This change also marks the start of teams in the state in transitioning from the last two of being under the Metro/Suburban classification system back to the traditional classification system of being classified just strictly on enrollment that most states across the country use to classify schools.

With numerous teams either having appealed their initial placements that took place prior to Christmas last year, declaring independent status for the next two seasons or heading for membership in the Sunshine State Athletic Association (SSAA), some changes have come about, and we will bring you the full list of teams here for each district and the changes compared to those in December.

CLASS 7A

Region 1

District 1
Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville)
Creekside (St. Johns)
Sandalwood (Jacksonville)

District 2
DeLand
Flagler Palm Coast
Spruce Creek (Port Orange)
University (Orange City)

District 3
Hagerty (Oviedo)
Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs)
Lake Mary
Seminole (Sanford)

District 4
Boone (Orlando)
Freedom (Orlando)
Timber Creek (Orlando)
Winter Park

Notes: This district initially included Colonial (Orlando) and University (Orlando). Both teams opted for independent status as such Freedom was moved from Class 6A-District 2 to Class 7A and assigned to this district.

Region 2

District 5
Apopka
Ocoee
West Orange
West Port (Ocala)

Notes: Initially East Ridge (Clermont) was assigned to this district but was reassigned to Class 7A-District 9 for the next two seasons.

District 6
George Jenkins (Lakeland)
Haines City
Ridge Community (Davenport)
Winter Haven

District 7
Alonso (Tampa)
Newsome (Lithia)
Plant City
Strawberry Crest (Dover)
Sumner (Riverview)

District 8
Lehigh (Lehigh Acres)
Riverview (Sarasota)
Sarasota
Venice

Notes: After it appears that North Port would rejoin the state series, the Bobcats have opted out for another two years of being independent.

Region 3

District 9
Celebration
Dr. Phillips (Orlando)
East Ridge (Clermont)
Olympia (Orlando)

Notes: Celebration moves in from Class 7A-District 10 likely due to travel preferences based on their location in Osceola County compared to the other schools in their tentative district. East Ridge also moves from Class 7A-District 5. Windermere which was initially assigned to the district has opted for independent status for the next two seasons.

District 10
Harmony
Lake Nona (Orlando)
Tohopekaliga (Kissimmee)

Notes: The district shrinks to three teams after Celebration made their move to Class 7A-District 10, while Cypress Creek (Orlando) who was initially assigned to the district has opted for independent status for the next two seasons.

District 11
Centennial (Port St. Lucie)
Fort Pierce Central
Treasure Coast (Port St. Lucie)
Vero Beach

District 12
Jupiter
Palm Beach Central (Wellington)
Palm Beach Lakes (West Palm Beach)
Wellington

Region 4

District 13
Forest Hill (West Palm Beach)
John I. Leonard (Greenacres)
Lake Worth
Park Vista (Lake Worth)
Santaluces (Lantana)

Notes: It appears Forest Hill, which was assigned to Class 5A-District 14 in the tentative release appealed to move up two classifications and as such have expanded this district from the initial four teams to five teams.

District 14
Boca Raton
Coral Glades (Coral Springs)
Douglas (Parkland)
Spanish River (Boca Raton)

District 15
Cypress Bay (Weston)
Goleman (Miami)
Taravella (Coral Springs)
Western (Davie)

District 16
Columbus (Miami)
Coral Gables
Miami
Miami Palmetto
South Dade (Homestead)

CLASS 6A

Region 1

District 1
Crestview
Navarre
Pace
Tate (Cantonment)

District 2
First Coast (Jacksonville)
Fletcher (Neptune Beach)
Mandarin (Jacksonville)
Oakleaf (Orange Park)

District 3
Bartram Trail (St. Johns)
Buchholz (Gainesville)
Nease (Ponte Vedra)
Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine)

District 4
Evans (Orlando)
Lake Howell (Winter Park)
Oviedo
Wekiva (Apopka)

Region 2

District 5
Melbourne
Osceola (Kissimmee)
St. Cloud
Viera (Melbourne)

Notes: With Freedom (Orlando) heading to Class 7A-District 4, this district shrinks to four teams.

District 6
Davenport
Forest (Ocala)
Horizon (Winter Garden)
Lake Minneola
South Lake (Groveland)

District 7
Bartow
Bloomingdale (Valrico)
Durant (Plant City)
Riverview (Riverview)

District 8
Armwood (Seffner)
Plant (Tampa)
Sickles (Tampa)
Wharton (Tampa)

Region 3

District 9
Land O’ Lakes
Mitchell (New Port Richey)
Sunlake (Land O’Lakes)
Wiregrass Ranch (Wesley Chapel)

District 10
East Lake (Tarpon Springs)
George Steinbrenner (Lutz)
Largo
Palm Harbor University

District 11
Gateway (Fort Myers)
Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton)
Lennard (Ruskin)
Palmetto
Parrish Community

Notes: Parrish Community now lands in this district as they were a school just right on the dividing line between Class 5A and Class 6A. We are not sure if Parrish Community appealed to go up to Class 6A from Class 5A-District 10 which had them in a district with two other Manatee County schools and a school from Pinellas County.

District 12
Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens)
Palm Beach Gardens
Royal Palm Beach
Seminole Ridge (Westlake)
West Boca Raton

Region 4

District 13
Coral Springs
Fort Lauderdale
Monarch (Coconut Creek)
Piper (Sunrise)

District 14
Cooper City
Nova (Davie)
South Broward (Hollywood)
South Plantation

District 15
Dr. Krop (Miami)
Flanagan (Pembroke Pines)
Miami Beach
West Broward (Pembroke Pines)

District 16
Doral Academy
Homestead
Miami Southridge
Southwest Miami

CLASS 5A

Region 1

District 1
Gulf Breeze
Milton
Mosley (Lynn Haven)
Niceville

District 2
Chiles (Tallahassee)
Leon (Tallahassee)
Lincoln (Tallahassee)

District 3
Beachside (St. Johns)
Fleming Island
Middleburg
Orange Park
Ponte Vedra

Notes: Beachside will be in the first district assignment as a program after their first two seasons as a program being completed as an independent.

District 4
Belleview
Mainland (Daytona Beach)
Matanzas (Palm Coast)

Region 2

District 5
Edgewater (Orlando)
Lyman (Longwood)
Winter Springs

Notes: East River (Orlando) and Lake Buena Vista (Orlando) both opted for independent status for the next two years after the initial assignment had them in this district, shrinking the number of teams from five teams to three teams.

District 6
Kathleen (Lakeland)
Lake Gibson (Lakeland)
Lakeland
Sebring

District 7
Cypress Creek (Wesley Chapel)
Gaither (Tampa)
Springstead (Spring Hill)
Wesley Chapel

District 8
East Bay (Gibsonton)
Leto (Tampa)
Spoto (Riverview)
Tampa Bay Tech

Region 3

District 9
Braden River (Bradenton)
Manatee (Bradenton)
Pinellas Park (Largo)

Notes: With Parrish Community moving to Class 6A-District 11, which was assigned to this district tentatively, this district will now feature three teams.

District 10
Cape Coral
Charlotte (Punta Gorda)
Ida Baker (Cape Coral)
Mariner (Cape Coral)

District 11
East Lee County (Lehigh Acres)
Fort Myers
North Fort Myers
Riverdale (Fort Myers)

District 12
Golden Gate (Naples)
Gulf Coast (Naples)
Immokalee
Palmetto Ridge (Naples)

Region 4

District 13
Fort Pierce Westwood
Heritage (Palm Bay)
Martin County (Stuart)
South Fork (Stuart)

District 14
Atlantic (Delray Beach)
Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach)
Coconut Creek
Deerfield Beach

Notes: With Forest Hill, who was tentatively assigned to this district, winning their appeal to go up to Class 7A-District 13, this district will now feature four teams instead of five.

District 15
Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lakes)
Hollywood Hills
McArthur (Hollywood)
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale)

District 16
Everglades (Miramar)
Mater Academy (Hialeah Gardens)
Miramar
North Miami
Pembroke Pines Charter

CLASS 4A

Region 1

District 1
Booker T. Washington (Pensacola)
Escambia (Pensacola)
Pine Forest (Pensacola)

District 2
Arnold (Panama City Beach)
Choctawhatchee (Fort Walton Beach)
Fort Walton Beach
Rickards (Tallahassee)

District 3
Clay (Green Cove Springs)
Columbia (Lake City)
Ridgeview (Orange Park)
St. Augustine

District 4
Ed White (Jacksonville)
Englewood (Jacksonville)
Riverside (Jacksonville)

Region 2

District 5
Gainesville
Lecanto
Leesburg
Vanguard (Ocala)

District 6
Deltona
New Smyrna Beach
Pine Ridge (Deltona)
Rockledge
Seabreeze (Daytona Beach)

District 7
Auburndale
Jones (Orlando)
Lake Region (Eagle Lake)
Lake Wales

District 8
Fivay (Hudson)
Freedom (Tampa)
Pasco (Dade City)
Zephyrhills

Region 3

District 9
Blake (Tampa)
Brandon
Hillsborough (Tampa)
Jesuit (Tampa)
Middleton (Tampa)

District 10
Clearwater
Countryside (Clearwater)
Gulf (New Port Richey)
River Ridge (New Port Richey)

District 11
Northeast (St. Petersburg)
Osceola (Seminole)
Southeast (Bradenton)
St. Petersburg

District 12
Dunbar (Fort Myers)
Naples
Port Charlotte
South Fort Myers

Region 4

District 13
John Carroll (Fort Pierce)
Jensen Beach
Okeechobee
Port St. Lucie
Sebastian River (Sebastian)

Notes: This one is interesting as John Carroll who was tentatively assigned to Class 1A-District 13 appealed to move three classifications and now will join this district with teams much closer to them in the Treasure Coast region of the state instead of having to travel over an hour to Palm Beach County.

District 14
Boynton Beach
Dillard (Fort Lauderdale)
Dr. Joaquin Garcia (Lake Worth)
Northeast (Oakland Park)
Suncoast (Riviera Beach)

Notes: Dr. Joaquin Garcia will have its first district assignment here after opening and fielding their first team as an independent this past fall.

District 15
American Heritage (Plantation)
Archbishop McCarthy (Southwest Ranches)
Miami Norland
Plantation

District 16
American (Hialeah)
Belen Jesuit (Miami)
Hialeah
South Miami

CLASS 3A

Region 1

District 1
Bay (Panama City)
Pensacola
West Florida (Pensacola)

District 2
Baker County (Glen St. Mary)
Godby (Tallahassee)
Suwannee (Live Oak)
Wakulla (Crawfordville)

Notes: Suwannee won their appeal to move up to this district from Class 2A-District 3 and now puts the Bulldogs in a district with more familiar opponents they have seen in their districts over the last decade.

District 3
Raines (Jacksonville)
Ribault (Jacksonville)
Yulee

District 4
Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville)
Menendez (St. Augustine)
Terry Parker (Jacksonville)
Westside (Jacksonville)

Region 2

District 5
Dunnellon
Eastside (Gainesville)
North Marion (Citra)
South Sumter (Bushnell)
The Villages

Notes: With both South Sumter and The Villages appealing their tentative assignment of Class 2A-District 6 placement that would have had them in the same district with teams like Cocoa and Astronaut that are two-plus hours away, both programs get a district with teams that are at an hour or under in travel time. Santa Fe (Alachua) which was initially part of the tentative assignment was sent to Class 2A-District 5 due to the reshuffling of teams in the lower classifications.

District 6
Atlantic (Port Orange)
Bishop Moore (Orlando)
Eustis
Mount Dora
Tavares

District 7
Central (Brooksville)
Citrus (Inverness)
Crystal River
Hernando (Brooksville)
Weeki Wachee

District 8
Eau Gallie (Melbourne)
Merritt Island
Palm Bay (Melbourne)
Satellite (Satellite Beach)
Titusville

Region 3

District 9
Anclote (Holiday)
Dunedin
Hudson
Nature Coast (Brooksville)

District 10
Chamberlain (Tampa)
Jefferson (Tampa)
King (Tampa)
Robinson (Tampa)

District 11
Bayshore (Bradenton)
Boca Ciega (Gulfport)
Booker (Sarasota)
Gibbs (St. Petersburg)

District 12
DeSoto County (Arcadia)
Hardee (Wauchula)
Mulberry

Region 4

District 13
Cypress Lake (Fort Myers)
Estero
Island Coast (Cape Coral)
Lemon Bay (Englewood)

District 14
Aubrey Rogers (Naples)
Barron Collier (Naples)
Bonita Springs
Lely (Naples)

District 15
Miami Central
Pompano Beach
Somerset Academy (Pembroke Pines)
Stranahan (Fort Lauderdale)

Notes: Pompano Beach returns to district play after quite a few years of playing as an independent program.

