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Florida high school football playoffs: A look at 5 wide open regions in the state

jon santucci, lakeland ledger
·4 min read

Not all football brackets are created equal.

The Florida High School Athletic Association released its regional playoff brackets on Sunday. Some regions have a clear-cut front-runner, while others have a few teams capable of making a run to the final four.

A handful of regions have more than a few contenders. These are the regions where it doesn’t really matter what the seeds are because even the “favorites” can be knocked off early.

Here's a look at five regions that appear, at least on paper, to be wide open.

Florida high school football playoffs: A look at the 5 deepest regions in the state

Region 3-1S

Victory Christian Jackson Benton runs toward the end zone against Lakeland Christian on Oct. 13, 2023.
Victory Christian Jackson Benton runs toward the end zone against Lakeland Christian on Oct. 13, 2023.

Top-rated team: Zephyrhills Christian (7.905)

Average rating: 5.660

FHSAA Football: Class 1S regional playoff preview

Sure, this is a four-team region, but it’s certainly up for grabs. The top three seeds — Zephyrhills Christian, Lakeland Christian and Cardinal Mooney — are separated by fewer than 1.6 points. Victory Christian, the No. 4 seed, beat Lakeland Christian by a field goal and lost to Zephyrhills Christian by seven. Lakeland Christian beat Zephyrhills Christian by a point and Cardinal Mooney was the highest-ranked team of the four on most statewide polls this season.

Region 2-4M

Top-rated team: Sumner (8.828)

Average rating: 6.390

FHSAA Football: Class 4M regional playoff preview

While this region doesn’t have a team ranked in the top 10 in Class 4M, it has five teams ranked in the top 18 and seven teams in the top 23. The top seven seeds are separated by fewer than four points. Sumner’s lone loss came with its starting quarterback out of the lineup and was a one-point defeat at Durant. Plant, the No. 2 seed, has won eight in a row since back-to-back one-score losses to start the season. Olympia, the No. 3 seed, went 8-2 with the losses coming by a total of five points. Palm Harbor University and Durant both won eight games, too. Ocoee won this region as the No. 3 seed last year — winning a one-point game in the semifinal before routing the top seed in the regional final. This one certainly feels like it could have several different outcomes.

Region 3-4M

Jupiter plays Palm Beach Gardens on Oct. 26, 2023.
Jupiter plays Palm Beach Gardens on Oct. 26, 2023.

Top-rated team: Monarch (10.537)

Average rating: 5.371

Monarch edged Palm Beach Central for the top seed in Week 11 — the first time all season the Knights were ranked ahead of the Broncos. Palm Beach Gardens is the No. 5 seed, but the Gators knocked off Central in October. A week later, Gardens lost to Jupiter, the No. 3 seed, in the District 9 championship. Santaluces, the No. 4 seed, has won four of its past six. Boca Raton, the No. 6 seed, beat Santaluces by a field goal for the District 11 title. Monarch’s two losses are against St. Thomas Aquinas and a controversial loss to Atlantic, so the Knights are the likely favorite on paper, but how this ends up is anyone’s guess.

Region 1-2S

Florida High football beat Lincoln 24-22 on Nov. 3 at Mike Hickman Stadium
Florida High football beat Lincoln 24-22 on Nov. 3 at Mike Hickman Stadium

Top-rated team: Walton (15.863)

Average rating: 9.303

FHSAA Football: Class 2S regional playoff preview

Region 1 is home to four of the top 10 teams in Class 2S, but the top four seeds are not untouchable. Walton opens with rival South Walton, a team it beat 34-31 on Sept. 22. Undefeated Wakulla, the No. 2 seed, needed a fourth-quarter comeback to beat Suwannee, the No. 5 seed, in their regular-season finale. Florida High, the defending regional champion and 2022 Class 2S state runner-up, is on a four-game win streak. No. 4 Pensacola Catholic’s lone in-state loss was a 23-21 defeat at the hands of Walton on Oct. 13. This is a strong region with multiple contenders.

Region 4-3S

The Golden Gate Titans defeat the Naples Golden Eagles 30-19 in a district game at Staver Field in Naples on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023.
The Golden Gate Titans defeat the Naples Golden Eagles 30-19 in a district game at Staver Field in Naples on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023.

Top-rated team: Golden Gate (11.653)

Average rating: 8.680

FHSAA Football: Class 3S regional playoff preview

This region has both quality and depth. The top six seeds all won eight games and are ranked between No. 9 and No. 19 in Class 3S. The top three seeds — Golden Gate, Naples and Barron Collier — are separated by fewer than 1,2 points. Dunbar, the No. 4 seed and defending regional champion, finished little more than a point behind Barron Collier. Golden Gate beat Naples for the first time in program history and beat Barron Collier by three scores on Oct. 13. Dunbar’s lone in-state loss was against Bishop Verot. Fort Myers, the No. 5 seed, has won six in a row since losing to Dunbar by a point. Golden Gate and Naples appear to be the favorites but don’t be shocked to see an upset or two along the way.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Football playoffs: A look at 5 wide open regions in the state