Jockeying for position
Local teams joust in race for playoff spots as Week 7 arrives
After a 2020 season where all eligible teams earned a spot in the state series, Florida’s high school football playoffs have returned to the ratings percentage index (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.
The formula for a team’s RPI is: RPI = (0.35 × winning percentage) + (0.35 × opponents’ winning percentage) + (0.30 × opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage).
Here is a look at where current local teams stand in the playoff hunt. You can look at the full rankings on the FHSAA website.
District 7-8A
Palm Beach Central (.762)
Palm Beach Gardens (.592)
Wellington (.516)
Jupiter (.502)
Royal Palm Beach (.417)
Palm Beach Lakes (.362)
Palm Beach Central remains at the top of this district and the region in RPI, and the Broncos are ranked eighth overall in the state. Wellington jumped ahead of Jupiter for third place in the district, as well. Palm Beach Gardens is ranked sixth in the region and Wellington is ranked eighth.
District 8-8A
Park Vista (.593)
Forest Hill (.522)
Lake Worth (.353)
Santaluces (.330)
John I. Leonard (.286)
Undefeated Park Vista remains at the top of this district, and the Cobras are fifth in the region. Forest Hill, ranked second in the district, is No. 7 in the region.
District 13-8A
Boca Raton (.658)
Deerfield Beach (.645)
Stoneman Douglas (.585)
Monarch (.527)
Coral Springs (.403)
West Boca Raton (.327)
Boca Raton’s win over Stoneman Douglas helped vault the Bobcats into first place in this district in RPI. The Bucks are right behind them in second place. Boca Raton and Deerfield Beach’s game on Oct. 29will likely decide the district champion, but the teams behind them are in good spots for at-large berths. Boca Raton is third in the region, Deerfield Beach is fourth and Stoneman Douglas is seventh. Monarch is outside of the playoff picture at 11th.
District 14-8A
Western (.684)
Cypress Bay (.602)
Coral Glades (.526)
Flanagan (.511)
West Broward (.427)
Taravella (.293)
Western’s win over rival Cypress Bay vaulted the Wildcats over the Lightning, but both teams are in line for a playoff spot. Western is second in the region, and Cypress Bay is fifth. Coral Glades is ranked 12th.
District 8-7A
Dwyer (.661)
Stuart Martin County (.652)
Seminole Ridge (.598)
Sebastian River (.433)
Fort Pierce Westwood (.432)
Dwyer’s RPI dropped after its win over Sebastian River, but the Panthers still moved into first place in the district. Dwyer is currently third in the region, and Seminole Ridge is sixth.
District 13-7A
Fort Lauderdale (.614)
Atlantic (.561)
Olympic Heights (.419)
Piper (.422)
Blanche Ely (.320)
There was no movement in this district this week, as the Flying L’s stay on top. The game between Atlantic and Fort Lauderdale on Oct. 29will be crucial, as the winner will almost certainly be the district champion and the loser may find itself out of the playoffs.
District 14-7A
St. Thomas Aquinas (.750)
Dillard (.715)
Nova (.494)
Cooper City (.435)
South Plantation (.372)
The Raiders and Panthers retain high RPIs, with the Raiders ranked 12th in the state and Panthers checking in at No. 22. St. Thomas is second in the region. Dillard is third.
District 15-7A
Miramar (.670)
South Broward (.631)
North Miami (.508)
McArthur (.463)
Everglades (.255)
As expected, Miramar’s record was corrected and the Patriots vaulted back to the top spot in this district. Miramar and South Broward are currently fifth and sixth in their region, respectively. District 8-6A
Port St. Lucie (.504)
Suncoast (.349)
Stuart South Fork (.280)
Okeechobee (.249)
No one in this district has a particularly high RPI, but Suncoast will need to improve its RPI or win its district outright. The Chargers begin district play against South Fork on Oct. 14.