District 16
Key West
Miami Jackson
Miami Northwestern
St. Brendan (Miami)

CLASS 2A

Region 1

District 1
Freeport
Pensacola Catholic
South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach)
Walton (DeFuniak Springs)

District 2
Bozeman (Panama City)
Marianna
North Bay Haven (Panama City)
Rutherford (Panama City)

District 3
Florida High (Tallahassee)
Gadsden County (Havana)
Taylor County (Perry)

Notes: With Suwannee winning their appeal to move to Class 3A, this district now shrinks to three teams.

District 4
Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville)
Baldwin
Bolles (Jacksonville)
Fernandina Beach
West Nassau (Callahan)
Wolfson (Jacksonville)

Region 2

District 5
Bradford (Starke)
Keystone Heights
Newberry
Palatka
Santa Fe (Alachua)

Notes: Cresent City which was tentatively assigned to this district is now in Class 1A, while Santa Fe moves down from Class 3A-District 5.

District 6
Astronaut (Titusville)
Cocoa

Notes: What started as a five-team district has shrunk to two teams as Umatilla went to the SSAA Atlantic League while South Sumter and The Villages won appeals to move up to Class 3A-District 5.

District 7
Avon Park
Discovery (Lake Alfred)
Lake Placid
Tenoroc (Lakeland)

Notes: Discovery canceled their football program this past season due to low roster numbers. We are not sure if Discovery is planning to relaunch its football program this season, but FHSAA rules no longer require teams to sit out for at least a year before joining a district.

District 8
Berkeley Prep (Tampa)
Calvary Christian (Clearwater)
Tampa Catholic

Region 3

District 9
Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota)|
Lakewood (St. Petersburg)
Tarpon Springs

District 10
Bishop Verot (Fort Myers)
Clewiston
Glades Central (Belle Glade)

District 11
Inlet Grove (Riviera Beach)
Kings Academy (West Palm Beach)
Somerset Canyons (Boynton Beach)

District 12
American Heritage (Delray Beach)
Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale)
North Broward Prep (Coconut Creek)

Notes: American Heritage was announced as a new member of the SSAA Atlantic League earlier this month, but it shows they are still assigned to this district.

Region 4

District 13
Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale)
Hallandale
Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale)

District 14
Miami Carol City
Monsignor Pace (Miami)
North Miami Beach
Westland Hialeah

District 15
Booker T. Washington (Miami)
Immaculata-LaSalle (Miami)
Miami Springs
Ransom Everglades (Miami)

District 16
Gulliver Prep (Pinecrest)
Miami Killian
Somerset Charter (Silver Palms)

CLASS 1A

Region 1

District 1
FAMU (Tallahassee)
Maclay (Tallahassee)
North Florida Christian (Tallahassee)
St. John Paul II (Tallahassee)

District 2
Episcopal (Jacksonville)
North Florida Educational (Jacksonville)
Seacoast Christian (Jacksonville)
Trinity Christian (Jacksonville)

Notes: Seacoast Christian has not fielded an 11-man team in many years and not sure why they are still listed here in the district.

District 3
Impact Christian (Jacksonville)
Providence (Jacksonville)
University Christian (Jacksonville)

District 4
Fort White
P. K. Yonge (Gainesville)
Trinity Catholic (Ocala)
Union County (Lake Butler)
Williston

Notes: Trinity Catholic was moved to this district which could have been based on either appeal due to travel, but also the fact that Crescent City was added to District 5. So either scenario could have happened here.

Region 2

District 5
Crescent City
Father Lopez (Daytona Beach)
Halifax Academy (Daytona Beach)
Taylor (Pierson)

Notes: Trinity Catholic was initially assigned to the district, but they are moved to District 5 while Crescent City moves down from Class 2A-District 5 to this district.

District 6
First Academy (Orlando)
Foundation Academy (Winter Garden)
Holy Trinity (Melbourne)
Melbourne Central Catholic
Orlando Christian Prep

District 7
Carrollwood Day (Tampa)
Lakeland Christian
Victory Christian (Lakeland)

Notes: Frostproof, a team that was tentatively in this district is bound for the SSAA Atlantic League but has not been officially announced yet. And with more moves to the SSAA Carrollwood Day is added to the district after their tentative district, District 1A-8 saw Bishop McLaughlin (Spring Hill), Cambridge Christian (Tampa), and Zephyrhills Christian jump to the SSAA 11-Man League.

District 8
Clearwater Central Catholic
Indian Rocks Christian (Largo)

Notes: The teams here were not even part of the tentative district assignment as noted above what happened. Now Clearwater Central Catholic and Indian Rocks Christian have moved from District 9 just to form a two-team district for District 8.

Region 3

District 9
Gulf Coast HEAT (Bradenton)
Northside Christian (St. Petersburg)
St. Petersburg Catholic

Notes: With Clearwater Central Catholic and Indian Rocks Christian being moved to keep District 8 together, this district is now left with three teams. It appears Gulf Coast HEAT was moved from District 10 to District 9 due to travel as it appears Gulf Coast HEAT is fielding a tackle football team.

District 10
Evangelical Christian (Fort Myers)
Southwest Florida Christian (Fort Myers)

Notes: Another two-team district here which marks the third two-team district for the new classification cycle. Originally Gulf Coast HEAT was assigned to this district and appealed to move to District 9 to be closer to teams in District 9 for travel purposes.

District 11
Community School (Naples)
First Baptist (Naples)
St. John Neumann (Naples)

District 12
Benjamin (Palm Beach Gardens)
Cardinal Newman (West Palm Beach)
SLAM (West Palm Beach)

Notes: Considering that SLAM shut its football program down last summer, we are not sure if SLAM intends to field a team again. However, do not be shocked if this district ends up being just two teams. John Carroll, the other team tentatively assigned to this district appealed to move up to Class 4A-District 13 to be closer to teams for travel purposes.

Region 4

District 13
Somerset Academy Key (Deerfield Beach)
Somerset Prep (North Lauderdale)
St. Andrews (Boca Raton)
St. John Paul II (Boca Raton)

Notes: Somerset Academy Key went independent this past season as they tried to build their program and Somerset Prep enters the state series after building their program up the last few years.

District 14
Avant Garde (Hollywood)
Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood)
Florida Christian (Miami)
Miami Edison

District 15
Archbishop Carroll (Miami)
BridgePrep Village Green (Miami)
True North (Miami)
Westminster Christian (Miami)

District 16
Everglades Prep (Homestead)
Palm Glades Prep (Miami)
Palmer Trinity (Miami)
Somerset Academy Charter South Homestead

CLASS 1R

Region 1
Baker
Central (Milton)
Chipley
Graceville
Holmes County (Bonifay)
Jay
Northview (Century)
Vernon

Notes: Central (Milton) launched their first football program this season and was JV and now will field their first varsity team this season and qualified for the Rural Classification.

Region 2
Blountstown
Cottondale
Franklin County (Eastpoint)
Liberty County (Bristol)
Munroe Day (Quincy)
Port St. Joe
Sneads
Wewahitchka

Notes: Munroe Day joins the Rural Classification for the first time, but has been eligible to be a part of the classification since the creation of the classification in 2011.

Region 3
Aucilla Christian (Monticello)
Branford
Dixie County (Cross City)
Hamilton County (Jasper)
Hilliard
Jefferson County (Monticello)
Lafayette (Mayo)
Madison County (Madison)

Notes: Aucilla Christian announced recently that they were heading to the SSAA, but we are hearing that might not fully be the case. We will keep an eye on this one and see if anything changes.

Region 4
Chiefland
Fort Meade
Hawthorne
Marathon
Moore Haven
Pahokee
Trenton
Wildwood

Notes: Fort Meade jumps back into the rural classification after two years away from the classification while both Marathon and Moore Haven join the classification for the first time despite being eligible for the classification from the start due as both programs look to take advantage of what the classification could bring to their programs.

INDEPENDENT

All Saints’ (Winter Haven)
Bell
Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville)
Boca Raton Christian
Braddock (Miami)
Bradenton Christian
Bronson
Cedar Creek Christian (Jacksonville)
Central Florida Christian (Orlando)
Christ’s Church Academy (Jacksonville)
Cocoa Beach
Colonial (Orlando)
Coral Reef (Miami)
Coral Shores (Tavernier)
Coral Springs Charter
Cornerstone Charter (Belle Isle)
Cypress Creek (Orlando)
Dade Christian (Miami)
Destin
East River (Orlando)
Faith Christian (Orlando)
Ferguson (Miami)
Gateway (Kissimmee)
Geneva (Casselberry)
Glades Day (Belle Glade)
Hialeah Gardens
Hialeah-Miami Lakes
Hollins (St. Petersburg)
IMG Academy (Bradenton)
Jupiter Christian
Keswick Christian (St. Petersburg)
KIPP Bold City (Jacksonville)
Lake Buena Vista (Orlando)
Lake Highland Prep (Orlando)
Legacy (Ocoee)
Liberty (Kissimmee)
Marco Island Academy
Miami Coral Park
Miami Country Day
Miami Sunset
Mount Dora Christian
Mourning (Miami)
North Port
NSU University School (Fort Lauderdale)
Oak Ridge (Orlando)
Oasis (Cape Coral)
Olympic Heights (Boca Raton)
Orangewood Christian (Maitland)
Paxon (Jacksonville)
Pepin Academies (Tampa)
Poinciana (Kissimmee)
Reagan (Doral)
Roosevelt (Lake Wales)
Santa Fe Catholic (Lakeland)
Seminole (Seminole)
Space Coast (Cocoa)
St. Francis (Gainesville)
St. Johns Classical (Fleming Island)
St. Joseph (St. Augustine)
Stanton (Jacksonville)
Tradition Preparatory (Port St. Lucie)
Trinity Preparatory (Winter Park)
University (Orlando)
Varela (Miami)
Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale)
Windermere
Windermere Prep

Notes: This list of independents may not be fully accurate. With the SSAA now requiring football teams to be members with them for the sport and not having dual membership with the FHSAA, expect this list to shrink quickly.

The post FHSAA announces final football classifications and districts for the 2024 & 2025 seasons appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

As such, a lot of huge changes have taken place, part due to shifting enrollments in a lot of areas with population shifts, but also shifting enrollments thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic that has seen schools either lose or gain students throughout the school year, which lead to the one-year reclassification taking place.

Per FHSAA Policy 12.2, October 2020 Student Enrollment including non-traditional students from the 2019-2020 school year to determine where schools would be placed at.

READ MORE: FHSAA Board of Directors votes for one-year reclassification plan

With that, here is a look at where the cutoff lines were set for each of the eight classifications.

8A: 2,356+
7A: 2,355 – 1,924
6A: 1,923 – 1,582
5A: 1,581 – 1,137
4A: 1,136 – 740
3A: 739 – 361
2A: 360 & below
1A: 600 & below and Rural Designation

NOTE: Old classification (from 2019 season) is noted if a school has changed classification or has moved up from independent or SSAC.

CLASS 8A

Region 1

DISTRICT 1
Bartram Trail (St. Johns)
Creekside (St. Johns) – up from 7A
Mandarin (Jacksonville)
Oakleaf (Orange Park)
Sandalwood (Jacksonville)

DISTRICT 2
DeLand
Flagler Palm Coast
Lake Mary
Oviedo
Seminole (Sanford)

DISTRICT 3
Apopka
Evans (Orlando)
Lake Brantley
Ocoee
West Port (Ocala)

DISTRICT 4
Colonial (Orlando)
Hagerty (Oviedo)
Timber Creek (Orlando)
University (Orlando)
Winter Park

Region 2

DISTRICT 5
Boone (Orlando)
Cypress Creek (Orlando)
Freedom (Orlando)
Lake Nona (Orlando)
Oak Ridge (Orlando)
Tohopekaliga (Kissimmee) – up from 7A

DISTRICT 6
Centennial (Port St. Lucie)
Fort Pierce Central
Treasure Coast (Port St. Lucie)
Vero Beach

DISTRICT 7
Jupiter
Palm Beach Central (Wellington)
Palm Beach Gardens
Palm Beach Lakes (West Palm Beach) – up from 7A
Royal Palm Beach – up from 7A
Wellington

DISTRICT 8
Forest Hill (West Palm Beach)
John I. Leonard (Greenacres)
Lake Worth
Park Vista (Lake Worth)
Santaluces (Lantana)

Region 3

DISTRICT 9
Celebration
Dr. Phillips (Orlando)
Olympia (Orlando)
Osceola (Kissimmee)
West Orange (Winter Garden)
Windermere

DISTRICT 10
Durant (Plant City) – up from 7A
Newsome (Lithia)
Plant (Tampa)
Plant City – up from 7A
Riverview (Riverview)

DISTRICT 11
Alonso (Tampa)
East Lake (Tarpon Springs) – up from 7A
Palm Harbor University
Steinbrenner (Lutz)

DISTRICT 12
Gulf Coast (Naples) – up from 7A
Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton) – up from 7A
Riverview (Sarasota)
Sarasota – up from 7A
Venice – up from 7A

Region 4

DISTRICT 13
Boca Raton
Coral Springs
Deerfield Beach
Douglas (Parkland)
Monarch (Coconut Creek)
West Boca Raton – up from 7A

DISTRICT 14
Coral Glades (Coral Springs)
Cypress Bay (Weston)
Flanagan (Pembroke Pines)
Taravella (Coral Springs)
Western (Davie)

DISTRICT 15
Coral Gables
Dr. Krop (Miami) – up from Independent
Miami
Miami Beach – up from 7A
West Broward (Pembroke Pines)

DISTRICT 16
Columbus (Miami)
Coral Reef (Miami)
Miami Palmetto
South Dade (Homestead)
Southwest Miami

CLASS 7A

Region 1

DISTRICT 1
Crestview
Navarre
Niceville
Pace – up from 6A
Tate (Cantonment)

DISTRICT 2
Buchholz (Gainesville)
Chiles (Tallahassee)
Forest (Ocala)
Leon (Tallahassee)

DISTRICT 3
Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville)
First Coast (Jacksonville)
Fleming Island (Orange Park)
Fletcher (Neptune Beach)
Nease (Ponte Vedra) – down from 8A
Ponte Vedra – up from 6A

DISTRICT 4
Lake Howell (Winter Park)
Lyman (Longwood)
Spruce Creek (Port Orange) – down from 8A
University (Orange City) – down from 8A
Winter Springs

Region 2

DISTRICT 5
Bartow
George Jenkins (Lakeland)
Kathleen (Lakeland)
Lake Gibson (Lakeland) – up from 6A
Lakeland

DISTRICT 6
East Ridge (Clermont) – down from 8A
Edgewater (Orlando)
Ridge Community (Davenport) – down from 8A
Wekiva (Apopka)
Winter Haven

DISTRICT 7
East River (Orlando)
Harmony
Melbourne
St. Cloud
Viera (Melbourne)

DISTRICT 8
Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens)
Fort Pierce Westwood – up from 6A
Martin County (Stuart)
Sebastian River (Sebastian) – up from 6A
Seminole Ridge (Loxahatchee)

Region 3

DISTRICT 9
Gaither (Tampa) – up from 6A
Largo – up from 6A
Leto (Tampa)
Mitchell (New Port Richey)
Sickles (Tampa)

DISTRICT 10
Armwood (Seffner)
Strawberry Crest (Dover)
Tampa Bay Tech
Wharton (Tampa) – down from 8A
Wiregrass Ranch (Wesley Chapel)

DISTRICT 11
Bloomingdale (Valrico)
East Bay (Gibsonton)
Lennard (Ruskin) – down from 8A
Manatee (Bradenton)
Palmetto – up from 6A

DISTRICT 12
Immokalee – up from 6A
Lehigh (Lehigh Acres)
North Port
Palmetto Ridge (Naples) – up from 6A
Riverdale (Fort Myers)

Region 4

DISTRICT 13
Atlantic (Delray Beach)
Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach)
Fort Lauderdale
Olympic Heights (Boca Raton)
Piper (Sunrise) – down from 8A

DISTRICT 14
Cooper City
Dillard (Fort Lauderdale) – up from 6A
Nova (Davie) – up from Independent
South Plantation
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale)

DISTRICT 15
Everglades (Miramar)
McArthur (Hollywood)
Miramar
North Miami
South Broward (Hollywood)

DISTRICT 16
Doral Academy (Miami)
Hialeah
Homestead
Mater Academy (Hialeah Gardens)
Miami Southridge – up from 6A

CLASS 6A

Region 1

DISTRICT 1
Booker T. Washington (Pensacola)
Escambia (Pensacola)
Gulf Breeze
Milton
Pine Forest (Pensacola) – up from 5A

DISTRICT 2
Choctawhatchee (Fort Walton Beach) – up from 5A
Fort Walton Beach
Lincoln (Tallahassee) – down from 7A
Mosley (Lynn Haven)
Rickards (Tallahassee) – up from 5A

DISTRICT 3
Columbia (Lake City)
Englewood (Jacksonville)
Lee (Jacksonville)
Orange Park – up from 5A
Westside (Jacksonville) – up from 5A

DISTRICT 4
Gainesville
Matanzas (Palm Coast)
Middleburg
Ridgeview (Orange Park) – up from 5A
St. Augustine

Region 2

DISTRICT 5
Belleview – up from 5A
Lecanto
Pasco (Dade City)
Springstead (Spring Hill)
Vanguard (Ocala) – up from 5A

DISTRICT 6
Jones (Orlando) – up from 5A
Lake Minneola
Mainland (Daytona Beach)
New Smyrna Beach
South Lake (Groveland) – down from 7A

DISTRICT 7
Auburndale
Eau Gallie (Melbourne) – up from 5A
Gateway (Kissimmee)
Heritage (Palm Bay)
Lake Wales – up from 5A

DISTRICT 8
Okeechobee
Port St. Lucie
South Fork (Stuart)
Suncoast (Riviera Beach) – up from 5A

Region 3

DISTRICT 9
Countryside (Clearwater)
Fivay (Hudson)
Freedom (Tampa)
River Ridge (New Port Richey) – up from 5A
Sunlake (Land O’ Lakes) – down from 7A

DISTRICT 10
Blake (Tampa)
Hillsborough (Tampa)
Jefferson (Tampa)
Jesuit (Tampa) – up from 5A
King (Tampa)

DISTRICT 11
Boca Ciega (Gulfport)
Hollins (St. Petersburg)
Northeast (St. Petersburg
Pinellas Park (Largo) – down from 7A
Seminole (Seminole)
St. Petersburg

DISTRICT 12
Braden River (Bradenton)
Brandon
Southeast (Bradenton)
Spoto (Riverview)
Sumner (Riverview) – up from Independent

Region 4

DISTRICT 13
Cape Coral – up from 5A
Charlotte (Punta Gorda)
Dunbar (Fort Myers)
Fort Myers
Ida Baker (Cape Coral)
North Fort Myers

DISTRICT 14
Barron Collier (Naples)
East Lee County (Lehigh Acres)
Golden Gate (Naples)
Lely (Naples)
Naples
South Fort Myers

DISTRICT 15
Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lakes)
Coconut Creek – up from 5A
Hollywood Hills
Northeast (Oakland Park)
Plantation – down from 7A

DISTRICT 16
American (Hialeah) – down from 7A
Belen Jesuit (Miami)
Miami Norland
Miami Northwestern – up from 5A
South Miami

CLASS 5A

Region 1

DISTRICT 1
Arnold (Panama City Beach)
Godby (Tallahassee)
Pensacola
Wakulla (Crawfordville)
West Florida (Pensacola)

DISTRICT 2
Baker County (Glen St. Mary)
Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville)
Ed White (Jacksonville)
Paxon (Jacksonville)
Suwannee (Live Oak)

DISTRICT 3
Raines (Jacksonville)
Ribault (Jacksonville)
Terry Parker (Jacksonville)
Yulee

DISTRICT 4
Clay (Green Cove Springs)
Eastside (Gainesville)
Menendez (St. Augustine)
North Marion (Citra)
Palatka – up from 4A

Region 2

DISTRICT 5
Citrus (Inverness)
Crystal River
Dunnellon
Lake Weir (Ocala)
Leesburg

DISTRICT 6
Eustis
Horizon (Winter Garden) – new school
Lake Buena Vista – new school
Mount Dora
Tavares

DISTRICT 7
Atlantic (Port Orange)
Bishop Moore (Orlando)
Deltona – down from 6A
Pine Ridge (Deltona) – down from 6A
Seabreeze (Daytona Beach) – down from 6A

DISTRICT 8
Bayside (Palm Bay) – down from 6A
Merritt Island
Palm Bay (Melbourne)
Rockledge
Satellite (Satellite Beach) – up from Independent
Titusville – up from Independent

Region 3

DISTRICT 9
Cypress Creek (Wesley Chapel) – up from 4A
Hudson – up from 4A
Nature Coast (Brooksville)
Weeki Wachee
Wesley Chapel
Zephyrhills

DISTRICT 10
Anclote (Holiday)
Clearwater – down from 6A
Dunedin – up from Independent
Gibbs (St. Petersburg)
Gulf (New Port Richey)
Tarpon Springs

DISTRICT 11
Chamberlain (Tampa)
Middleton (Tampa) – down from 6A
Robinson (Tampa)

DISTRICT 12
Booker (Sarasota)
Hardee (Wauchula)
Port Charlotte – down from 6A
Sebring

Region 4

DISTRICT 13
Bonita Springs – up from 3A
Cypress Lake (Fort Myers)
Estero
Island Coast (Cape Coral) – down from 6A
LaBelle
Mariner (Cape Coral)

DISTRICT 14
American Heritage (Plantation)
Boynton Beach
Hallandale
Jensen Beach
Stranahan (Fort Lauderdale)

DISTRICT 15
Hialeah-Miami Lakes – up from Independent
Miami Central – down from 6A
Miami Springs
North Miami Beach
Somerset Academy (Pembroke Pines) – up from 4A

DISTRICT 16
Key West
Miami Jackson
Miami Killian
St. Brendan (Miami) – up from Independent

CLASS 4A

REGION 1
Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) – up from 3A
Baldwin – up from 3A
Bay (Panama City)
Bolles (Jacksonville)
Fernandina Beach
Gadsden County (Havana)
Marianna
North Bay Haven (Panama City)
Rutherford (Panama City)
South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach)
West Nassau (Callahan)
Wolfson (Jacksonville) – up from 3A

REGION 2
Astronaut (Titusville)
Central (Brooksville) – down from 5A
Cocoa
Hernando (Brooksville) – down from 5A
Keystone Heights
Santa Fe (Alachua)
South Sumter (Bushnell)
Space Coast (Cocoa)
The Villages
Umatilla

REGION 3
American Heritage (Delray Beach)
Clewiston
Davenport – new school
Discovery (Lake Alfred) – up from Independent
Glades Central (Belle Glade)
Lakewood (St. Petersburg)
Lemon Bay (Englewood)
Parrish – up from Independent
Somerset Canyons (Boynton Beach)
Tenoroc (Lakeland)

REGION 4
Booker T. Washington (Miami)
Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale) – up from 4A
Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale)
Coral Springs Charter
Gulliver Prep (Pinecrest)
Immaculata-LaSalle (Miami)
Miami Carol City
Monsignor Pace (Miami)
North Broward Prep (Coconut Creek)
NSU University School (Fort Lauderdale)
Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale)

CLASS 3A

REGION 1
Chipley – up from 1A
Crescent City – up from 1A
Episcopal (Jacksonville)
Florida High (Tallahassee)
Interlachen
Maclay (Tallahassee) – up from 2A
P. K. Yonge (Gainesville)
Pensacola Catholic
Providence (Jacksonville) – up from SSAC
Trinity Catholic (Ocala)
Walton (DeFuniak Springs)

REGION 2
Avon Park – down from 4A
Benjamin (Palm Beach Gardens)
Cornerstone Charter (Belle Isle)
First Academy (Orlando)
Frostproof
Lake Placid – down from 4A
Lakeland Christian
Melbourne Central Catholic
Trinity Preparatory (Winter Park)
Windermere Prep – up from SSAC

REGION 3
Berkeley Prep (Tampa)
Bishop Verot (Fort Myers)
Calvary Christian (Clearwater)
Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota)
Carrollwood Day (Tampa) – up from 2A
Clearwater Central Catholic
Gateway (Fort Myers) – up from Independent
Oasis (Cape Coral)
St. Petersburg Catholic
Tampa Catholic – down from 4A

REGION 4
Cardinal Newman (West Palm Beach)
Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood)
Everglades Prep (Homestead)
Florida Christian (Miami) – up from Independent
The King’s Academy (West Palm Beach)
Miami Edison
Palmer Trinity (Palmetto Bay)
Somerset South Homestead – up from Independent
Somerset Silver Palms
St. Andrew’s (Boca Raton)
St. John Paul II (Boca Raton)
Westminster Christian (Miami)

CLASS 2A

REGION 1
Aucilla Christian (Monticello)
FAMU DRS (Tallahassee)
Munroe Day (Quincy)
North Florida Christian (Tallahassee)
North Florida Educational (Jacksonville)
Rocky Bayou Christian (Niceville)
St. Francis Catholic (Gainesville)
St. John Paul II (Tallahassee)
St. Joseph (St. Augustine)
Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) – down from 3A
University Christian (Jacksonville)

