The Florida High School Athletic Association Releases New Football Classifications

High school football is still in play statewide as many teams are competing in playoffs and preparing for the State Championship next week. All remaining teams representing their respective classes will meet in Orlando with hopes of earning a ring; but some of those teams will be in a different classification next season.

Today, the Florida High School Athletic Association released the new classifications for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 football season. Some local teams made major changes and others remain the same.

CLASS 2A

Oak Hall and Saint Francis were both Independents this season and they made a jump to the Class 2A. The Oak Hall Eagles just capped off a perfect 10-0 season earlier this month and grabbed the North Florida Conference Title after dominating John Paul, 41-13. Under second-year head coach Matt DiBernardo, the Eagles have made tremendous improvement. Saint Francis finished their season off with a record of 4-5 and 4-4 in conference play.

CLASS 3A

Newberry and Fort White were together in the Class 1A this past season and both will be in Class 3A next season. The Newberry Panthers had a successful season under head coach Richard Vester, finishing with an 8-2 record and a trip to the playoffs against Pahokee. Newberry fell short to Pahokee, 35-34 in overtime. Fort White’s record matched Newberry’s record at 8-2. The Indians’ season ended in the second round of the playoffs against Madison County, 21-17 coached by Demetric Jackson.

CLASS 4A

P.K. Yonge and Santa Fe remain in Class 4A. The Blue Wave fell short this season with a record of 1-7—Only winning one game under head coach Kent Johnson. Santa Fe on the other hand, made it to the playoffs and finished up in the first round, after going 4-6 this season. The Raiders are coached by Cliff Harrell.

All other area schools remain in the same classification. No changes were made to Class 5A-7A.