Local matchups highlight first week of playoffs
The Florida High School Athletic Association playoffs kick off this week and matchups between local teams highlight the first weekend of action in
South Florida.
The first weekend slate features 20 games with teams from Miami-Dade and Broward counties, with three defending state champions officially beginning their title defenses.
In Class 7A, St. Thomas Aquinas hosts Delray Beach Atlantic in Fort Lauderdale. In Class 5A, Miami Central hosts
North Miami Beach and Plantation American Heritage hosts Boynton Beach. Cardinal Gibbons has a bye in Class 4A and Champagnat Catholic has one in Class 2A.
In the state’s four largest classifications, four district champions earned automatic berths, while four wild-card teams were determined based on RPI. In the four smallest classifications, six teams qualify for the postseason in each region based on RPI with the top two teams receiving first-round byes.
The state championships for Classes 8A-4A will be held in Fort Lauderdale next month and the title games in Classes 3A-1A will be in Tallahassee.
Here are the full firstround brackets:
THE BRACKETS
Region 4-8A
No. 1 Davie Western vs. No. 8 Parkland Stoneman Douglas
No. 4 Miami Dr. Krop. vs. No. 5 Miami Columbus
No. 2 Miami Palmetto vs. No. 7 Coral Glades
No. 3 Deerfield Beach vs. No. 6 Boca Raton Region 4-7A
No. 1 Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas vs. No. 8 Delray Beach Atlantic
No. 4 Miramar vs. No. 5 Doral Academy
No. 2 Homestead vs. No. 7 South Broward
No. 3 Fort Lauderdale vs. No. 6 Fort Lauderdale Dillard
Region 4-6A
No. 1 Fort Myers Dunbar vs. No. 8 Plantation
No. 4 Coconut Creek vs No. 5 South Fort Myers
No. 2 Naples vs. No. 7 Charlotte
No. 3 Miami Northwestern vs. No. 6 Fort Myers
Region 4-5A
No. 1 Miami Killian vs. No. 8 Cypress Lake
No. 4 Estero vs. No. 5 Fort Lauderdale Stranahan
No. 2 Plantation American Heritage vs. No. 7
Boynton Beach
No. 3 Central vs. No. 6 North Miami Beach
Region 4-4A
No. 1 seed Miami Gulliver Prep and No. 2 seed Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons receive first-round byes
No. 4 Miami Booker T. Washington vs. No. 5 Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian Academy
No. 3 Miami LaSalle vs. No. 6 Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest
Region 4-3A
No. 1 seed Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna and No. 2 seed Miami Florida Christian receive firstround byes
No. 4 Miami Edison vs.
No. 5 Somerset Academy South Homestead
No. 2 West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman vs. No. 6 Boca Raton Saint Andrew’s
Region 4-2A
No. 1 seed Hollywood Avant Garde Academy and No. 2 seed Hialeah Champagnat receive first-round byes
No. 4 Miami True North Classical Academy vs No. 5 Fort Pierce John Carroll Catholic
No. 3 Belle Glade Glades Day vs. No. 6 Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy