It’s finally here. Christmas, New Year’s, Thanksgiving, Easter, and your 21st Birthday rolled into one. Okay, so maybe you’re not feeling as enraptured by the spirit as I am, but it’s the playoffs folks. We spend all year talking about who’s going to state and now the big dance is about to begin. The specific breakdown for each of the local teams is short to follow, but today let’s get you started out with a slightly different approach. Let’s take a look beyond what lies ahead within the counties and look beyond our borders. It’s important to be aware of what our boys face beyond who they already know. Remember, the Bay Area no longer is an island unto itself when it comes to state awareness. We’ve got multiple teams with national spotlights and an exponential amount of influence on the statewide picture potentially. Time to get you ready. Grab your pencils and paper or print this out. Your quiz will be during first period on Friday.
Here are the initial obstacles facing our boys starting this Friday and beyond:
2A Regional Roadblocks:
Admiral Farragut and Canterbury both have interesting draws in the 1st Round. Canterbury is riding the Brent O’Neal wave and should “hang ten” maybe even 17 more than their 1st. Rd opponent in St. John Neumann of Naples. Farragut faces an Evangelical Christian team on the road that finished the regular season at 10-0. One of the major positives going for the Blue Jackets though is that they beat Evangelical in the 1st Rd. on the road last year 51-20 with pretty much the same team. Beyond that, the defending 1A State Champions Glades Day await whoever advances beyond the regional finals. Glades Day boasts stud RB Kelvin Taylor, the son of muck legend Fred Taylor. Also on the bottom half of the bracket lies Jupiter Christian and USF Commit Tyler Cameron. If Pinellas is going to be represented in the finals, it’s going to have to be done on the road and against some pretty stiff competition. Obviously the biggest obstacle lies in the potential travel to Belle Glade.
Statewide:
North Florida Christian (9-1) and Warner Christian (7-3) most likely represent the biggest threat on the 2A North side of things. NFC is boat-racing its opponents and Warner understand what it takes to get to the Citrus Bowl finishing as the runners-up to Glades Day in 1A last season. Lakeland Victory Christian and Lake Mary Prep both could be sleepers, but so far there isn’t anyone that’s dominating the competition in this classification quite like NFC.
____________________________________________________________________________
3A Regional Roadblocks:
Pound-for-pound it’s #1 and #1A for toughest classification with 3A being along with 5A. The four teams opposite Berkeley Prep and Clearwater Central Catholic in the south are 26-3 headed into Friday. Cardinal Newman (9-1), Davie University (10-0), Chaminade-Madonna (9-1), and American Heritage (8-1) could all easily be considered favorites to win the state, much less the region. The best chance for representation in this class obviously comes from Berkeley and they’ll likely have to travel 2nd Round to Ft. Meade which the Buccaneers should win regardless of the locale. It get’s interesting though when they potentially welcome University (who happen to be the 2B Runners-Up to Trinity Catholic) and QB Gunnar Holcombe, who is attracting attention from schools all over the country. That’s already on paper one of the best games in the state. We’ll have to wait though till the 3rd Round for that to happen.
Statewide:
I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of these teams before, but there’s Madison County, Trinity Christian (2A State Champs), and Trinity Catholic (2B State Champs) awaiting whoever makes it through the gauntlet of the south bracket. Obviously the beginning of that last sentence is tongue-n-cheek, but it lends credo to my assertion that this may be the deepest classification in the entire state. 3A is likely to remind you of Space Mountain instead of the Teacups if you know what I’m saying.
____________________________________________________________________________
5A Regional Roadblocks:
Fitting that we transition from one premier division to another. Things got real interesting in the 5A North Bracket when Wakulla decided to upset Godby on the road in Tallahassee forcing the Cougars to make the unwanted trip to play West Florida Tech in Pensacola which I liken to a trip to the Bermuda Triangle. Takes a special team to head west and come back with all of its weapons in tact. The one team that I’d keep a close eye on is Bishop Kenny. They’ve got a Sophomore QB (Bobby Wolford) that can run the spread as good as anyone in the state, and legitimate weapons with brother John Wolford (BYU Commit) and Ahmad Fulwood. The Crusaders can put up points in a hurry and finished 10-0 for the 1st time in school history. Either Jesuit or Robinson would have to travel past the 2nd Round. That means loading up the buses and heading to Pensacola, Jacksonville, or Tallahassee if they want to finally get to Orlando. Sounds like a Carmen Sandiego Movie if you ask me.
Statewide:
5A South has no less than 6 teams that are going to slug it out for a legitimate shot at a chance to play for a title. There’s the big names of Norland and Glades Central, but you’ve also got to keep your eyes and ears peeled for teams like Palmetto, Lake Wales, Immokalee, and even a team like Hardee. Until Sony Michel tore his knee up, you cold also have added American Heritage to this equation, but they’ve got to beat Norland and that’s a tall order with or without one of the best Underclassmen RB’s in the nation. Regional Finals in this class alone could see Bishop Kenny at Godby/Wakulla, Jesuit at North Marion, Immokalee at Palmetto, and Norland at Glades Central. All just speculation at this point and far from fact, but I think you can see what sort of treat (for the fans) or nightmare (for the teams) potentially lies ahead in this grouping.
