Vote: Which 2023 Florida state championship football teams will repeat?

Every team has a different challenge with the new 7A-1A classifications, but the same ultimate goal

Matt Christopher

The big shift has taken place in Florida high school football, as the classifications transitioned from Metro and Suburban levels back to a 7A down to 1A setup with eight classifications overall, in addition a separate Rural classification.

The change has created new paths to a state championship for every team in the state, so we thought we would seek your opinion on which of last year's champions has the best chance of earning another state title.

With chicken wings all the rage as a snack to eat while watching a game, we give a rating of Hot/Medium/Mild when it comes to each team's chances of repeating as a state champion.

Here is a look at all of last year's state football champions with a look at their new Classification and District. Cast your vote on which school will be taking the first steps towards another state championship with regular season games all underway throughout the state.

SBLive voting polls are intended to be a fun way to create fan engagement and express support for your favorite high school athletes and teams. Unless expressly noted, there are no awards for winning the voting. Our primary focus is to highlight the abilities and accomplishments of all the athletes and teams included in our poll. You can vote as often as you wish and are encouraged to share our polls with others. The use of voting bots and other forms of automated voting are not allowed. Individuals will be removed from the poll if any form of automated voting can be verified. - SBLive Sports

Voting will conclude Saturday, September 14, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

Columbus Explorers (4M, 2023; 7A, 2024): Looking at the amount of talent Dave Dunn and crew lost from last year's state championship squad has us believing this is going to be a hard road back to hoisting another title. Not impossible, however, as 7A features teams like Venice and Western in Columbus' way.

Chances: Medium

Lakeland Dreadnaughts (4S, 2023; 5A, 2024): An early season victory at Traz Powell Stadium over Miami Central certainly strengthens the thoughts that this Lakeland team can nab the program's 10th state championship. Marvin Frazier has at his disposal one of the best defenses in all of the Southeast. When you can solely rely on defense in this day and age, that's impressive.

Chances: Hot

St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders (3M, 2023; 5A, 2024): We're no going to ding the Raiders for falling to a nationally ranked Bishop Gorman (NV) group from the Broward County Classic High School Football Showcase. If anything, that further validated that St. Thomas Aquinas could be meeting Lakeland down the road in what would (or will) be an epic matchup.

Chances: Hot

Mainland Buccaneers (3S, 2023; 5A, 2024): New head coach in Jerrime Bell and new pieces all across the board at Mainland has us thinking this is going to be a stretch for the Buccaneers to pull off another state championship. Early games show a good defensive unit, but struggles on offense.

Chances: Mild

Berkeley Prep Buccaneers (2M, 2023; 2A, 2024): Welp, this team was all the talk after surprising most and upending Miami Norland in the 2023 Class 2M state championship game. A season-opening loss to Clearwater Central Catholic certainly makes it a little harder to see Berkeley Prep re-capturing last year's magic, but we can't doubt a Dominick Ciao-coached team. Not yet, anyways.

Chances: Medium

Cocoa Tigers (2S, 2023; 2A, 2024): Coming off a 42-10 beatdown of Titusville, the Tigers look like they haven't missed a beat behind Michigan commitment Brady Hart under center. Yes, they have Berkeley Prep to contend with, but this team is mostly intact from last and is well rounded from top to bottom.

Chances: Hot

Chaminade Madonna Lions (1M, 2023; 1A, 2024): This team is not your 2023 version, but could be by season's end a very worthy version of the Lions. Talented out the wazoo and now a decided on quarterback in Tyler Chance has Chaminade Madonna ready to get after another state championship. We believe they'll meet Clearwater Central Catholic when it's all said and done, again.

Chances: Hot

Cardinal Mooney Cougars (1S, 2023; 2A, 2024): We love what Jared Clark is doing out in Sarasota with the Cougars, but they land in a heavily contested Class 2A with Berkeley Prep and Cocoa. Cardinal Mooney definitely returns plenty of talent, but upending those aforementioned teams is not going to be easy by any means.

Chances: Mild

Hawthorne Hornets (Rural in 2023 & 2024): Loaded on both sides of the ball and integrating Eastside transfer Adrian Curtis at quarterback, the Hornets look prepared to make another strong run at a Rural state championship.

Chances: Hot

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl