The FHSAA playoffs begin this week, and we learned Sunday who made it, and who they’ll be playing. There was lots of controversy surrounding the playoff seeding of teams, in particular district winners. Several district champions from Northeast Florida fell victim to the power rankings system sending them on the road in the first round. Let’s preview the playoff matchups and ponder some of the seedings.
Class 1R Region 3
Union County (6-3) will host Hilliard (3-7) in their first round matchup. The Tigers have navigated a good season that saw them lead by quarterback Trenton Klein who leads the team in passing and tackles. Hilliard’s Braydon Holley leads the team in rushing. Only one team from Northeast Florida can advance in this bracket, will that be Union County or Hilliard from Nassau County? We’ll see Friday night.
2023 FHSAA Football State Championships 1 RuralClass 1M Region 1
This region features a playoff rematch from last year between Trinity Christian (7-3) and University Christian (5-5). Trinity secured the number one seed and will host UC this time, which is different from their regular season matchup that saw Trinity defeat University Christian at UC . In that game Darnell Rogers rushed for 165 yards of his 2023 season total of 919 rushing yards. Colin Hurley is another weapon on offense at quarterback, while Kyle Boylston and Miles Burris are weapons in the passing game. Boylston is joined on defense by Lovell Vereen and Bryce Kazmierczak.
University Christian is led on the ground by Alan Woods III who has rushed for 1060 yards and 13 TDs. Luke Thomas has led the team in tackles this year. There is no love lost between these two teams, as we saw at the end of their regular season matchup, where coaches and players had to be separated. So throw the records and the results out the window, as we saw last year when UC got their revenge in the playoffs after losing the regular season matchup.
#3 Providence (7-3) visits #2 Orlando Christian Prep (9-1)
What a great job by Stallions head coach Maurice Williams in guiding Providence to the FHSAA playoffs for the first time since 2015, and to their best record since 2014. Mason Williams leads the rushing attack for Providence on offense. While Jaden Jablonski leads the team in interceptions, and John King in tackles on defense. They’re signature win of the season came over University Christian on the road in a shocking 17-14 upset. They’ll travel on the road to face OCP in hopes of pulling off another shocker.
2023 FHSAA Football State Championships 1 M2M Region 1
Raines secured the #1 seed and will have a rematch with Jackson who is the 8th seed. The two teams faced each other earlier this year, with Raines and Coach Donovan Masline coming out victorious. The Vikings rely on running back Mark Miller and quarterback Ty’ren Randolph to power the offense behind offensive tackle Solomon Thomas. On defense, tackle Jyon Simon and safety Jaylen Clark lead the way. It’s been a great job by first year head coach Darryl Bartley to guide Jackson to the playoffs. For Jackson, quarterback King Johnson is “Mr. Everything”, rushing and passing for the Tigers. On defense they’ve seen great a showing from Carl Graham and King Massey all season. This is a mismatch on paper, but it’s a rivalry so anything can happen. Noone likes playing a team you’ve just beaten two weeks ago again.
Riverside (8-2) secured a #2 seed and will host #7 Episcopal Friday. The Generals have been on a roll, winners of four straight. Coach Antwan Nicholas has guided them to the playoffs in consecutive years. Led by quarterback Glenn Foreman III, who finds his targets like wide receiver Tae’Shaun Gelsey. Also X factor Shermon Davis plays offense and defense along with Jamal Harvey-Jackson. The Generals are hard to beat when clicking, and the entire month they’ve been doing so on all cylinders.
Episcopal returns to the playoffs after a record of 5-5. They’ve played teams tough, but will need their strongest effort for their toughest test to date in round one. They have tough players to get the job done however. New quarterback Turner Glenn has stepped in and shown he can light it up when he’s in rhythm. His big targets are Omarr Dixon and former quarterback turned wide receiver Nate Blair. Head Coach Marcus Wells has done a great job of reshaping the program to reflect swagger. Confidence goes a long way, and they hope it can take them over the top Friday.
Bishop Moore #3 will welcome #6 Ed White. The Commanders have to go on the road, however this is an unfamiliar opponent which bodes well for Head Coach Lawrence Johnson. He guides White to the playoffs for the third consecutive year. Now, he looks to take that crucial step advancing to round 2 after very tough and familiar first round matchups previously. Quarterback Jaylen Pettway had led the offense as one of the top passers in the area. Receivers Donald Hampton, Nick Roberson and Noah Johnson have put up good numbers at the position. On defense, Tony Williams is a head knocker in the middle at linebacker. While defensive back Josh Patterson is one of the best in the state. They both play both ways, and can make big impacts on offense as well. Ed White will go as far as these playmakers will step up and take them.