District 15-6A
Coconut Creek (.591)
Plantation (.540)
Hollywood Hills (.455)
Boyd Anderson (.373403
Northeast (.204)
The Cougars remain in the top spot in this district, though Plantation cut the gap with its win last week. Coconut Creek is fifth in its region, while Plantation is ranked seventh.
District 14-5A
American Heritage (.674)
Stranahan (.547)
Boynton Beach (.540)
Jensen Beach (.365)
With a win over Cardinal Gibbons, American Heritage vaulted into the top spot in this district. Stranahan fell to second, and Boynton Beach is creeping up behind the Mighty Dragons. The Patriots are second in the region. Stranahan is fifth, and Boynton Beach is sixth.
Region 3-4A
St. Petersburg Lakewood (.722) Clewiston (.702)
Englewood Lemon Bay (.646)
Glades Central (.510)
American Heritage-Delray (.486) Lakeland Tenoroc (.410)
Parrish (.383)
Davenport (.352)
Lake Alfred Discovery (.326)
Somerset Canyons (.268)
Glades Central’s RPI fell after its loss to Miami Carol City, but the Raiders remain in fourth place in the region and in line for a playoff berth. The Stallions are one spot behind the Raiders and also remain in the playoff picture.
Region 4-4A
Pinecrest Gulliver Prep (.742)
Miami Immaculata-LaSalle (.706)
Cardinal Gibbons (.699)
Coral Springs Charter (.609)
Miami Carol City (.523)
Calvary Christian (.487)
North Broward Prep (.469)
Miami Booker T. Washington (.451)
Pine Crest (.440)
Miami Monsignor Pace (.421)
Although they only lost by a field goal, the Chiefs dropped from the top spot in the region to No. 3. Cardinal Gibbons is still in line to make the playoffs and host in the first round. North Broward Prep took a tumble with its loss to Coral Springs, dropping from fifth in the region to seventh. Region 2-3A
Lakeland Christian (.685)
Benjamin (.670)
Orlando First Academy (.511)
Frostproof (.483)
Avon Park (.447)
Lake Placid (.445)
Melbourne Central Catholic (.435) Windermere Prep (.417)
Winter Park Trinity Prep (.382)
Belle Isle Cornerstone Charter (.322) Benjamin remains in a good spot and ranks second in the region. The Buccaneers are only .015 behind Lakeland Christian,
Region 4-3A
Chaminade-Madonna (.747)
Miami Florida Christian (.707)
Cardinal Newman (.612)
King’s Academy (.583)
Somerset Academy Charter South Homestead (.573)
Miami Edison (.570)
Homestead Somerset Charter Silver Palms (.542) Miami Westminster Christian (.511)
Miami Palmer Trinity (.461)
Homestead Everglades Prep (.446)
St. Andrew’s (.427)
Inlet Grove (.397)
Saint John Paul II Academy (.322) Chaminade-Madonna moved into the top spot in the region, moving past Florida Christian. Cardinal Newman is in third place and is still in line to be a first-round playoff host. King’s Academy made a big jump, going from sixth in the region last week to fourth.
Region 4-2A
Avant Garde Academy (.674)
Miami True North (.621)
Glades Day (.596)
Hialeah Champagnat (.576)
Miami Archbishop Carroll (.550)
Miami Dade Christian (.535)
Fort Pierce John Carroll (.521) Westminster Academy (.484)
Marathon (.443)
With a win over Immokalee, Avant Garde stayed in first place in this region. Glades Day vaulted from fifth in the region last week to third.
Region 4-1A
Hawthorne (.690)
Starke Bradford (.557)
Wildwood (.550)
Pahokee (.548)
Newberry (.537)
Bronson (.481)
Fort Meade (.464)
Pierson Taylor (.385)
Williston (.328)
Pahokee is a in a tight race for home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Blue Devils are currently fourth in the region, meaning they would go on the road in the first round. But Pahokee is only .002behind Wildwood for the third spot and .009points behind Bradford for second. If Pahokee can improve its RPI and move ahead those teams, the Blue Devils could be playoff hosts.