District projections for Class 6A – Region III for the 2015 season.
District 6A-9
1. Clearwater
2. Largo
3. Boca Ciega
4. Osceola (Seminole)
5. Northeast (St. Petersburg)
6. Dixie Hollins
Comment: This is an interesting district year with teams like Clearwater and Northeast dropping down from Class 7A, while Boca Ciega makes the jump up from Class 5A. Clearwater has clearly been a team on the rise with a lot of progress over the summer despite a coaching change early in the offseason. Largo which will battle with Clearwater for the district title, has slipped a bit and it could be a long season. Boca Ciega has shown improvement and could be in the playoff hunt. Osceola, Northeast and Dixie Hollins round off the backend of the district, but this a potential district that could things change week-to-week during the season.
District 6A-10
1. Charlotte
2. Cape Coral
3. North Fort Myers
4. Ida Baker
5. Port Charlotte
6. Island Coast
Comment: A brand-new Class 6A district and this will be a fun one to watch as all the teams have been to the playoffs over the last few seasons. Out of the teams, Charlotte is the most experienced in reaching the playoff no matter how things look on paper. Cape Coral should be a solid team that will complete with North Fort Myers and Ida Baker for the runner-up spot, while Port Charlotte and Island Coast possibly finding it a struggle in the district.
District 6A-11
1. Fort Myers
2. Estero
3. Lehigh
4. East Lee County
Comment: We feel like this district is a just a total mismatch in a lot of way. Fort Myers is pretty much on an island by themselves and will be the top team in the district. Estero and Lehigh are likely to battle it out for the runner-up spot, but Estero more a favorite for that spot. East Lee County still needs to find their footing to be a competitive contender in the district.
District 6A-12
1. Naples
2. Barron Collier
3. Golden Gate
4. Palmetto Ridge
Comment: Another district where things look to be where a wide gap will exist between the top team and the rest of the pack. Naples, by far, is the leader of this district and has the talent to possibly go very deep this year. Barron Collier, will likely be the runner-up, but will have to contend with a Golden Gate team that has made the jump from Class 5A to Class 6A. Palmetto Ridge has a new head coach and will need to rebuild before thinking about a possible playoff spot.
Projected Regional Quarterfinal Matchups (Round 1)
Cape Coral (R10) vs. Clearwater (W9)
Largo (R9) vs. Charlotte (W10)
Barron Collier (R12) vs. Fort Myers (W11)
Estero (R11) vs. Naples (W12)
Projected Regional Semifinal Matchups (Round 2)
Cleawater vs. Charlotte
Fort Myers vs. Naples
Projected Regional Final Matchup (Round 3)
Charlotte vs. Naples
State Semifinalist
Naples
