By STEVE JACKSON
The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) continues its lengthy run for high school football champions in nine different classifications. High school teams completed regional finals over Thanksgiving break. This weekend the surviving winners meet in the state championship semifinals. Winners play on, grappling for the coveted state championship in their respective classifications the second weekend in December. Losers in this weekend’s semifinals hang it up for another year.
No high school grid squad from the South Shore Five is left in contention. From nearby Hillsborough County schools, three hopefuls lost in the playoff rounds and all were sent home. Newsome High of Lithia was crushed in an earlier playoff round by Venice High 56-17, the number 1 seed in 7A. The Armwood High Hawks of Seffner had their championship hopes and unbeaten season end at 12-1 with a 17-7 defeat from the Osceola High Kowboys, who are still alive in the 6A competition. Another Hillsborough County squad, Tampa Bay Tech, ended its season unfavorably, losing 24 -21 to the Lakeland High Dreadnaughts in 5A.
In 7A action, Venice High is the regional champ for a ninth straight season. At 12-1, the Indians this year lost only to powerhouse IMG Academy of Bradenton, 21-16, back in early October. Venice’s head coach. is the venerable Pete Dombroski.
The Indians host 9-3 Christopher Columbus High of Miami this Friday evening at 7:30. The loser is finished, and the winner faces the winner of the Lake Mary versus Dr. Phillips game for the 7A crown on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 12:30 p.m. at Miami.
In FHSAA semifinals this week, Osceola High of Kissimmee visits Buchholz of Gainesville. The winner moves on to play the winner of this week’s Southridge High (Miami) at West Boca Raton High clash.
Four teams still alive in 5A play their semifinal matches this weekend. Niceville High goes to tangle with the Dreadnaughts in Lakeland while St. Thomas Aquinas of Ft. Lauderdale visits Manatee High of Bradenton. Losers go home, and winners play for all the marbles in 5A next weekend at Miami.
The 3A semifinals have Raines High of Jacksonville hosting Booker High of Sarasota and Eau Gallie of Melbourne hosting Northwestern High of Miami.
In 2A grid semifinals this Friday, Gadsden County High hosts Booker T. Washington of Miami while Cardinal Mooney of Sarasota hosts Cocoa High.
In 1A action this week, Trinity Christian is at Chaminade-Madonna and Clearwater Central Catholic is at Cardinal Newman.
In the Rural Football classification, championship games include Hawthorne High, hosting the Madison County Cowboys, and in Division B, Dixie County, hosting Fort Meade High for the championship this Friday.
The 2024, 2025 & 2026 Florida High School 1A-7A Football State Championships will be held at South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium in Miami. This will mark the first time Miami-Dade County has hosted the state championship event since 2006, and the first time it will be on the campus of Florida International University since 2005. The 2024 championships will take place Wednesday, Dec. 11, through Saturday, Dec.14.
“The FHSAA is excited about the upcoming Florida High School Class 1A-7A Football State Championships to be played at South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium in Miami,” said Craig Damon, FHSAA executive director. “Creating opportunities for our student-athletes has been a top priority of ours, and this facility will provide a unique and memorable football championship experience to all participating student-athletes and coaches, as well as their traveling fans. We could not be more grateful for Florida International University’s efforts in making these championships a reality for the student-athletes of the State of Florida.”
Pitbull Stadium serves as the home site of the FIU Panthers football team and the Miami FC soccer team from the USL Championship. Opening in 1995, the stadium’s current seating capacity is 20,000. The stadium features a field turf surface, a 6,438-square-foot recently rebranded CleanBoss Club on the ground level, an upper concourse for additional fan seating and concessions, a jumbotron scoreboard and 19 luxury suites.
“We are thrilled to welcome Florida’s best high school football teams and their supporters to our beautiful campus and South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium to compete for state championships over the next several years,” stated Scott Carr, FIU director of athletics. “Pitbull Stadium is a first-of-its-kind naming rights partnership, and we expect to deliver a first-class experience to every student-athlete, coach and spectator.”
In August, FIU Athletics announced a groundbreaking partnership with international superstar and entrepreneur Armando Christian Pérez, better known as Pitbull. The 10-year agreement had FIU Stadium rebranded as Pitbull Stadium, making it the world’s first-ever athletics venue with an artist claiming the naming rights.
While specific classification timeslots are yet to be determined, game times in Miami are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec.11, and 12:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Dec. 12-14. All times are EST.