If you were sitting in the stands at the Class 7A state championship in Miami this past December, you probably still haven't stopped talking about it. The air was thick. The tension was basically vibrating off the turf. And then, it happened—the play that basically broke the internet and redefined what we expect from Florida high school football scores.
Lake Mary. Vero Beach. A 27-27 tie that felt like it was destined for overtime. Then, Noah Grubbs lofts a prayer. A lateral at the 1-yard line. Tavarius Brundidge Jr. crosses the plane. Final score: 28-27. It wasn't just a win; it was a heist.
But looking at the final digits on a scoreboard never tells the whole story of a season in the Sunshine State. Florida football is a different beast. It’s a mix of humidity, insane speed, and a playoff system that can turn a "sure thing" into a heartbreak in roughly four seconds.
The Wild Reality of Recent Florida High School Football Scores
Honestly, the 2025 season felt like a fever dream for most of us following the brackets. We saw powerhouse programs like St. Thomas Aquinas—usually the safest bet in the world—find themselves in absolute dogfights. They finished 14-1, but that "1" was a reminder that nobody is untouchable.
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People always check the scores for the "Big Three" (Aquinas, IMG Academy, Chaminade-Madonna), but the real drama this year was in the mid-tier classifications. Take a look at some of the November playoff results that left brackets in tatters:
- Bolles 51, Florida State University School 27: A statement game that proved Bolles still has that old-school Jacksonville grit.
- Vero Beach 45, Palmetto 44: This was a literal track meet disguised as a football game.
- Dr. Phillips 22, Central 21: One point. That’s all it takes to end a season and start a three-hour quiet bus ride home.
The scores from early December really cemented the 2025-26 hierarchy. Lakeland put a 40-13 hurt on Ponte Vedra, which sort of signaled that the Dreadnaughts were back to their dominant selves. Meanwhile, Chaminade-Madonna was busy shutting out Trinity Christian Academy 35-0. That’s not a game; that’s a clinic.
What the Scoreboard Doesn't Tell You
We get obsessed with the numbers. 21-20. 48-0. 7-6. But if you’re only looking at the florida high school football scores, you’re missing the context of the new FHSAA classifications. The 2025-2026 season was a transitional era. We’re seeing a shift in how districts are drawn, and it’s creating some weirdly lopsided matchups followed by absolute wars in the regional finals.
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The "Metro vs. Suburban" split that everyone argued about for years? It’s constantly evolving. Coaches like Lenny Jankowski at Vero Beach have been vocal about the "stopped progress" calls and the need for instant replay in title games. When a state championship is decided by a single point—like the 28-27 Lake Mary win—every single digit on that scoreboard is scrutinized for months.
Breaking Down the 2025 State Champions
If you missed the whirlwind in mid-December, here is how the hardware was distributed across the state. It wasn't just the usual suspects taking home the trophies.
- Class 7A: Lake Mary (28-27 over Vero Beach). This was the game of the decade.
- Class 6A: Buchholz and Mandarin were the talk of the town, but the grit shown in the North Florida brackets was next level.
- Class 5A: St. Thomas Aquinas (The standard stays the standard).
- Class 3A: Miami Northwestern and Raines dominated the conversation here. Northwestern finished 12-0, essentially making a mockery of anyone who thought they were having a "down" year.
- Class 1A: Chaminade-Madonna. They are basically a college team playing on Friday nights at this point.
The Recruiting Factor in the Scores
You can't talk about these scores without talking about the kids behind them. The 2026 class is already looking like one of the deepest in Florida history. When you see a score like IMG Academy winning 45-0, it’s because they’re starting guys like Keenyi Pepe (6-7, 320 lbs) on the offensive line.
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In Fort Lauderdale, Dia Bell at American Heritage is putting up video game numbers that make their Saturday morning box scores look like typos. It’s why people from all over the country are constantly refreshing for Florida updates—the talent level here directly correlates to the high-flying, high-scoring games we see every week.
Why 2026 Will Be Even Crazier
As we move into the off-season and look toward the 2026-2027 cycle, the FHSAA is looking at even more classification overhauls. Coaches are already stressed about the new districts.
The Power Rankings Index is now the "Bible" for playoff seeding. It’s a math-heavy system that sometimes feels like it punishes teams for playing tough out-of-state schedules. But, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is the final whistle.
Actionable Steps for Following Florida Football
If you want to stay ahead of the curve and not just react to scores on Saturday morning, here is how you should handle the upcoming season:
- Track the "Metro" Powerhouses Early: Watch Miami Central and Miami Northwestern in August. Their early-season scores often dictate the "strength of schedule" points for the rest of the state.
- Follow the "Blitz" Editions: Regional outlets like FloridaHSFootball.com provide the "Panhandle" or "Northeast Florida" specific scores that often get lost in the national noise.
- Watch the Transfers: In Florida, a kid moving from one school to another can swing a score by 20 points. Keep an eye on the transfer portal—yes, high school has one now, effectively—especially in the Orlando and Miami areas.
- Check the Rankings, Not Just the Wins: A 7-3 team in a brutal South Florida district is often "better" than a 10-0 team playing a soft schedule. The FHSAA power rankings will tell you who is actually dangerous come November.
The 2025-2026 season proved that florida high school football scores are never just numbers. They are a reflection of a state that treats Friday nights like a religion. Whether it’s a Hail Mary in Miami or a defensive grind in the Panhandle, the scoreboard is just the beginning of the conversation.