Playoff Week 4: There Are 32 Teams Left
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The final weeks of the 2021 high school football season are now really upon us.
Just 32 teams remain from the hundreds and hundreds who had the dream of one day becoming a state football champion.
As a few top programs were lost in the Region Finals this past week, several others – many with championship aspirations – are still very much alive.
The winners in 1A, 2A and 3A will travel to Tallahassee next week – while 4A-8A will meet the following week in Fort Lauderdale at Drive Pink Stadium (formerly Lockhart Stadium).
Here is a look at the latest ranking from Florida Prep Redzone, heading into the fourth week of the state playoffs:
1.Tampa Jesuit (6A, 13-0). The Tigers’ perfect season continued with a 42-0 win over Tampa Hillsborough (10-3). THIS WEEK: No. 13 Miami Northwestern heads to Tampa for one of the top games of the week. NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the Orlando Jones at Pensacola Pine Forest game on Saturday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m. at Drive Pink Stadium Fort Lauderdale.
2. Miami Central (5A, 10-2). The Rockets remained red hot with a win at No. 1 seed Miami Killian, 39-13. THIS WEEK: A home (Traz Powell Stadium) game on Friday against 11-2 Baker County. NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the Sebring at Merritt Island game on Friday, Dec. 17, 1 p.m. at Drive Pink Stadium Fort Lauderdale.
3. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (7A, 12-1). The two-time defending state champion Raiders rolled over No. 2 seed Homestead, 56-7 THIS WEEK: A very talented and very dangerous No. 12 Gainesville Buchholz (12-1). NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the Lakeland Lake Gibson and Tampa Bay Tech game on Friday, Dec. 17, 7 p.m. at Drive Pink Stadium Fort Lauderdale.
4. Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna (3A, 9-1). The Lions scored early and often and the defense registered its fourth shutout of the season against West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman, 48-0. THIS WEEK: No. 14 Tallahassee Florida High makes the 465 mile trip to south Florida for a rematch of the 2019 state title game. NEXT WEEK: The winner of the Lakeland Christian and Tampa Berkeley Prep game on Friday, Dec. 10, 7 p.m. at Gene Cox Stadium, Tallahassee.
5. Bradenton IMG Academy (Independent, 9-1). With a week off, the Ascenders get back to it this week. SEASON IS FINISHED.
6. Venice (8A, 12-1). The powerhouse Indians continued to roll against everyone – as they proved in a 49-7 win against Winter Garden West Orange. It was the 10th time the Indians scored at least 40 in a game this season. THIS WEEK: No. 18 Miami Christopher Columbus (9-3) makes the trip north. NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the Apopka and Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast game on Saturday, Dec. 18, 1 p.m. Drive Pink Stadium Fort Lauderdale.
7. Tampa Bay Tech (7A, 13-0). The Titans continue to get stronger as they piled on the points in a 42-6 win over Tampa Wharton. THIS WEEK: It’s a big home showdown with a very hot No. 21 Lakeland Lake Gibson team. NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the Gainesville Buchholz at St. Thomas Aquinas game on Friday, Dec. 17, 1 p.m. at Drive Pink Stadium Fort Lauderdale.
8. Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons (4A, 9-2). One of the most thrilling games of the round as the defending state champions came from behind to beat Miami Gulliver Prep, 36-33. THIS WEEK: The 9-2 St. Petersburg Lakewood Spartans head to south Florida for the second time this season. NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the Jacksonville Bolles at Cocoa game on Thursday, Dec. 16, 7 p.m. at Drive Pink Stadium Fort Lauderdale.
9. Cocoa (4A, 10-1). In beating The Villages 54-21, the Tigers remained focused on the prize – a state title! THIS WEEK: A home game against No. 17 Jacksonville Bolles, a team that has been state runner up the past two years. NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the St. Petersburg Lakewood at Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons game on Thursday, Dec. 16, 7 p.m. at Drive Pink Stadium Fort Lauderdale.
10. Tampa Berkeley Prep (3A, 11-0). The special season continued for the Buccaneers in a convincing 36-22 win over Clearwater Central Catholic. THIS WEEK: It’s a battle of unbeatens in Tampa as No. 16 Lakeland Christian will provide the opposition. NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the Tallahassee Florida High at Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna Prep game on Friday, Dec. 10, 7 p.m. at Gene Cox Stadium, Tallahassee.
11. Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast (8A, 10-1). One of the huge surprises this season – as the Titans shut down previously unbeaten Wellington Palm Beach Central, 34-0. THIS WEEK: A trip to play No. 1 seed Wellington Palm Beach Central (10-0). NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the Miami Christopher Columbus at Venice game on Saturday, Dec. 18, 1 p.m. at Drive Pink Stadium Fort Lauderdale.
12. Gainesville Buchholz (7A, 12-1). The Bobcats continued to roll along with a convincing home win against Ponte Vedra Nease, 37-14. THIS WEEK: A 320-mile trip to play No. 3 Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas. NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the Lakeland Lake Gibson and Tampa Bay Tech game on Friday, Dec. 17, 7 p.m. at Drive Pink Stadium Fort Lauderdale.
13. Miami Northwestern (6A, 10-3). The Bulls stayed on a roll with a huge home win against Plantation, 57-14. THIS WEEK: It’s No. 1 in the state and one of the best in the nation – unbeaten Tampa Jesuit. NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the Orlando Jones at Pensacola Pine Forest game on Saturday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m. at Drive Pink Stadium Fort Lauderdale.
14. Tallahassee Florida State University High (3A, 11-1). The Seminoles kept their dreams alive for another state title appearance with a 17-12 win against Ocala Trinity Catholic. THIS WEEK: A 465-mile trip to play one of the best – if not the best team in Florida at No. 4 Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna. NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the Lakeland Christian and Tampa Berkeley Prep game on Friday, Dec. 10, 7 p.m. at Gene Cox Stadium, Tallahassee.
15. Merritt Island (5A, 12-1). It’s been a long time since this program has been this far, and after last week’s 21-7 Region final victory against Satellite, it was time for that next step. THIS WEEK: A key game against surprising No. 3 seed Satellite. NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the Baker County at Miami Central game on Friday, Dec. 17, 1 p.m. at Drive Pink Stadium Fort Lauderdale.
16. Lakeland Christian (3A, 11-0). The Vikings had to come from behind to remain unbeaten with a 24-21 win over North Palm Beach Benjamin. THIS WEEK: A trip to Tampa to play a very impressive Berkeley Prep squad. NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the Tallahassee Florida High and Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna game on Friday, Dec. 10, 7 p.m. at Gene Cox Stadium, Tallahassee.
17. Jacksonville Bolles (4A, 8-2). The Bulldogs looked to get things back on track with a huge 55-7 win against Santa Rosa Beach Walton. THIS WEEK: A trip to No. 9 Cocoa on Friday. NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the St. Petersburg Lakewood at Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons game on Thursday, Dec. 16, 7 p.m. at Drive Pink Stadium Fort Lauderdale.
18. Apopka (8A, 9-2). Winning for the seventh straight time – including a 28-27 overtime win against defending 8A state champion Sanford Seminole, this team is on a roll. THIS WEEK: A trip to still under-the-radar No. 11 Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast on Friday. NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the Miami Christopher Columbus at Venice game on Saturday, Dec. 18, 1 p.m. at Drive Pink Stadium Fort Lauderdale.
19. Miami Christopher Columbus (8A, 9-3). For the second time in three meetings this season, the Explorers got by rival Miami Palmetto, 22-14. THIS WEEK: A trip to play one of the best teams in the state – No. 6 Venice on Friday night. NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the Apopka and Port St. Lucie Treasure Coast game on Saturday, Dec. 18, 1 p.m. at Drive Pink Stadium Fort Lauderdale.
20. Orlando Jones (6A, 11-2). With a thrilling win against previously unbeaten Ocala Vanguard, 28-26, it’s on to the next round. THIS WEEK: It’s a 449-mile trip to play No. 21 Pensacola Pine Forest. NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the Miami Northwestern at Tampa Jesuit game on Saturday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m. at Drive Pink Stadium Fort Lauderdale.
21. Pensacola Pine Forest (6A, 11-1). Even though the Eagles have won 11 of 12 games this season, they are still fighting for respect, and after a 49-14 win against Lynn Haven Mosley, they moved one step close. THIS WEEK: Orlando Jones takes the long trip to the Panhandle – and they are tested. NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the Miami Northwestern at Tampa Jesuit game on Saturday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m. at Drive Pink Stadium Fort Lauderdale.
