High school football state championships are finally coming back to South Florida
Nowhere in Florida produces more football talent than Broward County, so it’s fitting the Florida High School Athletic Association state championships will finally be coming back Broward for the first time since 1987 this year.
DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale will host the Classes 4A-8A championships in 2021 and 2022. It will be the first time Inter Miami CF’s stadium hosts the title games and the first time they’re coming to South Florida since Miami Gardens’ Dolphin Stadium — now Hard Rock Stadium — hosted them in 2006.
The Classes 1A-3A championships will remain in Tallahassee in 2021 and 2022. They’ll return to Gene Cox Stadium, where they were held in 2019. All eight championship games were at Doak Campbell Stadium in 2020.
“The FHSAA is thrilled to partner with both the Tallahassee and Fort Lauderdale communities to host the 2021 & 2022 Florida High School Football State Championships,” FHSAA executive director George Tomyn said in a statement. “Each location is sure to provide a unique and memorable football championship experience to all participating student-athletes and coaches, as well as their travelling fans.”
Broward has never been a host site for neutral-site title games. A state championship was most recently played in Broward in 1987 at Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach when Blanche Ely hosted Tallahassee Godby in a 4A championship.
Specific classification game times have yet to be set, but games in Fort Lauderdale will take place at 7 p.m. on Dec. 16, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Dec. 17, and 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Dec. 18.
Last year, South Florida teams won state titles in Class 2A, 4A, Class 5A, Class 6A and Class 7A, including Broward teams in 4A, 5A and 7A. In 2019, South Florida teams swept Classes 2A-8A — the region only has one Class 1A team — with Broward teams winning in Class 3A, 4A and 7A.
As usual, the championship games should be filled with South Florida teams once again this year. Cardinal Gibbons is trying to repeat in 4A and Gulliver Prep is the No. 2 team in the classification, according to MaxPreps. Miami Central and Plantation American Heritage — both defending champions — are the top two teams in 5A, with Killian at No. 3. St. Thomas Aquinas is going for three in a row in 7A and is the No. 1 team in the classification, while Northwestern is No. 6 in 6A and Western is No. 6 in Class 8A.
South Florida is also poised to do well up in Tallahassee. Champagnat Catholic is going for three in a row in 2A and is the No. 2 team in the classification, while Chaminade-Madonna is No. 1 in 3A with Edison at No. 5. Even Pahokee, South Florida’s lone 1A team, is a contender as the No. 4 team in its classification.
“High school football has been a huge part of the Broward County community for decades and it continues to bring people together,” Visit Lauderdale president Stacy Ritter said in a statement. “As a proud graduate of Piper High School in Sunrise, Florida, I couldn’t be more thrilled to have the road to the Florida High School Football State Championships end in Fort Lauderdale.”
Tickets will be available for $12 if purchased in advance and $15 on game day. All games will stream live via Spectrum Sports. The FHSAA playoffs begin next week.
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 11:06 AM.
