The state of Florida had two of the top medium school teams in the nation this year, as determined by the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings.
Norland (Miami, Fla.), the Florida Class 5A state champion, earns the nod as the top medium school team in the nation based on MaxPreps' computer rankings. The Vikings went 15-0 and had a rating of 65.6. Norland edged out Helix (La Mesa) of California for the top spot. The Highlanders finished with a rating of 64.4.
American Heritage (Delray Beach), the Florida 3A state champion, comes in at the No. 6 spot with a 62.4 rating.
Three teams that finished in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Rankings, presented by the Army National Guard, make the Medium Schools Top 10. They include Norland, Archbishop Wood and Bellevue.
Teams considered for the Medium School Top 10 include those schools that play in state enrollment divisions with generally between 1,000 and 2,000 students.
1. Norland (Miami), 15-0, 65.6 
Norland's Duke Johnson scored five touchdowns in the state finals.
Photo by Stuart Browning
The Vikings won the Florida 5A state championship with a 38-0 win over Wakulla.
Randy "Duke" Johnson had a big game in the finals for Norland, scoring five touchdowns and rushing for 130 yards on 21 carries. Johnson finished the season with 2,087 yards and 27 touchdowns on the season. Norland also had wins over Glades Central and Northwestern. Norland finished the season ranked No. 16 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard.
