2021 RPI rankings are out

FHSAA releases where local teams currently stand in the playoff hunt

After a 2020 season where all eligible teams earned a spot in the state series, Florida’s high school football playoffs are returning to the RPI system that began in 2019. In Classes 8A-5A, district winners will earn one of the four top seeds, while the four non-district winners with the highest RPI in the region will receive at-large bids. In Classes 4A-1A, the top six teams in each region will earn playoff spots based purely on their RPI. The standings released by the FHSAA are based on RPI only, so they are certain to fluctuate throughout the remainder of the season. Teams in Classes 8A-5A can clinch playoff spots with lower RPIs if they win their district outright. Here is a look at where local teams stand in the playoff hunt. You can look at the full rankings on the FHSAA website.

District 7-8A

Palm Beach Central (.799) Palm Beach Gardens (.558) Wellington (.501)

Jupiter (.486)

Royal Palm Beach (.475)

Palm Beach Lakes (.375) Undefeated Palm Beach Central, the No. 1 team in Palm Beach County in the Sun Sentinel rankings, ranks 10th overall in the state in the first RPI rankings of the year. Trailing the Broncos are Palm Beach Gardens, Wellington and Jupiter, who are fighting for the second spot. Royal Palm Beach is not far behind despite not winning a game yet this season.

District 8-8A

Park Vista (.675)

Forest Hill (.519)

Lake Worth (.371) Santaluces (.292)

John I. Leonard (.264)

Park Vista, which is 3-0 thus far this season, has a large lead for the top spot in the district, while Forest Hill has the edge over the three trailing teams in the district.

District 13-8A

Deerfield Beach (.678) Stoneman Douglas (.668)

Boca Raton (.613) Monarch (.461)

West Boca Raton (.305)

Coral Springs (.236)

This could be a district where RPI plays a major factor. Deerfield Beach is in pole position and has a great shot to win another district title outright. The Bucks beat Stoneman Douglas last week, and if they beat Boca Raton and Monarch later in the season, they will likely have the district wrapped up. But the Eagles, Bobcats and Knights may have to duke it out for an at-large bid, and their RPIs are crucial for that.

District 14-8A

Cypress Bay (.738) Western (.724)

West Broward (.571)

Coral Glades (.475) Flanagan (.447)

Taravella (.283)

Cypress Bay has the early RPI lead in this district, and their game later in the year against Western may decide this district’s champion.

District 8-7A

Stuart Martin County (.721) Dwyer (.657)

Seminole Ridge (.604) Sebastian River (.550)

Fort Pierce Westwood (.463) Both Dwyer and Seminole Ridge find themselves in good spots early in the season. The Hawks do already have a loss to Martin County, though, putting them a game back of the district leader.

District 13-7A

Fort Lauderdale (.686) Atlantic (.548)

Olympic Heights (.485)

Piper (.422)

Blanche Ely (.272)

Fort Lauderdale has a big early lead in RPI right now, with Atlantic trailing by .138. Still, there is plenty of time for that gap to narrow before the Eagles and Flying L’s play on Oct. 29.

District 14-7A

Dillard (.776)

St. Thomas Aquinas (.702)

Nova (.567)

Cooper City (.456)

South Plantation (.392)

Given their talent levels and strong schedules, it’s no surprise to see Dillard and St. Thomas over .700 here. Dillard ranks 17th overall in the state in RPI. Both of these teams are likely playoff squads, with the winner of their Oct. 22 matchup likely winning the district outright and the loser of that game earning an at-large spot.

District 15-7A

Miramar (.658)

South Broward (.644)

North Miami (.559) McArthur (.497) Everglades (.201) Miramar has the early lead in RPI for District 15. South Broward, which lost to Miramar last week, has a healthy, early lead over North Miami and McArthur for the second spot in the district.

