Florida high school football: The biggest surprises of the first half of the season

Every high school football season starts with certain predictions and expectations.

And then teams actually start playing games on the field. Some of the results exactly lived up to preseason expectations but some teams and individuals absolutely exceeded expectations.

Leon is undefeated midway through the season and is one win away from matching its combined win total from 2019-22. Bayshore won three of its first four games after going winless in both 2022 and 2020.

Coconut Creek just gave nationally ranked Chaminade-Madonna all it could handle and has emerged as a contender in Class 3M. Miami Central sophomore running back Jayden Ford has been a standout for an elite Rockets squad.

Titusville is off to a 6-0 start for the first time since Jimmy Carter was president. Lake Mary sophomore quarterback Noah Grubbs threw eight — 8! — touchdown passes in the season opener.

Here's a look at the biggest surprises around the state during the first half of the season.

Big Bend: Leon is off to its best start in nearly four decades

The Leon Lions are 5-0, yes, Leon, the same team that was a collective 3-21 in the last three seasons is undefeated. Under second-year head coach Tyrone McGriff, the Lions are currently in the midst of one of the best turnaround Big Bend football has seen. One of the players leading the way for the Lions is senior wide receiver Isaiah Bighem, who has hauled in 304 yards and three touchdowns. Regardless of how this season ends for the Lions, the fact Leon is in the playoff picture shows how coach McGriff is turning the program around and looking to bring the oldest school in Florida back into the conversation. — Liam Rooney, Tallahassee Democrat

Bradenton/Sarasota: Bayshore's strong start

The Bayshore High football team was winless in two of the three previous seasons. After Coach Jamaal Sanders beefed up his coaching staff during the offseason and getting running back Jaden Judge as a transfer from Sarasota High, the Bruins are off to a 3-2 start, including winning its first district game since 2018. Bayshore went 5-5 in 2018, the most recent time it was .500. The Bruins have not had a winning season since they went 10-2 in 2003.— Dennis Maffezzoli, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Daytona Beach: Hot starts for Halifax Academy and Pine Ridge

It had been 15 years since Pine Ridge last began a high school football season with a 3-0 record, but the Panthers notched a pretty good road victory over The First Academy (Orlando) to accomplish the feat on Sept. 15. Junior running back Chris Boddie ran for 298 yards that night, and he's scored multiple touchdowns in four of Pine Ridge's first five contests. Halifax Academy started its 11-man football program in 2014, and had never won back-to-back games to open a campaign until 2023. The Knights ran their record to 4-0 before Friday's defeat at Holy Trinity Episcopal. — Chris Boyle, Daytona Beach News-Journal

Fort Lauderdale: Coconut Creek

Coconut Creek has become a formidable contender in Region 3-3M and could challenge St. Thomas Aquinas in the postseason. Initially, it appeared Aquinas had an easy path back to the FInal Four, but the Cougars' performance in the first half of the season tells a different story. With impressive wins against Monarch, Western (Davie), Plantation, and Blanche Ely, they've established themselves as the top public school in Broward County. Keep a close watch on this team as we approach November. — Quinten Lambert, Special to the USA Today Network

Fort Myers: Riverdale's Cole Hayes

If there was a Southwest Florida player to lead the state in rushing, Riverdale's Cole Hayes would not be the first player to come to mind coming into the 2022-23 season. Through six games, the junior has rushed for 1,134 yards and 11 touchdowns on 144 carries. Though the Raiders are 1-5, it's becoming evident that their running game is tough to contend with. The team's offensive line features 6-foot-8 sophomore Cole Cooke, who has an offer from UCF. Hayes, who had just 10 carries last year, has emerged as the team's top rusher and has been held under 100 yards in just one game this season. — Dustin Levy, The News-Press

Gainesville: Williston's Run Game

With senior Kyree Edwards graduating, few knew what to expect from the Red Devils run game. In 2022, Edwards ran for 1,718 yards, 20th best in Florida. This season, though, Williston's rushing attack has been nearly as good. It averages 294 YPG. No one RB has stood out in the way Edwards did, but five tailbacks have gained at least 215 yards. Jamari Williams leads the bunch with 338 yards, and Jace McDonald has eight TDs. This factor has allowed WHS to a 5-0 record, and it poses a serious threat to Hawthorne's attempts at a repeat state championship in Class 1R. — Noah Ram, The Gainesville Sun

