Class 3A Playoff Watch – Week 7

DISTRICT 3A-1
In The Driver’s Seat: Trinity Christian (Jacksonville), 1-0
Still Alive: Providence, 0-0; Episcopal, 0-1
Still Alive, But Needs Help: None
Eliminated: None

Quick Analysis: This district has pretty much gone the direction we thought it would with Trinity Christian being the team to beat and Providence being a team that has shown it can be playoff contender as well. Episcopal has been inconsistent this season and thus will likely leave them out in this three team-race.

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DISTRICT 3A-2
In The Driver’s Seat: Trinity Catholic, 1-0; Father Lopez 1-0
Still Alive: P.K. Yonge, 0-1; Maclay 0-1
Still Alive, But Needs Help: None
Eliminated: None

Quick Analysis: Trinity Catholic is the strongest team in this district and is looking poised to make a deep playoff run this year. Father Lopez winning its first district game could be a sign of how the district may shake out, but P.K. Yonge and Maclay which have had rough starts the first half of the season is still very much alive right now in the playoff race.

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DISTRICT 3A-3
In The Driver’s Seat: Melbourne Central Catholic, 1-0; Holy Trinity, 1-0
Still Alive: Orangewood Christian, 0-0; The First Academy (Orlando), 1-1
Still Alive, But Needs Help: Trinity Prep, 0-2
Eliminated: None

Quick Analysis: We thought that The First Academy would be off a bit this season and so far it has shown just that through the record and games they have played so far to date. Melbourne Central Catholic is looking more like each week that they will be the team to beat for the district championship, something we had predicted could happen while Holy Trinity is showing that they might be ready for a plunge into the playoff scene if they can keep up the pace they have been on. Orangewood Christian will start district play this week and we should get a good gauage on them to see if they are up to the challenges in the district.

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DISTRICT 3A-4
In The Driver’s Seat: Lakeland Christian, 2-0; Tampa Catholic, 2-0
Still Alive: Fort Meade, 1-1; Frostproof, 1-1
Still Alive, But Needs Help: Berkeley Prep, 0-2; Bishop McLaughlin, 0-2
Eliminated: None

Quick Analysis: Lakeland Christian has shown up to play this year and if the pace keeps up, it could be the best season for them in school history. Tampa Catholic is starting to look like a state championship contender and has a win over Fort Meade that makes a statement right there, but again Fort Meade and Frostproof are still alive in the hunt. Berkeley Prep and Bishop McLaughlin are alive still, but are going to need help if they are even to think about reaching the postseason.

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DISTRICT 3A-5
In The Driver’s Seat: Clearwater Central Catholic, 2-0
Still Alive: Admiral Farragut, 1-1; St. Petersburg Catholic, 1-1; Calvary Christian, 0-1; Shorecrest Prep, 0-1
Still Alive, But Needs Help: None
Eliminated: None

Quick Analysis: Clearwater Central Catholic is clearly in the driver’s seat and they would be undefeated overall if it were not for the overtime loss to Tampa Catholic early in the season. However, this still could be the year Clearwater Central Catholic makes that run all the way to Orlando, but some other teams in Class 3A South are starting to look promising as potential challengers on the Road To Orlando this year. As for the rest of the pack it is pretty much a toss up and whoever the hungriest team will likely be the one in the playoffs as a district runner-up, barring an major surprises.

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DISTRICT 3A-6
In The Driver’s Seat: Bishop Verot, 1-0
Still Alive: Cardinal Mooney, 0-0; Out-of-Door
Still Alive, But Needs Help: None
Eliminated: None

Quick Analysis: With Bishop Verot finally playing in its proper classification for the first time in many years, the Vikings are looking a lot better and appear to be a strong challenge for Cardinal Mooney for the district title. Out-of-Door has struggled all season long and has not be able to be consistent week in and week out and thus will likely leave them the odd team out.

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DISTRICT 3A-7
In The Driver’s Seat: Pahokee, 1-0, Cardinal Newman, 1-0
Still Alive: King’s Academy, 0-1; American Heritage (Delray Beach), 0-1
Still Alive, But Needs Help: None
Eliminated: None

Quick Analysis: This district has been flipped upside down thanks to a much improved Pahokee team that appears to be looking playoff bound for the first time since 2010 after dispatching an upset of American Heritage (Delray Beach) last week. If anything else the door could be open for Pahokee to make a run to the state final…yes we said it! Cardinal Newman has been bounching back after some rough starts to the season and looks to be the other team that is really hungry at the moment. King’s Academy still has a chance to make some noise after starting off the season great, but a set back against Cardinal Newman doesn’t help. As for American Heritage is hard to get a good grasp of what this team is really doing and being inconsistent week in and week out can hurt, which it has here.

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DISTRICT 3A-8
District Champion: Westminster Christian, 1-0
District Runner-up: Chaminade-Madonna, 0-1
Eliminated: None

Quick Analysis: This district has been pretty much decided and Westminster Christian has been a proven winner so far to date. Chaminade-Madonna has struggled this season and even though they are playoff bound they could be in the playoffs with a winless overall record, something we are not sure that has ever happened before in the 50 years of playoffs in Florida.