2019 FHSAA Football Playoff Brackets

     The 2019 football playoff brackets were released by the FHSAA on Sunday of all classifications from Class 8A to Class 1A. South Florida high schools were represented in all eight classifications.
     The postseason will begin on Thursday. Class 4A thru Class 8A championship games will be held in Daytona Beach from December 11 to December 14. Class 3A, 2A and 1A title games will be at Tallahassee from December 5 to December 7.
     Class 8A in Region 3 has #8 Boca Raton make the long trip up I-95 to #1 Vero Beach, who kept their state-record regular season home winning streak intact. #6 Palm Beach Gardens challenges #3 Deerfield Beach in a rematch of the 2005 Class 6A state championship game. Two schools head south into Palm Beach County with #5 Treasure Coast at #4 Santaluces and #7 Centennial at #2 Palm Beach Central.
     Three Broward County schools will be a part of Region 4 for the first time since Class 8A was implemented in 2011. Class 8A state finalist #2 Columbus, who defeated Atlantic last week, plays the first playoff game in South Florida on Thursday night as they host #7 Coral Gables at Tropical Park. The venue will also have #8 Taravella versus #1 Miami Palmetto on Friday. Other games includes #6 Miami at #3 Stoneman Douglas and #5 South Dade at #6 Western.
     Class 7A in Region 4 has state finalist #1 St. Thomas Aquinas as the top seed since the rankings first came out and they will host #8 South Broward in the first round. #6 Blanche Ely faces #3 Atlantic for the second time in three weeks in another battle between District 13 teams. #5 Plantation visits #4 Hialeah and #7 Fort Lauderdale takes on #2 McArthur.
     Two schools from Palm Beach County are part of Region 3. #1 Palm Beach Lakes has the top seed and will be at home against #8 East Lake. #7 Seminole Ridge travels up north to #2 Mitchell.
     Just two local schools qualified for the Class 6A bracket in Region 4. Undefeated #2 Dillard moved to the second seed with a win over Blanche Ely in the Soul Bowl and will host #7 Lely. #4 Miami Central will take on #5 Dunbar.
     The top two seeds in Class 5A of Region 4 have been shuffling for the top spot over the last couple of weeks. It ended as #1 American Heritage facing #8 Key West while two-time defending Class 6A state champion #2 Miami Northwestern hosting #7 Stranahan. Other games includes #6 Killian at #3 Jensen Beach and #5 North Miami Beach at #4 Cypress Lake.
     Class 1A up to Class 4A will have the same playoff format as last year. The two top seeds will get byes in the first round and the following four seeds will face each other in the regional quarterfinals.
     Class 4A in Region 4 maybe the most competitive bracket in South Florida where any team has a good chance to end up being the regional champion. #1 Gulliver Prep and two-time defending Region 4 champion #2 University School picked up first-round byes. Miami rivals #4 Booker T. Washington challenges #5 Carol City at Traz Powell Stadium and defending Class 5A state champion #3 Cardinal Gibbons hosts #6 Monsignor Pace in Fort Lauderdale at The Furnace.
     Region 3 has #2 American Heritage getting a first-round bye and #5 Clewiston traveling to #4 Lake Placid. The biggest shock is that Glades Central did not qualify based on forfeiting several games due to an ineligible player.
     Class 3A in Region 4 is led by #1 Calvary Christian followed by two-time defending Class 3A state champion #2 Chaminade-Madonna. #6 St. Andrew's will make their first FHSAA playoff appearance in over four decades and face #3 Somerset Silver Palms. #6 Edison will visit #3 Westminster Christian.
     Region 3 is represented by two Palm Beach County schools. #5 Benjamin heads south to play #4 Cardinal Newman in West Palm Beach.
     Two Dade County schools will get first-round byes in Region 4 for Class 2A. Champagnat Catholic has the top seed while Westminster Academy took the second seed. #5 Miami Christian goes to #4 Neumann.
     Pahokee was placed as the #2 seed for Class 1A in Region 4 and will have a first-round bye. The Blue Devils rocketed up from sixth to second in the past two weeks thanks to victories over Clewiston in the Sugar Bowl and Glades Central in the Muck Bowl.