Jacksonville: Backup QBs stand tall

Northeast Florida's year of the quarterback turned into the first half of the sidelined quarterback. Among those missing playing time were three of the Times-Union's four Super 11 QBs (Iowa commit James Resar of Bishop Kenny, USF commit Marcelis Tate of Fletcher and UCF commit Riley Trujillo of Bartram Trail) in addition to St. Augustine junior Locklan Hewlett. Season ruined? Nope. Their replacements have stepped up nicely: Sophomore Gavin Hawkins passed for three touchdowns in his first Bishop Kenny start, multi-sport athlete Coron Davis shifted to quarterback to lead Fletcher to two wins, Jaden Weatherly showed why he's a sophomore prospect at Bartram Trail and senior backup Dylan Cook excelled in consecutive St. Augustine starts. It turns out that Jacksonville has even more capable quarterbacks than some might have expected. — Clayton Freeman, Florida Times-Union

Ocala: Dunnellon's talent

Dunnellon always has talent on its roster but these guys are becoming Division 1 recruits in front of our eyes. The offseason was kind to the Tigers as five guys earned power five offers. When the season kicked off under the radar ballers, like Dylan Donahoe, Lacodrick Brown, and Dylan Curry, began making name for themselves . They’ll be heavy contributors to Marion County’s prep to college football pipeline for seasons to come. — Allen Pettigrew Jr., Ocala Star-Banner

Miami: Jayden Ford

Ford may be the smallest player on the field at 5-foot-6, but he possesses a big heart and talent to match. Even on a team ranked in the top 10 with four running backs who almost certainly will play Division I football, Ford has proven himself as the standout. He's averaging an astounding 10 yards per carry in the first half of the season against national opponents. Expect to see this trend continue, as Ford is only a sophomore for the Rockets. — Quinten Lambert, Special to the USA Today Network

Naples: Collier County's parity

So far, all but one team in Collier County has suffered a loss, which is Community School (5-0). Expect the Seahawks to likely suffer a loss against defending 1S champion First Baptist, but no team in the county has stood out or been head over shoulders dominant than the rest. In previous years, Naples has had that distinction, but the Golden Eagles are 5-1 with just one running clock win to this point. — Alex Martin, Naples Daily News

Northeast Florida: Suwannee's super start

A lot of things lined up against Suwannee at the season's start: injuries on the field, a preseason loss to rival Columbia, plus widespread damage and power loss stemming from Hurricane Idalia. But after five weeks of football, the Bulldogs haven't been beaten yet, with a newly-converted quarterback in Kodi Lang and a state weightlifting champion in Marquavious Owens leading the offense. They've also held opponents to 43 points so far, staking their claim for a high seed in Region 1-2S. — Clayton Freeman, Florida Times-Union

Northwest Florida: Destin surge to 6-0

E.G. Green wins wherever he goes. He won at Fort Walton Beach, where he and Danny Wuerffel led the Vikings to a state title in 1991. He won at Florida State, where he graduated as an All-American wide receiver and national champion. And now, after leaving the NFL to coach, Green has upstart Destin off to a 6-0 in just its second year. A year away from FHSAA eligibility, Destin came into the season following a 1-8 inaugural campaign. But Hugh Boudreaux transferred in at quarterback, the defense added depth and chemistry was built in the offseason. The result is a 197-72 margin of victory with the very real goal of a 10-0 season. — Seth Stringer, NWF Daily News

Orlando: Noah Grubbs' 8 touchdown performance

Yes, Grubbs is supposed to be one of the top sophomore quarterbacks in the nation. Yes, Lake Mary reached the regional championship game last year and was supposed to be good again this fall. But absolutely no one was expecting Grubbs to do what he did in the season opener against Dr. Phillips. He completed 25 of 37 passes for a school record 528 yards and eight touchdowns. The yardage and touchdowns were a single-game school record. Grubbs averaged better than 21 yards per completion and a very healthy 14.27 yards per attempt. But eight touchdowns — or almost half of the 17 touchdowns he had in 11 games in 2022 — that's the number that no one saw coming. — Jon Santucci, USA Today Florida Network

