Florida Football: Week 9 6A Review
In case you missed it, I skimmed over some of the big games in the prior post. Here, you’ll get an in-depth look at how Class 6A is shaping up as playoff time approaches.
There are 16 districts in Class 6A. That means 32 playoff teams will jog onto 16 different fields when the regional quarterfinals kick off on Nov. 16. Sixteen of those teams will play at home, a reward that comes with a district championship. Obviously, that means the 16 district runner-up squads must win on the road.
Since there are some district tie-breaker games slated for Nov. 5, one would think that teams need to wrap up their regular seasons in Week 10, but there is a Week 11 for some teams. Thus, it will be a huge week for many teams. Some will seal up playoff spots, others will fight for home-field advantage and some will make that long walk to the locker room knowing that their football seasons—and their careers, for many seniors—are at a close.
In many cases, the current standings are enough to declare which teams are in and out, and I’ll try to make those declarations as well as tell you where some of the bubble teams stand heading into their final games.
There’s no guarantee that I’ll break down all eight classes today, but I’ll make a concerted effor to deliver some insight into each of them before next week’s games tee off.
District 1
Friday night was a big one for Port Orange Spruce Creek. The orange-and-black celebrated an early Halloween with an 18-14 home victory against Deltona. The victory sealed a district runner-up finish. Having witnessed three of the team’s games, I can attest that this win marks a turning point in a wild season for the Hawks (6-2). Spruce Creek lost its starting quarterback, Chase Sofiak, early in the season when the strong-armed fella broke his arm. Shane Peludat took control, and he’s excelled. As if Sofiak’s injury wasn’t enough to overcome, the Hawks also lost running back James Green at DeLand when he broke free for a game-winning run but also broke his ankle after being tackled inside the Bulldogs’ 5-yard-line.
Of course, the Spruce Creek win was bittersweet even for the team’s highly competitive coach, and that’s because it knocked Deltona’s Wolves out of the playoffs. Deltona (6-2) was rolling along before losing to both Flagler Palm Coast and Spruce Creek in back-to-back games. Now, all the Wolves have to play for is pride, which will be on the line this Friday when the team hooks up with crosstown rival Pine Ridge in a non-district game.
Speaking of Flagler Palm Coast, the Bulldogs—LocalReplay’s No. 14 ranked team last week—defeated Jacksonville Sandalwood 42-14 on Friday to seal up the district title. It took some serious coaching to keep the Bulldogs upbeat after it lost its first two games of the season, both against non-district foes in St. Augustine and Seabreeze, which are a combined 15-1. FPC probably isn’t a state title contender, but the Bulldogs could ruin the season of just about any team it faces in the playoffs.
District 2
Oviedo had the weekend off, and it might have used that time for a prolonged celebration. The Lions, which entered the week at No. 20 in the LR’s 6A rankings, defeated Winter Springs 24-10 on Oct. 19 to seal up a district runner-up spot. Oviedo (6-2) lost the district title to Lake Brantley, which won 28-21 when the teams matched up on Oct. 12. The team’s other loss was 28-24 to Lake City Columbia. Anyone wanting a little insight into how good the Lions are at this point can simply head over to Kissimmee on Nov. 9 to watch Oviedo against Osceola.
The Lake Brantley story began with a 35-28 loss to Apopka back when folks were still complaining about the muggy August weather. Since then, the Patriots (7-1) are undefeated. That mark, though, includes a 29-28 win against Bartram Trail and the close game against Oviedo. It’s difficult to say whether the Patriots—No. 11 in last week’s LR rankings—have enough to win a state championship against the likes of Edgewater and Northwestern, but it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility if the chips fall just right.
District 3
Speaking of Edgewater, the team won 31-14 in Week 9 to improve to 7-1. It was the sixth straight win for the Fighting Eagles, who dropped a 35-28 road game to Tallahassee Lincoln back in early September. Edgewater, though, hasn’t been overpowering. In Week 1, the team defeated Dr. Phillips 21-14. The Eagles also won by eight points against both Apopka and Timber Creek. Sure, they won, but they also came within a few bad bounces of the ball from losing three more games.
Edgewater, though, should put it all on the line in a big one this Friday. The Eagles host Winter Park, which could swoop in and steal the district title with a win. If Edgewater wins, it seals the district title and Timber Creek (5-3) slips into the playoffs as the runner-up thanks to a 3-0 victory against Winter Park (4-4).
District 4
Apopka defeated East Ridge 48-16 in Week 9 to improve to 8-1. The Blue Darters have a single loss sandwiched between two four-game strings. That loss? Well, it was to Edgewater, naturally. Think what you want, but Apopka defeated Lake Brantley and lost just 40-32 to Edgewater. The Blue Darters sealed the district title with the win against East Ridge, and with Coach Rick Darlington back this fall don’t expect the team to do anything but improve as it heads into the playoffs. Apopka might actually be the most dangerous team in 6A at this point.
