Over the past nine months, various teams in various sports have been crowned Florida high school state champions. With the leisurely summer months at hand – and thus plenty of time to dream – we wondered: What are some hypothetical matchups we would have liked to see between teams that won titles in their respective classes?
Football: Venice vs. St. Thomas Aquinas
There are a number of intriguing potential matchups in football. We actually saw one early-on last season when Jesuit defeated St. Thomas Aquinas 24-21. While a rematch between those two would have been a must-see as well, Class 8A’s Venice taking on the 7A champion Raiders is our pick for the most compelling of hypothetical matchups between 2021 Florida championship teams.
Both teams lost only one game on their way to state titles, with both the Indians and Raiders offenses averaging more than 40 PPG, led by quarterbacks Ryan Browne and Zion Turner, respectively. With talented defenses as well, these were undoubtedly two of Florida’s top teams in all facets of the game. A matchup between the two would be a toss-up.
Boys Basketball: Miami Columbus vs. Calvary Christian
Out of all Florida high school state champions this past year, across all sports, there is arguably no potential matchup more intriguing than Miami Columbus vs. Calvary Christian in boys basketball.
This potential matchup, pitting the top team in 7A against the top team in 4A, would feature an Explorers team led by the freshman duo of Cameron and Cayden Boozer, as well as a deep Calvary Christian team featuring names such as Hendricks, Allen, Cherenfant, Glenn and more. As for the favorite, take your pick, because these two teams are about as even as it gets on the hardwood.
Girls Basketball: St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Lake Highland Prep
As with boys basketball, you could argue that the best pick of hypothetical girls basketball matchups is an easy one: It’s St. Thomas Aquinas and Lake Highland Prep, two of the state’s top teams regardless of classification.
6A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas lost only four games all season, with a roster led by two double-digit scorers in Karina Gordon and Alancia Ramsey. Class 4A state champion Lake Highland Prep didn’t lack for talent, either. Star forward Nyla Harris led the way and was joined by three more double-digit scorers in Eleecia Carter, Bri Rivera and Lexi Blue.
Baseball: Stoneman Douglas vs. Jesuit
If two Florida high school baseball teams were to have played a winner-take-all game, or even a three-game series, in 2022, few matchups would have stood out more than the 7A Florida state champions taking on the 5A champions.
Stoneman Douglas, which has won back-to-back 7A titles, arguably would have had the top pitching staff in Chris Arroyo, Jake Clemente and Christian Rodriguez, as well as one of Florida’s top hitters in Roman Anthony. Jesuit, however, also had some elite arms in Wes Mendes, Jamie Arnold and Brooks Chamberlin, along with a lineup that hit a combined .326 this past season.
Softball: Lakewood Ranch vs. Melbourne
The final matchup on this list of hypothetical champion-on-champion matchups is another easy choice. What would have happened if Lakewood Ranch and Melbourne had met on the softball field?
You would be hard-pressed to find a team more dominant than the 7A champion Mustangs were this season, batting for a combined .401 AVG as a team, as well as outscoring opponents a combined 292-56 on the year. If there was one other team that could have rivaled them, however, Class 6A state champion Melbourne may have been it, thanks to one of the state’s top pitching duos in Jasmine Francik and Kylah Berry.
Now that you’ve seen the matchups, who do you think would have won each of these five games? Is there another potential matchup in any of these five sports you would have wanted to see?
