FHSAA finalizes football districts after Orlando area teams go independent
The number of Orlando area football teams opting to go independent and drop out of the Florida High School Athletic Association football playoff system for the next two seasons nearly doubled late Tuesday with the release of revised classifications and districts.
Minimal changes were made to the FHSAA’s initial classification rollout in December even with Orange County Public Schools pulling eight of its 23 schools out of districts earlier this month.
That move allows programs to make their own schedules and avoid mandatory district play in 2024 and ’25.
Independent teams are not eligible to participate in state playoffs.
OCPS schools Colonial, Cypress Creek, East River, Lake Buena Vista, Oak Ridge, University, Windermere and Innovation join Gateway and Liberty of Osceola County and Lake County’s Umatilla as newly independent programs.
Innovation, designed to relieve overcrowding at Lake Nona, opens this fall in east Orange County with no senior class.
The number of independent teams among the 68 football schools in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake and southwest Volusia counties rises from 14 to 25.
Most area teams that play independently are smaller private schools that will compete in the growing Sunshine State Athletic Association.
What changed
Boone and Freedom move into a Class 7A Region 1 district with Timber Creek and Winter Park to fill the void created by Colonial, Oak Ridge and University.
Boone was initially slotted in a west Orange County district that competes in Region 3. Freedom was elevated from Class 6A.
Celebration (originally District 10) and Clermont East Ridge (District 5) were shuffled to District 9 in place of Boone and Windermere. That creates a three-county district that includes rivals Dr. Phillips and Olympia.
Bishop Moore, viewed as the favorite to win District 6, could see new challenges in the postseason the next two years as South Sumter and The Villages were added to District 5 in Class 3A Region 2. South Sumter was a regional finalist the past two seasons.
Classes and districts
New “final” classification and district assignments for regions involving Orlando area football teams are listed below. Asterisks indicate a change in school placement since the December announcement.
7A Region 1
District 1
Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville)
Creekside (St. Johns)
Sandalwood (Jacksonville)
District 2
DeLand
Flagler Palm Coast
Spruce Creek (Port Orange)
University (Orange City)
District 3
Hagerty (Oviedo)
Lake Brantley
Lake Mary
Seminole (Sanford)
District 4
*Boone (Orlando)
*Freedom (Orlando)
Timber Creek (Orlando)
Winter Park
7A Region 2
District 5
Apopka
Ocoee
West Orange (Winter Garden)
West Port (Ocala)
District 6
George Jenkins (Lakeland)
Haines City
Ridge Community (Davenport)
Winter Haven
District 7
Alonso (Tampa)
Newsome (Lithia)
Plant City
Strawberry Crest (Dover)
Sumner (Riverview)
District 8
Lehigh (Lehigh Acres)
Riverview (Sarasota)
Sarasota
Venice
7A Region 3
District 9
*Celebration
Dr. Phillips (Orlando)
*East Ridge (Clermont)
Olympia (Orlando)
District 10
Harmony
Lake Nona (Orlando)
Tohopekaliga (Kissimmee)
District 11
Centennial (Port St. Lucie)
Fort Pierce Central
Treasure Coast (Port St. Lucie)
Vero Beach
District 12
Jupiter
Palm Beach Central (Wellington)
Palm Beach Lakes (West Palm Beach)
Wellington
6A Region 1
District 1
Crestview
Navarre
Pace
Tate (Cantonment)
District 2
First Coast (Jacksonville)
Fletcher (Neptune Beach)
Mandarin (Jacksonville)
Oakleaf (Orange Park)
District 3
Bartram Trail (St. Johns)
Buchholz (Gainesville)
Nease (Ponte Vedra)
Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine)
District 4
Evans (Orlando)
Lake Howell (Winter Park)
Oviedo
Wekiva (Apopka)
6A Region 2
District 5
Melbourne
Osceola (Kissimmee)
St. Cloud
Viera (Melbourne)
District 6
Davenport
Forest (Ocala)
Horizon (Winter Garden)
Lake Minneola
South Lake (Groveland)
District 7
Bartow
Bloomingdale (Valrico)
Durant (Plant City)
Riverview (Riverview)
District 8
Armwood (Seffner)
Plant (Tampa)
Sickles (Tampa)
Wharton (Tampa)
5A Region 2
District 5
Edgewater (Orlando)
Lyman (Longwood)
Winter Springs
District 6
Kathleen (Lakeland)
Lake Gibson (Lakeland)
Lakeland
Sebring
District 7
Cypress Creek (Wesley Chapel)
Gaither (Tampa)
Springstead (Spring Hill)
Wesley Chapel
District 8
East Bay (Gibsonton)
Leto (Tampa)
Spoto (Riverview)
Tampa Bay Tech
4A Region 2
District 5
Gainesville
Lecanto
Leesburg
Vanguard (Ocala)
District 6
Deltona
New Smyrna Beach
Pine Ridge (Deltona)
Rockledge
Seabreeze (Daytona Beach)
District 7
Auburndale
Jones (Orlando)
Lake Region (Eagle Lake)
Lake Wales
District 8
Fivay (Hudson)
Freedom (Tampa)
Pasco (Dade City)
Zephyrhills
3A Region 2
District 5
Dunnellon
Eastside (Gainesville)
North Marion (Citra)
*South Sumter (Bushnell)
*The Villages
District 6
Atlantic (Port Orange)
Bishop Moore (Orlando)
Eustis
Mount Dora
Tavares
District 7
Central (Brooksville)
Citrus (Inverness)
Crystal River
Hernando (Brooksville)
Weeki Wachee
District 8
Eau Gallie (Melbourne)
Merritt Island
Palm Bay (Melbourne)
Satellite (Satellite Beach)
Titusville
1A Region 2
District 5
*Crescent City
Father Lopez (Daytona Beach)
Halifax Academy (Daytona Beach)
Taylor (Pierson)
District 6
The First Academy (Orlando)
Foundation Academy (Winter Garden)
Holy Trinity (Melbourne)
Melbourne Central Catholic
Orlando Christian Prep
District 7
*Carrollwood (Tampa)
Lakeland Christian
Victory Christian (Lakeland)
District 8
*Clearwater Central Catholic
*Indian Rocks Christian (Largo)
Independent schools
Central Florida Christian (Orlando)
*Colonial (Orlando)
Cornerstone Charter (Belle Isle)
*Cypress Creek (Orlando)
*East River (Orlando)
Faith Christian (Orlando)
First Academy (Leesburg)
*Gateway (Kissimmee)
*Innovation (Orlando)
*Lake Buena Vista (Orlando)
Lake Highland Prep (Orlando)
Legacy Charter (Ocoee)
*Liberty (Kissimmee)
The Master’s Academy (Oviedo)
Mount Dora Christian
*Oak Ridge (Orlando)
Orangewood Christian (Maitland)
Poinciana (Kissimmee)
Trinity Christian (Deltona)
Trinity Preparatory (Winter Park)
*University (Orlando)
*Umatilla
*Windermere High
Windermere Prep
West Oaks (Orlando)
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email J.C. Carnahan at jcarnahan@orlandosentinel.com.
