Undefeated Edgewater continued to have the favor of local high school football coaches this week, remaining at the top of the Sentinel’s Super 16 Coaches Poll for the seventh straight week though the Eagles were idle last week, sitting at 9-0.
Jones (7-2) and Bishop Moore (9-0) were at Nos. 2 and 3 for the fourth straight week. Jones held the No. 1 spot in the first four polls of the season until the Tigers lost to Evans in Week 3.
Edgewater received 11 first-place votes from the 13 coaches who voted this week. DeLand and TFA received the other two.
The Eagles will get a big test on Thursday night in the Battle of the Barrel, which takes place at No. 4 Boone. The Braves, also unbeaten at 9-0, have not beaten the rival Eagles since 2017, when Boone finished 9-3.
Week 10 Football Rewind: West Orange, Oviedo win districts; Windermere wins 18th straight
The Top 10 was rounded out by No. 5 DeLand (9-0), followed by TFA (4-5), Dr. Phillips (7-2), West Orange (8-1), Oviedo (7-2) and Lake Mary (6-3). MaxPreps ranks DeLand No. 1 in 7A behind Vero Beach (9-0).
The biggest move in this week’s poll saw Evans, ranked No. 5 a week ago, fall all the way to No. 13 after a 21-14 loss to Oviedo. That victory pushed Oviedo up from No. 13 last week into the No. 9 spot.
There are two other ranked-on-ranked games as the regular season winds down. No. 7 Dr. Phillips will be at No. 8 West Orange on Thursday night, and No. 10 Lake Mary travels to No. 3 Bishop Moore on Friday night.
Also on Friday , The First Academy, which has had the third most difficult schedule in the state this year — according to FHSAA power rankings — will be at 5A’s No. 1-ranked team Lakeland (8-1). The Dreadnaughts only loss this season came on the road against California’s De La Salle (8-0).
TFA enters the game hoping and preparing for possible good news. The team was banned from the state playoffs for 2024 and 2025 last year after the FHSAA handed down punishment for wrongdoings it found during an investigation into alleged recruiting violations. Parents of TFA players have retained representation from a Fort Lauderdale law firm, which is now in proceedings designed to force the FHSAA to reinstate the Royals’ playoff eligibility.
Attorneys for TFA parents email FHSAA demanding playoff ban be lifted
An email was sent from Heitner Legal to the FHSAA on Friday demanding the ban be lifted and requested a response within 24 hours. FHSAA administrators acknowledged receipt of the email Friday and said that it was passed on to its legal team.
The regular season will end with makeup games on Tuesday night. Playoffs brackets are scheduled to be unveiled on Thursday, Nov. 6. Attorneys for the TFA parents said they will seek an injunction if a decision is not rendered immediately in favor of the players. They also threatened a lawsuit for civil damages if the team is not allowed to compete in postseason play.
Sentinel Super 16 Coaches Poll
Teams are listed with record, number of votes, first-place votes, results from last week and next game. All games start at 7 p.m. unless noted.
Voting: First-place vote = 1 point, second = 2 points, etc. There were 13 coaches voting this week (listed below). A coach cannot vote for his own team.
1. Edgewater (9-0) 13 (11): idle; Next: Thursday, at No. 4 Boone (9-0)
2. Jones (8-2) 31: def. Lake Region 49-0; Next: Thursday, vs. Ocoee (5-4)
3. Bishop Moore (9-0) 40: def. FSU High 56-35; Next: Friday, vs. No. 11 Lake Mary (6-3)
4 Boone (9-0) 56: def. Freedom 63-0; Next: Thursday vs. No. 1 Edgewater (9-0)
5. DeLand (9-0) 67 (1): def. Orange City University 70-0; Next: Thursday, vs. Lake Gibson (5-4)
6. The First Academy (4-5) 86 (1): lost to Hun School of New Jersey; Next: Friday, at Lakeland (8-1)
7. Dr. Phillips (7-2) 88: def. Celebration 57-0; Next: Thursday, at No. 8 West Orange (8-1)
8. West Orange (8-1) 89: def. Ocoee 21-14; Next: Thursday, vs. No. 7 Dr. Phillips (7-2)
9. Oviedo (7-2) 92: def. No. 6 Evans 29-28 (2OTs); Next: Thursday, vs. Eustis (1-8)
10. Lake Mary (6-3) 94: def. No. 15 Lake Brantley 51-17; Next: Friday, at No. 3 Bishop Moore (9-0)
11. Osceola (6-3) 103: lost to Lake Wales 35-27; Next: Friday, at Lakewood (8-1)
12. Seminole (5-4) 122: def. Hagerty 27-24; Next: Friday, at Sarasota Booker (8-1)
13. Evans (7-2) 134: lost to No. 13 Oviedo No. 6 Evans 29-28 (2OTs); Next: Thursday, vs. Oak Ridge (4-4)
14. Winter Park (5-4) 149: def. Timber Creek 41-3; Next: Thursday, vs. Olympia (3-6)
15. South Lake (8-1) 171: def. Lake Minneola 62-0; Next: Friday, at Leesburg (5-4)
16. St. Cloud (7-2) 182: def. Harmony 14-7; Next: Friday, vs. Lake Minneola (1-8)
Others receiving votes (in order of votes received): Windermere, Ocoee, Hagerty, Lake Brantley, Innovation.
Coaching panel: Orange County — David Aubrey (Lake Nona), Patrick Browning (Edgewater), Travis Gabriel (Olympia), Matt Hedrick (Bishop Moore), Tim Shifflet (Winter Park), Geno Thompson (West Orange), Elijah Williams (Jones). Seminole County — Greg Odierno (Oviedo), Scott Perry (Lake Mary). Lake County — Luke Hutchinson (Mount Dora), Brad Lord (South Lake). Osceola County — Eric Pinellas (Osceola), Mike Short (St. Cloud).
Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays.
