Lakeland has won seven straight football games, but only 0.05 rating points separate the Dreadnaughts from the first team outside Florida’s projected Open Division field. Their Oct. 30 meeting with The First Academy gives the teams chasing them a reason to follow a game between two projected qualifiers.
The eight highest-ranked eligible teams from Classes 1A-6A will leave their classification brackets to compete in the Open Division, with selection based on the final regular-season MaxPreps rankings. The positions below reflect the Oct. 25 update; Friday’s results will become part of that final evaluation.
3. Miami Central at Carol City
Miami Central (7-2) visits Carol City (6-3) at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday, facing an opponent whose rating is higher than its own. The Rockets are fifth in the eligible projection at 88.30, while Carol City’s published rating is 89.74.
The Chiefs are excluded from this projection under their reported postseason ban. Their eligibility remains a separate issue from Friday’s result; a change in that status would require the projected field to be recalculated.
For Central, the game offers a more demanding test after a 55-0 win over North Miami Beach. That victory followed the weather-shortened 28-3 loss to Columbus, making this another opportunity for quarterback James Perrone and running back Ninaud Joseph to lead the Rockets against a highly rated opponent.
Central has more room above the cutoff than Lakeland, but its finish still matters to the teams below it. A win would add a victory over an opponent rated above the Rockets, while a third loss could leave them more vulnerable to late movement elsewhere in the state.
2. Carrollwood Day at Cardinal Newman
Carrollwood Day brings a 9-0 record to West Palm Beach for a 6:30 p.m. ET kickoff Friday, leading the Class 1A ratings but still sitting outside the projected Open Division field. The Patriots’ 83.58 rating places them 0.96 points below Lakeland.
Several eligible teams remain between Carrollwood Day and eighth place, so beating Newman would not automatically send the Patriots into the field. It would give them a victory over a team inside the projection while handing that contender another loss. Newman (6-2) is seventh in the projection with an 86.95 rating after beating Saint Andrew’s 49-0.
The matchup also tests a Carrollwood Day offense averaging 57.4 points per game. Running back Kameron Battle leads the Patriots’ ground game, while Newman can turn to Janarro Sumpter and quarterback Pedro Martinez. The Crusaders have already faced Cardinal Mooney, West Boca Raton and Chaminade-Madonna, giving them experience against three teams involved in the Open Division race.
A Carrollwood Day selection would have consequences beyond this field: it would also remove Class 1A’s current highest-rated team from that classification’s championship bracket.
1. The First Academy at Lakeland
The First Academy (7-1) visits Lakeland (8-1) at 7 p.m. ET Friday, with both teams trying to stay inside the projected field. The Royals are sixth among eligible teams with an 87.25 rating, while Lakeland holds eighth at 84.54. Cardinal Mooney is immediately behind the Dreadnaughts, followed by Clearwater Central Catholic and American Heritage of Plantation.
The Royals arrive after a 42-20 win at Ambassador Christian School in North Carolina, where freshman running back Hyquez Russell rushed for 243 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries. Russell also caught three passes for 57 yards, giving Lakeland another reason to account for him when fellow freshman Deuce Woods Jr. drops back to throw.
Lakeland’s defense has allowed 88 points in nine games and is coming off a 35-10 win over Lake Gibson. The First Academy, meanwhile, is only 0.30 points above seventh-place Cardinal Newman. This game could shift the order inside the field as well as which teams make it.
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