2023 2A High School Boys Polls

After Districts

Plant (13-5) – The Panthers were #1 on our preseason poll, and end districts still at the top spot. They took down both Bartow and TLR #4 Newsome with ease in districts. They will host Palm Harbor University on April 19 for the first round of regionals.
Steinbrenner (16-1) – The Warriors have been having a very nice season. They began at #4 on this poll and have moved up to #2. They earned a win against East Lake in districts, and took down TLR #3 Mitchell for the second time this season to be district champs. They will face Lakeland in the first round of regionals on April 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Mitchell (14-6) – We had Mitchell at #2 on this poll to begin the season. Their loss to Steinbrenner in early March dropped them one spot. This is a strong squad and can demonstrate that with plenty of offensive weapons. In districts, they beat Sunlake, beat Wiregrass, then loss to Steinbrenner in the championship. They still advance to regionals where they will face Alonso for the first time this season.
Newsome (10-6) – The Wolves blanked Winter Haven 18-0 to start districts. They then earned a win against a strong Lakeland team. Unfortunately, Newsome couldn’t get past TLR #1 Plant in the championship. The Wolves’ earned themselves an at-large bid to regionals where they will travel to Gulf Coast on April 19th at 7:00 p.m.
Alonso (14-4) – TLR placed the Ravens at #5 in the preseason poll and they haven’t quite been able to move up. While we got this right, we know the Alonso squad is strong. They beat both Lakewood Ranch and Palm Harbor University to become district champions. In regionals, they will face off against TLR #3 Mitchell for the first time this season. That could be an interesting game.

End of Regular Season

Plant (11-5) – The Panthers closed out regular season with a 25-4 home win over Durant. They are the #1 seed in District 9 and have earned a first round bye. We definitely expect to see them in the district championship on Thursday – likely against TLR #4 Newsome. Their previous meeting (March 23) was a 16-8 Plant victory.
Steinbrenner (14-1) – The Warriors finished regular season by defeating Sickles 16-3. They have a first round bye with their #1 seed and should appear in the District 10 Championship on Thursday – likely meeting Mitchell for a second time this season.
Mitchell (12-5) – While Mitchell ended regular season with a 14-10 loss on the road to Jesuit, we think it was a nice way to prep for a likely second chance at Steinbrenner in the District 10 Championship.
Newsome (8-5) – Newsome earned the #3 seed for district playoffs and will face #6 seed Winter Haven on Monday. With a win, they’ll likely see #2 seed Lakeland on Tuesday. The championship will be Thursday where Plant will likely be waiting.
Alonso (12-4) – The Ravens have a very good shot at earning a district championship. They are the #1 seed and have earned a first round bye. If they win their game on Tuesday, they will get their shot against (we think) Palm Harbor University or Sarasota.

Week 6

Plant (7-5) – The Panthers dropped their home game last week to Florida 1A #2 Benjamin School, then bounced back big with a decisive win against rival and TLR #4 Newsome 16-8 on the road. Next week’s schedule shows Plant hosting Robinson, hosting TLR #3 Mitchell, then on the road Saturday against Berkeley Prep.
Steinbrenner (10-1) – The Warriors earned easy wins last week against Wiregrass, Durant, and Timber Creek. Steinbrenner plays Monday against out of state team Shipley School (PA), hosts East Lake on Tuesday, then hosts TLR #4 Newsome on Thursday.
Mitchell (10-3) – The Mustangs only had a single game last week, a 7-6 win over Colorado’s Golden High. Mitchell hosts Pasco on Monday, travels to TLR #1 Plant on Wednesday, then hosts Miami’s Columbus on Friday.
Newsome (8-3) – The Wolves split last week’s games, beating Bloomingdale 16-1, but dropping their match to TLR #1 Plant 16-8. Next week, Newsome hosts Illinois’s Wheaton Academy on Tuesday, then travels to TLR #2 Steinbrenner on Thursday.
Alonso (8-3) – The Ravens earned big wins last week against both Freedom and Robinson. This week has Alonso at home for all three games; Monday against Wheaton Academy (Illinois), Thursday against Freedom, then Friday against East Lake.

