South Florida teams enter new FHSAA football league
Twenty South Florida football programs will take part in the FHSAA’s new Independent Football League this fall, giving schools the opportunity to build their own schedules while still competing for a state championship.
The FHSAA released the league’s divisions earlier this week, including 19 programs from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, with another South Florida participant, Marathon, located in Monroe County.
Miami-Dade County: Belen Jesuit and Dade Christian.
Broward County: Cooper City, Coral Springs, Douglas, Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale, Hollywood Hills, Pembroke Pines Charter, Pine Crest, Pompano Beach, Somerset Academy, South Broward and Taravella.
Palm Beach County: Forest Hill, Inlet Grove, John I. Leonard, St. John Paul II and Suncoast.
Monroe County: Marathon.
The inaugural league separates schools into two divisions based on enrollment, with each divided into North and South regions. Rather than competing in traditional districts, teams will create their own regular-season schedules before MaxPreps rankings determine the playoff field.
For some programs, the move offers an opportunity to schedule teams closer to their current competitive level without giving up the chance to reach the postseason.
Miami Belen head coach Nick Oyarzun said the Wolverines joined because they believed remaining in their assigned district could make it harder to build the program.
“We came to the decision because we’re trying to grow,” Oyarzun said. “We’re only going to grow if we win football games. Staying in the district was going to make it very uncompetitive.”
Because Belen does not accept transfer students, Oyarzun said the program cannot simply replace players who leave the school or quit the sport.
The independent format gives Belen and the other participating schools more control over selecting their opponents while maintaining a path to the playoffs.
“We can make our schedule with teams similar to us,” Oyarzun said, “and still be able to play a playoff-competitive schedule.”
For the programs involved, this inaugural season will be the first test of whether more control over scheduling can create better competition without sacrificing a path to the postseason.