A look at the most intriguing district playoff races
The FHSAA district playoffs start here on Monday night.
With that, here’s a look at the most intriguing district races in the state.
Class 8A-District 10
Countryside is the No. 1 seed while St. Pete is No. 2. After that East Lake and Seminole and Pinellas Park are hanging around. East Lake has shown flashes of solid play. This district will ultimately come down to St. Pete and Countryside. The rivals have played three times already this season with St. Pete winning two times, but Countryside won the most important game to claim the top seed in the district.
Class 8A-District 9
Plant City is a perfect 12-0 in the district while Tampa Bay Tech is 10-2. Both of Tech’s losses came to Plant City by a combined 13 points. Durant is the No. 3 seed, Strawberry Crest is No. 4 and East Bay is No. 5. Barring an upset, we’ll see the third meeting between Plant City and Tampa Bay Tech in the district final.
Class 8A-District 8
Plant is 13-1 in the district with its lone loss coming in overtime to Sickles late last month. Wharton is the No. 2 seed, Sickles is No. 3 and Wiregrass Ranch is No. 4. Plant has been really good all season long, but anything can happen with Wharton and Sickles playing solid as of late. This is a fun district to keep an eye on.
Class 8A-District 13
This is going to come down to Dwyer and Forest Hill. Dwyer is 23-1 this season and 5-0 in the district while Forest Hill has been almost as dominant at 22-3 and 5-1 in the district. Palm Beach Lakes is the No. 3 seed and holds a 4-3 district record.
Class 8A-District 12
In this three-team district, Riverdale, North Port and Gulf Coast all own winning records. Riverdale beat North Port in the first meeting, but North Port got revenge in an overtime win over Riverdale on Jan. 11. The third meeting, likely coming in the district title game should be fierce.
Class 9A-District 16
This is an interesting district with Palmetto (11-1), Southridge (10-2) and Killian (8-4) all playing good basketball. Killian can upset one of the top seeds, so don’t pencil in a Palmetto-Southridge final just yet.
Class 7A-District 1
Booker T. Washington (9-1), Pensacola (8-2) and Pine Forest (7-3) have all come to play this season. Booker T. Washington’s only district loss this season was to Pensacola by 20 points. Anything can happen in 7A-1.
Class 7A-District 13
Sebastian River (5-1), Okeechobee (5-2) and South Fork (4-2) are not far off from one another. This is a true three-headed battle in 7A-13.
Class 7A-District 10
Charlotte (10-2), Cape Coral (9-3), Port Charlotte (6-3) and Lemon Bay (8-4) are your top four seeds. Charlotte and Cape Coral are favorites to reach the district final with 19-6 records. The two rivals split the regular season series.
Class 7A-District 5
Mainland (7-1), Deltona (6-2), Atlantic (9-4) and Father Lopez (8-4) are all playing good basketball. Anything can happen in 7A-5 with Mainland being the top seed.
Class 8A-District 7
At first glance, Winter Haven (6-0) is undefeated in district play. However, Bartow (3-3) and Lakeland (3-3) will have something to say about that with some good wins as of late.
Class 7A-District 15
Norland (7-1) and Carol City (6-2) are the top two seeds. Norland is 18-6 for the season and Carol City is 17-4. The two sides split the regular season series.
Class 6A-District 6
North Marion and Eastside are both 7-1 in the district. The first game went to Eastside by 20 points but North Marion won the last matchup on Jan. 16 by five points.
Class 5A-District 15
Gulliver Prep and Booker T. Washington are both 5-1 in this district. Gulliver Prep won the first meeting, at home by two points but lost by 11 on the road.
Class 4A-District 4
The top six teams can make noise in district play: Carrollwood Day (8-1), Admiral Farragut (8-2), Tampa Prep (7-2), St. Pete Catholic (6-4), Cambridge Christian (5-4) and Calvary Christian (5-4). This one will be interesting.
Class 4A-District 3
Master’s Academy is a perfect 6-0 in district play while Santa Fe Catholic is 6-1. Orangewood Christian has hung around at 4-2. This should be a Master’s-Santa Fe Catholic final.
Class 4A-District 2
Providence (4-0) and Bishop Snyder (3-1) are peaking at the best time. This should be the district final in 4A-2.
Class 6A-District 11
Gibbs (9-1) and Lakewood (7-3) have all their guys back in the fold. This is a fun rivalry and it shouldn’t be any different in the district final.
Class 3A-District 2
St. Francis Catholic (4-1) and Lake Mary Prep (3-1) are your top two seeds. It should be a tough district final.
Class 3A-District 1
Florida A&M (9-1), St. John Paul II (9-1) and North Florida Christian (6-4) have all been solid this season. It will be a close battle until the end.
Class 2A-District 3
North Florida Educational (6-1), Calvary Christian (6-1), Halifax (5-2) and Harvest Community (7-2) are your top four seeds. This can go to anyone.
Class 1A-District 3
Chipley (4-1), Baker (6-2) and Freeport (5-3) are your top three seeds in 1A-3. Expect a tight battle.
Class 1A-District 1
Bethlehem (10-2) and Laurel Hill (9-2) have been working hard all season in 1A-1. This should be a back and forth district final.