Gainesville area teams with plenty to play for in FHSAA HS Football regular season finale

The final full week of the regular season in the FHSAA high school football season is finally here.

Technically, next week is a makeup week for those teams who had games impacted by Hurricane Isaias or other weather issues, but no Gainesville area FHSAA teams will play next week – meaning this is it.

Meanwhile, the SSAA begins their postseason this week in order to finish before Thanksgiving.

So, all in all, this is a big week. It’s win or go home for those in the SSAA. In the FHSAA, it’s one last chance to impress the mysterious MaxPreps computers and their rankings.

It’s dang near impossible at this point to predict which one the MaxPreps rankings will go, but we’re going to make our best bets with the most recent set released on Sunday, October 25.

Here’s what’s at stake in the final week with the MaxPreps rankings in the final week of the FHSAA regular season:

Jumps unlikely for most teams, like Columbia and Santa Fe

With district play over, most Gainesville area teams face easy foes to close out the regular season.

Columbia – maybe in a makeup for the inexplicable drop after an impressive win at Jacksonville-Ed White – moved up after its win over Yulee. The Tigers now sit at No. 15 in Florida and No. 2 in Class 4A behind American Heritage. However, CHS meets Suwannee this week. The Bulldogs have lost three of four after starting 5-0 and are outside the top 240 statewide.

If anything, Columbia might drop from facing its rival. Its grip, though, on the top spot in Class 4A-Region 1 is strong enough over Mosley that it shouldn’t matter.

Santa Fe, facing 0-9 Weeki Wachee, is in a similar spot. The Raiders playoff fate is pretty much set though as they’ll likely draw a rematch with Dunnellon in the first round of the playoffs – this time in Marion County. SF is currently No. 5 in Class 3A-Region 2.

Other playoff teams like Fort White and Williston meet squads ranked lower than them as well. Bradford, coming off its first loss of the season to Ed White, is on bye.

Move ups possible for Buchholz and Hawthorne

Alachua County’s two best teams are the exception as both play teams with top-notch resumes. The Bobcats saved their toughest test for last as they travel northeast to Jacksonville and Bolles. The Bulldogs are No. 16 in Florida – 13 spots ahead of BHS. A win over the mighty private school powerhouse could potentially move the ‘Cats ahead of Mandarin and into the top spot in Class 5A-Region 1. The Mustangs would probably need to also lose to a talented St. Augustine squad for that to transpire.

Hawthorne, meanwhile, welcomes unbeaten Dunnellon. The Hornets are still well above the Tigers in the rankings. However, this is the best team HHS is playing since Wakulla.

More so, Trinity Christian is facing a bad Riverside team. It’s possible that, if Hawthorne wins, it could pass the Conquerors for the No. 1 seed in Class 1A-Region 2.

Newberry is the one true bubble team

Class 2A-Region 2 is arguably the toughest in the state. Five teams in that region place in the top 50 in Florida. That explains why, even though they keep winning, the Panthers have been stuck at No. 9.

That could change this week. Boca Ciega – the current No. 8 team – meets a Northeast foe ranked No. 358 in the state. Newberry, meanwhile, hosts Madison County ranked at No. 62.

Of course, knocking off the powerhouse Cowboys will be a challenge, but if NHS can do it, it has a good chance of bumping into that top eight at long last – as long as First Academy holds onto an open division spot.

What to know about the SSAA postseason

Despite many in the Gainesville area bolting for the SSAA this offseason, it’s been a rough year for local teams. Only three – Union County, Lafayette and Trenton – qualified for the Atlantic League slate, and they came in at No. 6, 7 and 8.

The Hornets, despite a 4-6 record, looks the most equipped for a run with back-to-back wins over Trenton and Branford to end the regular season. Union County, with Robby Pruitt in his first year, closed out with wins in three of their last five games.

Trenton, at 7-2, holds the best record of the three. But the Tigers need to venture to West Nassau, which reached the SSAA State Championship game last season.

Full Week 11 Gainesville area high school football schedule