Final 2024 Top 25 Central Florida High School Football Rankings (12/16/2024)

Cocoa finishes at No. 1 after beating Gadsden County for the Class 2A state championship

Cocoa beat Gadsden County for the FHSAA football Class 2A state championship Thursday, December 12, 2024. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK / Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Central Florida high school football teams were among the best in the state this season, winning a FHSAA title and finishing as runner-up three times.

We took a look at schools in seven area counties (Orange, Osceola, Lake, Seminole, Volusia, Brevard and Indian River) and came up with the final SBLive Top 25 Central Florida football rankings.

The rankings are based on regular season records, head-to-head matchups, district finishes, and playoff seeding and results.

1. Cocoa (11-3)

Last week: 2

The Tigers pulled off their second three-peat in school history last week, beating Gadsden County (Havana), 38-27, for the Class 2A state title. It also was Cocoa’s seventh overall title. The last three-peat occurred in 2008-10.

2. Jones (14-1)

Last week: 1

The Tigers advanced to their second state title game appearance in school history and battled state power American Heritage Plantation to the wire before falling 40-31 in the Class 4A championship game.

3. Lake Mary (12-3)

Last week: 3

Making their first-ever state championship game appearance, the Rams fell to longtime power Venice, 52-19. It was the most successful season in school history.

4. Kissimmee Osceola (12-3)

Last week: 4

The Kowboys advanced to their seventh overall state championship game but ran into a buzzsaw in unbeaten West Boca Raton (15-0), falling 26-7 in the Class 6A state championship game.

5. Dr. Phillips (12-2)

Last week: 5

The Panthers ended their season with a close loss to Lake Mary in the Class 7A state semifinals. The Rams avenged a 26-21 loss on Sept. 20. DP closed the year as Orange County’s second-best team.

6. Seminole (10-2)

Last week: 6

The Seminoles ended their season with a loss to Lake Mary in the Class 7A, Region 1 title game. Seminole won 10 games for the second consecutive season.

7. Edgewater (10-2)

Last week: 7

The Eagles watched their seven-game win streak come to an end at the hands of talented Tampa Bay Tech, 28-17, in a Class 5A, Region 2 semifinal.

8. Eau Gallie (12-2)

Last week: 8

The Commodores ran into state power Miami Northwestern in the Class 3A state semifinals and fell 40-0. But Eau Gallie, which is Brevard County’s second-best team, made history with its first-ever state semifinals appearance. Miami Northwestern went on to win the state championship.

9. Vero Beach (8-4)

Last week: 9

The Indians saw their eight-game win streak come to an end at the hands of Dr. Phillips, 21-14, in the Class 7A, Region 3 final. They trailed 21-0 at one point before coming back to make a game of it. Vero Beach beat top-seeded Palm Beach Atlantic in the region semifinals.

10. West Orange (10-3)

Last week: 10

The Warriors ended their season with a 55-26 loss to longtime power and No. 1 seed Venice (12-1) in the Class 7A, Region 2 final. It was the most wins for West Orange since 2021 when it went 11-2.

11. Spruce Creek (8-4)

Last week: 12

The No. 5 seeded Hawks ran into a tough matchup in the Class 7A, Region 1 semifinals, falling to top-seeded Lake Mary, 52-32. Spruce Creek finished strong, however, winning three of its last four games.

12. University High School (Orange City) (9-3)

Last week: 11

The third-seeded Titans fell to Seminole, 24-20, in a Class 7A, Region 1 semifinal. University led 14-0 at halftime before collapsing.

13. Bishop Moore (10-3)

Last week: 13

The Hornets pushed top-seeded Eau Gallie to the limit before falling 26-24 in the Class 3A, Region 2 final. It was the most wins for Bishop Moore since it went 10-3 in 2017.

14. Oviedo (8-3)

Last week: 14

The Lions lost their Class 6A, Region 1 quarterfinal game to Pace, 49-21.

15. Winter Park (7-4)

Last week: 15

The Wildcats, consistently one of Metro Orlando’s best teams, ended their season early with a hard-fought 31-23 loss to University High (Orange City) in a Class 7A, Region 1 quarterfinal.

16. Titusville (7-5)

Last week: 16

The Terriers had their win streak snapped at five with a 44-7 loss to top-seeded Eau Gallie in a Class 3A, Region 2 semifinal. It was the second loss to the Commodores this season.

17. Evans (6-5)

Last week: 17

The Trojans, who clinched their first winning season since 2012 on Nov. 1 when they beat rival Oak Ridge, ended their season early with a 42-21 loss to Gainesville Buchholz in a Class 6A, Region 1 quarterfinal.

18. Mainland (5-6)

Last week: 22

The defending state champ Buccaneers entered the Class 5A playoffs on a five-game win streak, but the seventh seed out of Region 1 fell to No. 2 Tallahassee Leon, 21-0, in a quarterfinal game.

19. DeLand (5-6)

Last week: 19

A year after advancing to the state semifinals, the Bulldogs ended their season early with a 49-14 Class 7A regional quarterfinal loss to Lake Mary, one of the best teams in Florida. The future looks promising, though, for DeLand, which features dynamic freshman Taijh Moore.

20. Merritt Island (7-4)

Last week: 18

The traditionally tough Mustangs lost an overtime heartbreaker to rival Titusville, 17-14, in a Class 3A, Region 2 quarterfinal.

21. Rockledge (6-4)

Last week: 20

The Raiders were shockingly eliminated early, falling to Zephyrhills, 35-15, in a Class 4A, Region 2 quarterfinal. Rockledge entered the game as the No. 4 seed; Zephyrhills, No. 5.

22. New Smyrna Beach (8-3)

Last week: 21

The Barracudas ended their season early with a 52-19 Class 4A, Region 2 quarterfinal loss to Polk County power Lake Wales.

23. Apopka (4-6)

Last week: 23

The Blue Darters, who are just two years removed from being a state runner-up, ended their season early with a 20-19 loss to West Orange in a Class 7A, Region 2 quarterfinal.

24. South Lake (7-4)

Last week: 24

The Eagles, who compiled their best record since 2014 when they went 8-3, ended their season early with a 35-17 loss to Plant City Durant in a Class 6A, Region 2 quarterfinal.

25. Mount Dora (8-3)

Last week: 25

The Hurricanes ended their season with a 28-7 Class 3A, Region 2 quarterfinal loss to Dunnellon. But Mount Dora, coached by Luke Hutchinson, finished with its best record since 2014 (9-3).

On the outside looking in: Ocoee, Boone, Leesburg, Lake Nona, Viera, The Master’s Academy (Oviedo), Orlando Christian Prep, Lyman, Melbourne Central Catholic, Tavares, Astronaut, Hagerty, Melbourne, Tohopekaliga, Holy Trinity Episcopal, St. Cloud, Wekiva.

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--- Follow Jeff Gardenour on Twitter @JMarkG1962 or email him at jgardenour1962@gmail.com