REGION 2
Bishop McLaughlin (Spring Hill) – up from SSAC
Father Lopez (Daytona Beach) – down from 3A
Foundation Academy (Winter Garden)
Halifax Academy (Daytona Beach)
Holy Trinity (Melbourne) – down from 3A
Orangewood Christian (Maitland)
Orlando Christian Prep – up from SSAC
Trinity Christian (Deltona)
Victory Christian (Lakeland)
Zephyrhills Christian

REGION 3
Bradenton Christian – up from SSAC
Cambridge (Tampa)
Community School (Naples)
Evangelical Christian (Fort Myers)
First Baptist (Naples)
Indian Rocks Christian (Largo)
Keswick Christian (St. Petersburg)
Northside Christian (St. Petersburg)
Seffner Christian
Southwest Florida Christian (Fort Myers)
St. John Neumann (Naples)

REGION 4
Archbishop Carroll (Miami) – up from Independent
Avant Garde (Hollywood) – up from Independent
Champagnat Catholic (Hialeah)
Dade Christian (Miami) – up from Independent
Glades Day (Belle Glade)
John Carroll (Fort Pierce) – down from 3A
Marathon
Miami Christian
Moore Haven
Village Academy (Delray Beach) – up from Independent
Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale)

CLASS 1A

REGION 1
Baker
Bozeman (Panama City)
Cottondale
Freeport
Graceville
Holmes County (Bonifay)
Jay
Northview (Bratt)
Vernon

REGION 2
Blountstown
Franklin County (Eastpoint)
Hamilton County (Jasper)
Jefferson County (Monticello)
Liberty County (Bristol)
Madison County (Madison)
Port St. Joe
Sneads
Taylor County (Perry)
Wewahitchka

REGION 3
Bell
Branford
Chiefland
Dixie County (Cross City)
Fort White
Hilliard
Lafayette (Mayo)
Trenton
Union County (Lake Butler)

REGION 4
Bradford (Starke) – down from 4A
Bronson
Fort Meade
Hawthorne
Newberry
Pahokee
Taylor (Pierson) – down from 3A
Wildwood
Williston

INDEPENDENT

A’Kelynn’s Angels (Winter Haven)
Archbishop McCarthy (Southwest Ranches) – down from 6A
Bayshore (Bradenton) – down from 5A
Bell Creek (Riverview)
Berean Christian (West Palm Beach)
Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville)
Boca Raton Christian
Braddock (Miami)
Canterbury (Fort Myers)
Cedar Creek Christian (Jacksonville)
Central Florida Christian (Orlando)
Christs Church Academy (Jacksonville)
Cocoa Beach
Coral Shores (Tavernier)
DeSoto County (Arcadia) – down from 5A
Eagle’s View (Jacksonville) – down from 2A
Faith Christian (Orlando)
Ferguson (Miami)
First Academy-Leesburg
Four Corners (Davenport)
Gateway Charter (Fort Myers)
Goleman (Miami)
Harvest Community (Jacksonville)
Hialeah Gardens
IMG Academy (Bradenton)
Jupiter Christian
Lake Highland Prep (Orlando)
Lake Mary Prep
Lake Region (Eagle Lake) – down from 5A
Land O’ Lakes – down from 6A
Legacy (Ocoee)
Liberty (Kissimmee) – down from 7A
Marco Island Academy
Miami Coral Park
Miami Country Day
Miami Sunset
Mount Dora Christian
Mourning (North Miami)
Mulberry – down from 5A
Oak Hall (Gainesville) – down from 2A
Ocala Christian
Osceola (Seminole)
Out-of-Door (Sarasota)
Palm Glades Prep (Miami)
Pembroke Pines Charter
Poinciana (Kissimmee) – down from 7A
Pompano Beach
Ransom Everglades (Miami)
Reagan (Doral)
Santa Fe Catholic (Lakeland)
Sarasota Christian
Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto)
Shorecrest Prep (St. Petersburg)
Somerset Academy Key (Deerfield Beach)
Spanish River (Boca Raton) – down from 8A
St. Edward’s (Vero Beach)
St. Stephen’s (Bradenton)
Stanton (Jacksonville)
The Master’s Academy (Oviedo)
Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine)
True North (Miami)
Varela (Miami)
Westland Hialeah

The post FHSAA releases new football classifications for 2021 season appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

However, unlike in past reclassification cycles, the FHSAA has announced some major changes.

First, the assignments were determined using student enrollment and then geography.

Second, a school will not be allowed to appeal placement in their classification basically making the assignments final unless a team decides to choose become an independent for the next two seasons.

The FHSAA provided this explanation for the reason on why no appeals.

“After traveling the state this past year, the consensus the FHSAA heard from its athletic directors and coaches was that they wanted an equal number of teams by classification, an even number of teams in each district and region and no three-team districts. Moving schools would go against that sentiment and would create uneven classifications, regions or districts. The staff has thoroughly reviewed the assignments and do not see any schools that are geographically isolated that would require movement to another classification (FHSAA Policy 12). To maintain the wishes of our constituents, the FHSAA will not be accepting appeals.”

With that said everything will be “officially” final in January with the next reclassification coming in 2020 for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

One thing to note is that in Classes 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A there is no districts and there is no region mandated schedule.

Without further ado, here are the district and region assignments for 2019 and 2020 with links to the maps provided by the FHSAA.

CLASS 8A
Population 2,406-4,799
79 Schools

Map

Region 1

District 1
Mandarin
Oakleaf
Nease
Bartram Trail
Sandalwood

District 2
Spruce Creek
Flagler Palm Coast
West Port
University (Orange City)
DeLand
Seminole (Sanford)

District 3
Hagerty
Oviedo
University (Orlando)
Winter Park
Colonial
Timber Creek

District 4
West Orange
Evans
Ocoee
Lake Brantley
Lake Mary
Apopka

Region 2

District 5
East Ridge
Oak Ridge
Boone
Olympia
Windermere
Dr. Phillips

District 6
Osceola (Kissimmee)
Celebration
Lake Nona
Cypress Creek (Orlando)
Freedom (Orlando)

District 7
Wharton
Steinbrenner
Plant
Palm Harbor University
Alonso

District 8
Riverview (Riverview)
Riverview (Sarasota)
Haines City
Ridge Community
Newsome
Lennard

Region 3

District 9
Centennial
Fort Pierce Central
Treasure Coast
Vero Beach

District 10
Forest Hill
Wellington
Palm Beach Gardens
Palm Beach Central
Jupiter

District 11
Lake Worth
Santaluces
Park Vista
John I. Leonard

District 12
Deerfield Beach
Monarch
Spanish River
Boca Raton

Region 4

District 13
Coral Glades
Coral Springs
Taravella
Douglas

District 14
Flanagan
West Broward
Western
Cypress Bay

District 15
Miami High
Braddock
Coral Gables
Columbus

District 16
Southwest Miami
Miami Palmetto
South Dade
Coral Reef

CLASS 7A
Population 2,009-2,404
81 Schools

Map

Region 1

District 1
Lincoln
Leon
Crestview
Chiles
Niceville
Tate
Navarre

District 2
First Coast
Fletcher
Fleming Island
Creekside
Atlantic Coast
Buchholz

District 3
Edgewater
South Lake
Wekiva
Forest

District 4
Winter Springs
East River
Lake Howell
Lyman

Region 2

District 5
Harmony
Melbourne
Viera
St. Cloud
Tohopekaliga

District 6
Liberty
Poinciana
Bartow
George Jenkins
Winter Haven

District 7
Kathleen
Lakeland
Strawberry Crest
Bloomingdale
Plant City
Durant

District 8
Tampa Bay Tech
Armwood
Wiregrass Ranch
East Bay

Region 3

District 9
Pinellas Park
Sunlake
Mitchell
Leto

District 10
Sarasota
Manatee
Lakewood Ranch
Venice

District 11
Lehigh
Riverdale
North Port
Gulf Coast

District 12
Martin County
Seminole Ridge
Royal Palm Beach
Dwyer
Palm Beach Lakes

Region 4

District 13
Blanche Ely
Olympic Heights
West Boca Raton
Atlantic (Delray Beach)

District 14
Plantation
St. Thomas Aquinas
Fort Lauderdale
Nova
South Plantation

District 15
American
McArthur
South Broward
Everglades
Cooper City
Miramar

District 16
Mater Academy
Homestead
Hialeah
Doral Academy
North Miami
Miami Beach

CLASS 6A
Population 1,663-1,993
81 Schools

Map

Region 1

District 1
Fort Walton Beach
Escambia
Mosley
Washington (Pensacola)
Gulf Breeze
Milton
Pace

District 2
Robert E. Lee
Middleburg
Gainesville
Columbia

District 3
Matanzas
St. Augustine
Ponte Vedra
Englewood

District 4
Seabreeze
Deltona
Pine Ridge
Mainland
New Smyrna Beach

Region 2

District 5
Lecanto
Springstead
Lake Minneola
Pasco

District 6
Fivay
Land O’ Lakes
Freedom (Tampa)
Gaither

District 7
Osceola (Seminole)
Clearwater
Countryside
Seminole (Seminole)
Largo

District 8
Northeast (St. Petersburg)
Boca Ciega
Dixie Hollins
St. Petersburg

Region 3

District 9
Auburndale
Gateway (Kisssimmee)
Bayside
Lake Gibson
Heritage (Palm Bay)

District 10
Spoto
Middleton
Blake
Jefferson
King
Brandon
Hillsborough

District 11
Okeechobee
Fort Pierce Westwood
Port St. Lucie
South Fork
Sebastian River

District 12
Port Charlotte
Southeast
Palmetto
Braden River
Charlotte

Region 4

District 13
Island Coast
Ida Baker
North Fort Myers
South Fort Myers
Fort Myers
East Lee County
Dunbar

District 14
Barron Collier
Immokalee
Lely
Naples
Golden Gate
Palmetto Ridge

District 15
Northeast (Oakland Park)
Boyd Anderson
Archbishop McCarthy
Dillard

District 16
Miami Central
Belen Jesuit
Miami Norland
Miami Southridge
South Miami

CLASS 5A
Population 1,169-1,648
84 Schools

Map

Region 1

District 1
Bay
West Florida
Pensacola
Arnold
Pine Forest
Choctawhatchee

District 2
Suwannee
Godby
Wakulla
Rickards

District 3
Bishop Kenny
Baker County
Ed White
Westside
Terry Parker

District 4
Yulee
Raines
Ribault
Paxon
Stanton

Region 2

District 5
Eastside
Menendez
Clay
Ridgeview
Orange Park

District 6
Dunnellon
North Marion
Atlantic (Port Orange)
Lake Weir
Belleview
Vanguard

District 7
Mount Dora
Eustis
Tavares
Bishop Moore
Leesburg
Jones

District 8
Hernando
Central (Brooksville)
Weeki Wachee
Crystal River
Nature Coast
Citrus

Region 3

District 9
Palm Bay
Merritt Island
Rockledge
Eau Gallie

District 10
Mulberry
Lake Region
Lake Wales
Hardee
Sebring

District 11
Anclote
Tarpon Springs
Wesley Chapel
Zephyrhills
Gulf
River Ridge

District 12
Booker
Dunedin
Bayshore
Robinson
Chamberlain
Jesuit
Gibbs

Region 4

District 13
LaBelle
DeSoto County
Mariner
Cape Coral
Cypress Lake
Estero

District 14
Jensen Beach
Coconut Creek
Boynton Beach
Suncoast

District 15
Hallandale
Stranahan
North Miami Beach
American Heritage (Plantation)

District 16
Key West
Miami Springs
Miami Northwestern
Miami Jackson
Miami Killian

CLASS 4A
Population 752-1,153
42 Schools

Map

Region 1
Marianna
Bolles
Bradford
North Bay Haven
South Walton
Fernandina Beach
Gadsden County
West Nassau
Rutherford
Santa Fe

Region 2
Keystone Heights
Lake Highland Prep
The Villages
Cocoa
Space Coast
South Sumter
Astronaut
Cypress Creek (Wesley Chapel)
Palatka
Hudson

Region 3
Tampa Catholic
Somerset Canyons
Lake Placid
Clewiston
North River
Lakewood
Glades Central
Avon Park
Lemon Bay
Tenoroc

Region 4
NSU University School
Pine Crest
Immaculata-LaSalle
Monsignor Pace
American Heritage (Delray Beach)
Coral Springs Charter
Booker T. Washington
Gulliver Prep
Miami Carol City
North Broward Prep
Somerset Academy (Pembroke Pines)
Cardinal Gibbons

