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    What you need to know

    Pabio Posted on

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    SARASOTA – The FHSAA released its football categories Friday night, and 7 programs from Sarasota and Manatee had a chance to make the playoffs.

    As expected, Venice landed the No. 1 seed in the Class 7A-Region 2 bracket and will be at home throughout. Riverview, meanwhile, won No. 7 and a road contest. Cardinal Mooney and Manatee also landed the top seeds in their group. The defending state final four team, Booker and Palmetto, landed two seeds.

    Here’s a look at each region with a local team and our analysis of that region, including our winner predictions. Zone teams in bold.

    Class 7A-Region 3

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    1. Venice against No. 8 Haines City; No. 4 Newsome vs. No. 5 Sumner; Plant city n°2 against. No 7, river view; No. 3 West Orange vs. Apopka

    How we see it

    Barring an upset of seismic proportions, John Peacock’s Venice High football team should advance to the regional championship game. The green and white have 6-4 Haines City as a first round opponent. A semifinal match awaits with Sumner winning 6-4 and Newsome 7-3, the latter losing 21-14 to Palmetto in August. As for the 4-5 Rams, their No. 7 seed earns them a matchup at No. 2 Plant City, which will enter the game with an 8-2 mark and winners of five straight. Assuming the Raiders take care of the Rams, then West Orange or Apopka’s semifinal opponent, that would set up a championship game of Venice hosting Plant City. With Venice desperate to avenge state title losses the past two years, both times to Lakeland, Peacock’s team once again reached the Class 7A Final Four.

    Class 6A-Region 3

    1. West Boca Raton vs. No. 8 Steinbrenner; No. 4 Mitchell v. Parish No. 5; N°2 Palm tree against No. 7 Largo; No. 3 Wiregrass Ranch vs. No. 6 Royal Palm Beach

    How we see it

    The 9-1 Bulls draw the 10-0 Mitchell Mustangs as a road quarterfinal opponent. Mitchell averages more points per game (40.1) than Parrish (33.4) and, at home, he’s our pick to emerge victorious. As the No. 2 seed, Palmetto tied Largo 6-4, following a 7-6 loss to Steinbrenner in the season finale. The Tigers win and advance to host the winner of No. 3 Wiregrass Ranch and No. 6 Royal Palm Beach in a semifinal. We pick the 9-1 Bulls to beat Royal Palm Beach, then eliminate the higher-seeded Tigers. And at the top end of the bracket, 10-0 West Boca Raton advances to the title game by beating Wiregrass Ranch.

    Class 5A-Region 3

    1. Manatee against 8. Pinellas Park; No. 4 Immokalee vs. No. 5 Cape Coral; No. 2 Fort Myers vs. 7. Charlotte; No. 3 Riverdale vs. 6. North Fort Myers

    How we see it

    The top-seeded Manatee Hurricanes shouldn’t hope to get past first-round opponent Pinellas for a possible semifinal matchup with 9-1 Immokalee, which is averaging 43 points per game and last lost on 6 september. And that’s assuming Immokalee gets past 8-1 Cape Coral. But having the game at Joe Kinnan Field at Hawkins Stadium should give the Hurricanes the edge. We’re picking Jacquez Green’s team to reach the regional championship, where they’ll face No. 2 seed Fort Myers. And what the Hurricanes didn’t accomplish last season, they will in 2024. Win the Class 5A-Region 3 title.

    Class 3A-Region 3

    1. Jefferson v. Hudson No. 8; No. 4 Chamberlain vs. No. 5 Boca Ciega; Book #2r against 7. Hardee; No. 3 Mulberry versus No. 6 Nature Coast

    How we see it

    The second-seeded Tornadoes don’t have an easy path to defending their regional crown. An expected home quarterfinal win over No. 7 Hardee will be followed by a likely matchup at Tornado Alley against No. 3 Mulberry, which enters its quarterfinal matchup against No. 6 Nature Coast with a record of 9-1 and only 66 points allowed in his 10 games. Get past Hardee and Mulberry, and a likely title match awaits Booker with top-seeded Jefferson, who is 10-0 and averaging 45 points per game. We don’t see the Tornadoes surviving this gridiron challenge. We are watching a Mulberry-Jefferson regional final.

    Class 2A-Region 3

    1. Cardinal Mooney against 8. Boynton Beach; 4. Calvary Christian Academy vs. 5. King’s Academy; 2. Mgr Verot against 7. Tarpon Springs; 3. Glades Central vs. No. 6 Lakewood

    How we see it

    For the defending champion and 9-0 Cougars, their toughest matchup could come in the semifinals. First-round opponent 5-5 Boynton Beach is expected to be faced by Jared Clark’s team at home, leading to a possible semifinal matchup with 7-3 Calvary Christian Academy. If the Cougars reach the title game, a likely rematch awaits with 7-3 Bishop Verot, who has been smoked 49-28 this season by the Cougars. Barring a major stumble, the Cougars will return to the Class 2A Final Four.

    Special promotion lets you stream high school football playoff games at a discount

    The Sarasota Herald-Tribune doesn’t want you to miss your favorite team during the FHSAA football playoffs. To make watching games on the NFHS Network a little easier, use promo code HER20 to get $20 off an annual high school subscription. sports streaming service. The regular price is $79.99, but with the code you get it for $59.99.

    Membership is not just for football, sign up now and you will also benefit from all sports covered by the NFHS during the winter and spring seasons, including basketball, football, baseball and softball , to name a few. And since it’s a one-year subscription, it’s also valid for the 2025 fall season, so you’ll be able to watch 2025 high school football games as well as volleyball.

    Go to nfhsnetwork.com and apply promo code HER20 at checkout to get the discount and start streaming Florida high school sports today.

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    Pabio
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