michael Key, quarterback/tight end David Parks and linebacker Ethan Pritchard. This Seminoles' front seven will be challenged when they face Treasure Coast's potent ground attack.

14. Miami Palmetto (2-0)

Next game: vs. Killian

Ranking rationale: The Panthers certainly made things interesting when they went up to Pinellas County to face Lakewood. Winning 26-12 on the road and Killian at home this week gives Miami Palmetto a chance to be undefeated when they face Columbus on Sep. 16.

15. Armwood (2-0)

Next game: at Hillsborough

Ranking rationale: This Armwood team is looking more and more like a team eyeing a deep playoff run. Though they had their game moved to a Saturday night versus Bloomingdale, no matter. Hawks racked up 55 points in the victory.

16. Miami Booker T. Washington (1-0)

Next game: vs. No 3 Miami Central

Ranking rationale: We really can't wait until this Friday's matchup with Miami Central as Ice Harris has to feel good about his Tornadoes. If there's any shot at upending the defending Class 2M champs, this might be the opportunity here.

17. Edgewater (2-0)

Next game: vs. West Orange

Ranking rationale: We love what the Fightin' Eagles are doing now life after Cedric Baxter. Michael Clayton II has developed into a pretty good signal caller and Edgewater's defense is playing good football. Can they keep it up against West Orange and Jones coming up?

18. Bartram Trail (2-0)

Next game: vs. No. 11 Mainland

Ranking rationale: If there's really any chance of Cory Johns' Bears moving up in these rankings, this will be their best opportunity all season long. Both teams head into the game with state championship aspirations. Might be one of the best Week 3 games on the slate.

19. Apopka (2-0)

Next game: at Dr. Phillips

Ranking rationale: Is there a team that wins more ugly games than the Blue Darters? We think that answer is in fact no. Under first-year defensive coordinator Marcus Neeson's defense, Apopka has yielded just one touchdown. The offense has to wake up at some point if the Blue Darters plan on returning to states.

20. Clearwater Academy International (0-2)

Next game: at Benjamin

Ranking rationale: You'd like to think having Washington State commitment Evan Chuba at the controls of the offense that points wouldn't be hard to come by. After a hot 21-0 start on Columbus, the Knights have scored 14 points in the last six quarters of play.

21. Jones (0-2)

Next game: at Kissimmee Osceola

Ranking rationale: Who would've thought Jones and Kissimmee Osceola would be meeting in Week 3 and have a combined zero wins? Not us, but the good thing is one of the aforementioned teams will have a win. The Fightin' Tigers still are trying to figure it out on offense, with Trever Jackson and incumbent Dereon Coleman.

22. Lakes Wales (2-0)

Next game: vs. Sebring (Thursday)

Ranking rationale: One thing this team is going to do a lot of is run the football with Rashad Orr. The Victory Christian Academy transfer has proved to be one of the best running backs production wise in Polk County, with Orr rushing for over 400 yards in two weeks. The Highlanders will test their ground game against a sound Sebring squad.

23. Treasure Coast (2-0)

Next game: vs. No. 13 Sanford Seminole

Ranking rationale: It is time to start giving Treasure Coast its due. This Titans team is for real behind a strong rushing attack led by running back George Roberts III. Rolling up over 60 points versus Jesuit was nice, but can they match that same energy against a stout Sanford Seminole defense? A win would catapult this squad up the rankings.

24. Venice (0-2)

Next game: at Miami Northwestern (Saturday)

Ranking rationale: No time to panic over at Venice because well, they have to gameplan for the next tough opponent on the schedule. The Indians knew these first three games would really test them and a win at Traz Powell could re-energize this bunch before hitting district play. This is still a very talented team that can make a run to Fort Lauderdale.

25. Cardinal Gibbons (1-1)

Next game: at Dillard

Ranking rationale: What we didn't mention in last week's power rankings is a bad loss could also move the Chiefs down. Like way down. After getting a couple safeties against Chaminade-Madonna, they struggled mightily to do anything offensively. They have a couple of interesting games upcoming versus Dillard and Northeast on the road.

On the outside looking in: Delray Beach Atlantic, Bishop Verot, Blanche Ely, Bartow, Benjamin, Bolles, Bradford, Buchholz, Cardinal Newman, Clearwater Calvary Christian, Clearwater Central Catholic, Coconut Creek, Dunbar, FSU High, Hawthorne, Kissimmee Osceola, Jesuit, Lake Mary, Manatee, Mandarin, Miramar, Monarch, Naples, Olympia, Palm Beach Central, Pine Forest, Ponte Vedra, Sarasota Riverview, Sebring, Southridge, St. Augustine, Tampa Bay Tech, Tampa Catholic, Trinity Christian Academy, Vanguard, Vero Beach, Williston, Winter Park

-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl