Florida football high school: Our all-state championship team

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MIAMI — The 2025 FHSAA Football state championship games provided many memorable moments and great individual performances.

Lake Mary had one of the most amazing finishes in football history as Noah Grubbs brought the team back from an 18-point deficit and capped the night with a stunning Hail Mary.

Raines quarterback Timothy Cole II and Cardinal Newman quarterback Jyron Hughley both helped orchestrate upset wins over nationally ranked opponents.

Javian Mallory starred in Class 6A after having to miss last year’s state title game and Cardinal Mooney defensive lineman Elijah Golden was a consistent presence in the backfield in the 2A title game.

Here is the USA TODAY Florida Network’s all-state team from the Class 7A-1A championship teams.

Coach: Donovan Masline, Raines

Not a lot of people outside of Raines High School believed the Vikings were going to come to Miami and beat a Northwestern team it lost to 41-0 last year. But Raines’ defense played outstanding, giving the offense time to find a rhythm in the second half. The result? Raines shocked the state with a 23-22 win.   

Offense

QB Timothy Cole II, Raines

Stats: 12 of 24, 149 passing yards, 1 touchdown, 38 rushing yards, 1 touchdown vs. Miami Northwestern

This has nothing to do with numbers and everything to do with results. Without Cole, Raines isn’t the Class 3A state champion. It’s that simple. The same could be said for Jyron Hughley at Cardinal Newman.

QB Noah Grubbs

Stats: 25 of 48 for 333 yards, 3 touchdowns, 29 rushing yards vs. Vero Beach

Grubbs brought Lake Mary back from a three-score halftime deficit with three second-half touchdown passes and orchestrated a play that will be talked about for years to come.

RB Connail Jackson, Cardinal Mooney

Stats: 26 carries, 160 yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 catches, 10 yards vs. Bolles

Jackson was outstanding in the Class 2A championship game and led all players during the state championships with 24 points.

RB Javian Mallory, West Boca

Stats: 18 carries, 117 yards, 3 touchdowns vs. West Broward

Mallory missed the 2024 Class 6A state championship game with an injury. The Miami commit won MVP honors this year after his three-touchdown performance against West Broward.

WR Naeem Burroughs, Bolles

Stats: 10 catches, 122 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 carry, 4 yards vs. Cardinal Mooney

The Clemson signee had more catches than any other player this week and scored three of the Bulldogs four touchdowns in the Class 2A final.

WR Julius Jones, St. Thomas Aquinas

Stats: 7 catches, 127 yards vs. Lakeland

The junior standout reinforced his reputation as one of the best wide receivers in the nation in the Class 5A state championship game. His one-handed catch while being held by a Lakeland defender may have been the best catch of the week.

WR Nick Lennear, Miami Northwestern

Stats: 6 catches, 135 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 tackles, 1 interception vs. Raines

Lennear and fellow Northwestern wide receiver Calvin Russell each topped the 100-yard mark in the Class 3A championship, all while playing almost every snap on defense. Lennear’s touchdown catch gave the Bulls a lead late in the fourth quarter.

WR Calvin Russell, Miami Northwestern

Stats: 8 catches, 136 yards, 2 carries, 1 yard, 1 touchdown, 1 tackle, 1 pass breakup vs. Raines

The five-star Syracuse signee was the focal point of the Bulls offense for much of the game. Of his 136 receiving yards, 125 yards came after the catch.

ATH Efrem White, Vero Beach

Stats: 3 catches, 101 yards, 1 touchdown, 79 passing yards, 1 touchdown, minus-1 rushing yard, 1 touchdown vs. Lake Mary

The Florida State signee did all he could in the Class 7A state championship, scoring three touchdowns in three different ways.

OL Brayden Charney, Cardinal Newman

OL Aiden Hartnett, American Heritage

OL Mark Matthews, St. Thomas Aquinas

OL Jackson Snelling, Cardinal Mooney

OL Kirby Vital, West Boca

Defense

EDGE Wyatt Smith, St. Thomas Aquinas

Stats: 4 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 0.5 sack, 1 pass break up vs. Lakeland

The numbers don’t necessarily stand out, but the performance did. Smith was a constant presence in Lakeland’s backfield in the Class 5A championship.

EDGE Rodarion Tellez, American Heritage

Stats: 9 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble vs. Jones

The Toledo signee set the tone in the first half of the Class 4A championship game with his physical sack. Tellez was disruptive throughout the Patriots win.

DL Ge’Terius Brown, Raines

Stats: 3 tackles, 1 TFL, .5 sack, 1 interception vs. Miami Northwestern

The Charleston Southern signee had one of the biggest plays of the game when he came across the formation for a fourth quarter interception that sparked the Vikings comeback against Northwestern.

DL Elijah Golden, Cardinal Mooney

Stats: 7 tackles, 3 TFL, 2.5 sacks vs. Bolles

Golden, a Notre Dame signee, did to Bolles what he’s done during his high school career: Be unblockable. Don’t care if that an actual word or not, it’s the truth.

LB Cooper Clark, Cardinal Newman

Stats: 9 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery vs. Chaminade-Madonna

Clark was the Crusaders’ leading tackle against Chaminade-Madonna in the Class 1A state championship game.

LB Tra’vion Lester, Cardinal Mooney

Stats: 7 tackles, 1 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble vs. Bolles

Lester made a big impact Mooney’s Class 2A state championship game win against Bolles.

LB Max Reid, West Boca

Stats: 14 tackles, .5 TFL vs. West Broward

Reid was his typical active self. He led all players at the state championships with 14 total tackles and was tied with the lead for nine solo tackles.

DB/LB Simeon Caldwell, Bolles  

Stats: 13 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 blocked kick vs. Cardinal Mooney

It’s usually not a great sign when your safety is your leading tackler, but the Ohio State signee did lead Bolles’ defense in the Class 2A game.

DB Jordan Crutchfield, Vero Beach

Stats: 3 tackles, 3 interceptions vs. Lake Mary

Crutchfield, a Florida State signee, had three interceptions against a Lake Mary team that hadn’t thrown an interception during the playoffs. Two of his interceptions came in the red zone.

DB Zayden Gamble, St. Thomas Aquinas

Stats: 4 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 interception, 1 pass breakup vs. Lakeland

Gamble showed the range of skills that make him one of the most coveted juniors in the state. In the first half of the Raiders shut out of Lakeland, he had an interception and a big open field tackle for loss.

DB Shareef Jackson, Raines

Stats: 4 tackles, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery vs. Miami Northwestern

Jackson did a nice job in coverage throughout the Class 3A state championship, a performance even more impressive considering Jackson was fighting through an injury.

DB A’mir Sears, West Broward

Stats: 9 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 catches, 30 yards vs. West Boca

The five-star junior played well in run support and his ability to lock down one half of the field likely played a big role in West Boca opting to throw just nine passes (completing two) in the Class 6A state championship game.

K Johnny DiSilvestre, St. Thomas Aquinas

Stats: 5 for 5 field goals, 2 for 2 extra points, 17 total points vs. Lakeland

The Class 5A championship game MVP tied a state record with his five-field goal performance. Four of his kicks were 30 yards or more.  

P Noah Sidan, Chaminade-Madonna

Stats: 3 punts, 44.3 yards per punt, 2 field goals, 2 touchbacks vs. Cardinal Newman

Playing in his future home stadium, the FIU signee showed off his strong leg when called on in the Class 1A final.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Florida football high school all-state championship football team

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