NBC2 SPORTS BLOG: High School Football District Realignment
The Florida High School Athletic Association has announced the new district alignments for prep football. The new changes will stick for the next two seasons (through the 2008 season). Click here to see the initial FHSAA release on all the changes statewide.
Here is a breakdown of the impact on the changes to four area teams, and the addition of one new team.
(SW FL teams in ALL CAPS, Changes in BOLD):
CLASS 5A
District 11: CHARLOTTE, PORT CHARLOTTE, NORTH PORT, Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton Manatee, Venice
District 12: IDA BAKER, CAPE CORAL, FORT MYERS, MARINER, NORTH FORT MYERS
The first thing 5A-11’s shuffle does for North Port Is reduce their travel for district games. In 4A-15, they spent a lot of time on the bus traveling to face teams in Lee and Collier County. Now, the Bobcats will remain in the Charlotte/Sarasota county area. Ironically, moving up a class may improve the Bobcats chances of postseason participation. The Bobcats had trouble competing in 4A-15, but face a relatively easier task trying to make the playoffs in 5A-11. Aside from perennial powerhouse Manatee, the rest of 5A-11 seems to take turns alternating good and bad seasons. Charlotte, Venice and Lakewood Ranch have each made the playoffs in the last few years, but none is consistently dominant.
5A-12 is unchanged, leaving the three Cape Coral teams and two Fort Myers teams to continue duking it out.
CLASS 4A
District 15: BARRON COLLIER, CYPRESS LAKE, GULF COAST, LEHIGH, PALMETTO RIDGE, EAST LEE COUNTY
4A-15’s existing teams Barron Collier, Cypress Lake, Gulf Coast and Lehigh aren’t celebrating the addition of Palmetto Ridge. The Bears made the playoffs for the first time in school history this past season and appear to be laying the foundation for a strong program. The trade-off is that 4A-15 loses South Fort Myers. You could make a similar statement of the Wildcats who spoiled a few teams’ playoff plans this year. Barron Collier and Cypress Lake have been the perennial District Title contenders, but it’s been Lehigh winning each of the last two. However Lehigh could see a bit of a dropoff as their talent pool will be cut a bit by the new East Lee County team. If Palmetto Ridge continues to build momentum, Cypress Lake and Barron Collier maintain the high standard they’ve had for years, and Lehigh and East Lee can each play off momentum Lehigh has gained the past couple of years… 4A-15 could evolve into Southwest Florida’s most competitive district. 4A-15 teams likely won’t miss making the annual trip to North Port after the Bobcats were moved up to 5A. But trading North Port for Palmetto Ridge probably isn’t a trade 4A-15 teams would want to make if given the choice.
CLASS 3A
District 12: DESOTO, Avon Park, Wauchula Hardee, Sebring
District 13: DUNBAR, LABELLE, LEMON BAY, RIVERDALE, SOUTH FORT MYERS
District 14: GOLDEN GATE, IMMOKALEE, LELY, NAPLES, ESTERO
3A-12 was untouched. Hardee and DeSoto have the opportunity to maintain their traditional dominance as Avon Park and Sebring try to keep pace.
3A-13 adds South Fort Myers, who appear to be the biggest winners in this wave of district reshuffling. The Wildcats get out of a 4A-15 assignment that was packed with powerhouses, and move into a 3A-12 setting that hasn’t seen any team put together a run of dominance over the past few seasons. LaBelle and Riverdale have been the class of 3A-12 over the last two years, but neither has shown staying power. Dunbar is still trying to find some magic, and have been heralded as a sleeping giant since the school reopened several years back. South Fort Myers fantastic season in 2006, in just the school and programs second year of existence shows they are already set to be a force in area football. They may enter the 2007 season as the favorite in 3A-12. Estero has a State Championship appearance on their recent resume, but have struggled mightily the past couple seasons. Losing Estero and adding South Fort Myers is definitely not a positive for the existing 3A-13 teams.
Meanwhile, 3A-14 seems to get a fairly good deal as things stand right now. Palmetto Ridge appears to be a rising power, while Estero is on the downswing… so swapping Estero out and Palmetto Ridge in looks good to Golden Gate, Immokalee, Lely and Naples. Keep in mind, Immokalee sat out this past season due to their FHSAA-imposed sanctions for overage athletes. But the Indians will be back in contention for District, and State, Championships next season. That should return 3A-14 to it’s place as Southwest Florida’s most talented District.
CLASS 2A
District 5: BISHOP VEROT, Lake Placid, Mulberry, Tampa Catholic, Ruskin Lennard
District 6: Cardinal Newman, CLEWISTON, Riviera Beach Inlet Grove, Boca Raton John Paul II, Boca Raton St Andrews
Aside from the addition of Ruskin Lennard to 2A-5, neither Bishop Verot nor Clewiston in 2A-6 see change in their district set-up. Lennard doesn’t figure to threaten the balance in 2A-5 as they are an independent school moving to full FHSAA member status next season.
CLASS 1A
District 6: EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN, Belle Glade Glades Day, MOORE HAVEN, ST JOHN NEUMANN
Much like Class 2A, Southwest Florida’s 1A-6 teams were passed over by the wave of realignment. Glades Day will continue to be the team to beat with ECS and Neumann typically competing for the district’s second playoff bid.
CHRIS LONG is the Sports Director for NBC2. You can watch his sportscasts weekdays in our 5am, 6pm and 11pm newscasts. Please feel free to e-mail him with any comments at Chris.Long@NBC-2.com. He makes an effort to read and reply to every e-mail he receives.
