JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s the first round of the high school football playoffs and championship expectations are still intact for numerous area teams. A look at playoff matchups in the Metro division. All games Friday at 7:30 p.m. unless indicated.
Region 1-4M
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(5) Mandarin (7-3) at (4) Winter Park (9-0)
Winner gets: (1) Lake Mary (9-1) or (8) Orlando Boone (5-5) in the regional semifinals.
Glance: The district champion Mustangs took a Week 11 loss to Bartram Trail. As a result, they’re headed on the road to face an unbeaten district champ in the Wildcats. That’s an unfortunate first-round matchup for Mandarin, which would need some seismic upsets to get a home playoff game. The Mustangs have arguably the area’s most talented team, fronted by playmakers across the roster. QB Tramell Jones (22 TD passes), QB Tiant Wyche (17 rushing TDs) and WR Jaime Ffrench (10 TD catches) are stars. S Drake Stubbs (4 INT) and CB Jon Mitchell (3 INT) are big hitters in the secondary. Mandarin’s three losses have carried a familiar tone — turnovers. In defeats to Bartram Trail, Creekside and Lake Mary, the Mustangs have turned it over 10 times. Against bad teams, that’s something a team can navigate. Against upper tier teams, that’s difficult to overcome. Mandarin can’t give the ball away. If Toby Bullock’s team can play clean football, it should win this game. The Winter Park record is gaudy, but its schedule was light (one win over a team with a better than .500 record).
Region 1-3M
(8) First Coast (6-4) at (1) Orlando Edgewater (10-0)
Winner gets: (4) Jones (7-3) or (5) Oviedo (8-2) in the regional semifinals.
Glance: The Buccaneers’ reward for an unexpected district championship is their second consecutive trip to Edgewater to face another unbeaten Eagles team. That’s a brutal assignment for coach Marty Lee’s Buccaneers. They lost 57-6 last year to Edgewater. QB Rodney Tisdale Jr. gives First Coast a strong passing signal caller (2,034 passing yards, 24 TDs). RB Auston Harris has quietly had an excellent season out of the backfield. He probably won’t get to 1,000 rushing yards this year — James Breaker was the last Buccaneers back to eclipse 1,000 yards in a season back in the late 1990s — but Harris has been sharp. Lee, who has been at First Coast since it opened in 1990, has considered retirement for some time. He said last week that it’s a year-to-year thing, but the program is in much better shape now than it has been. Edgewater is a monster. The Eagles are holding teams to 10.6 points a game and have a final four berth in their view.
(6) Fletcher (7-3) at (3) Tampa Bay Tech (8-2)
Winner gets: (7) Wharton (6-4) or (2) Armwood (9-1) in the regional semifinals.
Glance: The Senators started 0-2 but rebounded to win seven of their final eight games. This is a rematch of last year’s playoff opener, which was a one-sided Titans win (34-3). Fletcher has talent, led by QB Marcelis Tate and WRs Anthony Vaglienti and Troy Hillman. That’s the good news. Ciatrick Fason’s team is a veteran bunch who was in this position a year ago, albeit at home. Can they slow down a Tampa Bay Tech team that has a 1,000-yard rusher in RB Rod Gainey and a 20-TD passer in Xzavier Jackson? Fletcher can’t afford to get into a track meet against the Titans. The Senators are built on the two-way game of Tate, which favors field position, ball control and balance. Fletcher needs to keep this game in the 20s if it hopes to win.
Other region games
(4) Jones (7-3) at (5) Oviedo (8-2)
(7) Wharton (6-4) at (2) Armwood (9-1)
Region 1-2M
(8) Jackson (3-7) at (1) Raines (9-1), 6:30 p.m.
Winner gets: (5) Bishop Kenny (6-4) or (4) Bolles (5-5) in the regional semifinals.
