It is Week 10 in Florida and that means for a lot of teams it is either time to win or go home as the final week of district play is upon us. The Top 10 Games of the Week all feature matchups that involve a district championship at stake for the teams involved.
1. Miami Northwestern vs. Miami Carol City
Why: What a story it has been for District 6A-16 this year. First, it was Carol City beating Miami Central. Then it was Miami Northwestern pulling the upset in double overtime two weeks ago that ended the Rockets’ chances of going for five straight state championships. And now? This matchup. Both the Bulls and host Chiefs know they are in the playoffs, but which team wants to host in the first round? Well certainly both do, but a win by either team would cap off a great finish to the regular season by both teams.
2. Niceville at Crestview
Why: Both teams come into this game undefeated at 8-0 and both have been running some high-powered offense this season. However, the surprise in all of this is that Crestview is coming into this game undefeated. This is never mind the fact that Crestview wasn’t truly projected to be in this position at the start of the season, so they will certainly go down as a surprise this year. For both teams not having a close game this season, this one could possibly that one close game for both teams as they battle for the District 6A-2 championship.
3. Charlotte at Port Charlotte
Why: This is a rematch of last year’s District 6A-10 championship game and this one should be a lot better. Both teams come in undefeated for this year’s matchup and both have shown they can stop teams when they need to. However, Port Charlotte has been more dominant on defense while Charlotte has been more explosive on offense. In the end, this is Port Charlotte’s best chance to get back at Charlotte for last year’s loss and to claim the district championship.
4. Raines at Bolles
Why: A huge Jacksonville-area showdown here with both teams having not lost a game so far this season while managing to weather through two hurricanes as well. The Vikings this season have not looked as crisp on both sides of the ball compared to their run last year in Class 4A to the state runner-up spot, so that is a cause for concern. Bolles has flexed a big muscle this year and has won every single game by at least double digits and appears to be unstoppable. However, given the recent history between these two teams, look for this one to do down to the wire for the District 4A-2 championship.
5. Hillsborough at Armwood
Why: Hillsborough has shown and impressive turnaround this season coming into the District 6A-7 championship with Armwood undefeated. The host Hawks only loss on the season so far has been to Plant in a very close game earlier in the season. Both teams, however, have been solid on defense which has been a big key for them to get to this point. For both teams, they know that going on the road in the first round is not an ideal option, so expect the full 48 minutes of this game to be testing for both teams in trying to get the win.
6. Jacksonville Trinity Christian at Episcopal
Why: What an impressive season so far for Episcopal head coach and former Jacksonville Jaguars QB Mark Brunell and his Eagle’s squad. No one thought they would be undefeated coming into what is now the district championship game for District 3A-2. Trinity Christian, the defending Class 3A state champion, will have to rebound here after getting dropped by nationally-ranked IMG Academy last week. Both teams are impressive on talent which should lead to a thrilling 48 minutes of football. However, if Episcopal upsets Trinity Christian, it could be one of the biggest stories of the year as it would send the Conquerors on the road during the playoffs.
7. Gulf Breeze at Navarre
Why: The District 6A-2 championship is on the line here with both teams combining for just one loss on the season – yes one loss. That lone loss is owned by Gulf Breeze. However, it has been an impressive season for the visiting Dolphins who hired a new head coach during the offseason to take over the previously struggling program. As you can imagine, no one expected them to be in this position before the season started. Now the Dolphins have their first chance to claim a district championship since 1989 and their first win over Navarre since 2006. For Navarre, though, they look to keep the win streak going against Gulf Breeze as they look towards completing their second-straight undefeated regular season with a win here.
8. Plant at Wiregrass Ranch
Why: No surprise here that Plant is once again back in the playoffs, but now they must get ready to face what will likely be their second-biggest challenge of the season. That is the Wiregrass Ranch Bulls, which have gone from being 2-8 last season to now in the postseason, part in thanks to some help after Sickles forfeited four games last week due to an ineligible player. For both teams, they would like to win the district championship but will mean more for Wiregrass Ranch with a win, which would also be a considerable upset given the projections for Plant to win the District 7A-8 championship this season.
9. Ocala Forest at Ocala Vanguard
Why: The biggest matchup between these two rivals in many years, no one expected both teams to come into this final District 6A-5 contest of this season undefeated. However, undefeated might be where the comparisons end at for both teams. When looking at the level of competition both has played Vanguard has played a stronger strength of schedule than Forest has this season, although not by much to this point. However, that could all be laid to rest because for both the visiting Wildcats and the host Knights the district championship is the only thing important and that means at least playing in the first round at home in the playoffs in two weeks.
10. Wesley Chapel at River Ridge
Why: A huge shocker that we talk about Wesley Chapel being in this position as they were not even projected to finish in the top half of District 5A-8 this season. That was all given due to the struggles they have had for the last few years that came with the change of a new head coach during the offseason. However, River Ridge which has now consistently been of the top teams in the district for the last few years is no stranger to being in this position. For River Ridge, it is simple – win and you are the district champion. For Wesley Chapel, a win here would shake up the playoff picture, possibly forcing a tiebreaker shootout on Monday night.
