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 3A 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 2A-8
Teams: Berkeley Prep (Tampa), Calvary Christian (Clearwater), Tampa Catholic
2 Year Combined Win %: .733
Skinny: This is going to be a fun three-team district with a defending state champion in Berkeley Prep in the district. Both Berkeley Prep and Calvary Christian have 20 wins or more each over the last two years, leading to the highest winning percentage over the last two years for any district in Class 2A.
2. District 2A-1
Teams: Freeport, Pensacola Catholic, South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach), Walton (DeFuniak Springs)
2 Year Combined Win %: .641
Skinny: This will be on of the top districts to watch in Class 2A as these teams have been winning games and usually are playoff contenders on an annual basis.
3. District 2A-12
Teams: Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale), North Broward Prep (Coconut Creek)
2 Year Combined Win %: .638
Skinny: What would have been a three-team district is now two teams with American Heritage (Delray Beach) no longer a part of the equation. With Calvary Christian’s 20 wins the last two years helps make up a good portion of the overall winning percentage.
4. District 2A-15
Teams: Immaculata-LaSalle (Miami), Miami Springs, Ransom Everglades (Miami), Booker T. Washington (Miami)
2 Year Combined Win %: .613
Skinny: Booker T. Washington has been by far the best team and combined with Ransom Everglades’ two-years being independent with a strong record makes this district very strong along with Miami Springs’ improvements as well.
5. District 2A-11
Teams: Inlet Grove (Riviera Beach), King’s Academy (West Palm Beach), Somerset Canyons (Boynton Beach)
2 Year Combined Win %: .597
Skinny: King’s Academy and Somerset Canyons have been playing well over the last couple of years and that shows in the winning percentage to be among the strongest in Class 2A. Inlet Grove who struggled last season still helps give the district some balance.
6. District 2A-5
Teams: Bradford (Starke), Keystone Heights, Newberry, Palatka, Santa Fe (Alachua)
2 Year Combined Win %: .561
Skinny: This is a very strong district when you have a team that was combined 26-3 in the last two years with Bradford being the best team in the district. With Newberry and Palatka winning games as well and Keystone Heights’ improvement this district will be very fun to watch the next two years. Santa Fe’s combined 1-19 record over the last two years is what brings the winning percentage down.
7. District 2A-3
Teams: Florida High (Tallahassee), Gadsden County (Havana), Taylor County (Perry)
2 Year Combined Win %: .551
Skinny: Florida High is the best team in this district and has been to the regional finals or further each of the past two years. Taylor County has struggled the most and thus brings the combined two-year winning percentage down some.
8. District 2A-8
Teams: Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota), Lakewood (St. Petersburg), Tarpon Springs
2 Year Combined Win %: .551
Skinny: With Cardinal Mooney’s run to the state championship last year, that helped balance out the new district along with Tarpon Springs’ improvements the last two years as an independent program. Lakewood’s struggles this past season brought the winning percentage down some.
9. District 2A-4
Teams: Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville), Baldwin, Bolles (Jacksonville), Wolfson (Jacksonville)
2 Year Combined Win %: .538
Skinny: With this district initially slated to be a six-team district, the winning percentage could have been lower. With that said, Baldwin and Bolles have been the two best teams that are in this district over the last two years.
10. District 2A-13
Teams: Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale), Hallandale
2 Year Combined Win %: .523
Skinny: The majority of the win percentage is made up of Cardinal Gibbons’ 20 wins over the last two years and making this district lopsided with Pine Crest now out of the picture for the next two years.
11. District 2A-6
Teams: Astronaut (Titusville), Cocoa, The Villages
2 Year Combined Win %: .522
Skinny: Cocoa is by far been the best team of the three teams in this district over the last two years with two state championships and going a combined 25-4 in that stretch. Astronaut and The Villages are a combined 11-29 in that stretch which put the winning percentage of the new district just above 52%.
12. District 2A-10
Teams: Bishop Verot (Fort Myers), Clewiston, Glades Central (Belle Glade)
2 Year Combined Win %: .508
Skinny: In most seasons this district would be an exciting one, but with Glades Central’s continue struggles and Clewiston regressing in 2023, Bishop Verot stands out as the best team by far among the three teams that all have name recognition.
13. District 2A-16
Teams: Gulliver Prep (Pinecrest), Miami Killian, Somerset Silver Palms
2 Year Combined Win %: .417
Skinny: With struggles for Miami Killian and Somerset Silver Palms, Gulliver Prep looks like the best team at the moment in this district, but with Killian hiring Max Edwards recently could make this district a whole lot stronger in quick order.
14. District 2A-2
Teams: Bozeman (Panama City), Marianna, North Bay Haven (Panama City), Rutherford (Panama City)
2 Year Combined Win %: .412’
Skinny: Bozeman has been the best team among the teams in this district the last two seasons while the rest have struggled and combine result in the district having a winning percentage near 40%.
15. District 2A-14
Teams: Miami Carol City, Monsignor Pace (Miami), North Miami Beach, Westland Hialeah
2 Year Combined Win %: .373
Skinny: Between Monsignor Pace and North Miami Beach, those two teams have been the best performing teams of the teams in this new district. With Miami Carol City and Westland Hialeah struggling, you can see why this is one of the worst districts among the new district for Class 2A.
16. District 2A-7
Teams: Avon Park, Discovery (Lake Alfred), Lake Placid, Tenoroc (Lakeland)
2 Year Combined Win %: .221
Skinny: This is likely the worst district in the state when looking at all the districts combined. With just 15 wins combined the last two years. Also couple that with Discovery having not fielded a team last year, the football in this district might not be fun to watch.
