The brackets are out. See what the playoff picture looks like for South Florida high school football
The brackets are out!
And now the top teams in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties know which teams they will take on first and when they may clash with others on the path to Pitbull Stadium in Miami for this year’s state football championships.
The state finals for Classes 7A-1A will be played Dec. 11-14 on FIU’s campus in the first of a three-year hosting deal the school signed with the Florida High School Athletic Association last week.
The FHSAA announced its first round pairings and brackets during a livestream on YouTube on Friday night.
The top 8 teams made the playoffs with the matchups seeded 1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6 and 4 vs. 5. The 1-8 winner will take on the 4-5 winner in each bracket and the 3-6 winner takes on the 2-7 winner.
NOTE: In the first round, however, a lower seed can host if it is a district champion and the higher seed is an at-large qualifier. This rule applies to the first round only. The higher seed will host regardless from the second round onward.
Here’s a look at the matchups for the first round and the potential path for each team in each region involving a Dade or Broward school with some analysis:
Sites and times for each matchup will be announced in the coming days, but first round games will be played between Thursday and next Saturday, Nov. 16.
NOTE: Final FHSAA power ranking listed in parenthesis.
REGION 4-1A
8. Boca Raton St. John Paul II (367) at 1. Hollywood Chaminade (6)
5. Miami Archbishop Carroll (228) at 4. Boca Raton St. Andrews (219)
2. Miami True North (128) at 7. Miami Palmer Trinity (343)
6. Deerfield Beach Somerset Key (313) at 3. Miami Edison (153)
Analysis: Chaminade is the top overall seed in Class 1A and the favorite to win their fourth consecutive state title and seventh in the past eight seasons. The Lions are also looking to extend their state record for consecutive finals appearances to nine in a row.
Chaminade’s final overall ranking was key for the Lions to have home field advantage even in the state semifinals. Should the favorites survive, the Lions could face Palm Beach powerhouse West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman in the title game.
True North must travel to Palmer Trinity since the latter was a district champion. The Titans have had a strong late push thanks to the return of quarterback Zach Katz and could face an intriguing second-round matchup with a talented Edison squad.
REGION 4-2A
8. North Miami Beach (269) at 1. Miami Booker T. Washington (45)
5. Miami Carol City (137) at 4. Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons (104)
2. Miami La Salle (63) at 7. Pinecrest Gulliver Prep (255)
6. Miami Ransom Everglades (209) at 3. Miami Monsignor Pace (75)
Analysis: This arguably could be the most competitive region among South Florida teams. While Booker T. seems to be peaking at the right time and is the favorite to win the region, there could be intriguing matchups throughout the region in all three rounds. Multiple teams such as Carol City, La Salle and Monsignor Pace will try to carry turnaround seasons deep into the postseason. The Carol City-Gibbons matchup figures to be one of the most interesting of round 1 overall.
REGION 3-2A
8. Boynton Beach Somerset Canyons (250) at 1. Sarasota Cardinal Mooney (10)
5. West Palm Beach Kings Academy (123) at 4. Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian (109)
7. Tarpon Springs (190) at 2. Fort Myers Bishop Verot (29)
6. St. Petersburg Lakewood (183) at 3. Belle Glade Glades Central (59)
Analysis: Calvary Christian is the lone Broward team in this region, and has an interesting first round challenge. The Eagles face a much tougher task potentially in the second round if they win and draw one of the state’s best overall in Cardinal Mooney.
REGION 4-3A
8. Naples Barron Collier (271) at 1. Miami Northwestern (35)
5. Miami Jackson (240) at 4. Naples Lely (195)
7. Estero (263) at 2. Key West (152)
6. Fort Myers Cypress Lake (243) at 3. Pembroke Pines Somerset Academy (170)
Analysis: Miami Central’s forfeiture recently of all of its wins due to the use of an ineligible player resulted in them missing the playoffs. Their absence opens the door wide open for rival Northwestern, which is now the third-highest seed in Class 3A. The Bulls appear to have a very manageable path to the state final that would go through Traz Powell Stadium. They would only have to travel in the state semifinals if both Jacksonville Raines and Melbourne Eau Gallie also win their regions.
REGION 4-4A
8. Jensen Beach (148) at 1. Plantation American Heritage (5)
5. Fort Lauderdale Dillard (89) at 4. Fort Pierce John Carroll (85)
2. Miami Norland (11) at 7. Hialeah (133)
6. Fort Lauderdale Archbishop McCarthy (92) at 3. Plantation (76)
Analysis: American Heritage soared up to the fifth overall seed in the state thanks to forfeits by Norland and Central and their top-ranked strength of schedule. More importantly for the Patriots, they can host Norland should the two teams meet in a rematch of the game they played in recent weeks that was originally won by the Vikings for the district title. Norland must go on the road since Hialeah is a district champion, but should still be heavily favored in a game likely to be played at Milander Stadium in Hialeah.
REGION 4-5A
8. Hialeah Gardens Mater Academy (186) at 1. Delray Beach Atlantic (24)
5. Palm Bay Heritage (145) at 4. Miramar (111)
7. North Miami (185) at 2. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (40)
6. Coconut Creek (174) at 3. Pompano Beach Blanche Ely (61)
Analysis: A rare time when 15-time state champion St. Thomas Aquinas is not the top seed in its own region. Such is the case for the Raiders, who are chasing their state-record sixth consecutive state crown and remain the favorites despite having to go to Delray Beach should they and Atlantic be the last two standing in this part of the bracket. If Ely gets past Creek, expect an interesting second-round clash between Ely and Aquinas.
REGION 4-6A
8. Hollywood South Broward (259) at 1. Miami Southridge (38)
5. Homestead (146) at 4. Coconut Creek Monarch (95)
7. Doral Academy (204) at 2. Sunrise Piper (71)
6. Pembroke Pines Flanagan (193) at 3. Pembroke Pines West Broward (91)
Analysis: At the start of the season, many thought the top two here would be Homestead and Monarch. Instead it’s the 4 vs. 5 matchup and likely one of the better first-round games. The winner gets Southridge, which has had a tremendous breakthrough season and now has the chance to prove itself if it can get through a tough region. Should Piper and West Broward both advance, look for another compelling second-round matchup between two of the best stories in Broward County this season.
REGION 4-7A
8. Boca Raton Spanish River (176) at 1. Miami Columbus (55)
5. Homestead South Dade (149) at 4. Lantana Santaluces (106)
7. Davie Western (175) at 2. Miami Palmetto (84)
6. Hialeah Goleman (157) at 3. Boca Raton (101)
Analysis: This region got shaken up after Western forfeited two games due to ineligible players recently. But the Wildcats’ key win over West Broward last week pushed them up to the No. 7 seed thereby avoiding a first-round clash with two-time defending state champion Columbus. Western must go on the road to face a tough Palmetto team that it eliminated last season, and win another road game in round two now to earn a shot at the champs. As for the Explorers, expect them to be favorites even in that possible rematch of last year’s regional final, but not as lopsided as in years past.
