Super 11 2023: Reliving the best moments of No. 1 Georgia commit Chauncey Bowens

The first 10 names of The Post's Super 11 roster for the 2023 season have been announced. Now, it's time to meet No. 1.

Officially taking the highly coveted top spot among one of South Florida's strongest classes of senior athletes has been a long time coming for running back Chauncey Bowens. The Benjamin product succeeds last fall's top-ranked Super 11 member DeeJay Holmes, who graduated from Pahokee and now plays at Ole Miss.

Bowens also took the Greg Bryant No. 1 spot at this year's ESPN Top 63 Awards on Aug. 12.

Entering his fourth and final year on varsity, the fast, strong and physical Georgia commit ranks among the nation's top 125 recruits and stands as the No. 10 running back in the country.

Who else is in the Top 6? Meet the next five senior stars of Palm Beach County

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Bowens initially committed to the University of Florida in September, but Kirby Smart swooped into Palm Beach County via helicopter in January to play the long game for the Port St. Lucie native. By June, the national champions won the pursuit, as a summer camp visit to Athens brought on Bowens' flip to the Bulldogs.

Thirty-two schools wanted to add a 5-foot-11, 220-pound downhill runner to their incoming rosters. Bowens' collection of offers included Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Cincinnati, Colorado, Duke, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, Miami, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Syracuse and Tennessee.

Bowens was the first running back commit to Georgia's top-ranked 2024 recruiting class before he was joined by Mater Dei four-star Nate Frazier in August. Bulldogs in the room ahead of the 2023 season include seniors Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards, sophomore Branson Robinson, along with freshmen Andrew Paul and Roderick Robinson II, rated three and four stars, respectively.

Eyes set on a looming November battle for a ticket to region finals against crosstown Class 1M rival Cardinal Newman, Bowens is prepared to help the Buccaneers win all of their games this fall. Before his last lap, take a trip down memory lane and relive some of his best moments.

Remembering the best of Chauncey Bowens

Archbishop McCarthy, 2020

A pre-varsity offer from Miami placed high expectations even before Bowens' high school debut. In Benjamin's 49-0 Kickoff Classic destruction of Archbishop McCarthy, Bowens delivered. The freshman rushed nine times for 118 yards and three touchdowns. Suffering a knee injury soon after, he didn't play again that season. The Bucs picked up only one more win during that year's pandemic-modified campaign and ended at 2-4.

Gulliver Prep, 2021

Two touchdowns in a preseason slaughter of Dade Christian pumped Palm Beach County up for Bowens' return, but he wasn't seen in action again until a ginger showing in Benjamin's 17-7 win at Cardinal Newman in Week 3. Although the Bucs lost 49-14 the following week to Gulliver Prep, their fall to the Raiders still featured the first 100-plus-yard performance of Bowens' sophomore season. His 118 yards on the ground and trip to the end zone contributed to his 2021 season totals of 1,193 yards and 12 touchdowns.

King's Academy, 2021

Just two weeks after Bowens recorded a season-best 182 rushing yards on 23 carries in a one-possession loss to Calvary Christian, he had his best scoring outing in 2021's regular-season finale against King's Academy. Bowens averaged 12.5 yards on 14 carries to the end zone, totaling 175 yards and four touchdowns. That was one of seven 100-plus-yard games from Bowens that helped Benjamin finish 8-4 in Class 3A region finals against Lakeland Christian.

Calvary Christian, 2022

Injury reared its head again as Bowens' junior season began, limiting the chain-mover to an average of about 71 yards per game through Week 7. As playoffs neared, the then-Gator commit showed signs of being back to form and just in time, best told by a season-high 134-yard performance to flip the script against Calvary Christian in Week 9. Three touchdowns from Bowens propelled Benjamin to a 28-21 overtime win on the road.

King's Academy, 2022

Benjamin coach Eric Kresser described Bowens as back to "100 percent" after a career-best 190 yards against the Lions in November. It was clear from the first play when Bowens got the Bucs rolling with an 80-yard house call. He scored four times that night on 13 carries. The Class 1M crew suited up only one more time last fall, the road back to region finals stunted at 5-5 by Bowens' hamstring tweak, unanswered questions at quarterback and a loaded Cardinal Newman squad.

Still, Bowens' ability to come just 60 yards shy of another 1,000-yard season shined through questions of durability, prompting December offers from Tennessee and future destination Georgia.

Where to see No. 1 in 2023?

All of Benjamin's games are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

8/25 at John Carroll Catholic, 7 p.m.

9/1 Bye

9/8 vs. Clearwater Academy International

9/14 vs. Gulliver Prep

9/21 at Jensen Beach, 7 p.m.

9/28 at Glades Central

10/6 at Palm Beach Central

10/13 vs. Pahokee

10/20 at Cardinal Newman, 7 p.m.

10/27 vs. Ed White (Jacksonville)

11/3 vs. King's Academy

More Super 11

Did you miss the first selections of this season's Super 11? Make sure to introduce yourselves to No. 7 through 11 and meet No. 2 through 6. While you're at it, catch up on last year's top five roster members.

Emilee Smarr is the high school sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Super 11 2023: A trip down memory lane with No. 1 Georgia commit Chauncey Bowens