CLASS 3A
Population 384-749
43 Schools

Map

Region 1
Trinity Christian (Jacksonville)
P.K. Yonge
Trinity Catholic
Episcopal
Pensacola Catholic
Andrew Jackson
Florida High
Baldwin
Wolfson
Interlachen
Walton

Region 2
Holy Trinity
Lakeland Christian
Father Lopez
First Academy (Orlando)
Cornerstone Charter
Trinity Prep
Melbourne Central Catholic
Taylor (Pierson)
Discovery
Frostproof

Region 3
John Carroll
Benjamin
Cardinal Newman
Cardinal Mooney
King’s Academy
Clearwater Central Catholic
Calvary Christian (Clearwater)
Berkeley Prep
Bonita Springs
Oasis
Bishop Verot

Region 4
Palm Glades Prep
St. John Paul II (Boca Raton)
Palmer Trinity
Pinecrest Prep
Westminster Christian
Chaminade-Madonna
Everglades Prep
Somerset Charter (Silver Palms)
St. Andrew’s
Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale)
Miami Edison

CLASS 2A
Population 56-376
41 Schools

Map

Region 1
Munroe
Aucilla Christian
North Florida Educational
Eagle’s View
North Florida Christian
FAMU
Rocky Bayou Christian
University Christian
St. Joseph
Maclay

Region 2
Kingdom Prep
Halifax Academy
Merritt Island Christian
St. John Lutheran
Trinity Christian (Deltona)
Victory Christian
St. Francis Catholic
Orangewood Christian
Foundation Academy
Oak Hall

Region 3
Tampa Bay Christian
Zephyrhills Christian
Keswick Christian
Cambridge Christian
Northside Christian
Indian Rocks Christian
Admiral Farragut
St. Petersburg Catholic
Seffner Christian
Carrollwood Day

Region 4
Glades Day
Champagnat
Miami Christian
First Baptist
Evangelical Christian
St. John Neumann
Westminster Academy
Southwest Florida Christian
Moore Haven
Community School (Naples)
Marathon

CLASS 1A
Population 100-600
37 Schools

Map

Region 1
Holmes County
Baker
Graceville
Cottondale
Jay
Vernon
Freeport
Northview
Chipley

Region 2
Bozeman
Liberty County
Port St. Joe
Jefferson County
Wewahitchka
Blountstown
Sneads
Franklin County
Taylor County

Region 3
Lafayette
Hamilton County
Bell
Hilliard
Branford
Dixie County
Madison County
Union County
Fort White

Region 4
Hawthorne
Bronson
Trenton
Fort Meade
Wildwood
Chiefland
Pahokee
Williston
Crescent City
Newberry

Photo Credit: FHSAA

The post FHSAA releases football classification assignments for 2019 and 2020 seasons appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

However, the biggest change for Girls Flag Football comes the long-awaited split of the sport into two classifications, something that was highly expected with the addition of Miami-Dade County public schools adding in Flag Football starting next school year.

Instead of having all the teams vying for one state championship across 32 districts, schools are now divided up into a Class 1A and Class 2A with the biggest schools in Class 2A. Both classifications will have a total of 16 districts each.

Here are the final district assignments for Girls Flag Football, effective next school year:

Class 2A

(118 schools)
Fall 2014 student population: 2,000-4,492

REGION 1
(29 schools)

DISTRICT 1
(8 schools)
Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville)
First Coast (Jacksonville)
Fleming Island (Orange Park)
Fletcher (Neptune Beach)
Mandarin (Jacksonville)
Oakleaf (Orange Park)
Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville)
Sandalwood (Jacksonville)

DISTRICT 2
(7 schools)
Apopka
DeLand
Flagler Palm Coast
Ocoee
Spruce Creek (Port Orange)
Wekiva (Apopka)

DISTRICT 3
(8 schools)
Boone (Orlando)
Dr. Phillips (Orlando)
Evans (Orlando)
Olympia (Orlando)
Timber Creek (Orlando)
University (Orlando)
West Orange (Winter Garden)
Winter Park

DISTRICT 4
(6 schools)
Centennial (Port St. Lucie)
Fort Pierce Central
Martin County (Stuart)
South Fork (Stuart)
Treasure Coast (Port St. Lucie)
Vero Beach

REGION 2
(30 schools)

DISTRICT 5
(9 schools)
Celebration
Cypress Creek (Orlando)
Freedom (Orlando)
Gateway (Kissimmee)
Lake Nona (Orlando)
Liberty (Kissimmee)
Oak Ridge (Orlando)
Osceola (Kissimmee)
St. Cloud

DISTRICT 6
(8 schools)
Bloomingdale (Valrico)
Durant (Plant City)
East Bay (Gibsonton)
Newsome (Lithia)
Plant City
Riverview (Riverview)
Strawberry Crest (Dover)
Tampa Bay Tech

DISTRICT 7
(7 schools)
Alonso (Tampa)
Freedom (Tampa)
Gaither (Tampa)
George Steinbrenner (Lutz)
Plant (Tampa)
Sickles (Tampa)
Wharton (Tampa)

DISTRICT 8
(6 schools)
Countryside (Clearwater)
East Lake (Tarpon Springs)
Palm Harbor University
Pinellas Park (Largo)
Seminole (Seminole)
St. Petersburg

REGION 3
(31 schools)

DISTRICT 9
(8 schools)
Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens)
Jupiter
Palm Beach Central (Wellington)
Palm Beach Gardens
Palm Beach Lakes (West Palm Beach)
Royal Palm Beach
Seminole Ridge (Loxahatchee)
Wellington

DISTRICT 10
(9 schools)
Atlantic (Delray Beach)
Boca Raton
Forest Hill (West Palm Beach)
John I. Leonard (Greenacres)
Lake Worth
Park Vista (Lake Worth)
Santaluces (Lantana)
Spanish River (Boca Raton)
West Boca Raton

DISTRICT 11
(7 schools)
Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach)
Coral Glades (Coral Springs)
Coral Springs
Deerfield Beach
Douglas (Parkland)
Monarch (Coconut Creek)
Taravella (Coral Springs)

DISTRICT 12
(7 schools)
Cypress Bay (Weston)
Fort Lauderdale
Nova (Davie)
Piper (Sunrise)
Plantation
South Plantation
Western (Davie)

REGION 4
(29 schools)

DISTRICT 13
(8 schools)
Cooper City
Everglades (Miramar)
Flanagan (Pembroke Pines)
Hollywood Hills
McArthur (Hollywood)
Miramar
South Broward (Hollywood)
West Broward (Pembroke Pines)

DISTRICT 14
(7 schools)
American (Hialeah)
Dr. Krop (Miami)
Hialeah
Hialeah Gardens
Mater Academy (Hialeah Gardens)
North Miami
Reagan (Doral)

DISTRICT 15
(7 schools)
Braddock (Miami)
Coral Gables
Miami
Miami Coral Park
South Miami
Southwest Miami
TERRA Institute (Miami)

DISTRICT 16
(7 schools)
Coral Reef (Miami)
Ferguson (Miami)
Homestead
Miami Palmetto
Miami Southridge
Miami Sunset
Varela (Miami)

Class 1A

(111 schools)
Fall 2014 student population: 99-1,999

REGION 1
(27 schools)

DISTRICT 1
(4 schools)
Crestview
Fort Walton Beach
Niceville
Pace

DISTRICT 2
(8 schools)
Chiles (Tallahassee)
East Gadsden (Havana)
FAMU (Tallahassee)
Florida High (Tallahassee)
Godby (Tallahassee)
Leon (Tallahassee)
Lincoln (Tallahassee)
Rickards (Tallahassee)

DISTRICT 3
(8 schools)
Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville)
Englewood (Jacksonville)
Paxon (Jacksonville)
Raines (Jacksonville)
Ribault (Jacksonville)
Stanton (Jacksonville)
Terry Parker (Jacksonville)
Wolfson (Jacksonville)

DISTRICT 4
(7 schools)
Baldwin
Clay (Green Cove Springs)
Ed White (Jacksonville)
Middleburg
Orange Park
Ridgeview (Orange Park)
Westside (Jacksonville)

REGION 2
(29 schools)

DISTRICT 5
(6 schools)
Belleview
Keystone Heights
Palatka
Trinity Catholic (Ocala)
West Port (Ocala)
Vanguard (Ocala)

DISTRICT 6
(6 schools)
Armwood (Seffner)
Brandon
King (Tampa)
Lennard (Ruskin)
Middleton (Tampa)
Spoto (Riverview)

DISTRICT 7
(7 schools)
Blake (Tampa)
Brooks-DeBartolo (Tampa)
Chamberlain (Tampa)
Hillsborough (Tampa)
Jefferson (Tampa)
Leto (Tampa)
Robinson (Tampa)

DISTRICT 8
(10 schools)
Boca Ciega (Gulfport)
Clearwater
Dixie Hollins (St. Petersburg)
Dunedin
Gibbs (St. Petersburg)
Lakewood (St. Petersburg)
Largo
Northeast (St. Petersburg)
Osceola (Seminole)
Tarpon Springs

REGION 3
(29 schools)

DISTRICT 9
(8 schools)
Atlantic (Port Orange)
Deltona
Mainland (Daytona Beach)
Matanzas (Palm Coast)
New Smyrna Beach
Pine Ridge (Deltona)
Seabreeze (Daytona Beach)
Warner Christian (South Daytona)

DISTRICT 10
(5 schools)
East River (Orlando)
Edgewater (Orlando)
Harmony
Jones (Orlando)
Poinciana (Kissimmee)

DISTRICT 11
(7 schools)
Fort Pierce Westwood
Glades Central (Belle Glade)
Jensen Beach
Lake Placid
Okeechobee
Pahokee
Port St. Lucie

DISTRICT 12
(9 schools)
Boynton Beach
Coral Springs Charter
Inlet Grove (Riviera Beach)
Olympic Heights (Boca Raton)
Oxbridge Academy (West Palm Beach)
Somerset Canyons (Boynton Beach)
Suncoast (Riviera Beach)
Village Academy (Delray Beach)
Zion Lutheran (Deerfield Beach)

REGION 4
(26 schools)

DISTRICT 13
(8 schools)
Archbishop McCarthy (Southwest Ranches)
Coconut Creek
Dillard (Fort Lauderdale)
Hallandale
Northeast (Oakland Park)
Pembroke Pines Charter
Pompano Beach
Stranahan (Fort Lauderdale)

DISTRICT 14
(6 schools)
Goleman (Miami)
Hialeah Educational
Hialeah-Miami Lakes
Miami Carol City
Miami Norland
Monsignor Pace (Miami)

DISTRICT 15
(6 schools)
Hebrew Academy (Miami Beach)
Miami Central
Miami Edison
Miami Northwestern
Miami Springs
North Miami Beach

DISTRICT 16
(6 schools)
International Studies (Miami)
Keys Gate (Homestead)
Miami Jackson
SLAM Academy (Miami)
Somerset Charter (Homestead)
Washington (Miami)

Independent

(32 schools)
Bell Creek (Riverview)
Ben Gamla (Plantation)
Central Florida Leadership (Orlando)
Choctawhatchee (Fort Walton Beach)
Citrus (Inverness)
Crystal River
Dunnellon
Duval Charter (Jacksonville)
Father Lopez (Daytona Beach)
Fernandina Beach
Forest (Ocala)
Garden of the Sahaba (Boca Raton
Hillel (North Miami Beach)
Hilliard
Horeb Christian (Hialeah)
iMater Prep (Hialeah)
Lecanto
Mater Lakes (Miami)
North Marion (Citra)
Odyssey Charter (Palm Bay)
Sagemont (Weston)
Somerset Central Miramar
Somerset Prep (North Lauderdale)
Somerset South Homestead
St. Andrew’s Episcopal (Fort Pierce)
Tampa Adventist
Tampa Bay Christian
Taylor (Pierson)
Trinity Christian (Deltona)
Universal Academy (Tampa)
West Nassau (Callahan)
Yulee

The post FHSAA finalizes Girls Flag Football districts for the next four years appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

How important is it you ask?

Four years worth of time.

Four years is equal to one term for the United States presidency, governorship for most states as well as the length of a term for most of your local elected officials.

Four years is a very long time in the world. Things can change in just four years. Look at history and you will see that things can change in a flash.

Why, I am expressing four years? It is simple: That is how long our district alignments will last starting for the 2015-16 school year.

That means once districts are finalized early next year, they will remain the same for four years. That means you will see the same district opponents through the 2018-19 school year.

Furthermore, this just doesn’t just apply to football. It applies to ALL sports.

Yes, ALL sports.

However, the major problems faced in football with alignments are much more of an issue than the ones faced say in basketball, softball or even volleyball. Football’s issue is sort of unique.

Roughly there are 550 FHSAA members fielding a football team this season. Of those, just roughly around 475 are partaking in the FHSAA state series for football. That is leaving roughly close to 75 to 80 teams not participating in the state series.

Even by our rough calculations, the number of teams that will take part in the series next year won’t see much growth. At most, we are looking at roughly 480-485 teams, The added 10 to 15 teams will likely be the public schools and few private schools that sat out the last two seasons playing as an independent.

As for the rest teams left? Expect them to stay independent. They are happy with their situation now that has allowed them create independent conference that works within inside the 11 week regular season schedule plus an extra week for a bowl game (championship game) at the end of the season.

Conferences like the Sunshine State Athletic Conference (which grew from just 12 teams last year to 26 plus this season) and the Southeastern Football Conference have grown tremendously in the last few years are very happy with what they have now and would like to stay the course.

So take roughly 485 schools, divide up the highest 2/3 to the top four highest classes and the 1/3 to the lowest four classes and well we get a mess because we are now talking about district that could be smaller, maybe even a bit more travel involved and further more just weakening the case for competitiveness than what it is already. In fact, the case for competitiveness is so weak now, that fans are tired of the blowouts this year because teams are just scheduling whoever to fill a schedule with so few district games these days.

Most coaches are tired of the same old, same old with status quo on the football alignments. Change is needed and it has to start somewhere. That somewhere is the FHSAA and they need to listen to the coaches, the teams, the fans and the media who covers these games. What most have seen this year is just pure lack of competitiveness in district football alignments. Most of the districts that seem to have had any competitive balance are the ones that carry six to nine teams and those are far and few between.

So how would we tackle such an issue with the football alignments? It would take several steps, but it could be done.

First, scrap the 2/3 and 1/3 division of the schools among whatever how many classes you have. The 1/3 going to the lowest four is doing no one any favors in terms of travel in some areas. One good example is having District 3A-2 going all the way from Tallahassee, snaking over to Gainesville and Ocala and then reaching over to the east in Daytona Beach. That sure sounds like a reduction in travel with that district … NOT!

Second, set in place where no district can be fewer than five teams and this can be done, if teams are placed on a map and are sorted out geographically in a proper sense.

Third, cut the number of classes. Eight classes for just roughly 485 schools is just too much. Pennsylvania roughly has the same amount of schools in just four classes. So the numbers now just don’t prove the value of the FHSAA needing eight classes for football. Other sports might need the expanded classes, but football doesn’t. Heck even soccer only has five classes WITH MORE schools playing soccer in the state series than there are football in EIGHT CLASSES, so to say it can’t be done in football is just totally off balance.

So what kind of alignment systems should we look at? Here are a few ideas.

Seven classifications
This reduction of just one class can be involved several different scenarios.

Plan A: Keep Class 1A as is with the rural schools with enrollments 600 or under that meet the requirements. Make 2A a capped enrollment of small urban schools at 400 enrollment or under. Classes 3A to 7A would then be divided evenly into 12 districts that would allow for a wildcard system that was used from 1999-2002. So 12 district champions, 12 runner-ups and eight wildcards would advance into the playoffs from each classification. The wildcards would be determined based upon strength of schedule, so every game any team schedules would matter here. Number of playoff teams would actually increase in this situation from 192 to 224, but the districts would be bigger for the most part and we would very much avoid smaller two, three and four team districts. Add on: 1A and 2A would be the same setup as it is now – eight districts, only champion and runner-up advance into the playoffs. No wildcards for those two classes.

Plan B: Scrap Class 1A rural and divide the teams evenly up into seven classes with only eight districts or rename them as regions taking a page from the Georgia High School Association (GHSA). FHSAA can subdivide regions to fit in line for travel, if it is warranted, with 10 teams or more in a region. In this case 4 teams would advance from each region with the top team getting the highest placement in the bracket. If a region is subdivided, a play in game would be played Week 10 between the subdivide regions among the top four teams from each subdivided region (#1 A vs #1 B – to decide a region champion, #2 A vs. #2 B or some variation of a play in with seeding that can be determined). Bracket would be somewhat different, but here again the number of playoff teams would actually increase in this plan from 192 to 224.

Six classifications
This reduction of just two classes can be involved to strength competition as well.

Plan C: Scrap Class 1A rural and reduced the overall number of classifications to six (pre-2003) and divide schools evenly as possible into the six classes. With this using 2013 numbers (2014 numbers will be out in the next few weeks). The classes would look like what we have seen in the past. Almost all classes would have 80 or 81 teams in them and if you divide that up by 16 then that is just five schools per district average. However, take the wildcard system here which would be beneficial for almost everyone, 12 districts would result in the average of 6 to 7 teams per district. In this situation the number of playoff teams remain the same at 192 teams.

Overall, any of these plans would either keep the same number of teams or increase the number of playoff teams, but make the competitive environment better for the entire state.

Also another thing that the FHSAA should seriously consider is how we handle tiebreakers in football. Is it necessary to ask teams to risk injury on a Monday night before the last game of the season just to break a tie? That is a question I have had with the tiebreaker procedure now for a long time. Instead the FHSAA should use a capped point tiebreaker system to break ties.

It is simple in this tiebreaker  and I will take the results of District 7A-1 from 2013 as an example here of how this would work since this district went into a three-way tie. Taking a page from the Texas play book, you can set the cap at 18 points. So if a team won by 30 they would only get 18 points for that win. If a team lost by 30 they would only get hit with a -18 point differential for that loss, not the -30 point differential. So for District 7A-1 we need to decide a district champion and runner-up. First you, need to decided the district champion out of the three teams using the capped point system. After that you will figure out the runner-up based upon head-to-head to break the tie.

First you need to have the scores of the games involving the tied teams only.
District 7A-1 involved Niceville, Crestview and Tate here for this example.

Results: Niceville defeated Tate – 28-6; Tate defeated Crestview 29-24, Crestview defeated Niceville, 17-12

Niceville would get a +18 (capped) for Tate win and -5 for Crestview loss.
Tate would get a -18 (capped) for Niceville loss and a +5 for Crestview win.
Crestview would get a +5 for Niceville win and a a -5 for Tate loss.

Point Differential Total
Niceville: +18
Crestview: 0
Tate: -13

So as you see here, Niceville would be crowned the district champion as the have the highest point differential total among the three teams.

Now you got to decide the district runner-up to break that tie up. Take Niceville out and start the process over. Here the tie can be broken head-to-head. As such Tate won over Crestview meaning Tate would be the runner-up. If you thought Crestview would be the runner-up in this situation looking at the point differential total, that is not the case.

Overall we just simply broke a three-way tie this way without ever having the teams step foot on the field and risking injury in a quarter tiebreaker game on a Monday night.

But what would happen if the point differential all came out the same in a three-way tie and head-to-head won’t break it? This is where you insert the tiebreaker shootout to handle this situation. This would only be called upon if the capped point tiebreaker cannot break the 3-way tie.

I have stated my opinion, now it is time for you to speak your opinion. Leave a comment below or send us an email by emailing us at football@floridahsfootball.com. Also you can vote below in the poll.

POLL: So which plan who you rather see be put in place if the FHSAA was to make a change ? Vote below.
Results are non-scientific and purely for entertainment and informational purposes only.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

The post OPINION: Time for the FHSAA to hit the reset button on football alignments appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

There are several things to keep in mind here:

• We try to place teams as close together as possible.
• The reduction of many two, three and four team districts is a goal in this series. The fewer the better, but not always avoidable.
• We did not count very many independents on emerging from that status come reclassification time. Teams that dropped out this off-season are not counted as well, believe to have to sit out at least two years from district play due to breaking contracts for those district games.
• All-boys schools Jesuit (Tampa), Belen Jesuit and Columbus have had their enrollments doubled as required by FHSAA rules.
• Enrollment data used for this research comes from the 2013 FHSAA student population report.  These numbers could change some things this fall, but most schools are expected to stay around the same enrollment numbers, based upon growth rates in most areas.

What would a Class 3A look like?

The new Class 3A could look very similar to what the current Class 3A is, but there will be some differences.

• Pensacola Catholic, could play in its proper class with a Panhandle district that matches them school size wise with several other quality panhandle programs.
• South Florida would get the rare three team district, by the do just of the geographic nature and very few teams in South Florida willing to compete at the 3A level at this time.
• Some teams close to the 600 mark in 3A could find their way in to Class 1A rural, if their Fall 2014 numbers were to fall to 600 or below. Those include Union County (which is already a member, but at this time is above the numbers for 1A rural), Taylor County and Fort White.
• It is possible that Bishop Verot and possibly Lake Placid could apply for geographic isolation if the criteria is met by both programs.

District 1: Florida High, Marianna, North Bay Haven Charter, Pensacola Catholic, Walton
District 2: Fort White, Interlachen, P.K. Yonge,  Taylor County, Trinity Catholic, Union County, Villages
District 3: Andrew Jackson, Baldwin, Bishop Snyder, Duval Charter, Episcopal, Providence, Trinity Christian (Jacksonville)
District 4: Cocoa Beach, Father Lopez, The First Academy (Orlando), Holy Trinity, Jones, Lake Highland Prep, Melbourne Central Catholic, Trinity Prep
District 5: Berkeley Prep, Fort Meade, Frostproof, Lake Placid, Lakeland Christian, Tampa Catholic
District 6: Bishop Verot, Calvary Christian (Clearwater), Cardinal Mooney, Clearwater Central Catholic, St. Petersburg Catholic
District 7: American Heritage (Delray Beach), Cardinal Newman, Inlet Grove, John Carroll, Oxbridge Academy, Pahokee
District 8: Chaminade-Madonna, University School, Westminster Christian

Map of Class 3A

What could Class 2A look like?

It should not be surprising that Class 2A looks like the current Class 2A, but with a few more teams added to the mix.

• Most districts will look the same as they are now.
• The elimination of the two team district in Tallahassee can be done, however it would remain to be seen if these teams actually stay together or force that district back to two teams. If that happens then a wildcard scenario would be recommended for Region I of Class 2A, thus eliminating the automatic playoff berths that have been given out to this district over the last four years.

District 1: Aucilla Christian, FAMU, Maclay, North Florida Christian, Rocky Bayou Christian
District 2: Cedar Creek Christian, Christ’s Church Academy, Eagle’s View,  Harvest Community, Oak Hall, St. Joseph, University Christian
District 3: Agape Christian, Cornerstone Charter, Foundation Academy, Orangewood Christian, Trinity Christian (Deltona), Warner Christian
District 4: Cambridge Christian, Carrollwood Day, Citrus Park Christian, Victory Christian
District 5: Admiral Farragut, Bradenton Christian, Canterbury (St. Petersburg), Indian Rocks Christian, Northside Christian, Out-of-Door
District 6: Evangelical Christian, First Baptist (Naples), Moore Haven, St. John Neumann
District 7: Glades Day, Jupiter Christian, St. Edward’s, Village Academy
District 8: Boca Raton Christian, Champagnat, Coral Springs Christian, Dade Christian

Map of Class 2A

What could Class 1A look like?

Class 1A would look pretty much like it does, give or take a different team or two, but the districts you see now would likely look the same way, with just a few differences.

District 1: Baker, Freeport, Jay, Northview
District 2: Cottondale, Graceville, Sneads, Vernon, Wewahitchka
District 3: Blountstown, Bozeman, Chipley, Holmes County, South Walton
District 4: Franklin County, Liberty County, Port St. Joe, West Gadsden
District 5: Branford, Hamilton County, Jefferson County, Lafayette
District 6: Bell, Bronson, Hawthorne, Hilliard, Trenton
District 7: Chiefland, Dixie County, Madison County, Newberry, Williston
District 8: Baldwin, Crescent City, Taylor (Pierson), Wildwood

Map of Class 1A

Your thoughts?

Comment below or share your thoughts on The Varsity Message Board on our series.

Part V will be released tomorrow explaining the proposed capped point system for breaking district ties..

The Reclassification Series Proposal
Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V

The post Reclassification Series Proposal PART IV: How Classes 3A, 2A and 1A could look like appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

There are several things to keep in mind here:

• We try to place teams as close together as possible.
• The reduction of many two, three and four team districts is a goal in this series. The fewer the better, but not always avoidable.
• We did not count very many independents on emerging from that status come reclassification time. Teams that dropped out this off-season are not counted as well, believe to have to sit out at least two years from district play due to breaking contracts for those district games.
• All-boys schools Jesuit (Tampa), Belen Jesuit and Columbus have had their enrollments doubled as required by FHSAA rules.
• Enrollment data used for this research comes from the 2013 FHSAA student population report.  These numbers could change some things this fall, but most schools are expected to stay around the same enrollment numbers, based upon growth rates in most areas.

What would Class 5A look like?