Of course, there has to be another playoff team out of District 4, and that’s East Ridge. The Clermont squad is 5-3, but that record includes a narrow 15-11 victory against Olympia. It’s a nice season that brings a playoff appearance, but it’ll likely be one-and-done for East Ridge.
District 5
Dr. Phillips is an interesting story. The Panthers have gone through an odd season that began with three straight losses, including one against a storied South Carolina team following a season-opening 21-14 loss to Edgewater. Since then, though, Dr. Phillips is 5-0. Among the victories are three district wins, and a Week 9 victory against Oak Ridge puts the Panthers in the playoffs. The next task comes this weekend, when Dr. Phillips travels to Boone (8-0) to decide the district championship.
Now, Boone really is another mystery. Though the team has yet to lose, its season started with a 10-3 win against a Lake Mary team that, well, isn’t very good. I mean, the Rams aren’t terrible, but an 8-0 team should do more. Add the Braves’ 7-6 victory over Timber Creek in Week 2 and a 10-9 victory against Winter Park in Week 3, and you get a little clearer picture. It’s probably one of the luckiest of the state’s 24 remaining unbeatens. But a win is a win. With this team, though, it should would soothe the coach’s mood to have a home playoff opener.
District 6
Like a fool, I tossed Sarasota into the 5A rankings last week, which was an improvement for a team that didn’t make the 6A rankings after falling 42-24 to Osceola and 28-23 to Manatee in back-to-back weeks. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for their inclusion in the 5A rankings. But I’m not sure I can say the same about the Sailors’ 32-14 loss to Hollywood Hills this week. Given that Sarasota is in a four-team district, the Sailors should count their blessings after starting 2-0 in District 6 to assure them a playoff spot. What it doesn’t assure, though, is a season above the .500 mark, nor a district title. Both of those are on the line this Friday against Sarasota Riverview, which hosts.
Despite being just 2-7, the Riverview Rams actually can play the spoiler this week and match Sarasota at 2-1 in district games when the two teams meet. A win would give the Rams the head-to-head tie-breaker and, hence, the district title.
A Riverview loss, though, would open the door for Durant, which would improve to 2-1 in the district with a win Friday against the other Riverview (3-5). Of note, Durant hasn’t exactly been terrible. The Cougars lost 14-13 to Plant City in Week 1 and then lost 14-7 to Newsome in Week 3. In fact, Durant’s four losses are by a combined 22 points, an average of just six per game.
District 7
Vero Beach (7-1) notched the district title in Week 9 with a 13-7 victory against Seminole Ridge a week after it suffered its only loss of the season. Perhaps this Friday’s away game against Pahokee will shed more light, but it sure seems like Vero Beach had luck on its side during the season. Four of its seven wins were by a combined 16 points, an average of just four points per game. But Vero Beach did defeat Lake Worth (6-2) by a 41-14 score in Week 2. At the end of the day, Vero Beach might be one of the hosts to lose to a visiting team in the quarterfinals.
Palm Beach Gardens may be the other playoff team from District 7. It only needs to win this week against Seminole Ridge to reach the playoffs. It also would make it if Jupiter falls to Palm Beach Lakes, which was eliminated from the running when it lost 23-20 to PBG a few weeks ago. Gardens probably deserves the berth after coming back from a 1-3 start to win four straight games. Two of its three losses were by a combined five points, and one of them was a 28-26 game against Glades Central. Jupiter, on the other hand, has only won one of its last three. That win, however, was a 27-7 victory against Vero Beach. Is your head starting to hurt yet? I can’t blame you. By the way, one of Jupiter’s losses was a 23-13 game against Lake Worth, which serves as the perfect segue to our next district.
District 8
Despite losing to a pair of District 7 teams, Lake Worth (6-2) hasn’t lost any others. The Trojans are riding a three-game winning streak that has helped them reach 3-0 in the district. On Friday, they travel to Park Vista to decide the district title.
Park Vista (7-1) has more on the line this week. While it’s playing for a district championship, it’s also playing for its playoff life. While the team only has one loss, it was to Royal Palm Beach (24-10). The teams are now both 2-1 in district games, and that means a loss pushes Park Vista out of the playoffs. The only saving face might be if Royal Palm (5-3) falls to Palm Beach Central (3-5) this Friday.
District 9
Deerfield Beach (7-1) was rolling along until it lost 24-20 to Boyd Anderson last Friday. The team still can wrap up a district title with a win against Coral Springs (1-7) in Week 10.
If Coral Springs should pull out the unlikely upset, it would open the door for Douglas to take the district title. Douglas (6-2) is already assured the district runner-up sot after reeling off three straight wins following a 21-17 loss to Deerfield Beach in early October. Deerfield Beach is another mystery team, as are so many. It defeated St. Thomas Aquinas 43-41 a few weeks ago, but it also won by a combined nine points in victories against Douglas and Dillard.
