The change of going back to classifications and districts that are strictly formed based on enrollment numbers, it has set up new districts, new opponents, and ultimately new opportunities for teams to see some teams they have not seen before.

We will dive into determining the best districts in the state going into the 2024 season based on the final classification and district assignments that were released last week by the FHSAA.

In this article, we will look at Class 4A and we ranked the districts from 1 through 16 using winning percentages of the last two years (2023 and 2024) to come up with our ranking.

1. District 4A-7

Teams: Auburndale, Jones (Orlando), Lake Region (Eagle Lake), Lake Wales

2 Year Combined Win %: .717

Skinny: If you love football, you will love this district especially with the fact that both Jones and Lake Wales have had some impressive performances in the playoffs including Lake Wales having a state championship win over the last two years. Auburndale has also been a playoff team and Lake Region has seen improvement over the last two years thus making it one of the strongest districts in the state.

2. District 4A-12

Teams: Dunbar (Fort Myers), Naples, Port Charlotte, South Fort Myers

2 Year Combined Win %: .711

Skinny: Like District 4A-7, you will be excited about this district that features some competitive teams that have had deep playoff runs over the past two seasons like Dunbar who went to the state semifinals back-to-back and longtime legacy Naples. Port Charlotte has also had its own success while South Fort Myers has been in the middle of the road.

3. District 4A-15

Teams: American Heritage (Plantation), Archbishop McCarthy (Southwest Ranches), Miami Norland, Plantation

2 Year Combined Win %: .670

Skinny: This will be a fun district with American Heritage and Miami Norland having played in state championship games over the last two seasons. Combined that with Plantation traditionally doing strong and Archbishop McCarthy’s improvement this past year makes this district one of the strongest in Class 4A.

4. District 4A-1

Teams: Booker T. Washington (Pensacola), Escambia (Pensacola), Pine Forest (Pensacola), Washington (Pensacola)

2 Year Combined Win %: .585

Skinny: Three-team district, but this could be a fun one with the already known battles between Escambia and Pine Forest on a yearly basis. If Booker T. Washington improves, this district will be much stronger than the record indicates.

5. District 4A-4

Teams: Ed White (Jacksonville), Englewood (Jacksonville), Riverside (Jacksonville)

2 Year Combined Win %: .569

Skinny: Englewood’s improvements this past year helped bolster this district up that has some quality competition with Ed White and Riverside having success over the last couple of years as well.

6. District 4A-13

Teams: John Carroll (Fort Pierce), Jensen Beach, Okeechobee, Port St. Lucie, Sebastian River (Sebastian)

2 Year Combined Win %: .524

Skinny: With the move of John Caroll into the district, the strength of the district actually grew with the last two years combined. However, Jensen Beach is the strongest of the five teams while Sebastian River has shown improvement as they reenter the state series for the first time in two years.

7. District 4A-9

Teams: Blake (Tampa), Brandon, Hillsborough (Tampa), Jesuit (Tampa), Middleton (Tampa)

2 Year Combined Win %: .514

Skinny: Jesuit and Hillsborough are the teams that stand out here among the teams in this district while Blake has shown improvement over the last couple of years. Brandon is by far the weakest team in the district and thus brought down the winning percentage some.

8. District 4A-5

Teams: Gainesville, Lecanto, Leesburg, Vanguard (Ocala)

2 Year Combined Win %: .500

Skinny: With a combined record straight on the mark at 50% is okay given the fact the strongest team by far is Vanguard. Leesburg strong performance in 2023 also pushed the district into that 50% threshold. Gainesville’s 1-19 record over the last two seasons hurts the record.

9. District 4A-11

Teams: Northeast (St. Petersburg), Osceola (Seminole), Southeast (Bradenton), St. Petersburg

2 Year Combined Win %: .482

Skinny: This Pinellas-Manatee combined district is interesting where St. Petersburg and Northeast appear to be the strongest teams. However, Southeast’s 1-18 record over the last two years brings the strength of the district down significantly.

10. District 4A-3

Teams: Clay (Green Cove Springs), Columbia (Lake City), Ridgeview (Orange Park), St. Augustine

2 Year Combined Win %: .477

Skinny: St. Augustine is the strongest of the teams in the pack here over the last two seasons and Columbia is not too far behind them. However, Ridgeview’s struggles over the last two seasons are what pushed the winning percentage below 50%.

11. District 4A-16

Teams: American (Hialeah), Belen Jesuit (Miami), Hialeah, South Miami

2 Year Combined Win %: .451

Skinny: The strongest teams in this district are Hialeah and Belen Jesuit, but American showed some improvement this past season. However, with all four teams, they have certainly seen their fair share of struggles over the last couple of year.

12. District 4A-10

Teams: Clearwater, Countryside (Clearwater), Gulf (New Port Richey), River Ridge (New Port Richey)

2 Year Combined Win %: .448

Skinny: When cutting through the data, Clearwater might be the strongest team of the teams in the district, but Gulf has had a better record over the last two seasons. While the winning percentage is below 50% combined the last two years, this could be a very competitive district for the next two seasons.

13. District 4A-6

Teams: Deltona, New Smyrna Beach, Pine Ridge (Deltona), Rockledge, Seabreeze (Daytona Beach)

2 Year Combined Win %: .442

Skinny: When we look at this district Rockledge stands out as the best team, with New Smyrna Beach not far behind. After that it is a struggle with Deltona, Pine Ridge and Seabreeze, and those three teams bring the combined win percentage drops significantly.

14. District 4A-8

Teams: Fivay (Hudson), Freedom (Tampa), Pasco (Dade City), Zephyrhills

2 Year Combined Win %: .430

Skinny: Yikes! This district will come into the 2024 season with some teams that have had their fair share of struggles including Freedom which is 0-20 over the last two seasons while Pasco and Fivay have had their own ups and downs. At the moment, Zephyrhills is the strongest of all the teams in this district.

15. District 4A-2

Teams: Arnold (Panama City Beach), Choctawhatchee (Fort Walton Beach), Fort Walton Beach, Rickards (Tallahassee)

2 Year Combined Win %: .372

Skinny: The struggles of Arnold and Fort Walton Beach over the last two years where those teams are a combined 8-31 drag the overall winning percentage down. Choctawhatchee has by far been the strongest of the teams here the last two seasons.

16. District 4A-14

Teams: Boynton Beach, Dillard (Fort Lauderdale), Dr. Joaquin Garcia (Lake Worth), Northeast (Oakland Park), Suncoast (Riviera Beach)

2 Year Combined Win %: .301

Skinny: With Dr. Joaquin Garcia entering state series action for the first time and the struggles of Northeast and Suncoast over the last two seasons, makes this the weakest district in Class 4A and one of the weakest districts in the entire state.