2021 Boys 1A Pre-Season Predictions

Jesuit – The Tigers and Berkeley are always a solid matchup. Berkeley took the dub last year in OT, but we feel the senior talent lost on Berkeley was greater than that lost on Jesuit. While we think 2021 is Jesuit’s year to take the District 9 title, we still expect to see both teams in the district championship game.
Berkeley – 9-1 in 2020, but this may be a mildly down year for the Buccaneers – but only because they finished 2020 ranked #8 in the state. We anticipate a strong showing from Berkeley and see them handling most of their schedule just fine. Tough matchups against Mooney, Jesuit, Canterbury, and Plant will definitely be challenging.
Calvary Christian – Calvary finished 9-3 in the shortened 2020 season – their first year in a tough TLR district. They’ve placed two players on our 2021 Players to Watch list and we expect even better things from them in 2021.
Tampa Catholic – The Crusaders ended 2020 at #4 in the district. We feel they’ll do as well in 2021. Maybe Wesley Chapel or new District 9 school Pasco can make a run at the fourth spot this year.

St. Stephen’s – The Falcons were undefeated in 2020’s shortened season, but that also meant a cancelled matchup against Northside Christian who was also undefeated. That was an anticipated game we never got to see. Be ready for a battle in 2021.
Northside Christian – This new school in 2020 jumped out to a 6-0 start before the season was cancelled. As mentioned above, their big game against SSES ended up being cancelled. These two teams are in control of District 10 for now.
Robinson – Robinson finished barely under water at 3-4 in 2020. We feel they may be ready for a better season in 2021.
St. Pete Catholic – With their 8-6 win over Jefferson in 2020, it was an easy choice to place SPC in the 4th spot for 2021. This is another team we expect to see better things from in 2021.

Cardinal Mooney – 2020 was a surprisingly poor season for the Cougars. They finished 4-4 with losses to IMG, Creekside, Ponte Vedra, and Plant. But to be fair, the losses to IMG and PV are expected. That being said, Mooney is still the big fish in District 11, no question. TLR’s worry is that they keep shedding outstanding senior talent. Let’s hope they have some young guns waiting in the wings.
Canterbury – Also a break even team in 2020, Canterbury ended up 3-3 with losses to Mooney, American Heritage, and Berkeley Prep. This is a big, fast team and we see them as solid contenders in District 11 and the area in general. They’ll get additional chances at both Mooney and Berkeley in 2021.
Out-of-Door – The Thunder only got in 4 games in the shortened 2020 season, going 3-1. They earned a big win over Riverview, but suffered a surprising loss to St. Stephen’s. TLR finds it hard to judge a 4-game season, though.
Bishop Verot – The Vikings showed up big with a 5-1 season in 2020. Their only loss was to a strong Community School of Naples team. Games against stronger opponents like Canterbury and ODA never got the chance to be played.