Florida High School Football Playoff Rankings: Raines Knocks Off Unbeaten Venice, Moves to Open Division Bubble

Raines handed Venice its first loss of the season in Week 7, and the 20-17 win pushed the defending Class 3A champion to the edge of Florida's projected Open Division field in the latest FHSAA playoff rankings.

St. Thomas Aquinas remains the highest-ranked eligible team in the state at 98.85 after a 21-20 win over Chaminade-Madonna. Columbus (90.91) and West Boca Raton (86.71) hold the next two spots, while The First Academy climbed into the projected eight-team field at No. 5.

Under the FHSAA's new postseason format, the eight highest-ranked eligible teams from Classes 1A-6A advance to the Open Division. The rest of the Classes 1A-6A playoff fields include four district champions and four at-large teams in each region.

Here's where the Open Division race and all six classifications stand after Week 7.

The First Academy Breaks Into the Projected Open Division Field

1. St. Thomas Aquinas, Class 5A (6-0): 98.85
2. Columbus, Class 6A (6-1): 90.91
3. West Boca Raton, Class 5A (5-1): 86.71
4. Chaminade-Madonna, Class 2A (4-2): 86.29
5. Miami Carol City, Class 2A (3-3): 85.48
6. The First Academy, Class 2A (5-1): 82.97
7. Cardinal Newman, Class 2A (5-1): 82.93
8. Cardinal Mooney, Class 3A (5-1): 82.69

First three out: Miami Central (82.47), Raines (81.58), Venice (81.34)

The First Academy made the biggest move around the cutoff, climbing from outside the projected field last week to sixth among eligible teams. It sits just 0.04 points ahead of Cardinal Newman, one of four Class 2A teams in the projected field.

Raines Upends Venice and Moves Within a Point of the Cutoff

Raines jumped from a 78.05 rating last week to 81.58 with its win over Venice. The Vikings now trail Miami Central, which holds the eighth and final projected spot, by 0.89 points.

Venice slipped behind Raines with the loss, but the Indians remain firmly in the race at 81.34, 1.13 points out of the field.

Armwood, Tampa Bay Tech Meet With 0.03 Points Between Them

The next shakeup near the cutoff could come Friday, Oct. 9, when Armwood (80.70) faces unbeaten Tampa Bay Tech (80.67). The Class 5A rivals are separated by 0.03 points, and both sit less than two points behind Miami Central.

They aren't alone. Class 4A leader Columbia (80.67) and Class 2A's Bolles (80.66) are also within two points of the final projected spot.

Hawthorne, Carrollwood Day Stay Perfect Atop Class 1A

1. Hawthorne (7-0): 77.48
2. Carrollwood Day (7-0): 73.17
3. Trinity Christian Academy, Jacksonville (3-4): 73.16
4. True North Classical Academy (3-3): 71.20
5. Madison County (3-4): 59.58
6. Lakeland Christian (7-0): 59.51
7. John Carroll Catholic (5-1): 58.99
8. Melbourne Central Catholic (5-1): 55.34
9. St. John Neumann (6-1): 54.52
10. University Christian (5-2): 53.33

Hawthorne strengthened its hold on the top spot in Class 1A and remains unbeaten at 7-0. Carrollwood Day is also 7-0, but it leads Trinity Christian by just 0.01 points after the 3-4 Conquerors made one of the largest jumps in the statewide rankings. Lakeland Christian is the third unbeaten team in the top 10, sitting sixth at 59.51.

Carol City Surges to No. 2 Behind Chaminade-Madonna in Class 2A

1. Chaminade-Madonna (4-2): 86.29
2. Miami Carol City (3-3): 85.48
3. The First Academy (5-1): 82.97
4. Cardinal Newman (5-1): 82.93
5. Bolles (4-1): 80.66
6. Clearwater Central Catholic (5-1): 79.79
7. Berkeley Prep (3-2): 72.09
8. Tampa Catholic (4-2): 65.58
9. Bradford (7-0): 59.60
10. Immaculata-La Salle (6-0): 56.33

Class 2A went through one of the week's biggest reshuffles. Chaminade-Madonna remains No. 1 despite its one-point loss to St. Thomas Aquinas, while Miami Carol City made a big jump to second despite a 3-3 record. Just 0.04 points separate The First Academy and Cardinal Newman at Nos. 3 and 4.

Just 1.11 Points Split the Top Three in Class 3A

1. Cardinal Mooney (5-1): 82.69
2. Miami Central (5-1): 82.47
3. Raines (6-0): 81.58
4. Merritt Island (6-0): 73.09
5. Godby (5-2): 72.88
6. Eau Gallie (4-2): 72.58
7. Bishop Verot (3-2): 61.15
8. Bishop Kenny (2-3): 61.05
9. Cardinal Gibbons (3-3): 60.17
10. Dillard (5-2): 57.45

The top of Class 3A is the tightest race of any class. Only 1.11 points separate Cardinal Mooney, Miami Central and Raines, and all three sit in or just outside the projected Open Division field. Unbeaten Merritt Island is fourth, nearly 8.5 points behind Raines at 73.09.

Columbia Takes Over No. 1 in Class 4A After Rout of Manatee

1. Columbia (7-0): 80.67
2. American Heritage, Plantation (3-3): 79.82
3. Bishop Moore (4-2): 77.46
4. Port Charlotte (4-2): 75.90
5. Jones (4-1): 72.92
6. Mosley (6-0): 72.89
7. St. Augustine (6-0): 71.14
8. Lake Wales (5-1): 70.62
9. Choctawhatchee (4-2): 68.78
10. McArthur (3-4): 59.18

Columbia moved past American Heritage for the top spot after a 51-28 win over Manatee improved the Tigers to 7-0. At 80.67, Columbia is 1.80 points behind Miami Central and within striking distance of the projected Open Division field.

St. Thomas Aquinas Stays Perfect as Class 5A Bubble Tightens

1. St. Thomas Aquinas (6-0): 98.85
2. West Boca Raton (5-1): 86.71
3. Armwood (5-1): 80.70
4. Tampa Bay Tech (7-0): 80.67
5. Lakeland (5-1): 80.02
6. Mandarin (5-1): 77.59
7. Buchholz (7-0): 76.87
8. Archbishop McCarthy (3-3): 72.26
9. Sumner (4-3): 69.80
10. Manatee (4-3): 63.03

St. Thomas Aquinas remains comfortably atop Class 5A after edging Chaminade-Madonna 21-20 to improve to 6-0.

Armwood and Tampa Bay Tech are separated by 0.03 points entering their Oct. 9 meeting, and Lakeland is 0.68 points behind Armwood at 80.02. Buchholz is also unbeaten at 7-0 and sits seventh.

Columbus Pulls Away in Class 6A as Venice Holds Second

1. Columbus (6-1): 90.91
2. Venice (6-1): 81.34
3. DeLand (5-1): 79.48
4. Miami Palmetto (5-1): 77.66
5. Vero Beach (6-1): 77.43
6. Seminole (6-0): 76.59
7. Edgewater (3-2): 72.14
8. Mainland (2-3): 66.34
9. Cypress Bay (7-0): 66.25
10. Western (4-2): 65.77

Columbus remains well ahead of the rest of Class 6A after improving to 6-1, with a lead of nearly 10 points over Venice. The Indians stay second despite their 20-17 loss to Raines, while DeLand improved to 5-1 with a 67-0 win over Centennial. Seminole (6-0) and Cypress Bay (7-0) remain unbeaten.

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