Glance: A rematch of a Week 10 game, won in a 40-8 blowout by the Vikings to win the district title after losing it a season ago to the Tigers. Raines is strong as usual, but this team could be the best in coach Donovan Masline’s tenure. The Vikings are powerful on both the offensive and defensive lines. They are very good in the secondary, with ballhawk Nicholas Kilpatrick roaming the airways and capable of shutting down the passing game. If there’s room for growth on Raines in the postseason, it’s generating more offense. QB Ty’ren Randolph is more dangerous as a runner. Getting RB Mark Miller back has been nice. Jackson has been in the midst of a transitional year under first-year coach Darryl Bartley. The Tigers were a 1 seed last year before a first-round loss to Riverside. QB King Johnson is a veteran and has some dual-threat ability, but he hasn’t had a lot of help. Jackson’s best opportunity in this one is to drag Raines into a low-scoring affair and hope its defense can rise to the occasion.
(5) Bishop Kenny (6-4) at (4) Bolles (5-5), 7:30 p.m.
Winner gets: (8) Jackson (3-7) or (1) Raines (9-1) in the regional semifinals.
Glance: A rematch of a Week 10 game, won in a 52-18 romp by the Bulldogs to clinch the district title. There’s no question that it has been a bit of a letdown season for both teams. The Crusaders slumped down the stretch, dropping from a No. 2 seed to a 5. The Bulldogs got rocked in Week 11 in a 42-7 loss to Berkeley Prep. Bolles has been to the state semifinals four consecutive seasons under Matt Toblin. Getting back there with the inconsistency that has plagued the Bulldogs this year will be a feat. DJ Moore is solid under center for Bolles, while the ground game of Tyrone Neal and Emmett Grzebin has been capable. WR Naeem Burroughs has 12 TD catches. So, there is talent there for Bolles. It’s just the consistency that has ebbed against a difficult schedule. The Crusaders beat Bolles last year for the first time since 1977. The encore has also been up and down, the low point coming in a 31-28 loss to Middleburg. QB James Resar can still get it done and Kenny will need him to crank it up for four full quarters. The Crusaders gave up 28 in the fourth quarter last month to Bolles to let a tight game get away from it.
(6) White (6-4) at (3) Bishop Moore (7-3), 7:30 p.m.
Winner gets: (7) Episcopal (5-5) or (2) Riverside (8-2) in the regional semifinals.
Glance: The Commanders had a younger team and still reached the postseason. Senior QB Jalen Pettway piloted a White High team that leaned heavily on the pass, a far different-looking offense than Commanders teams of the past. Nick Roberson and Noah Johnson, both underclassmen, combined to total more than 1,000 yards through the air. Donald Hampton had five TD catches. The Commanders don’t light up the scoreboard, though. White still likes to run the ball and would prefer to not have to get into a back-and-forth sprint against the Hornets. The Commanders have scored a season-high 36 points twice against teams who aren’t near the quality of Bishop Moore. The Hornets average 36.2 ppg and sling it around with QB Bjorn Jurgensen (2,013 passing yards, 27 TDs).
(7) Episcopal (5-5) at (2) Riverside (8-2), 6:30 p.m.
Winner gets: (6) White (6-4) or (3) Bishop Moore (7-3) in the regional semifinals.
Glance: What a difference a year makes. The Generals squeezed into the playoffs as a No. 8 seed last year in Week 11. This time around, Riverside didn’t need the help and inched ahead of Orlando Bishop Moore for the No. 2 seed. Coach Antwan Nicholas has done a remarkable job of getting the Generals into a flow, very similar to what former coach OJ Small did there. Once Small got his system in place, it worked and worked consistently. Nicholas got things moving in the second half of 2022 and it’s been steady ever since. QBs Glenn Foreman III and Jaidan Delaune have been solid under center for Riverside. RBs Shermon Davis and Kennvontae Sharrow have tackled the backfield position well. WRs Tae’shaun Gelsey and Myles Kendrick are rising stars. For Episcopal, RB Chris Rowe and QBs Turner Glenn and Nate Blair have been consistent. WR Omar Dixon is approaching a 1,000-yard receiving season. LB Matthew Jenkins (102 tackles) is another impact underclassmen for Episcopal. The Eagles need to turn this game into a slugfest if they can.