Bolles #4 welcomes #5 Bishop Kenny in another rematch from the regular season. Bolles won that matchup 52-18. Kenny has endured injuries in key positions but are healthy at the right time. Bolles had a rough start to the season, but have turned it on late minus the loss in the last week of the season to a very good Berkeley Prep team. Quarterback DJ Moore is one of the leading passers in the state. His ultimate weapon in the passing game is receiver Naeem Burroughs. They also have Emmett Grzebin and Ty Neal in the backfield.
Kenny welcomes back top quarterback James Resar who missed some time during the season but is a dual threat at the position along with his top receiver Kaleb Lampkins who also missed time. This will be the highlight matchup of round 1 for this region. Both teams are very familiar with one another, and Resar is the only quarterback in Kenny history to defeat Bolles since the 1970’s.
2023 FHSAA Football State Championships 2 M2S Region 2
10-0 Bradford has been our consensus top team on our power rankings for most of the year. People are seeing now what we’ve said all year that this team is the real deal. Their toughest opponent was Suwannee and they dealt them a crushing defeat the last week of the regular season. Playmakers Dae’jon Shanks and Chalil Cummings are hard to stop on offense. However, their defense is what they hang their hats on. Incredibly, they have shut out four teams this year and held others under 13 points. Chason Clark, Jeremiah McKenzie, Torin Brazell and Duke Lewis are menaces on that side of the ball. They’ll host #8 Atlantic Friday.
Yulee secured the #2 seed in the region, a great accomplishment by head coach Kyle Doughtery. The Hornets like to pass and get the ball into the hands of playmakers. Quarterback Nikao Smith is one of the top passers in the state. He along with Teonté Artis-croxton at running back power the offense. on defense Lj Jacobs leads the team in picks. Yulee welcomes #7 Keystone Heights in round one.
Baker County is the 2S District 5 champion however they received a lower seed that Yulee whom they defeated. This rankings system is supposed to reward overall schedule, but Baker County played undefeated Bradford County while Yulee did not. If I were a Wildcat fan, I’d be pretty upset. They will host #6 Baldwin in round one. Baker County has been impressive this year late in the season. Benny Lewis leads the team in rushing. Defense is what they have hung their hats on with Seth Chestnut who leads in tackles. Phillip Jackson leads in sacks, and Rhett Rhoden who leads in interceptions.
Baldwin should be commended on another playoff appearance as well. What they’ve done with a new quarterback but getting the same result is impressive. Players to watch are leading tackler Octavious Barnes who also leads the team in interceptions. Mason Carter who leads in sacks. Neshawn Jacobs who is a thousand yard rusher on the season. This also is a rematch from the regular season where Baker County defeated their Highway 90 neighbors 12-7. Should be a good one.
3M Region 1
This might be the most difficult bracket for any NE Florida team. District winner First Coast was seeded #8 and must travel on the road again to #1 Edgewater, a team they fell to last year as district runners up. The question remains, what was the benefit of winning your district, if in the first round you have to go on the road and play a #1 seed? Many coaches and players are pondering scenarios like this all around the state. The Bucs have a plethora of weapons including one of the top passers in the state in quarterback Rodney Tisdale Jr. Big target Jordan Anderson, speedy targets Adron Walker, Thomas Jackson III, and running back Auston Harris. They will deploy them all in hopes of avenging last year’s defeat.
Edgewater player to watch: Quarterback Michael Clayton, 1390 yards 14 TDs, 6 Ints
Fletcher in losing their district matchup against First Coast two weeks ago may have actually benefited. Now as the #6 seed they travel to #3 Tampa Bay Tech, in hopes of keeping the ride going for their seniors including their passing leader QB Marcelis Tate who is protected by offensive tackle Brayden Wallace. Their top receivers Anthony Vaglienti and Troy Hillman Jr make big plays.
Tampa Bay Tech Players To Watch: Xzavier Jackson 20 TDs, 5 Ints
2023 FHSAA Football State Championships 3 M3S Region 1
St Augustine has been a powerful team all year going undefeated. Even with the loss of their quarterback they still managed to keep the buzz going with their backup. Coach Brian Braddock has his starter back, and Locklan Hewlett looks like he never left. The Yellow Jackets and playmakers Carl Jenkins Jr, Devonte Lyons, Ja’Kai Singleton and Drake Lusk start a new season at 0-0 and welcome #8 Middleburg.