____________________________________________________________________________
6A Regional Roadblocks:
The 6A-8A classifications are actually tougher to gauge at this point due to the fact that the cream should be expected to rise to the top, but it’s just as easy to foresee chaos if a few upsets were to occur. First, let’s deal with the chalk. Armwood and Miami Central are kind of like the 2 SEC teams that everyone has penciled in halfway through the season to be playing for the BCS. We all believe that it’s tough to make the argument against either team being absent from the finals, but within this 6A North Region, there’s rogue elements that could send shockwaves if taken lightly. On this side, watch what happens closely with Pensacola, St. Augustine, and Bartram Trail. Don’t be surprised if Pensacola is upset in the 1st Rd. either. Their opponent this week (Choctawhatchee) just beat them on their home turf and P-Cola is without their starting QB due to injury. Armwood stays home throughout the playoffs and unless Bartram Trail figures out a way to get the 2-Ton gorilla off their back that is St. Auggie, it looks like the Yellow Jackets could be returning to Hillsbroough County. This time there bus would be stopping in Seffner, not Carver City.
Statewide:
Mentioned Central obviously, but the Rockets will have to most likely beat Belen Jesuit again which is not going to be easy. There’s another team that could throw a titanic-sized wrench into this equation and they’re located in Daytona Beach. I’ve been on their bandwagon shortly after their encounter with DeLand and they haven’t disappointed. Mainland hosts Lake Gibson, and then potentially travels to Winter Haven 2nd Round. Although WH has no gimmie by any stretch when they host Seabreeze, I would expect that the winner of this potential Regional Semifinal to be my dark horse to upend Central down at Traz Powell in December. I firmly believe that Mainland is the biggest threat in the South not named Central or Belen Jesuit. The sleeper is Ft. Myers. This one is up in the air still.
____________________________________________________________________________
7A Regional Roadblocks:
Along with 8A South, this 7A North bracket is as wide open as the throttles at the Daytona 500. The four teams from this area will slug it out, but will they have anything left when they have to travel to either Lakeland or Kissimmee in the Regional Finals? Not only that, they’ll have to go to either Tallahassee (Lincoln), Jacksonville (First Coast), or Orlando (Edgewater, Evans, or Oviedo) after that. Not saying it can’t be done, but it’s a going to be a you-know-what. I don’t think Lincoln has received an ounce of the credit they deserve. They’re the defending State Champs in 4A, and they are a late FG from being an undefeated. By the way, that one loss? To a nationally-ranked Valdosta High 10-7 on the road. Proceed with caution. They’ll face a sleeper in Fleming Island then host a huge game with First Coast if the bracket holds true to form.
Statewide:
Okay, stop me if you’ve heard THESE names recently. Manatee, Dwyer, St. Thomas Aquinas. That’s who Contryside gets to deal with in the South if they so choose. If the C’Side makes it past a legitimate Venice team, then they’ll host Manatee. Only problem is not only do those juggernauts exist, but you’ve got the quintessential cinderella’s in Charlotte and Fort Pierce Central waiting in the weeds to ambush. Aquinas has shown there’s chinks in the armor. Evidently no Jelani Hamilton and no George Smith has greater effects than first imagined. That’s why right now I’d take Dwyer at home versus the Raiders if they played this Friday. Potential regional final looks like Charlotte at Manatee, and St. Thomas Aquinas at Dwyer. Whoa. That’s tough.
____________________________________________________________________________
8A Regional Roadblocks:
Don’t look now, but there’s some hairy ‘Dawgs barking in the front yard. Finally I don’t get to be called-out for playing favorites either for picking my Alma Mater (DeLand) as being a favorite to make it to the State Semis against Plant. The Panthers will have to face a now resurgent Dr. Phillips team, but will get them at home, which is a place that Plant does not lose very often. The Panthers and the Panthers will most likely meet provided Wharton doesn’t pull the upset of the 1st Round. The two Pinellas teams have a different route, but I don’t see either team getting past Vero Beach. The Indians would host no matter what come regional finals time anyways so at this point the only team I will endorse packing up and heading across the state is the team that has the most pedigree. And the most rings recently to show for it.
Statewide:
The Miami schools in this bracket have basically lead me to more confusion this season than comprehension. The Broward County schools are pretty self explanatory (Miramar and Cypress Bay), although the Palm Beach County representation (Seminole Ridge and Park Vista) could be the sleepers. Miramar is certainly the class of this classification on paper, but don’t rule out a nail-biting dogfight when they face Cypress Bay in a rematch. Columbus and Southridge will most likely scrap it out in the 3rd Round, but as mentioned briefly the only certainty is uncertainty at the very bottom between Dr. Krop, Coral Reef and Braddock all having pulled upsets at one point in time during this season. Final Four in this class once all the smoke clears could see four familiar faces in DeLand at Plant, and Columbus at Miramar. I don’t think neither the casual fan nor the diehard will be disappointed with either matchup.
______________________________________________________________________________
To recap my Final Four my potential final four in each classification:
Potential Final Four Scenarios
8A
DeLand at Plant
Columbus at Miramar
7A
Lakeland at Lincoln
Dwyer at Manatee
6A
St. Augustine at Armwood
Mainland at Miami Central
5A
Jesuit at Bishop Kenny
Norland at Palmetto
3A
Trinity Catholic at Madison County
Davie University at Berkeley Prep
2A
North Florida Christian at Warner Christian
Admiral Farragut at Glades Day