Palm Beach: No. 5 Cardinal Newman's 7-2 loss to No. 351 Miami-Northwestern

From the outside looking in, or just a glance at the glaring differences in rankings (although the FHSAA's algorithm is nothing short of questionable), Newman's 7-2 defeat certainly came as a shock. However, if you've been on the sidelines in practice − or were in attendance for a near-scoreless first half against Park Vista to open up the 2023 season − you knew a loss like this was bound to happen. Coach Jack Daniels, a two-time state champion during his tenure at Dwyer, has a new OC in Ryan Partridge, who previously served in the role at UMass. Starting senior quarterback Luke Warnock being sidelined with a shoulder injury didn't help. Neither did five Crusaders being suspended for the matchup as a result of a tense 14-7 win in Week 5 to stay undefeated against No. 36 overall Atlantic. − Emilee Smarr, Palm Beach Post

Pensacola: Jay's 4-0 start

This is possibly a result of the best local teams beating up on each other or taking on seismic challenges from both near and far, but not a lot of people had the Royals as the last Pensacola-area team to suffer a loss this season. But Jay earned that distinction thanks to a gritty defense that relinquished just 12 points per game through the first four weeks. Senior running back Brock Stout was also excellent during that stretch, scoring six touchdowns and average 128 yards per game on the ground. The Royals train got derailed in Week 6 after falling at unbeaten Destin and the schedule moving forward only gets more difficult - beginning with a home game against Holmes County, the top-ranked team in Region 1-1R, but whatever happens moving forward is just the cherry on top. Jay established its first 4-0 start in 20 years. The team reached that mark with a lower-scoring victory at Baker, which snapped a 15-game losing streak to the Gators.

— Patrick Bernadeau, Pensacola News Journal

St. Augustine: Nease WR Maddox Spencer's first half

As a sophomore, Maddox Spencer caught 45 passes on an offense headlined by Super 11 quarterback Marcus Stokes -- promising enough. This year, his numbers have outright exploded. Spencer gained a state-leading 701 yards receiving through Week 5, including a 303-yard receiving outing against Creekside that ranks among Northeast Florida's highest on record. He's helped boost Nease into the playoff hunt after a 2-8 campaign in 2022. — Clayton Freeman, Florida Times-Union

Space Coast: Titusville turns back the clock to '77

Titusville was the surprise of 2022 in Brevard County, when first-year head coach John Holmes took a team that had gone 0-10 the year before and turned into an FHSAA Class 2S playoff team. Those Terriers went 6-4 in the regular season. That doesn't keep this year's version from being even more of a surprise. Titusville hasn't lost through six games. At five wins to open the season, the team matched the 5-0 start of 2007, but one win more matched the 6-0 start of the 1977 team. — Brian McCallum, FLORIDA TODAY

Tampa-St. Petersburg: Armwood's 27-0 lead at Venice

Seriously, has there been a bigger surprise this season than seeing that score come during the first Friday of the season? It wasn't a typo. The Hawks went to Venice, one of the favorites in Class 4S, and raced out to a 27-0 lead before holding on to win 34-25. The formula was a pretty basic one. Let a big and talented offensive line pave the way for talented junior running back Girard Pringle Jr. The Hawks used that Week 1 win to vault up the rankings in Class 3M and even held the top spot for a week. — Jon Santucci, USA Today Florida Network

Treasure Coast: Treasure Coast's flips script on start to season

A year ago, the Titans had to travel to Osceola, Jesuit and Seminole and while hanging with all three teams took losses. In 2023, Treasure Coast with all of those teams coming to town took advantage with three impressive victories, notably hanging 67 points on the Tigers and holding Seminole to nine points. In position to be a top-ranked team in Class 4S the remainder of the season, the Titans have established themselves as a threat to win a state championship. — Bryan Cooney, TCPalm

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida high school football: Biggest surprises of the first half