Florida 7A bracket

[badrouter]

Final 8 bracket here

Lakeland at Armwood is the biggest playoff game outside of a state title match up in the state in many, many years. I'll write more on that game in another thread. 

Edgewater-Niceville may  be a toss-up, with Edgewater showing some vulnerabilities.

STA-Atlantic will probably go about how STA-Western went: Atlantic will put up a good fight on defense, but their offense will struggle to avoid going backwards, turning the ball over, etc.

Manatee-Venice...for the right to play in the state semifinals against STA. Venice hung 62 on a 10-0 Palm Beach Lakes team Friday. Still, STA getting the winner of this game as a state semifinal is a joke. On balance, once the teams get 14 games under their belts, I'm not sure STA's schedule will really qualify as more difficult than either Armwood or Lakeland's. Some teams on STA's schedule that were expected to be great were mediocre. That's not STA's fault, of course. But, ultimately, with the ease of the playoff run factored in, it wasn't nearly as difficult a schedule for STA as many would have you believe.

At the moment, with Lakeland down their two best lineman, STA is the clear favorite. If Lakeland gets those two best lineman back, I do think they will be strong enough in the trenches to beat STA. Without them, they don't have enough up front. Armwood *may* be able to force a defensive stalemate and pull out a low-scoring affair, but they have to avoid the disastrous mistakes from the QB position they suffered against Northwestern in the last state title game. Edgewater and Niceville don't appear to be a threat to STA.

[ECHS05]

3 minutes ago, badrouter said:

Final 8 bracket here

Lakeland at Armwood is the biggest playoff game outside of a state title match up in the state in many, many years. I'll write more on that game in another thread. 

Edgewater-Niceville may  be a toss-up, with Edgewater showing some vulnerabilities.

STA-Atlantic will probably go about how STA-Western went: Atlantic will put up a good fight on defense, but their offense will struggle to avoid going backwards, turning the ball over, etc.

Manatee-Venice...for the right to play in the state semifinals against STA. Venice hung 62 on a 10-0 Palm Beach Lakes team Friday. Still, STA getting the winner of this game as a state semifinal is a joke. On balance, once the teams get 14 games under their belts, I'm not sure STA's schedule will really qualify as more difficult than either Armwood or Lakeland's. Some teams on STA's schedule that were expected to be great were mediocre. That's not STA's fault, of course. But, ultimately, with the ease of the playoff run factored in, it wasn't nearly as difficult a schedule for STA as many would have you believe.

At the moment, with Lakeland down their two best lineman, STA is the clear favorite. If Lakeland gets those two best lineman back, I do think they will be strong enough in the trenches to beat STA. Without them, they don't have enough up front. Armwood *may* be able to force a defensive stalemate and pull out a low-scoring affair, but they have to avoid the disastrous mistakes from the QB position they suffered against Northwestern in the last state title game. Edgewater and Niceville don't appear to be a threat to STA.

STA appears to be extremely lucky. All the good teams are on the other side of the bracket... Lakeland, Armwood, & Edgewater will all eliminate each other will STA plays slappies.

[badrouter]

1 minute ago, ECHS05 said:

STA appears to be extremely lucky. All the good teams are on the other side of the bracket... Lakeland, Armwood, & Edgewater will all eliminate each other will STA plays slappies.

Their side of the 7A bracket tends to be mediocre. Of course, with teams spread between so many classes, most sides of most brackets tend to be mediocre. It is an anomaly that 7A North is so strong this year.

[badrouter]

STA could also benefit from a film prep standpoint. The Lakeland-Manatee season opening game may end up featuring both their state semis opponent and their state title game opponent. Can kill two birds with one stone watching that game, so to speak.