22. Lakeland Lake Gibson (7A, 9-3). In winning for the seventh consecutive time, 48-14, over Melbourne, the Braves showed that they are indeed a team to watch. THIS WEEK: A trip to play unbeaten Tampa Bay Tech. NEXT OPPONENT: The winner of the Gainesville Buchholz at St. Thomas Aquinas game on Friday, Dec. 17, 7 p.m. at Drive Pink Stadium Fort Lauderdale.
23. Sanford Seminole (8A, 11-2). The defending champs watched the season come to an end with a tough 28-27 overtime loss to Apopka.
24. Miami Gulliver Prep (4A, 9-2). The season came to an end at home with a heart-wrenching 36-33 loss to defending 4A state champion Cardinal Gibbons.
25. Miami Killian (5A, 12-1). The dream season came to an end for the Cougars with a loss at home against two-time defending champion, 39-13.
OTHER TEAMS TO WATCH:
Baker County (5A, 11-2)
Chiefland (1A, 11-1)
Chipley (1A, 9-3)
Hawthorne (1A, 9-0)
Hialeah Champagnat Catholic (2A, 9-2)
Jacksonville Trinity Christian (2A, 8-4)
Madison County (1A, 10-3)
Naples First Baptist (2A, 10-1)
St. Petersburg Lakewood (4A, 9-2)
Sebring (5A, 9-3)
TEAMS FINISHED FOR THE SEASON: Altamonte Springs Lake Brantley (8A, 6-5), Auburndale (6A, 9-1), Belleview (6A, 8-3), Boca Raton (8A, 8-3), Boynton Beach (5A, 7-4), Citra North Marion (5A, 6-4), Clearwater (5A, 10-1), Clearwater Countryside (6A, 5-6), Clewiston (4A, 8-3), Coral Springs Coral Glades (8A, 6-3), Daytona Beach Mainland (6A, 5-5), Daytona Beach Seabreeze (5A, 6-5), Doral Academy (7A, 8-2), Fort Lauderdale Dillard (7A, 9-2), Fort Myers (6A, 5-4), Fort Myers Dunbar (6A, 9-1), Gulf Breeze (6A, 7-4), Hollywood South Broward (7A, 8-2), Jacksonville Terry Parker (5A, 7-4), Jacksonville Raines (5A, 8-3), Jacksonville Riverside (6A, 9-2), Lake Butler Union County (1A, 12-1), Lake City Columbia (6A, 6-5), Lake Mary (8A, 10-2), Leesburg (5A, 6-4), Lehigh (7A, 7-3), Lithia Newsome (8A, 8-3), Lutz Steinbrenner (8A, 7-4), Lynn Haven Mosley (6A, 11-2), Melbourne (7A, 10-3), Miami Florida Christian (4A, 8-2), Ocala Vanguard (6A, 12-1). Miami Palmetto (8A, 9-3), Naples (6A, 10-1), Neptune Beach Fletcher (7A, 5-6), Niceville (7A, 10-2), No. 1 Ocala Trinity Catholic (3A, 7-3), Orlando Edgewater (7A, 10-2), No. 2 Pahokee (1A, 8-2), No. 7 Ponte Vedra Nease (7A, 9-4), Port Orange Spruce Creek (7A, 8-2), Pensacola West Florida (5A, 9-2), Port St. Lucie (6A, 7-3), No. 5 Rockledge (5A, 9-3), No. 6 Satellite (5A, 10-3), South Fort Myers (6A, 8-3), St. Johns Creekside (8A, 8-3), St. Lucie West Centennial (8A, 5-5), St. Petersburg Gibbs (5A, 8-4), St. Petersburg Northeast (6A, 9-2), Stuart Martin County (7A, 9-1), Tallahassee Rickards (6A, 6-5), Tampa Gaither (7A, 6-5), No. 6 Tampa Wharton (7A, 9-3), Trenton (1A, 4-6), No. 2 The Villages Charter (4A, 10-1), Trinity Mitchell (7A, 8-3), Viera (7A, 5-5), Wellington (8A, 7-4), Wellington Palm Beach Central (8A, 10-1), West Palm Beach Forest Hill (8A, 6-3), Winter Garden West Orange (8A, 11-2), Zephyrhills (5A, 9-2)
TRACKING FLORIDA: Teams Look At 2021 Season. https://prepredzone.com/2021/03/tracking-florida-teams-look-at-2021-season/
You Can Contact Larry Blustein with prospect or team information at: Floridakids1@aol.com.