Florida high school football: What are the top matchups to watch in the 2023 state finals?

The state’s premier edge rusher and one of the state’s most accurate quarterbacks — both Power 5 commits — will face off in the Class 3S championship game and the winner of that matchup could go a long way to determining which team takes home the trophy.

Mainland senior edge rusher LJ McCray vs. St. Augustine junior quarterback Locklan Hewlett is one of the premier individual matchups of top recruits to watch in the FHSAA state championship games this week.

The 6-foot-6, 260-pound McCray, a Florida commit, has been outstanding for the Buccaneers this season. He leads Mainland with 37 tackles for loss and is tied for the team lead with 13 sacks and three forced fumbles.

Hewlett, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound right hander, is committed to Wake Forest and leads an explosive offense. He’s completed 63 percent of his passes (141 of 223) for 2,570 yards and 22 touchdowns to go along with three rushing touchdowns in 10 games.

Here is a look at some of the other potential recruiting matchups to watch this week.

Class 4M: Columbus vs. Mandarin

(3 p.m., Friday)

Columbus 2024 WR Jose Leon vs. Mandarin 2024 2024 CB Jon Mitchell

Leon (5-foot-10, 160 pounds) is committed to Appalachian State. He has 62 catches for 670 yards and 6 touchdowns. Mitchell (6-foot, 180 pounds) is committed to Penn State. He has 67 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions and 15 passes defended.

Mandarin 2024 OT Deryc Plazz vs. Columbus 2024 LB/EDGE Willis McGahee IV

Plazz (6-foot-5, 285 pounds) is committed to Miami. McGahee (6-foot-1, 225 pounds) is committed to Nebraska. He has 43 tackles, 14 sacks, 8 tackles for loss, 4 fumble recoveries and 3 forced fumbles.

Class 3M: St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Homestead

(3 p.m., Saturday)

Homestead 2024 RB Isaac Brown vs. St. Thomas Aquinas 2024 LB Nicholas Rodriguez

Brown (5-foot-10, 200 pounds) is committed to Louisville. Rodriguez (6-foot-1, 215 pounds) is committed to Missouri. He has 93 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 9 quarterback pressures, 3 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.

Class 2M: Norland vs. Berkeley Prep

(10 a.m., Saturday)

Berkeley Prep 2025 ATH Dallas Golden vs. Norland 2024 LB Jeremiah Marcelin

Golden (6-foot-1, 175 pounds) has offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State and others. He has 1,200 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns and caught 27 passes for 346 yards and 4 touchdowns. Marcelin (6-foot-2, 225 pounds) is committed to Pitt. He has 45 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.

Class 1M: Chaminade-Madonna vs. Clearwater Central Catholic

(10 a.m., Thursday)

Chaminade-Madonna 2024 WR Jeremiah Smith vs. Clearwater Central Catholic 2024 S Andy Jaffe

Smith (6-foot-3, 185 pounds) is committed to Ohio State. He has 77 catches for 1,206 yards and 18 touchdowns. Jaffe (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) is committed to Ole Miss. He has 83 tackles, 4 passes defended and 2 forced fumbles.

Clearwater Central Catholic 2025 QB/ATH Jershaun Newton vs. Chaminade-Madonna 2024 S Zaquan Patterson

Newton (6-foot, 205 pounds) has offers from Florida State, Illinois, Miami, NC State, Ole Miss, Pitt and others. He has thrown for 1,926 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for 1,020 yards and 13 touchdowns. Patterson (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) is committed to Miami. He has 47 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions and 9 passes broken up.

Class 4S: Venice vs. Lakeland

(8 p.m., Saturday)

Lakeland 2025 QB Zander Smith vs. Venice 2024 CB Charles Lester III

Smith (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) has offers from Indiana, Kansas and Toledo. He has thrown for 1,758 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed for 65 yards and 1 touchdown. Lester (6-foot-2, 184 pounds) is committed to Florida State. He has 45 tackles, 3 interceptions and 7 passes broken up.

Venice 2024 WR Zycarl Lewis vs. Lakeland 2025 DB Keon Young

Lewis (5-foot-10, 160 pounds) is committed to Colorado. He has 46 catches for 877 yards and 9 touchdowns and 169 rushing yards and 1 touchdown. Young (6-foot, 171 pounds) has offers from Florida, NC State, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, USC and others.

Class 3S: St. Augustine vs. Mainland

(3 p.m., Thursday)

St. Augustine 2025 WR Carl Jenkins Jr. vs. Mainland 2024 DB Zay Mincey

Jenkins (6-foot-2, 177 pounds) has offers from Arkansas, Iowa State, Louisville, Texas A&M, Wake Forest and others. He has 56 catches for 1,094 yards and 14 touchdowns. Mincey (6-foot-3, 180 pounds) has offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami and others. He has 34 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, and 13 passes defended.

Class 2S: Cocoa vs. Bradford

(8 p.m., Friday)

Cocoa 2025 WR Jayvan Boggs vs. Bradford 2024 ATH Chalil Cummings

Boggs (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) is committed to Ohio State. He has 86 catches for 1,445 yards and 23 touchdowns. Cummings (6-foot, 165 pounds) has offers from Cincinnati, Florida State, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, Ole Miss and others. He has 67 tackles, 2 interceptions and 5 passes defended.

Class 1R: Hawthorne vs. Madison County

(8 p.m., Thursday)

Hawthorne 2025 QB CJ Ingram vs. Madison County 2025 EDGE/DL Kemari Scurry

Ingram (6-foot-5, 195 pounds) has offers from Charlotte, FAU, Marshall, Troy, USF, Western Kentucky and others. He has thrown for 2,470 yards and 37 touchdowns and rushed for 268 yards and 6 touchdowns. Scurry (6-foot, 220 pounds) has offers from FIU, Bethune-Cookman and others. He has 43 tackles and 6 tackles for loss.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida high school football: Top matchups in 2023 state championships