Top 20 most dominant Florida high school football programs of last decade

Eight state championships and 17 NFL Draft picks helped lead St. Thomas Aquinas into the top spot.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Thomas Frey
By
Jun 6, 2023, 9:00am
Powered by eight state titles in between 2013 and 2022, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) is the most dominant high school football team from Florida over the last decade.

Based on our methodology, the Raiders amassed 637 points from play over 2013 to 2022 to edge IMG Academy (Bradenton), which finished second with 624 points.

The Raiders have also been ranked in the national top 25 seven times since 2013.

Our methodology includes:

• Top 25 finishes in the MaxPreps state computer rankings (25 points awarded to the No. 1 team, 24 for No. 2 and so on).

• Top 25 finishes in the MaxPreps national computer rankings (50 points for No. 1, 49 for No. 2 and so on).

• State championships (20 points).

• State championship game appearances (10 points).
St. Thomas Aquinas recorded two state title four-peats in the highest classification over the last decade. The Raiders have piled up 14 state championships dating back to 1992. (Photo: Laura Martin)
St. Thomas Aquinas recorded two state title four-peats in the highest classification over the last decade. The Raiders have piled up 14 state championships dating back to 1992. (Photo: Laura Martin)
Dominating the decade: Florida

State championships: 2013 (7A), 2014 (7A), 2015 (7A), 2016 (7A), 2019 (7A), 2020 (7A), 2021 (7A), 2022 (3M)
State runner-up: 2018 (7A)
State Top 25: 2013 (17), 2014 (1), 2015 (3), 2016 (2), 2017 (15), 2018 (3), 2019 (1), 2020 (2), 2021 (4), 2022 (3)
Nationally ranked: 2014 (8), 2015 (21), 2016 (7), 2019 (5), 2020 (14), 2021 (9), 2022 (6)

2. IMG Academy (Bradenton) (624)
State championships: N/A
State runner-up: N/A
State Top 25: 2014 (4), 2015 (1), 2016 (1), 2017 (1), 2018 (1), 2019 (2),
Nationally ranked: 2014 (16), 2015 (9), 2016 (4), 2017 (2), 2018 (3), 2019 (7), 2020 (1), 2021 (17), 2022 (5)

3. Central (Miami) (595)
State championships: 2013 (6A), 2014 (6A), 2015 (6A), 2019 (6A), 2020 (6A), 2021 (5A), 2022 (2M)
State runner-up: N/A
State Top 25: 2013 (2), 2014 (3), 2015 (2), 2016 (13), 2017 (6), 2018 (5), 2019 (3), 2020 (4), 2021 (6), 2022 (1)
Nationally ranked: 2013 (8), 2014 (14), 2015 (14), 2019 (21), 2020 (18), 2021 (20), 2022 (2)

4. American Heritage (Plantation) (390)
State championships: 2013 (5A), 2014 (5A), 2016 (5A), 2017 (5A), 2020 (5A)
State runner-up: 2015 (3A), 2022 (2M)
State Top 25: 2013 (4), 2014 (5), 2015 (9), 2016 (4), 2017 (2), 2018 (17), 2019 (12), 2020 (5), 2021 (18), 2022 (7)
Nationally ranked: 2017 (6), 2020 (21), 2022 (12)

5. Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood) (284)
State championships: 2017 (3A), 2018 (3A), 2019 (3A), 2021 (3A), 2022 (1M)
State runner-up: 2016 (3A), 2020 (3A)
State Top 25: 2017 (7), 2018 (13), 2019 (13), 2020 (8), 2021 (5), 2022 (4)
Nationally ranked: 2021 (24), 2022 (10)

6. Booker T. Washington (Miami) (250)
State championships: 2013 (4A), 2014 (4A), 2015 (4A), 2019 (4A)
State runner-up: N/A
State Top 25: 2013 (1), 2014 (2), 2015 (19), 2016 (17), 2019 (6)
Nationally ranked: 2013 (4), 2014 (13)

7. Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville) (231)
State championships: 2013 (3A), 2014 (3A), 2015 (3A), 2016 (3A), 2020 (3A), 2021 (2A)
State runner-up: N/A
State Top 25: 2013 (10), 2014 (7), 2015 (5), 2016 (12), 2018 (14), 2020 (7)
Nationally ranked: N/A

8. Northwestern (Miami) (199)
State championships: 2017 (6A), 2018 (6A), 2019 (5A)
State runner-up: N/A
State Top 25: 2016 (6), 2017 (4), 2018 (9), 2019 (4), 2020 (12), 2021 (22), 2022 (13)
Nationally ranked: 2019 (24)

9. Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale) (187)
State championships: 2018 (5A), 2020 (4A), 2021 (4A)
State runner-up: N/A
State Top 25: 2016 (14), 2017 (10), 2018 (7), 2019 (18), 2020 (3), 2021 (7), 2022 (25)
Nationally ranked: 2020 (22)

10. Columbus (Miami) (186)
State championships: 2019 (8A), 2022 (4M)
State runner-up: 2018 (8A)
State Top 25: 2014 (13), 2015 (6), 2018 (8), 2019 (10), 2020 (11), 2021 (20), 2022 (6)
Nationally ranked: 2022 (23)

11. Lakeland (171)
State championships: 2018 (7A), 2022 (4S)
State runner-up: N/A
State Top 25: 2018 (2), 2019 (9), 2022 (5)
Nationally ranked: 2018 (19), 2022 (14)

12. Apopka (157)
State championships: 2013 (8A), 2014 (8A)
State runner-up: 2019 (8A), 2021 (8A), 2022 (4M)
State Top 25: 2013 (6), 2014 (6), 2015 (25), 2019 (8), 2021 (8), 2022 (16)
Nationally ranked: N/A

13. Venice (152)
State championships: 2017 (7A), 2021 (8A)
State runner-up: 2022 (4S)
State Top 25: 2016 (11), 2017 (3), 2018 (10), 2019 (23), 2020 (20), 2021 (1), 2022 (12)
Nationally ranked: N/A

14. Armwood (Seffner) (149)
State championships: 2013 (6A), 2014 (6A), 2015 (6A), 2017 (6A), 2018 (6A)
State runner-up: N/A
State Top 25: 2013 (12), 2014 (9), 2015 (10), 2016 (24), 2017 (5), 2018 (16), 2019 (7)
Nationally ranked: N/A

15. Cocoa (140)
State championships: 2016 (4A), 2022 (2S)
State runner-up: 2017 (4A), 2018 (4A), 2021 (4A)
State Top 25: 2016 (5), 2017 (12), 2020 (17), 2021 (9), 2022 (17)
Nationally ranked: N/A

16. Carol City (Miami) (125)
State championships: 2016 (6A)
State runner-up: N/A
State Top 25: 2015 (17), 2016 (3), 2017 (16), 2018 (4)
Nationally ranked: 2016 (10)

17. Champagnat Catholic (Hialeah) (110)
State championships: 2013 (2A), 2017 (2A)
State runner-up: 2016 (2A), 2018 (2A), 2019 (2A), 2020 (2A), 2021 (2A)
State Top 25: N/A
Nationally ranked: N/A

18. Jesuit (Tampa) (108)
State championships: 2021 (6A)
State runner-up: N/A
State Top 25: 2019 (17), 2020 (13), 2021 (3)
Nationally ranked: 2021 (8)

19. Madison County (Madison) (93)
State championships: 2017 (1A), 2018 (1A), 2019 (1A), 2021 (1A)
State runner-up: N/A
State Top 25: 2017 (19), 2018 (20)
Nationally ranked: N/A

20. Edgewater (Orlando) (84)
State championships: N/A
State runner-up: 2019 (7A), 2020 (7A)
State Top 25: 2018 (19), 2019 (5), 2020 (9), 2021 (24), 2022 (9)
Nationally ranked: N/A

Related Content