District 8-6A

Port St. Lucie (.452) Suncoast (.450)

Stuart South Fork (.225) Okeechobee (.204) Suncoast is just slightly behind Port St. Lucie, but the Chargers have played just one game this year. They don’t play their first district game until Oct. 14.

District 15-6A

Coconut Creek (.602) Plantation (.471)

Boyd Anderson (.413) Hollywood Hills (.392) Northeast (.192)

Coconut Creek, which picked up a big win over Plantation last week, has the early lead in this district. Plantation has played only two games so far this season, the Colonels have plenty of time to improve their RPI before the playoffs begin.

District 14-5A

American Heritage (.578) Stranahan (.503)

Boynton Beach (.494) Jensen Beach (.475) American Heritage has the lead in this district and will likely stay there throughout the season. Stranahan is in the second spot, but Boynton Beach and Jensen Beach are not too far behind.

Region 3-4A

St. Petersburg Lakewood (.763) Clewiston (.713) Englewood Lemon Bay (.669) Glades Central (.538) American Heritage-Delray (.526) Lakeland Tenoroc (.444)

Lake Alfred Discovery (.360) Davenport (.319)

Parrish (.283)

Somerset Canyons (.204)

As it stands right now, Glades Central and American Heritage-Delray would earn spots in the postseason out of this region. If the standings remained unchanged, both the Raiders and the Stallions would play their first playoff games on the road.

Region 4-4A

Cardinal Gibbons (.779) Miami Immaculata-LaSalle (.696) Pinecrest Gulliver Prep (.686) North Broward Prep (.600) Coral Springs Charter (.567) Calvary Christian (.503) Miami Booker T. Washington (.479)

Miami Carol City (.412)

Pine Crest (.367)

Miami Monsignor Pace (.366) Early in this season, this region offers a strange sight for those who know South Florida high school football. Cardinal Gibbons leads the region in RPI (and the Chiefs currently rank 16th overall in the state). If the standings remain the same, North Broward Prep, Coral Springs Charter and Calvary Christian would earn playoff spots. On the outside, looking in, would be usual Miami-Dade County powerhouses Booker T. Washington and Carol City. But there is still a long way left to go in the season.

Region 2-3A

Lakeland Christian (.655) Benjamin (.613)

Avon Park (.444) Windermere Prep (.417)

Belle Isle Cornerstone Charter (.373) Orlando First Academy (.508) Frostproof (.432)

Lake Placid (.405) Melbourne Central Catholic (.399) Winter Park Trinity Preparatory (.288)

Benjamin looks to be in a good position in this region, ranking second behind Lakeland Christian.

Region 4-3A

Miami Florida Christian (.735) Chaminade-Madonna (.710) Somerset Academy Charter South Homestead (.671)

Cardinal Newman (.575) Homestead Somerset Charter Silver Palms (.550)

Miami Westminster Christian (.528) King’s Academy (.517) Miami Edison (.451)

Miami Palmer Trinity (.423) Inlet Grove (.414) Homestead Everglades Prep (.392) St. Andrew’s (.328)

Saint John Paul II Academy (.240) Unsurprisingly, Chaminade-Madonna is near the top of this region. The Class 3A powerhouse should make the postseason without much difficulty. Cardinal Newman is also currently in line for a playoff spot. King’s Academy is just outside the top six.

Region 4-2A

Avant Garde Academy (.825) Fort Pierce John Carroll (.733) Hialeah Champagnat (.668) Miami Archbishop Carroll (.598) Miami True North (.561) Glades Day (.506) Marathon (.474)

Miami Dade Christian (.471) Westminster Academy (.444) Avant Garde is the big surprise of the RPI rankings, earning the No. 4 spot in the state thanks to a 2-0 start to the season. Glades Day is currently in line to earn the sixth and final playoff spot in the region.

Region 4-1A

Hawthorne (.735) Wildwood (.704) Pahokee (.632) Fort Meade (.574) Newberry (.540) Starke Bradford (.530) Bronson (.508) Pierson Taylor (.468) Williston (.329)