District 10
Boyd Anderson (7-1) has been a juggernaut. Since losing 30-6 to Lakeland back in September, the school has won five straight games, including last wee’s 24-20 win against previously undefeated Deerfield Beach. But five of its wins were by only a combined 20 points, meaning that BA tends to let things get close before closing the door.
This week, Piper will attempt to close the door itself. Piper (4-4) travels to Boyd Anderson looking to steal the district title away from the frontrunners. The consolation for Boyd Anderson is that it’s at least assured of the runner-up playoff spot. So there’s not much lose for the home team. That can’t be said, however, for Piper, which lost 37-22 to Plantation in early October. If Piper loses, Plantation can take that runner-up spot away with a victory against South Plantation in another game slated for this weekend.
District 11
Speaking of Boyd Anderson’s strong season, one of its big wins was a 32-26 victory in Week 2 against Cypress Bay. That was the last time Cypress Bay (7-1) lost. Since then, the team is 6-0. Some of the wins were by a touchdown or less, but it was enough to put the team in position to seal up a district title this Friday in a home game against Everglades (3-5). Everglades actually could win and take the district title for itself. Though the team hasn’t been that strong, some of its losses show that it’s competitive in most games. A 26-24 loss to Parkway Academy followed by a 20-19 loss to Hollywood Hills got the team off to an 0-2 start, and it then lost 45-30 to St. Thomas Aquinas.
If Everglades loses, it’s probably out of the playoff hunt. That’s because it loss to 21-14 to Miramar two weeks ago. Miramar, therefore, wins the tie-breaker if Everglades loses. For its part, though, Miramar must defeat Flanagan after the team’s Sept. 28 game was postponed. I don’t know when that game might be played, but Miramar still has games this Friday and the following Friday. So it promises to be one of those midweek ordeals, I suppose.
District 12
North Miami Beach (8-0) is one of just 24 undefeated teams remaining in Florida, and the Chargers defeated Dr. Krop 30-7 last Thursday to wrap up the district championship. That also eliminated Dr. Krop from playoff contention.
Still alive in the playoff hunt are Carol City (1-7) and Miami Norland (5-3). Norland probably wraps it up this Saturday in a head-to-head with Carol City. Norland even gets to host.
District 13
Some team called Northwestern clinched the district title on Saturday with a victory against Miami Central. The Bulls (8-0) are the favorites to win the state title, but don’t place those bets too quickly. Northwestern won by a mere 10 points in a 28-18 game against Homestead in Week 2 and only won by 12 at Miami Central in a 24-12 game.
Central is the runner-up. Do these two teams meet again in the playoffs? If so, expect a sellout crowd. The Rockets held their own last weekend, but Central also had to score in the final seconds to get its playoff spot in wins against American (13-12) and Hialeah (26-24).
District 14
Coral Gables sealed a playoff berth with its 34-0 victory against Miami Beach in Week 9. The team’s record (7-1) is blemished only by a Week 8 49-10 loss to Christopher Columbus Catholic (8-0). Columbus won the district title in that one and will have lots of time to prepare for the playoffs following its Thursday non-district game against South Miami. Columbus has been strong this season, but it hasn’t been entirely dominant, which is why the team hasn’t cracked LR’s top 5 yet. Of course, with Central and Deerfield Beach losing, that probably happens on Tuesday, when LR releases its Week 10 rankings.
District 15
With no score in from Southwest Miami’s game with Braddock, it’s tough to say how this district shapes up at the moment. Southwest started Week 9 at 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the district. Even if it defeated Varela, it will need a victory in Week 10 against Braddock, which is just one game off the pace. Braddock lost 41-28 to Miami Sunset in Week 9, so that puts Sunset in a good spot with a game on Thursday against Coral Park (1-7). But we’ll hold off any more analysis until we know about that Varela game.
District 16
Homestead (5-3) and South Dade (6-2) will decide the district championship this Friday. Homestead is already at least a runner-up. If South Dade wins, it’s also in. But South Dade has a tougher time if it loses. The team already has a 47-3 district win against Southridge, and that gives it a tie-breaker if the two end up at 3-2. But South Dade—now 3-1 in the district—also lost in Week 9 to Killian, which can improve to 3-2 with a victory this week against Miami Palmetto (3-5).
Of course, Killian lost 36-26 to Southridge several weeks ago. If all three teams are 3-1 after Week 10, my head might explode trying to figure it all out. If I understand the FHSAA’s tiebreaker rules, South Dade would receive a bye in a three-team playoff due to its overall record. Killian and Southridge, then, would play a 12-minute quarter. The winner then would face South Dade in another 12-minute quarter to decide which team makes the playoffs.
Of course, I probably have it all wrong. Given that my eyes are rolling around in my head at the moment, I think I’ll just end here. Class 5A is up next, and it should be in sometime tonight. I can’t make the same promise for 4A, as this 6A blog post took me about, well, five hours.
