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The FHSAA 2023 playoffs brackets are here. See which Sarasota/Manatee teams are in, out

dennis maffezzoli, sarasota herald-tribune
·4 min read

Very little changed from Tuesday’s Florida High School Athletic Association power rankings until the regional first-round pairings were announced Sunday morning.

The biggest developments were Booker High moving up a spot to seventh and Lakewood Ranch moving down a spot to eighth in their respective regions. That came after the Tornadoes defeated the Mustangs, 42-13, Friday night in Sarasota.

Regular-season finale recap: Week 11 football roundup: Booker bounces back, Riverview, Manatee, Mooney post big wins

As a result, Booker will avoid a trip to top-seed Bishop Verot in Fort Myers in Class 3A-Region 4. The Tornadoes will travel to second-seed and undefeated Fort Meade.

Lakewood Ranch High, meanwhile, gets a trip to Powell-Davis Stadium to face No. 1 seed Venice High in 4S-4 after the Mustangs fell a spot to eight.

Despite losing to Riverview High, 54-6, in its regular-season finale Friday, Charlotte High moved up a spot to avoid Venice and instead will travel to Bradenton for a first-round matchup with second-seeded Manatee in 4S-4.

Booker's Ahmad Hunter celebrates a touchdown during Friday night's game against Lakewood Ranch.
Booker's Ahmad Hunter celebrates a touchdown during Friday night's game against Lakewood Ranch.

Also in 4S-3 one of the more intriguing matchups in the region has sixth-seed Palmetto High traveling to third-seed Riverview.

Here is a breakdown of the first-round matchups:

FHSAA Football: Class 4S regional playoff preview

Class 4 Suburban-Region 4

Venice running back Jamarice Wilder (3) rushes for a huge gain against the defense of Clearwater AI during Friday night football action in Venice. MATT HOUSTON/HERALD-TRIBUNE
Venice running back Jamarice Wilder (3) rushes for a huge gain against the defense of Clearwater AI during Friday night football action in Venice. MATT HOUSTON/HERALD-TRIBUNE

Lakewood Ranch (8) at Venice (1) 

It will be the first meeting of the season for the Mustangs and Venice. The teams most recently played in 2021 when Venice pinned a 61-7 setback on Lakewood Ranch. Venice has a nine-game winning streak and has lost only once to the Mustangs in its history.

Charlotte (7) at Manatee (2)

The Tarpons visited the Hurricanes in Week 3 of the regular season with Manatee coming away with a 46-7 victory. Charlotte played without its starting quarterback freshman Logan Flaherty. The Hurricanes have won six of the seven meetings between the teams since 2004.

Palmetto (6) at Riverview (3)

In another rematch of a regular season meeting, the Rams outlasted the Tigers, 52-42, on Week 3 in Sarasota. Both teams are coming off big wins: Riverview 54-6 over Charlotte for its third straight victory and Palmetto 42-7 over Ida Baker out of Cape Coral which ended a two-game losing streak for the Tigers.

The Gulf Coast High (4) at Immokalee High (5) winner will play the winner between Venice-Lakewood Ranch.

Class 3 Suburban-Region 4

Parrish's team captains, Gage Cameron (12), Holten Graham (11), Lane Tomlinson (8) and Jackson Volz (3). Parrish Community High School Bulls win 35 to 28 over Braden River High Pirates during a district home game at the Bulls stadium Friday night, Oct. 13, 2023, in Parrish.
Parrish's team captains, Gage Cameron (12), Holten Graham (11), Lane Tomlinson (8) and Jackson Volz (3). Parrish Community High School Bulls win 35 to 28 over Braden River High Pirates during a district home game at the Bulls stadium Friday night, Oct. 13, 2023, in Parrish.

Parrish Community (7) at Naples (2)

The Bulls made the playoffs for the first time in program history. Seventh-seeded Parrish Community earned a trip to second-seeded Naples High in the opening round.

FHSAA Football: Class 3S regional playoff preview

Barron Collier (3) at Port Charlotte (6)

The Pirates will be home as a district champion. The winner will play the winner between Parrish Community and Naples.

Class 2 Suburban-Region 4

Booker (7) at Fort Meade (2) 

The Tornadoes’ big win over Lakewood Ranch on Friday elevated it to the seventh seed and a trip to Fort Meade. It will be the first meeting between the teams. Ironically, it was the first time in the seven rankings releases that Booker was seventh. It was eighth twice, sixth three times, and fifth once.

FHSAA Football: Class 2S regional playoff preview

Frostproof (6) at Lemon Bay (3)

The district champion Manta Rays entertain the Bulldogs in the first meeting between the teams.

The winner plays the winner between Booker and Fort Meade.

Class 1 Suburban-Region 3

Lakeland Catholic (2) at Cardinal Mooney (3)

Winning the two-team district proved beneficial for the Cougars, who play host to a higher seed in the four-team region. It will be the first meeting of the season. The teams have played five times in the past with Lakeland Christian holding a 4-1 edge. The most recent meeting came in 2020, a 52-0 victory by the Vikings in the playoffs.

FHSAA Football: Class 1S regional playoff preview

Since there are four teams in the region, the teams will be off this week with the game scheduled on Nov. 17.

The winner plays the winner between Zephyrhills Christian (1) and Victory Christian (4).

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota Manatee high school football teams in the FHSAA regionals