Head Coach Ryan Wolfe has done a masterful job guiding the Broncos to the playoffs in consecutive years. They’ll lean heavily on the run game, powered by offensive linemen Micah George and Gage Isbell and a stable of backs to keep the ball away from the high powered offense across the field. They have a playmaker in Jarren Rosier who can take it the distance. They must step up on defense and Austin Cruce is their leading tackler, along with playmaker Vondarius Lane Jr who patrols the secondary. They hope to keep it close, so that big time kicker Kaleb Robison can potentially hit one of his game winners. He hit two this season already.
Choctaw (8-2) is the #1 seed and will welcome district winner #6 Columbia (4-5) down I-10 in a first round matchup. Columbia lost their last game of the season to Vero Beach which may have cost them a higher seed and a potential home game in the first round. However, Head Coach Brian Allen will have his team ready. Led by Camdon Frier who leads the team in receiving yards. Zaccheus Paulk was at quarterback early in the season, but Xavier Collins came in later in the season. Both have have combined for over 1400 yards passing. On defense Kani Fulton and Jerome Carter III can stuff offenses as they showed in a signature win against Bolles in the regular season. Columbia must be ready to be road warriors in round one.
Choctaw player to watch: Jesse Winslette, 1354 yards passing, 19 TDs, 1 Int
2023 FHSAA Football State Championships 3 SClass 4M Region 1
Only one team from region 1 made the playoffs from Northeast Florida and that’s Mandarin. The Mustangs at 7-3 and district champions were seeded #5 and find themselves going on the road to face #4 Winter Park in the first round. There are seven schools from the Central Florida area in the playoffs in this region, and all seven get first round home games. Somehow that doesn’t seem fair to Mandarin, and have many pondering how a district winner that played one of the toughest schedules in the state wasn’t awarded a first round home game? Northeast Florida as a whole is affected by this, not just Mandarin. However, Tramell Jones Jr and Jaime Ffrench will lead the offense down to Orlando for a second time this year. On defense, Drake Stubbs , Antoine Belgrave-Shorter and Jon Mitchell leads the defense on a mission to represent Northeast Florida.
Winter Park player to watch: Quarterback, Aaron Williams 1669 yards passing, 19 TDs
2023 FHSAA Football State Championships 4 MClass 4S Region 1
As always this playoff region was predicted to be the hardest in Northeast Florida and the way it panned out only confirms that.
Locally, Bartram Trail received the highest seed sitting at #3, they’ll face #6 Navarre. Coach Cory Johns in his first year has done a magnificent job guiding the team to a (6-4) record while losing his starting quarterback Riley Trujillo twice in the regular season due to injury. However, running back Laython Biddle is a bell cow that’s built for the playoffs, and Bartram will call his number often. Trujillo is a dual threat quarterback that gives defensive coordinators nightmares. When healthy he is a problem.
Navarre player to watch: Running back Connor Mathews, 1176 yards 21 TDs
District runner up Ponte Vedra secured the 4th seed and will host #5 Creekside. A rematch from last week! This has all the billings for the best game of the region in round one. Quarterback Ben Burk for Ponte Vedra faces off against Running-back Harrison Garrido. They’ve both been outstanding all year in their positions. However both teams can win in other ways. Ponte Vedra with their defense as Ridge Richardson leads the team in tackles, and is second in interceptions. While Creekside not only can run with Garrido but they can light it up with the passing game. Sean Ashenfelder (Rutgers commit) and Kaleb Taylor-Burch have connected on big plays of late for Creekside. Ponte Vedra has lost two in a row and Coach Steve Price will look to get his team back on track, after coach Sean McIntyre and Creekside bested them 26-21 a week ago.
Nease was awarded the #7 seed as a district champion and their prize will be to face powerhouse Niceville who is the #2 seed of the region. This again is another scenario that makes no sense and has many pondering the legitimacy of the rankings system. Nease’s dramatic win over Ponte Vedra won the district two weeks ago, however Nease doesn’t get a higher seed. They must take on a harder Niceville team and go on the road to face higher seeds in the playoffs. The Panthers will play hard led by quarterback Bryce Frick who is playing phenomenal football. He’s connected with his big play target Maddox Spencer who leads Northeast Florida in receiving yards. Brayden Felder is an excellent option on offense and special teams, as Nease has gotten better and better every week under head coach Collin Drafts.
Niceville Player To Watch: Quarterback Kane Lafortune,1189 yards 14 TDs
2023 FHSAA Football State Championships 4 S
