Big Bend Soccer Rankings: Which area program sits atop the rankings to start the season

Football fields have turned into futbol fields across the Big Bend as the soccer season is in full swing across the area.

With the first few weeks of the soccer season played, programs are beginning to see what the year has in store. Some teams have started fast, others are looking to put together a run before the holiday break and build some early-season momentum.

With all that being said, let's jump into the first edition of the Big Bend Preps soccer power rankings!

Rankings will be updated weekly, every Tuesday, with the top five teams from both boys and girls programs being ranked.

Boys Rankings

1. Chiles (4-1)

The Timberwolves take the top spot in the first rankings, coming off a victory over Maclay, Chiles is off to a quick start to life in 2023 with a 4-1 record. Scoring 14 goals in the first five games, the Timberwolves offense has been flowing early on.

Playing three of the next five games on the road, Chiles faces stiff tests from Lincoln, Wakulla and a road trip to Jacksonville to face area power Mandarin, who have yet to concede a goal in four games this season.

2. Maclay (3-1-1)

The Marauders take the second spot in the rankings sitting at 3-1-1, with its only loss coming against Chiles and the tie coming against South Walton. Like the Timberwolves, Maclay has started the season with bags of goals, scoring 13 in the first five games of play, with junior Zac Scovotto leading the way with six goals.

Playing six games before the holiday break, Maclay plays five Big Bend opponents in the next six games, with highlight matchups against Florida High and Lincoln coming next week for the Marauders.

3. Florida High (2-1)

The Seminoles sit third for the first set of the Big Bend Power Rankings, with a 2-1 record, losing to Chiles 1-0 in its season opener. Florida High has started the season well defensively, allowing just one goal to the Timberwolves and has yet to allow another, scoring nine goals on offense in three games.

A matchup with Lincoln and a trip to Maclay will give the Seminoles a test in the final games before the holiday break freezes the schedule until the new year.

4. Wakulla (2-2-1)

It is the War Eagles who take the fourth spot in the first edition of the Big Bend soccer rankings, with a 2-2-1 record it's been a hectic start to the season. Wakulla has gotten a big contribution early from sophomore Connor Crawford, who has scored five of the 14 goals scored so far.

Two games against Leon and Taylor County, plus matchups with Florida High and Maclay have the War Eagles facing one of the more challenging stretches before the holiday break, and a good run of results could boost the momentum for Wakulla.

5. Lincoln (2-3)

The Trojans round out the top five for the boys edition of the power rankings, sitting at 2-3, Lincoln is coming off a huge 10-2 victory over Taylor County, handing the Bulldogs (4-1) a season-first loss, but have dropped games to Wakulla, Maclay and Arnold. Scoring 20 goals in five games, the offense has exploded twice for Lincoln, scoring 10 against Taylor County and eight against Jefferson County.

A stretch of games that includes Florida, Macaly, Wakulla and Leon awaits the Trojans before the end of semester break, and those games will be crucial to the outlook of the season for Lincoln.

Girls Rankings

1. Chiles (5-0-1)

It is a double for Chiles soccer, who sit atop both the boys and girls rankings, with the girls posting a 5-0-1 record, drawing with Niceville 1-1. The Timberwolves have scored 25 goals in six games, scoring four or more goals in a game on three different occasions, a 4-2 win over Mosely, a 6-0 win over Leon and an 8-0 win over Suwannee. Sophomore Kyra Swart leads the way with 10 goals in six games.

Facing a matchup with fellow area power Florida High next, the Timberwolves have a challenging run before the break with games against Maclay, Pace and Lincoln before the end of the semester.

2. Florida High (4-1)

The Seminoles come in ranked second in the power rankings, posting a 4-1 record so far, the only loss coming against North Bay Haven, falling 2-1. Florida High has scored 20 goals in five games and picked up an impressive 4-1 victory over Maclay early in the season.

With arguably the youngest team in the Big Bend, nine middle school players and four underclassmen, the Seminoles play mature and will face Chiles, Maclay and Rickards before the holiday break.

3. Lincoln (2-1)

The Trojans come third in the power rankings, starting with a 2-1 record, winning both games in shutouts and scoring eight goals each, 8-0 win's over Maclay and Arnold. Lincoln's only defeat of the season came at the hands of Niceville, falling 3-0 in the season opener to one of the Panhandles' top teams.

Facing Leon twice, Rickards and Chiles before the end of the semester, the Trojans have a challenging stretch before the holidays.

4. St. John Paul II (3-1)

The Panthers crack the power rankings, coming in ranked fourth with a 3-1 record, picking up wins over Rickards, Jefferson County and Franklin County, only losing to Rocky Bayou Christian, a game that ended 3-2. Scoring 21 goals in the opening four games, JPII has been finding the back of the net regularly, with freshman Jordyn Wysocki leading the team with five goals.

A second match with Rickards and games against Wakulla and Port St. Joe await the youthful JPII team. Composed of 15 players, 10 are underclassmen for the Panthers, who face a good run of games before a short holiday break.

5. Wakulla (2-0)

The War Eagles round out the top five, maintaining a 2-0 record to start the season, with a 2-0 win over Port St. Joe and a 4-2 victory over Marianna to open the year. Rachaelei Porter has been a crucial piece of the Wakulla offense, scoring four goals and posting two assists.

A busy stretch of games awaits Wakulla in the next two weeks, with matches against JPII, Taylor County, Rickards and Columbia highlighting the final games of 2023 for the War Eagles.

Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee, Big Bend area high school soccer power rankings