Godby Sits on Top of the Leon County High School Football Rankings

Godby sits atop the Leon County high school football rankings after seven games, with the Cougars holding a 5-2 record and the highest MaxPreps rating among the area’s nine ranked teams. Florida High follows at No. 2 at 6-1, while Rickards is third at 2-4. The rankings take into account each team’s MaxPreps rating and strength of schedule, with the top three teams each having faced a challenging slate of opponents to this point in the season. These rankings are based off of MaxPreps stats that were updated up to Oct. 4.

Godby

Godby enters the top spot at 5-2, with a schedule that includes several strong tests and a pair of narrow losses. The Cougars opened with a 35-13 win over Rickards before falling 32-31 at Mosley and 39-36 at Camden County in back-to-back close games. They responded with four consecutive wins, including a 21-10 victory over Pensacola Catholic, a 42-10 win over Chiles, a 14-10 victory over Baker County and a dominant 57-22 win at Niceville. Offensively, Godby has been led by quarterback Landon Dougherty, who has thrown 19 touchdown passes, while Kamren McMillan has rushed for 137.6 yards per game and 10 total touchdowns. Jamarin Simmons has added 96 receiving yards per game and six receiving touchdowns. The Cougars’ 72.88 MaxPreps rating is comfortably the highest among the nine local teams, while their 41.4 strength of schedule is also the highest, giving them a strong case for the No. 1 position.

Florida High

Florida High is 6-1 and has built its résumé with a combination of quality wins and consistent offensive production. The Seminoles opened the season with a 37-13 win over Navarre, then defeated Chiles 24-14 and South Walton 18-15 before putting together more convincing victories over Rutherford (47-14), Madison County (28-26) and Lafayette (49-7). The only blemish came Oct. 2, when Florida High fell 24-7 at University Christian, giving the Seminoles their first loss of the season. Florida High has also received contributions from several players on both sides of the ball, with Ar’Tavian Brown leading the team in receiving at 76.6 yards per game and tying Ashton Callahan for the team lead with five total touchdowns. Callahan leads the rushing attack at 80.8 yards per game, while the defense has been anchored by Jason Harville and Skyler Burger, who are averaging 12.6 and 10.9 tackles per game, respectively. With a 52.76 MaxPreps rating and 31.8 strength of schedule, Florida High sits comfortably at No. 2 among local teams, although the loss to University Christian gives Godby the edge in the local rankings.

Rickards

Rickards enters the local rankings at No. 3 with a 2-4 record, but its schedule has included several difficult opponents. The Raiders opened with a 35-13 loss to No. 1 Godby before responding with a 12-7 win over Dothan. They then dropped a one-point game to Lincoln, 26-25, lost 14-7 at Wakulla and defeated Arnold 27-6 before falling 30-19 at nationally recognized Colquitt County in Georgia. Rickards’ 38.1 strength of schedule ranks second among the nine local teams, behind only Godby, helping explain why the Raiders remain No. 3 despite a losing record. Offensively, Jordan Kelley leads the team with 94.5 rushing yards per game, while Davion Crumitie averages 59.3 receiving yards and has three touchdown receptions. Deaton Gantt has thrown three touchdown passes, and the defense has been led by Charles Belgrave’s four sacks and Makhi Mitchell’s two interceptions. With Leon, Mosley, Chiles and Florida High still on the schedule, Rickards has several opportunities to strengthen its résumé before the regular season ends.