The five biggest games in North Florida this week

These are the five North Florida games this week that our team rankings rate as the best matchups on the board, and the players to watch in each. We rank every game by where the two programs sit on our state and national team boards, rewarding a close pairing of two strong teams over a lopsided one, with extra weight for ranked opponents and unbeaten records. We do not rank these games by recruiting totals. The slate runs from September 10 to September 13. Every figure here comes from our canonical database.

1. American Heritage at Trinity Christian Academy

American Heritage (Plantation, FL #17, 1-2, #113 nationally) visits Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, FL #41, 2-1, #320 nationally). The top rated North Florida matchup this week, a ranked visitor from Plantation against a Jacksonville host that our board also rates inside the state top fifty.

Players to watch:

  • American Heritage: Michael Stringer, WR, class of 2027, and Neimann Lawrence, QB, class of 2028, its top performers by our in-season Performance Score.
  • Trinity Christian Academy: Za'khari Greene, ATH, class of 2028, and Terrell Pinkney II, LB, class of 2027, its most recruited players on the current roster; no Trinity Christian Academy player has cleared our in-season Performance Score threshold yet.

2. Bishop Kenny at The Bolles School

Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville, FL #56, 2-1, #467 nationally) visits The Bolles School (Jacksonville, FL #10, 1-1, #69 nationally). A Jacksonville rivalry between a state top ten program and a climbing Bishop Kenny side.

Players to watch:

  • The Bolles School: Xander Edwards, RB, class of 2028, and Asher Ghioto, EDGE, class of 2028, its top performers by our in-season Performance Score.
  • Bishop Kenny: Caleb Mattison, RB, class of 2027, and Jerald Dewdney, DE, class of 2028, its most recruited players on the current roster; no Bishop Kenny player has cleared our in-season Performance Score threshold yet.

3. Miami Northwestern and Hawthorne

Miami Northwestern (Miami, FL #33, 3-0, #204 nationally) meets Hawthorne (Hawthorne, FL #43, 3-0, #333 nationally). Two unbeaten programs meeting at a neutral site, a Miami power against a small school North Florida side punching above its enrollment.

Players to watch:

  • Hawthorne: Richard Roundtree Jr., QB, class of 2028, and Leveon Harris, WR, class of 2028, its top performers by our in-season Performance Score.
  • Miami Northwestern: Eli Rauls, EDGE, class of 2028, and Aviyon Darien, ATH, class of 2029, its most recruited players on the current roster; no Miami Northwestern player has cleared our in-season Performance Score threshold yet.

4. Mandarin at Nease

Mandarin (Jacksonville, FL #25, 2-0, #167 nationally) visits Nease (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL #49, 1-2, #401 nationally). An unbeaten, state top twenty five Mandarin team on the road against a Nease side looking to steady its season.

Players to watch:

  • Nease: Bennett Zimmer, DL, class of 2029, and Kash Kolbow, S, class of 2027, its top performers by our in-season Performance Score.
  • Mandarin: Shaunqueze Foster, RB, class of 2027, and Brysen Wright, WR, class of 2028, its top performers by our in-season Performance Score.

5. University Christian at Madison County

University Christian (Jacksonville, FL #67, 2-1, #573 nationally) visits Madison County (Madison, FL #50, 2-1, #408 nationally). Two evenly matched programs on our board, a road trip across North Florida with both sides carrying the same record.

Players to watch:

  • Madison County: Siyah Hall, DB, class of 2028, and Michael Pride, RB, class of 2028, its top performers by our in-season Performance Score.
  • University Christian: Julius LaRosa III, DL, class of 2027, and Kyree Wilson, ATH, class of 2027, its most recruited players on the current roster; no University Christian player has cleared our in-season Performance Score threshold yet.

How we picked these

We ranked every North Florida game in the window by our team board, using each program's overall rating, its state and national rank, its record, and how far it has moved this season. A game between two strong, closely rated teams rates above a lopsided one, and ranked opponents and unbeaten records add weight. The players to watch are each team's top performers by our in-season Performance Score, the RPM measure of on field production adjusted for the strength of the opponent. When a team had no player above the score threshold, we named its most recruited players on the current roster instead. Records and rankings were pulled on September 9. Full boards and every player page are at recruit-intel.io.