Week 5

Plant (5-4) – Plant hosts Florida 1A #2 Benjamin School on Tuesday then travels to rival TLR #4 Newsome on Thursday.
Steinbrenner (7-1) – The Warriors travel to Wiregrass on Tuesday, to Durant on Thursday, and finally travels to Timber Creek on Friday. Three road games in a single week is rough.
Mitchell (9-3) – Mitchell shows a single game in week 6, against Golden (Colorado) on Tuesday.
Newsome (7-2) – The Wolves travel to Bloomingdale on Monday, then host TLR #1 Plant on Thursday.
Alonso (6-3) – The Ravens have two road games in week 6; Freedom on Tuesday, then Robinson on Friday.

Week 4

Plant (5-4) – The Panthers split their two games last week, losing a close one to TLR 1A #1 Jesuit, then coasting to a shutout over Freedom. No games next week due to spring break.
Steinbrenner (7-1) – Steinbrenner earned a shutout against Robinson, then traveled to Mitchell and surprised a few people by coming away with a 14-8 win on the road. No games next week due to spring break.
Mitchell (9-3) – Mitchell earned a win against Wesley Chapel, lost at home to Steinbrenner, then came back from that with a big win over Newsome in front of the Mustang crowd. No games next week due to spring break.
Newsome (7-2) – The Wolves started the week with an easy win over Sickles, then traveled to Mitchell and lost 14-10. No games next week due to spring break.
Alonso (6-3) – Alonso won by 3 against Manatee last week, then earned a big win against Wharton. No games next week due to spring break.

Week 3

Plant (4-3) – The Panthers suffered a loss to Florida powerhouse Ponte Vedra last week, 10-7. They followed that up with a very convincing win against TLR #5 Alonso, 21-6. Tuesday features an always packed house as the Panthers host Jesuit – not to be missed. Plant also plays Freedom on Thursday.
Mitchell (7-2) – Mitchell had a decent week last week, suffering a 13-9 loss to Cardinal Mooney, then finishing with wins against both East Lake and Woodward, Georgia. Next week, the Mustangs travel to Wesley Chapel, then host Steinbrenner and Newsome. Both of the home games will be huge for Mitchell.
Newsome (6-1) – Easy wins for the Wolves last week against both Bloomingdale and Durant. Newsome will host Sickles on Tuesday, then travel to #2 Mitchell on Friday. If you have a free night, try to attend the Friday night game at Mitchell. It should be a good one.
Steinbrenner (5-1) – Steinbrenner earned themselves a nice win against #5 Alonso last week, 12-6. Next week Steinbrenner will be on the road against Robinson on Monday and Mitchell on Wednesday. Steinbrenner vs. Mitchell games are usually competitive and entertaining.
Alonso (4-3) – A very tough week for the Ravens as they dropped games against higher ranked teams Plant and Steinbrenner. Alonso travels Monday to a surprisingly strong Manatee, then hosts Wharton on Wednesday.

Week 2

Plant (3-2) – The Panthers split their four games last week; overtime loss to TLR #2 Cardinal Mooney, easy win against TLR #4 Steinbrenner, easy win against Bloomingdale, then an unfortunately lopsided loss to Florida statewide #1 St. Andrew’s. No travel next week for Plant as they host both games; Florida 2A #4 Ponte Vedra on Tuesday and Florida 2A #17 Alonso on Friday. If you can make one of these, try to attend the Ponte Vedra game. These two teams always battle hard in close games (PV won in 2021 by 1 goal and Plant won in 2022 by 1 goal)
Mitchell (5-1) – The Mustangs had three games last week; a two-goal loss to Georgia’s #10 team Harrison, then big wins over both Wiregrass and Sarasota. Mitchell is on the road next week against Mooney (Wednesday), East Lake (Thursday), and Georgia’s Woodward Academy (Saturday).
Newsome (4-1) – As mentioned in our last update, it was an easy week for the Wolves as they finished with shutout wins against both Freedom and Robinson. It shouldn’t be a much harder week this week as they play both Bloomingdale and Durant.
Steinbrenner (3-1) – The Warriors suffered a lopsided loss against #1 Plant last Wednesday, but bounced back with a lopsided win against Wharton. Next week, Steinbrenner will be on the road Monday against #5 Alonso, then host Freedom on Thursday.
Alonso (4-1) – The Ravens had three games last week, and won all of them pretty comfortably. As mentioned above, Monday features Alonso hosting #4 Steinbrenner. Any #4 vs #5 game should be a must watch. On Friday, Alonso travels to #1 Plant.

