District projections for Class 8A – Region I for the 2015 season.
District 8A-1
1. DeLand
2. Sandalwood
3. Mandarin
4. Spruce Creek
5. Flagler Palm Coast
Comment: The I-95 district returns for the next four years. That means it could be a fight for the two playoff spots. At this time we feel DeLand and Sandalwood are the two teams that are within reach of the playoffs with Mandarin likely to put up a bigger fight than the last two years to try to claim a spot.
District 8A-2
1. Lake Mary
2. University (Orange City)
3. Oviedo
4. Seminole (Sanford)
5. Lake Brantley
6. Lyman
7. Winter Springs
Comment: Seven-team districts can be fun and this one certainly could be fun especially when there are five teams that are playoff worthy, but only two can go. Lake Mary, which has found a consistent grove the last few years is the district favorite at this point, while Orange City University has a chance to finally reach the playoffs for the first time after falling a game short last year. Oviedo, Sanford Seminole and Lake Brantley will all try to jockey with University for that second spot, but it will be tough.
District 8A-3
1. Winter Park
2. Colonial
3. Timber Creek
4. Boone
5. University (Orlando)
Comment: We feel this could be the year that Winter Park bounces back in their district and wins the district with it being an all-Orange County district now. We are taking a major gamble with Colonial, but given the state of the other teams in the district and the fact Timber Creek no longer has Jacques Patrick in the stable, things are different. Colonial has a lot of the right key pieces to make a run to the playoffs, but will have to play their best each week. Boone has some concerns that could be taken care of, but they will certainly try to play a factor in the district race this year.
District 8A-4
1. Apopka
2. West Orange
3. Wekiva
4. Evans
Comment: Three out of the four teams in this district reach the playoffs last year, but only two of them will get back. Apopka, the defending Class 8A State Champion, lost four games last year en route to another trip to the Citrus Bowl and while they replace athletes like Martez Ivey and Chandler Cox, there is no way we can throw them out with the bathwater in saying they can’t win the district this year or at least reach the playoffs. Given what happened with how West Orange and how they handled Apopka in two games last year, we feel more comfortable to saying Apopka will win the district this year.
Projected Regional Quarterfinal Matchups (Round 1)
University-Orange City (R2) vs. DeLand (W1)
Sandalwood (R1) vs. Lake Mary (W2)
West Orange (R4) vs. Winter Park (W3)
Colonial (R3) vs. Apopka (W4)
Projected Regional Semifinal Matchups (Round 2)
DeLand vs. Lake Mary
West Orange vs. Apopka
Projected Regional Final Matchup (Round 3)
Lake Mary vs. Apopka
Projected State Semifinalist – Region I
Apopka
