JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The high school football regular season in Florida starts up on Aug. 23. We get things rolling with our preseason News4JAX Varsity 4 Super 10. It will be published on Tuesday through the end of the regular season. Think we’ve got a team ranked too high or a program not ranked at all? Send us a message on Instagram (@Sports4Jax) or sports@wjxt.com.
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News4JAX VARSITY 4 preseason top 10 football rankings
Rank, school, classification
1. Mandarin, 6A
Last season: 11-4
Why we like them: An Elite 11 QB in Tramell Jones. A five-star wideout in Jaime Ffrench. The reigning All-News4JAX defensive player of the year in safety Drake Stubbs. The Mustangs have more talent than any team in the area, and perhaps the best freshman in town in Brysen Wright. The Mustangs lost in the Class 4M title game last year to Columbus and they play in the state’s second-biggest classification. But this team is absolutely loaded with talent. Coach Toby Bullock just needs to make the pieces line up and he could be looking at a state championship season.
2. St. Augustine, 4A
Last season: 13-1
Why we like them: The Yellow Jackets had an electric vertical offense and bring back a significant amount of talent, including QB Locklan Hewlett and WRs Carl Jenkins Jr., Somourian Wingo and Trenton Jones. There are definite questions on the defensive side of the ball and who will replace big play RB Bam Lyons. They lost on a heartbreaking walkoff field goal in the Class 3S state championship game to Mainland last season. Can they clear the hurdle this year?
3. Bolles, 2A
Last season: 8-6
Why we like them: Is this too high for a team coming off a six-loss season? Perhaps. But the Bulldogs, even in an un-Bolleslike 5-5 regular season, still managed to crank it up when needed. They have reached at least the state semifinals in each of Matt Toblin’s five seasons in charge. They’ve got a veteran QB returning in Ethan Drumm, a big TE (Corbyn Fordham), star WRs in Naeem Burroughs and Chase Collier, muscle on defense (LBs Simeon Caldwell, Troy Holloway) and an impact freshman on the defensive line in Asher Ghioto.
4. Raines, 3A
Last season: 10-2
Why we like them: The Vikings have their best team in the Donovan Masline coaching era. A 10-win team a season ago, Raines brings back a lot and benefitted with an infusion of transfers that could help push this team over the regional hump. Solomon Thomas is one of the highest-ranked players in Raines history and brings an anchor to the entire line. On the defensive line, Jyon Simon is an enforcer. On paper, this is the best Raines team since Deran Wiley’s 2018 state championship squad.
5. Bartram Trail, 6A
Last season: 8-5
Why we like them: The Bears faced one of the most challenging schedules in the state last year, then won back-to-back playoff games in the Panhandle. They graduated a ton, including All-News4JAX offensive player of the year Laython Biddle. The offensive line is a big reason why this team should handle the learning curve and give Jaden Weatherly plenty of confidence. That group is experienced and deep with the likes of Jimmy Huck, Zach Marshall and Nick Spicer back. Watch out for ATH Arthur Lewis IV. He’s a breakout candidate.
6. Riverside, 4A
Last year: 9-3
Why we like them: Coach Antwan Nicholas has done a remarkable job of keeping this program operating at a high level after the departure of coach OJ Small. That can’t be overstated enough in the transfer portal era of high school football. Riverside returns QB Glenn Foreman III, TE Tae’shaun Gelsey and ATH Myles Kendrick, which is an excellent core.
7. Bradford, 2A
Last season: 14-1
Why we like them: The defense has been wicked under coach Jamie Rodgers and they played for a state championship last year. The graduation losses are steep, but Bradford returns playmakers like Jeremiah McKenzie and transfer QB Zach Paulk to help with the adjustment period. Don’t expect a serious drop off from a Rodgers-coached team.
8. Baker County, 2A
Last season: 8-4
Why we like them: The Wildcats always find a way to deliver and it shouldn’t be any different this season. Defense will lead the way, with LBs Seth Chestnut and Case Foster and DE Phillip Jackson all returning. ATH Davion Dean will contribute all over the field. Coach Kevin Mays led Baker County to the state semifinals as recently as 2021.
9. Trinity Christian, 1A
Last year: 9-4
Why we like them: Compared to some of coach Verlon Dorminey’s experience-heavy teams of the past, this year’s Conquerors squad is light on the returnees. But those expectations at Trinity don’t change. The Conquerors always have enough coaching and talent for a playoff run.
10. Creekside, 7A
Last year: 6-5
Why we like them: The Knights go heavy on the offense every year. They averaged nearly 34 points per game last year and return their top QB (Sean Ashenfelder), top RB (Harrison Garrido) and top WR (Kaleb Taylor-Burch). They’ve had a tendency to surrender gobs of points, but they’ve also been able to offset that by scoring a ton. They get the edge here over Columbia, Oakleaf, Fletcher, Ponte Vedra, Providence, Nease and University Christian.