Things for a Class 5A start to not look the same as the current Class 6A as we bring in some of the Current Class 5A schools into the mix here. This certainly will create a different look and feel in the districts created.

• There will be two four team districts, the smallest of all districts in this situation.
• Most districts will maintain an average size of about six teams per district

District 1: Escambia, Milton, Pace Pine Forest Washington (Pensacola)
District 2: Choctawhatchee, Fort Walton Beach, Gulf Breeze, Mosley
District 3: Columbia, Ed White, Englewood, Paxon, Robert E. Lee, Stanton, Terry Parker
District 4: Bartram Trail, Matanzas, Middleburg, Nease, Orange Park, Ponte Vedra, St. Augustine
District 5: Belleview, Citrus, Lecanto, Lake Weir, Vanguard (Ocala)
District 6: Land O’ Lakes, Mitchell, Springstead, Sunlake, Wesley Chapel, Zephryhills
District 7: Boca Ciega, Clearwater, Dixie Hollins, Largo, Osceola (Seminole)
District 8: Blake, Chamberlain, Jefferson, Jesuit, Leto, Robinson
District 9: Deltona, Edgewater, Leesburg, Pine Ridge, Seabreeze, South Lake
District 10: Armwood, Auburndale, Lake Gibson, Sebring
District 11: Cape Coral, Ida Baker, Island Coast, Mariner, North Fort Myers, Port Charlotte
District 12: Barron Collier, East Lee County, Estero, Golden Gate, Lehigh, Lely, Naples
District 13: Bayside, Eau Gallie, Heritage, Jensen Beach, Okeechobee, Palm Bay, Port St. Lucie
District 14: American Heritage (Plantation), Boyd Anderson, Boynton Beach, Dillard, Stranahan, Suncoast
District 15: Goleman, Hialeah-Miami Lakes, Miami Carol City, Miami Norland, Mourning
District 16: Belen Jesuit, Homestead, Miami Jackson, Miami Northwestern, Miami Springs

Class 5A Map

What would Class 4A look like?

Class 4A would merge a lot of the current Class 5A and Class 4A teams into one classification, but some districts would look similar from the current Class 5A.

We can close the gap with this classifciation and eliminate one of the smaller classifications that is not needed. Some of the districts here may surprise you, but they could be good for the teams involved.

• One thing to note here is that Fort Pierce Westwood is in a situation here that it would likely qualify for geographical isolation status, in this case a move up to Class 6A, District 13 would not be an issue, if it was approved.
• Only one four team district was created in this classification.
• The average number of teams per district ranges between five to six teams.

District 1: Arnold, Bay, Pensacola, Rutherford, West Florida
District 2: East Gadsden, Godby, Rickards, Suwannee, Wakulla
District 3: Fernandina Beach, Raines, Ribault, West Nassau, Yulee
District 4: Baker County, Bishop Kenny, Bolles, Westside, Wolfson
District 5: Bradford, Clay, Keystone Heights, Menendez, Palatka, Ridgeview
District 6: Crystal River, Dunnellon, Eastside, North Marion, Santa Fe (Alachua)
District 7: Central (Brooksville), Hernando, Pasco, Nature Coast, South Sumter, Weeki Wachee
District 8: Anclote, Gulf, Fivay, Hudson, Ridgewood, River Ridge
District 9: Dunedin, Gibbs, Lakewood, Middleton, Spoto, Tarpon Springs
District 10: Mulberry, Lake Wales, Poinciana, Tenoroc
District 11: Atlantic (Port Orange), Bishop Moore, Eustis, Mount Dora, Tavares, Umatilla
District 12: Astronaut, Cocoa, Fort Pierce Westwood, Merritt Island, Rockledge, Satellite, Space Coast, Titusville
District 13: Avon Park, Booker, Bayshore, DeSoto County, Hardee, Southeast
District 14: Clewiston, Cypress Lake, Dunbar, Immokalee, LaBelle, Lemon Bay
District 15: Cardinal Gibbons, Coconut Creek, Glades Central, Hallandale, Somerset Academy (Pembroke Pines)
District 16: Booker T. Washington, Doral Academy, Gulliver Prep, Keys Gate Charter, Miami Edison, Monsignor Pace

Map of Class 4A

Your thoughts?

Comment below or share your thoughts on The Varsity Message Board on our series.

Part IV will be released tomorrow showing the set up of Classes 3A, 2A and 1A under this proposal.

The Reclassification Series Proposal
Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V

The post Reclassification Series Proposal PART III: How Class 5A and Class 4A could look like appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

There are several things to keep in mind here:

• We try to place teams as close together as possible.
• The reduction of many two, three and four team districts is a goal in this series. The fewer the better, but not always avoidable.
• We did not count very many independents on emerging from that status come reclassification time. Teams that dropped out this off-season are not counted as well, believe to have to sit out at least two years from district play due to breaking contracts for those district games.
• All-boys schools Jesuit (Tampa), Belen Jesuit and Columbus have had their enrollments doubled as required by FHSAA rules.
• Enrollment data used for this research comes from the 2013 FHSAA student population report.  These numbers could change some things this fall, but most schools are expected to stay around the same enrollment numbers, based upon growth rates in most areas.

What would Class 7A look like?

The new Class 7A would look a lot like the current Class 8A, except for a couple of things:

• A new district involving Osceola and Polk county teams would be formed in this situation.
• The Orlando-area would see an increase in the number of team in the highest classification.
• Some of Miami’s districts would get a little shake up due to geographical location of the teams and the number of teams in Miami-Dade County alone.
• Only two four team districts are in this class with most districts averaging five to six teams.

Class 7A Districts

District 1: First Coast, Flagler Palm Coast, Mandarin, Sandalwood, West Port
District 2: DeLand, Lake Brantley, Lake Mary, Lyman Seminole (Sanford), Spruce Creek, University (Orange City)
District 3: Hagerty, Oviedo, Timber Creek, Univeristy (Orlando), Winter Park, Winter Spring
District 4: Apopka, Evans, Ocoee,  Olympia, Wekiva, West Orange
District 5: Boone, Colonial, Cypress Creek, Dr. Phillips, Freedom (Orlando), Oak Ridge
District 6: Gateway, Haines City, Osceola (Kissimmee), Ridge Community
District 7: Alonso, East Bay, Newsome, Plant, Riverview (Riverview), Steinbrenner, Wharton
District 8: Manatee, Palm Harbor University, Riverview (Sarasota), St. Petersburg
District 9: Centennial, Fort Pierce Central, Treasure Coast, Vero Beach
District 10: Jupiter, Palm Beach Central, Palm Beach Gardens, Royal Palm Beach, Seminole Ridge, Wellington
District 11: Boca Raton, John I. Leonard, Lake Worth, Park Vista, Santaluces, Spanish River
District 12: Coral Springs, Deerfield Beach, Douglas, Monarch, Piper, South Platnation, Taravella
District 13: Cypress Bay, Everglades, Flanagan, Miramar, West Broward, Western
District 14: Dr. Krop, Hialeah, Hialeah Gardens, Miami Senior, Miami Beach, North Miami
District 15: Braddock, Columbus, Coral Gables, Miami Coral Park, South Miami, Southwest Miami
District 16: Coral Reef, Ferguson, Miami Killian, Miami Palmetto, South Dade, Varela

Class 7A Map

What would Class 6A look like?

Almost same situation with Class 6A, like Class 7A when you look at things, but here are some exceptions:

• It would look very close to what the current Class 7A is, but there would be some different teams in their and the spread of teams here is a bit bigger.
• Some of the well-known Class 6A teams would be in this new class that includes Miami Central and Gainesville just to name a couple.
• This would also be the first class that spans across from the Panhandle to  South Florida.
• Most districts would average six teams in this classification.

District 1: Crestview, Navarre, Niceville and Tate
District 2: Buchholz, Chiles, Gainesville, Forest (Ocala), Leon, Lincoln
District 3: Atlantic Coast, Creekside, Fleming Island, Fletcher, Oakleaf
District 4: East Ridge, East River, Lake Howell, Lake Minneola Mainland, New Smyrna Beach
District 5: Bartow, George Jenkins, Kathleen, Lake Region, Lakeland, Winter Haven
District 6: Celebration, Harmony, Lake Nona, Liberty (Kissimmee), St. Cloud
District 7: Freedom (Tampa), Gaither, Hillsborough, King, Sickles, Tampa Bay Tech, Wiregrass Ranch
District 8: Bloomingdale, Brandon, Durant, Lennard, Plant City, Strawberry Crest
District 9: Countryside, East Lake, Northeast (St. Petersburg), Pinellas Park, Seminole (Seminole)
District 10: Braden River, Lakewood Ranch, North Port, Sarasota, Palmetto, Venice
District 11: Charlotte, Fort Myers, Gulf Coast, Palmetto Ridge, South Fort Myers, Riverdale
District 12: Martin County, Melbourne, Sebastian River, South Fork, Viera
District 13: Atlantic (Delray Beach), Dwyer, Forest Hill, Olympic Heights, Palm Beach Lakes, West Boca Raton
District 14: Blanche Ely,  Fort Lauderdale, Northeast (Oakland Park), Plantation, St. Thomas Aquinas
District 15: Cooper City, Hollywood Hills, Nova, McArthur, South Broward
District 16: American, Mater Academy, Miami Central, Miami Southridge, Miami Sunset, North Miami Beach, Reagan, Westland Hialeah

Class 6A Map

Your thoughts?

Comment below or share your thoughts on The Varsity Message Board on our series.

Part III will be released this afternoon showing the set up of Class 5A and Class 4A under this proposal.

The Reclassification Series Proposal
Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V

The post Reclassification Series Proposal PART II: How a new Class 7A and Class 6A could look like appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

Over the weekend I presented my opinion that the FHSAA needs to cut the number of classifications to seven to keep up competitive balance for teams trying to compete for a state championship.

Remember, this is a suggestion for the FHSAA to look at, if you like what you see from this, I would suggest voicing your opinion to them and more importantly to the Executive Board of Directors that makes the final decision in the process.

Now this is where I get to explain how it can be accomplished.

First thing needing to be accomplished, is that the FHSAA Executive Board of Directors will need to have bylaws rewritten showing that football would be set at seven classifications, instead of eight.

Second, the percentage rules for how many teams would ended up where to evenly divide things as possible, would need  change to make a change to make a cut to seven classifications work.

Currently, the rules for evenly dividing up teams as much as possible under eight classifications follows as this:

– 2/3 of the teams or roughly 66.66% are placed in the highest four classifications.
– The remaining 1/3 of the teams or roughly 33.33% are placed in the lowest four classifications.

This is why you see the number teams now spread so thin among the lowest classifications in the current set up. It is these percentage rules that are causing issues.

What I have proposed for evenly dividing up the teams with seven classifications is this change to the percentage rules.

– 3/4 of the teams or 75% are placed in the highest four classifications.
– The remaining 1/4 of the teams or 25% are placed in the lowest three classifications.

There are 485 teams I have listed as teams that will be in or projected to be in district competition for the 2015-16 school year. Teams that recently dropped to independent after the season, usually have to wait a two-year period before reentering district play, so they are not included in the figure county. Also teams that are very likely to stay independent are not counted as well.

The enrollment numbers used for this comes from the 2013 FHSAA Student Population Report.

Keeping The Current Eight Classifications

Here is how things would look like if things stay at eight classes for the next reclassification cycle starting in 2015-16, using the current percentage rules.

Highest 4 Classifications – 323.301 or 323 teams
Lowest 4 Classifications – 161.6505 or 162 teams

Here you would be looking at districts having at average of just five teams from Classes 5A to 8A while, averaging 5.25 teams a district from Classes 1A to 4A.

Nothing changes at all pretty much

In the seven classification setup using the proposed changes to the percentage rules here is how things would look like:

192 teams are still making the playoffs here and with the possible 485 teams in district play for 2015-16. that would be just nearly 40 percent of the 485 that will make the playoffs.

Proposal Reducing To Seven Classifications

Highest 4 Classifications – 363.75 or 364 teams
Lowest 3 Classifications – 121.25 or 121 teams

By simply reducing one classification, we can increase the average district size by one team to six. While Class 3A, 2A and 1A would still average roughly six teams per district as well.

The rural Class 1A does not change here in situation either. With Class 1A being highly successful for the FHSAA, there is no reason at all to make a change here.

The only thing that is different here is 8 less districts and 16 teams making the playoffs using seven classifications. However, 16 fewer teams likely means cutting out the teams that make it in the playoffs due to a weak district. That is what waters down the playoffs is when you have 2-8 or 3-7 teams making the playoffs because of their district. Is that fair to the teams that worked their tails off all year and just fall short with 6-4 or 7-3 records? No.

