Two South Florida Schools Among Best Athletic Programs in U.S.

The schools are veritable factories for professional athletes.

August 19, 2025

Image: Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers, clad in athleisure gear, looks on from the sidelines against the Denver Broncos in the second half during the NFL preseason game at Levi's Stadium on August 09, 2025, in Santa Clara, California.

Nick Bosa is a St. Thomas Aquinas High School alum. The Fort Lauderdale school won the second-best spot on MaxPreps' list of best high school sports programs. Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

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A pair of South Florida sports powerhouses flexed their athletic abilities last school year with multiple state championships, earning two top-ten spots on the coveted list of MaxPreps' best high school sports programs.

The high school sports media outlet ranked St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale as the second-best and American Heritage in Plantation as the tenth-best sports programs in the country in its annual MaxPreps Cup. Both schools have produced several professional athletes and have previously won the MaxPreps title.

"The MaxPreps Cup is an award presented annually to the top overall high school athletic program in the nation," according to the outlet. The rankings are determined by an algorithm that factors in state titles, runner-up finishes, and national standings. Scores are adjusted based on state size, sport popularity, school division, and the number of teams in that division.

This year, the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders won their sixth-straight state football championship, along with state titles in volleyball, boys' basketball, girls' soccer, baseball, and boys' lacrosse, while finishing second in girls' track. Nationwide, the school's teams placed 24th in football, 22nd in girls' soccer, 18th in boys' basketball, 17th in girls' flag football, 14th in baseball, and 3rd in boys' lacrosse.

The private Catholic school in southwest Fort Lauderdale has a storied history of athletic success, winning the MaxPreps title in 2016-2017. It also boasts a long list of pro sports alumni, including retired NFL stars like Geno Atkins, Giovani Bernard, Michael Irvin, and Stefan Humphries, as well as current players such as Jordan Battle, Dallas Turner, and brothers Joey and Nick Bosa.

American Heritage boasts an equally impressive, but smaller list of professional alumni, including NFL athletes Brian Burns, Patrick Surtain Jr., and James Williams, and MLB athletes Shaun Anderson, Brandon Barriera, and Zack Collins. The school placed tenth this year in the MaxPrep Cup; it claimed first during the 2011-2012 and 2017-2018 school years.

This year, the Patriots won state championships in football, girls' soccer, baseball, and girls' tennis, finishing second in girls' basketball and softball. The school placed 20th in the nation in football, first in girls' soccer, and 13th in baseball.

B. Scott McLendon joined New Times staff in 2025. A national award-winning journalist, he previously covered education, crime, courts, and local government for daily newspapers in Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas. He holds a bachelor's in journalism from Troy University.

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