JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida High School Athletic Association released its new classification and district assignments for football on Friday morning, unveiling some new twists for area teams.
With the two-year Suburban-Metro system voted out earlier this month, the FHSAA essentially rolled back the clock to district assignments that look somewhat familiar in places. Back together are former Metro (Bolles, Jackson and Wolfson) and Suburban (Baldwin, Fernandina Beach and West Nassau) teams who had been split. Apart for the first time in a long time are Sandalwood and Mandarin.
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The new system is enrollment based and will stand for two years, barring any major enrollment changes. It won’t be finalized until appeals are filed. That deadline is Jan. 12. The district assignments for other sports will be released next month.
What isn’t detailed yet is the playoff system for 2024. The board of directors didn’t vote on a new structure at its emergency meeting earlier this month. The FHSAA had proposed a format that took the top eight teams in the state determined by MaxPreps rankings points and put them in a separate field. Also presented was an in-season district tournament. A new system is expected to be discussed again in early 2024.
The class system is back from 1A to 7A, as well as the 1R or Rural division. One notable shift for area Rural schools is for Fort White and Union County. Those programs had played in the Rural class for years, but both saw student population numbers go over the maximum. Fort White is at 587 and Union County is at 589. Rural schools have a maximum student enrollment of 558.
Among local schools, the FHSAA has six districts that includes just three teams.
One major change is the splitting apart of longtime Duval County Public Schools rivals, Sandalwood and Mandarin. Enrollment at Mandarin is listed at 2,326 now, which drops below the Class 7A threshold floor (2,512). The Mustangs, who played for the Class 4M state championship this season, are in the new District 2-6A with First Coast, Fletcher and Oakleaf.
Tentative FHSAA district assignments
District 1-7A
Atlantic Coast, Creekside, Sandalwood.
District 2-7A
DeLand, Flagler Palm Coast, Spruce Creek, University (Orange City).
District 2-6A
First Coast, Fletcher, Mandarin, Oakleaf.
District 3-6A
Bartram Trail, Buchholz, Nease, Tocoi Creek.
District 3-5A
Beachside, Fleming Island, Middleburg, Orange Park, Ponte Vedra.
District 4-5A
Belleview, Mainland, Matanzas.
District 3-4A
Clay, Columbia, Ridgeview, St. Augustine.
District 4-4A
Englewood, Riverside, White.
District 2-3A
Baker County, Godby, Wakulla.
District 3-3A
Raines, Ribault, Yulee.
District 4-3A
Bishop Kenny, Menendez, Parker, Westside.
District 3-2A
Florida High, Gadsden County, Suwannee, Taylor County.
District 4-2A
Baldwin, Bolles, Fernandina Beach, Jackson, West Nassau, Wolfson.
District 5-2A
Bradford, Crescent City, Keystone Heights, Newberry, Palatka.
District 2-1A
Episcopal, North Florida Educational, Seacoast Christian, Trinity Christian.
District 3-1A
Impact Christian, Providence, University Christian.
District 4-1A
Fort White, P.K. Yonge, Union County, Williston.
Region 3-1R
Aucilla Christian, Branford, Dixie County, Hamilton County, Jefferson County, Lafayette, Madison County.
Independent
Bishop Snyder, Cedar Creek Christian, Christ’s Church, KIPP Bold City, Paxon, St. Johns Classical, St. Joseph, Stanton