Week 1

Plant (1-0) – The Panthers only had one game in week 1, and it ended up being a blowout 22-2 win against Sickles. They follow that up with a 4-game week against Cardinal Mooney (Tuesday), Steinbrenner (Wednesday), Bloomingdale (Thursday), and St. Andrew’s (Friday). This *could* be a huge week for the Panthers.
Mitchell (3-0) – The Mustangs cruised to fairly easy wins against their three week 1 opponents – 22-2 over Cypress Creek, 21-1 over Land O’ Lakes, and 16-6 over Canterbury. Next week shows them hosting Harrison from Georgia, hosting Wiregrass, and on the road against Sarasota.
Newsome (3-1) – Newsome demonstrated some grit in their opener against Alonso, coming from behind to score the final and winning goal late in the game. The Wolves dropped their next game against Windermere, but finished strong against Cardinal Gibbons. Next week should be easier with matchups against Freedom and Robinson.
Steinbrenner (2-0) – Steinbrenner shut out Bloomingdale to begin the ’23 season, then battled for a 7-3 win on the road against Gulf Coast. Next week features a huge game against #1 Plant on Wednesday, as well as a game the next day against Wharton.
Alonso (1-1) – Alonso began their season looking very strong on the road early against Newsome, but dropped that game 11-10. They followed that up with a strong 19-2 win against Bloomingdale. Next week features just a single game – a lengthy road trip all the way to Sickles High.

Pre-Season

Plant -The Panthers were TLR’s #1 overall boys team in ’22. They suffer the loss of 12 seniors from that squad, including big names like Longo, Gataky, Kerr, Breault, Stoltzfoos, and Demarest. Even with the great loss of talent, the Panthers will still have play makers and leaders. Rogan Kane, Michael Busweiler, Turner Ashby, and Hyatt Criser will likely be leaders, but they will also be surrounded by other key players who will keep this team performing well in ’23. Coach Francis didn’t shy way from scheduling some very tough games this season, including top Florida teams like St. Andrew’s, Ponte Vedra, and Benjamin. The Panthers’ first big game is on February 21 when they travel to Cardinal Mooney for a 7:00 p.m. matchup.
Mitchell – The Mustangs finished 15-4 last year, with two losses coming at the hands of Newsome. While they did graduate four seniors, this year’s team will feature 16(!) seniors. As well as Mitchell did last season, we think this year will be their opportunity to peak and perhaps show up big come playoff time. The Mustangs will have their first chance to show what they have on February 17 as they host FLN’s 1A #15 Canterbury.
Newsome – The Wolves lose a large amount of their ’22 team – 14 seniors in all. Among those lost were their big leaders like Haley, Blackburn, Kitchiner, McMorrow, Goodarzi, Spitzer, and Hancock. It remains to be seen how Newsome will fill such big shoes, but they have always been able to do it. We don’t expect much less for them in ’23. An early game that will be a barometer for them moving forward in 2023 comes on February 14 as they travel to face FLN’s 2A #10 team in Windermere Prep.
Steinbrenner – While the Warriors only lost four games last season, the combined scores of the losses was 57-14. Steinbrenner was better than A LOT of teams, but couldn’t compete against the best teams. They lose eight seniors from last year’s team, so will be relying on some younger players along with six veteran seniors this year. The Warriors’ season was ended last year at the hands of Gulf Coast, 10-3. A rematch of that game comes this season on February 17, but is a road game for Steinbrenner. We’ll know more of what to expect from them after that game.
Alonso – The Ravens graduated a few very impactful seniors in Blocker, Jacovides, and Edwards, but still have players like Peyton Kassay, Patrick McKeown, Cooper Hersey, and Ben Klaus that can fill those roles and help lead the team. The Alonso Ravens are one of the few teams kicking off the season on opening day with an away game against Newsome on February 13 at 5:30 p.m. If Alonso can keep this very close or earn a win, that might set the tone for them for the rest of the season.

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