Week 9 high school football: Small schedule, big impact
Week 9 brings a light schedule of high school football games to Brevard County, but they set the stage for big finishes in FHSAA district races and will impact the postseason for those involved.
Neither Cocoa, Eau Gallie, MCC or Rockledge will officially close out a district race Friday, but all need wins in light of the FHSAA power ratings that determine bracket seeding and matchups.
Here is a game-by-game look at Week 9 in Brevard and the implications:
Week 9: What we know now in Brevard high school football
Eau Gallie at Bayside, 7 p.m.
The Commodores were off last week, and they must maintain their success without looking past the Bears. Eau Gallie enters the game with the third-highest power rating in all of Class 3S. Unfortunately for the Commodores, fellow Region 3 team Mainland is one spot higher, meaning the Buccaneers have the homefield advantage going into regional play, for now.
Eau Gallie had a shot at a postseason upset in Daytona Beach last year, leading and building momentum before a power-outage delay reset the circumstances. If the Commodores can stay out of the No. 4 spot in the seedings, they could avoid playing in Daytona Beach before the regional final.
Merritt Island at Rockledge, 7
Furthermore, an Eau Gallie win this week would set up a winner-takes-the-district showdown with the Raiders next week, in Melbourne. First, both Rockledge and the Commodores must win this week to stay unbeaten in 10-3S.
Power ratings strategy: Cocoa, Rockledge don't plan to change theory of scheduling
The Raiders, likewise, want to stay out of the No. 4 spot, assuming Mainland maintains the top spot in Region 3. That isn't certain though. Unbeaten Mainland plays unbeaten Lake Mary the same night Rockledge faces Cocoa, so the Raiders just need to take care of their own wins and let the ratings math work itself out.
The Mustangs also have a say in the postseason. They are safely on the 3S bracket as of now, but wins keep them there, and they are not officially out of the district race, either. Two wins by Merritt Island, combined with Eau Gallie wins this week and next, would create a three-way tie at 3-1.
Astronaut at Cocoa, 7
The good news for the War Eagles is they've won two in a row, but this week will be a different level of competition. Cocoa is No. 1 in the 321preps rankings of Brevard teams, the Class 2S rankings for the USA Today Florida Network and the FHSAA power rankings for 2S.
It's next week when the Tigers can formally win another District 12-2S title, playing Palm Bay.
Cocoa Beach at MCC, 7
The Hustlers have just one task remaining to win District 4-1S one year after going 2-8. They must defeat Halifax Academy next week. For a Cocoa Beach team steadily improving under coach Ben Waldrop, that presents an opportunity to show more progress against a team that may be thinking about Oct. 27. Again, seeding and home field advantage for the regional playoff depends on piling up wins, so MCC can't afford a loss if it wants to play as many postseason games on its own field as possible.
8-man Brevard Friday schedule
Lake Mary Prep at Merritt Island Christian, 7
Geneva at Calvary Chapel, 6:30
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Week 9 Brevard County high school football preview of four-game Friday
