The *new* version of the FHSAA’s playoff system in the first round certainly did not disappoint us in any way from a casual standpoint, or even a hardcore fan’ perspective for that matter. Some have railed merciless against the changes, and justifiably so in some regards, but if it’s (fun) chaos you seek, then (fun) chaos you shall find down south. The new-look points system certainly brought some much-needed changes, and with those changes brought some much-maligned migraines to coaching staffs across regions three and four in in the south, and within Class 8A and 5A in particular. The South region in both those classes were the only regions from sixteen where the higher seeds were at .500 or below. But first, here are some of the highlights of the weekend-that-was from a statewide perspective.
How the seeds fared statewide:
Class 5A-8A:
#1 – (15-1)
#2 – (15-1)
#3 – (7-9)
#4 – (6-10)
#5 – (10-6)
#6 – (9-7)
#7 – (1-15)
#8 – (1-15)
Class 1A-4A:
#1 – (15-1)
#2 – (10-6)
#3 – (6-10)
#4 – (1-15)
How the higher seeds fared by region statewide: (68-28 overall)
Class 1A-4A (top 2 seeds)
Class 5A-8A (top 4 seeds)
1A-1: (1-1)
1A-2: (1-1)
1A-3: (2-0)
1A-4: (1-1)
————–
2A-1: (2-0)
2A-2: (1-1)
2A-3: (2-0)
2A-4: (2-0)
————–
3A-1: (1-1)
3A-2: (1-1)
3A-3: (1-1)
3A-4: (2-0)
————–
4A-1: (2-0)
4A-2: (2-0)
4A-3: (2-0)
4A-4: (2-0)
————–
5A-1: (3-1)
5A-2: (2-2)
5A-3: (2-2)
5A-4: (2-2)
————–
6A-1: (4-0)
6A-2: (3-1)
6A-3: (4-0)
6A-4: (2-2)
————–
7A-1: (3-1)
7A-2: (3-1)
7A-3: (2-2)
7A-4: (4-0)
————–
8A-1: (2-2)
8A-2: (4-0)
8A-3: (2-2)
8A-4: (1-3)
Regarding that aforementioned chaos. Specifically within Class 8A Regions 3 and 4, the combined record of the lower seeds versus their higher counterparts was a winning one at 5-3. Within region four alone, three of the top four teams were sent home, with Columbus the number one seed 8A-4 and 8A South the only team left standing. Here are the results from Region 4:
(1) Columbus 50, (8) Homestead 0
(5) South Dade 21, (4) North Miami 3
(6) Southridge 35, (3) Belen Jesuit 14
(7) Miami 28, (2) Palmetto 0
Region 3 saw two of their top four teams go down, with the biggest upset in the state occurring with Park Vista beating the one-seed in 8A-3, Miramar. Entering Week 11, the Cobras were nearly a full point out of the playoffs in tenth place, and now find themselves in the midst of a six-game winning streak. Here are the results from Region 3:
(8) Park Vista 28, (1) Miramar 20
(4) Atlantic 29, (5) Plantation 14
(6) Western 20, (3) Deerfield Beach 17
(2) Palm Beach Central 32, (7) Seminole Ridge 0
The “upsets” and chaos are perhaps best-highlighted or put into their perspective as perhaps not even upsets at all in some cases, when you combine the final point averages of the playoff teams following the regular season and put both 8-team regions into one. Here were the 8A South (Regions 3 and 4) Overall Standings following Week 11 heading into playoffs: (District Champs with ** + result)
1. Columbus – 42.00** (Win)
2. Palmetto – 41.33** (Loss)
3. Miramar – 40.89** (Loss)
4. South Dade – 40.33
5. Plantation – 39.70
6. Palm Beach Central – 39.22** (Win)
7. Deerfield Beach – 39.10** (Loss)
8. Southridge – 39.00
9. Delray Beach Atlantic – 38.56** (Win)
10. Miami – 38.56
11. Western – 38.00
12. Seminole Ridge – 36.60
13. Belen Jesuit – 36.33** (Loss)
14. Homestead – 35.78
15. Park Vista – 35.78
16. North Miami – 35.56** (Loss)
Is it possible we get even more chaos this week from 8A South in particular? The lower seeds certainly have more than puncher’s chance to create it. Here are the match-ups for round two:
8A-3:
(8-2) Park Vista at (9-1) Atlantic
(9-2) Western at (8-2) Palm Beach Central
8A-4:
(9-1) South Dade at (9-1) Columbus
(9-1) Miami at (6-3) Southridge
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BCP Contributor: Doug Pugh