We're No. 1.
credit: Isaac Lind / UnSplash
Fort Lauderdale officially has the top-ranked high school football team in America.
St. Thomas Aquinas climbed from No. 2 to No. 1 in the latest High School Football America 300, powered by NFL Play Football, following a commanding 38-14 victory over then-No. 22 DeSoto of Texas. The Raiders scored all 38 points before halftime during the Broward County National High School Football Showcase.
The proprietary-algorithm ranking also received a major shakeup when Miami’s Columbus shocked previous No. 1 Bishop Gorman of Nevada, 33-28. Aquinas, now 2-0, jumped into the throne after opening its season with a 42-0 road victory over Western in Davie.
Other national rankings remain slightly less bullish on the Raiders. High School On SI placed Aquinas at No. 3, up two positions after the DeSoto rout. Aquinas held the No. 6 position in USA TODAY’s previous Super 25, though its new poll had not been released as of press time. Two teams from that publication’s prior top five lost over the weekend.
The Raiders’ résumé includes 17 Florida state championships, including a state-record seven consecutive titles through 2025, plus three national crowns.
Now comes a delicious South Florida collision. Aquinas hosts Columbus on Friday, Sept. 4, at 7 p.m. inside Brian Piccolo Memorial Stadium. Columbus entered last weekend at No. 87 in the HSFA rankings, then rocketed to No. 7 after dethroning Bishop Gorman. Sports Illustrated vaulted the Explorers into its poll at No. 17.
So, yes, Fort Lauderdale’s new No. 1 immediately gets the team that knocked off the old No. 1. High school football schedulers rarely produce drama this perfect.