176 teams are still making the playoffs in this scenario and out of the 485 teams likely to be playing in a district in 2015-16, that is over 35 percent of the teams playing in the playoffs. That is plenty of teams playing in the playoffs if you ask this writer.

In the next part of this series tomorrow, I will show you what Classes 8A & 7A would look like under the seven classification model presented in this article.

DISCUSSION: Discuss below using facebook comments, or discuss this on The Varsity Message Board.

The Reclassification Series Proposal
Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V

The post Reclassification Series Proposal PART I: How to cut football to seven classifications appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

The FHSAA Board of Directors, which will review the proposed changes at its upcoming meeting on Monday, April 28 (to view the entire agenda, click here), includes numerous changes including membership dues and how often we do reclassification. A vote of the proposed changes will likely come at the final meeting of the current school year in June.

For member schools continuing membership with the FHSAA going into next school year will very much enjoy the new proposed changes to how much they will pay.

Changes to Policy 9.2.1.1 in the FHSAA Handbook will significantly reduced the amount that member school pays each year to the association. Instead of currently paying 55 cents per student in 9th, 10th and 11th grades with a minimum fee of $300 and maximum fee of $1,100 a year, schools would only pay $25 per year. The new rate would apply to any size FHSAA continuing member school.

“One of the goals I have had, since becoming Executive Director, is to reduce costs and increase revenue to our member schools. Three years ago, we reduced the membership fee for all member schools by 50%, and it has stayed at that reduced rate since. Now, as the Association goes out to obtain more sponsors, it allows us to reduce the membership fee to schools,” FHSAA Executive Director Dr. Roger Dearing said an email to FloridaHSFootball.com.

The changes would leave member schools with more money for them to utilize, something Dr. Dearing expressed in his email.

However, the biggest change that lurks among the policy changes is likely how often we will reclassify districts with proposed changes to Policy 12 in the FHSAA Handbook.

Currently, the FHSAA reclassifies schools, based upon enrollment, every two years or a biennial basis. The proposed changes to Policy 12.1.3 will redefine the classification term which would shift having district assignments be set on for a quadrennial basis or every four years. This would be effective starting with the next reclassification cycle slated for the start of the 2015-16 school year.

Also included in the Policy 12 changes is the elimination of the “10% rule.” The “10% rule,” which is currently listed under Policy 12.2.6(b), allows the executive director to administratively assign a school to the next lowest classification if it is within the 10 percent of the dividing line between the classification to which it would be assigned and the next lowest classification. This rule would effectively sunset after the upcoming 2014-15 school year.

The proposed changes in Policy 12 come about from several different advisory committees including an overall Athletic Directors advisory committee, Dr. Dearing explained in his email.

“The suggestions for Policy 12, is a result of those committees making the recommendations regarding classifications. Since 2008, when the financial crisis began, the number of new schools begin built in Florida has decreased. In addition the massive fluctuations in student population among our member schools has also settle down. Thus the committees recommended going to a four year cycle as oppose to changing after two. The elimination of the “10% rule” also came from committees.” Dr. Dearing said.

If the changes to Policy 12 were made as is in the proposals when they come up for a vote would mean that reclassification once visited for the 2015-16 school year, later this year, means reclassification would not be revisited again until late 2018 for the 2019-20 school year.

Other football-related topics worth keeping an eye on from the FHSAA Board of Directors Meeting

• Godby is seeking an exemption in Bylaw 8.3.1(c) to host Prime Prep Academy out of Dallas, Texas for its upcoming Spring Jamboree. Prime Prep which is currently owned by the well-known Deion Sanders, is currently not a member of an NFHS (National Federation of High Schools) association or a member of an NFHS associate member. If granted, Prime Prep would be part of the Jamboree during next month’s spring football season.

• The Officials Advisory Committee has recommended a change in the Football Mercy Rule. The rule would change when the clock would run once the 35 point differential is reached. The change outlined recommends that once a 35 point differential is reached in a contest after half time, the game clock would run continuously except for time outs or injuries. This comes after coaches over the last couple years have been asking for running clocks in the third quarter and asking that it be the entire time. Coaches from both teams in the past have had to agree to run the clock during the third quarter

The Varsity Message Board: Discuss the proposed policy changes and your thoughts about them

The post FHSAA proposes changes into current policies appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

The FHSAA has some rules to go by when it comes to reclassification, especially in football.

2/3 of the member schools committed to  district play are placed evenly as possible between Classes 5A, 6A, 7A & 8A. The remaining 1/3 of the member schools are placed in Classes 1A, 2A, 3A & 4A, again distributed evenly as possible.

Also remember Class 1A is designated rural with schools with enrollment 600 or under and are designated rural by the FHSAA are considered for this classification.

So here is what I did in looking at the numbers:
1. I took the enrollment numbers for schools currently in district play and select current independent schools that could likely join back in to district play.

2. Members of the Gulf Atlantic Conference, Sunshine State Athletic Conference, Southeastern Football Conference and some members of the North Florida Football Conference were not considered due to conference affiliation currently or statements made in the past by the schools in regards to positioning of the football program.

3. When looking at what Class 2A would like once the 36 schools were pulled for Class 1A, Class 2A would only have 42 schools based upon an even split. However, I suggest a cap at 300 or below for Class 2A which would only increase it by one to 43 schools.

4. Classes 3A & 4A took the remaining 85 teams left out of a total of 164 schools. Class 3A was given 42 teams while Class 4A was given 43 teams.

5. Classes 5A, 6A, 7A & 8A have a total 334 teams distributed evenly as possible. Classes 8A & 7A were each given 84 teams while Classes 6A & 5A were given 83 teams each.

6. While this list does not include what districts might look at (save a separate article on this) we break down the major changes look at the current districts still in use compared to our findings.

CLASS 8A
2013 enrollment – 2296 and up

Notable Changes That Could Happen If the Pattern Holds True In 2014
– Cypress Bay remains the largest high school in terms of enrollment.
– Haines City and Ridge Community would likely become Class 8A programs with recent growth in enrollment numbers. They would be the first schools to jump to the highest classification for Polk County in recent memory.
– Oak Ridge and Lake Worth also make the jump from Class 7A to Class 8A. Lake Worth would be within the bottom 10 percent of the classification.
– Osceola (Kissimmee) and Gateway (Kissimmee), both current 7A schools would be Class 8A (something that was suppose to have happened the last time around)
– Most current districts you see now would remain intact, however a consolidation of a district here or there might be possible. It would not be surprising if the two Polk County and two Osceola County schools are put into a district of their own to keep any or all four from finding ways of asking to go back down to Class 7A.

CLASS 7A
2013 enrollment – 1890-2295

Notable Changes That Could Happen If the Pattern Holds True In 2014
– St. Petersburg, Hagerty, Monarch, Bloomingdale, Miami Southridge, Reagan and Miami Sunset would fall a classification from Class 8A to Class 7A
– South Fork, New Smyrna Beach, Mainland, Venice, Lennard, Navarre, Miami Central, Gulf Coast and Forest (Ocala) would jump up from Class 6A to Class 7A.
– A combination of some new districts would result in Class 7A and looking at the some of the teams that could be in the mix would make the classification fun to watch.

CLASS 6A
2013 enrollment – 1605-1889

Notable Changes That Could Happen If the Pattern Holds True In 2014
– Palm Beach Lakes, Palmetto, Sebastian River, Harmony, Northeast (Oakland Park), Northeast (St. Petersburg), East River, Boyd Anderson, Miami Springs, Mourning, Port Charlotte, Eau Gallie would drop from Class 7A to Class 6A.
– Belen Jesuit would drop from Class 8A to Class 6A.
– Mosley, Auburndale, Cape Coral, Golden Gate and North Fort Myers would make the jump from Class 5A to Class 6A.
– With Miami Central likely gone it would make things interesting in South Florida and possibly could create two Miami-based districts alone with the number of teams from the area that could make this happen.

CLASS 5A
2013 enrollment – 1158-1604

Notable Changes That Could Happen If the Pattern Holds True In 2014
– Leesburg, South Lake, Archbishop McCarthy, Orange Park, Stranahan, Robinson, Terry Parker, Jefferson, Citrus, Pensacola, Fivay, Coconut Creek, Fort Pierce Westwood and Hallandale would drop from Class 6A to Class 5A.
– Surprisingly no teams would move up from Class 4A to Class 5A.
– Pensacola Catholic is booted down to its original class of Class 3A, which fits its enrollment numbers, but would not be surprised if geographical isolation puts them right back up here again in Class 5A.

CLASS 4A
2013 enrollment – 709-1157

Notable Changes That Could Happen If the Pattern Holds True In 2014
– Dunbar, DeSoto County, Santa Fe (Alachua), Bishop Moore, Astronaut, Tenoroc, Yulee, Ridgewood, Booker, Mount Dora, Dunnellon, South Sumter, Mulberry and Lake Highland Prep would drop from Class 5A to Class 4A.
– No teams would move up from Class 3A to Class 4A.
– The core group of teams that have made Class 4A very strong are still staying put and throw in teams like Bishop Moore, Dunnellon, South Sumter and Mount Dora who usually contend for playoff spots, this would be a fun classification to watch.

CLASS 3A
2013 enrollment – 300-708

Notable Changes That Could Happen If the Pattern Holds True In 2014
– Inlet Grove, Archbishop Carroll, Community School and Bishop Snyder would be in Class 3A if they moved back into district play.
– Andrew Jackson, Walton, Fort White, Taylor County and Florida High all drop from Class 4A to Class 3A.
– Pensacola Catholic drops from Class 5A to Class 3A.
– Duval Charter moves up from Class 2A to Class 3A.
– Union County moves up from Class 1A to Class 3A.
– North Bay Haven Charter would likely be eligible to join a district and would slot in at Class 3A.

CLASS 2A
2013 enrollment – 0-300

Notable Changes That Could Happen If the Pattern Holds True In 2014
– Current independent teams including St. Joseph, Oak Hall, St. Stephen’s, St. Francis, Christ’s Church Academy, and Zion Lutheran would be slotted in Class 2A with a return to district play.
– Admiral Farragut, Out-of-Door and Bishop McLaughlin would drop from Class 3A to Class 2A.
– Most other core Class 2A teams remain.

CLASS 1A
2013 enrollment – 0-600 and are designated rural

Notable Changes That Could Happen If the Pattern Holds True In 2014

– Madison Country and Baldwin would drop from Class 4A to Class 1A.
– Union County would be moved from Class 1A to Class 3A.
– Some districts could see some shifting if Madison County and Baldwin are added into Class 1A.

The post WHAT IF: What if Reclassification happened today? Insight on how it might look appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

CUTOFF LINES FOR EACH CLASSIFICATION
FHSAA BYLAW – Per Policy 12.3.2.1, the highest two-thirds of schools, by student population, will be as evenly divided as possible into the top four classifications (8A-5A) and the remaining one-third, by student population, will be as evenly divided as possible into the bottom four classifications (4A-1A). Class 1A has its own criteria as the “Rural Division” as well.  

The cutoff lines defined the past two years will be modified with the Fall 2012 Student Population Report came out on Wednesday. That means where teams are at based on the current cutoff lines may not be where they are at once the new lines are established. According to FHSAA spokesperson Corey Sobers, the cutoff lines will be modified, but not far off what they have been the past two years. The goal is to get two-thirds of the schools evenly divided as possible between Classes 5A to 8A with the remaining one-third going to Classes 1A to 4A. However, do note that Class 1A has its own separate rules when it comes to placing schools into that classification.

WHAT IS CONFIRMED
Sobers also  provided this list as what is officially confirmed so far in regards to reclassification.

1. The Board of Directors finalized the Classification policy (Policy 12) and no changes were made. However, the dividing lines between classes in terms of population will change.
2. Staff will be working on classifications and districts over the next several months.
3. Football assignments (districts and classes) will be released in late December as the scheduling meetings are in January. All other sports will be released after the New Year. An estimate would be the beginning of February but they will be released as they are completed by FHSAA sport administrators.
4. An appeal period will be established after the release of district assignments. The county superintendent (or their designee) will need to authorize any member school appeals.

So basically for now what we posted is mostly correct with the enrollment report, but changes are going to be made and we will update that information once we know where the cutoff lines are going to be placed at. That means likely fewer teams in 6A then what the current cutoff lines would suggest (which after looking at 6A further in depth based just on the current cutoff lines, 6A will need to be changed to provide relief. 104 teams, 16 districts and geography issues equal a big mess if this was to hold up ). Also means 8A, 7A and 5A could see a bump up in the number of teams by a few depending on where the lines are placed at. I would not be surprised if 2A to 4A see some changes, but based on what we see now, changes maybe few and far between since the numbers fall very close to what the FHSAA is likely seeking from the one-third view point.

The post Updated information in regards to the reclassification policy from the FHSAA appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.