Region 1-1M
(4) University Christian (5-5) at (1) Trinity Christian (7-3), Nov. 17
(3) Providence (7-3) at (2) Orlando Christian Prep (9-1), Nov. 17
Florida playoff schedule, Week 1
Region 1-4S
- (8) Mosley (6-4) at (1) Gainesville Buchholz (10-0), Thursday
- (5) Creekside (6-4) at (4) Ponte Vedra (7-3), 7 p.m.
- (2) Niceville (8-2) at (7) Nease (7-3), 6 p.m.
- (3) Bartram Trail (6-4) at (6) Navarre (7-3), 8:30 p.m.
Region 1-4M
- (1) Lake Mary (9-1) at (8) Orlando Boone (5-5)
- (7) Hagerty (6-4) at (2) Seminole (8-2)
- (6) Evans (5-5) at (3) Apopka (7-3)
- (5) Mandarin (7-3) at (4) Winter Park (9-0), 7:30 p.m.
Region 1-3S
- (8) Middleburg (5-5) at (1) St. Augustine (9-0), 7:30 p.m.
- (5) Escambia (7-3) at (4) Pine Forest (6-4)
- (7) Matanzas (7-3) at (2) Lincoln (8-2), 7:30 p.m.
- (6) Columbia (4-5) at (3) Choctaw (8-2), 8 p.m.
Region 1-3M
- (8) First Coast (6-4) at (1) Orlando Edgewater (10-0), 7 p.m.
- (4) Jones (7-3) at (5) Oviedo (8-2)
- (7) Wharton (6-4) at (2) Armwood (9-1)
- (6) Fletcher (7-3) at (3) Tampa Bay Tech (8-2), 7:30 p.m.
Region 1-2S
- (8) South Walton (6-4) at (1) Walton (10-0)
- (5) Suwannee (6-3) (4) Pensacola Catholic (8-2), 8 p.m.
- (7) Gadsden County (6-4) at (2) Wakulla (10-0)
- (6) Marianna (6-4) at (2) Florida High (8-2)
Region 2-2S
- (8) Atlantic (5-5) at (1) Bradford (10-0), 7:30 p.m.
- (5) Palatka (7-3) at (4) Gainesville Eastside (7-3), 7 p.m.
- (7) Keystone Heights (6-4) at (2) Yulee (8-2), 7:30 p.m.
- (6) Baldwin (5-5) at (3) Baker County (6-3), 7 p.m.
Region 1-2M
- (8) Jackson (3-7) at (1) Raines (9-1), 6:30 p.m.
- (5) Bishop Kenny (6-4) at (4) Bolles (5-5), 7:30 p.m.
- (7) Episcopal (5-5) at (2) Riverside (8-2), 6:30 p.m.
- (6) White (6-4) at (3) Bishop Moore (7-3), 7:30 p.m.
Region 1-1M
- (4) University Christian (5-5) at (1) Trinity Christian (7-3), Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m.
- (3) Providence (7-3) at (2) Orlando Christian Prep (9-1), Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m.
Region 3-1R
- (1) Madison County (8-1), (2) Fort White (9-1), bye
- (5) Branford (7-2) at (4) Mayo Lafayette (6-4)
- (6) Hilliard (3-7) at Union County (5-3), 7:30 p.m.
Georgia playoff schedule, Week 1
Class 7A
- Camden County (7-3) at Newton (8-2), Saturday, 7 p.m.
Class 6A
- Brunswick (6-3) at Mundy’s Mill (8-2), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
- Jonesboro (7-3) at Glynn Academy (8-2), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Class 5A
- Decatur (5-5) at Ware County (7-3), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Class 2A
- Academy for Classical Education (8-2) at Pierce County (9-1), Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
Class 1A
- Charlton County (2-8) at Jenkins County (9-1), Friday, 6:30 p.m.