It may only be February, but the buzz about fall’s high school football season is at an all-time high.
The Florida High School Association approved the final 2013-14 and 2014-15 football state series assignments Jan. 25, after hearing appeals from member schools, following a tentative realignment, were released in December.
The FHSAA goes through a realignment process every two years, classifying schools based on student population and geography.
Although some districts in Hillsborough County remain mostly intact, others saw significant changes.
One that saw a dramatic shift is 7A District 8, which might as well be renamed to the Plant City District.
The new five-team district will include all three area schools — Plant City, Durant and Strawberry Crest. Plant City and Durant have spent the last realignment cycle in 7A District 8, along with East Bay and Brandon, but the next two years will bring a much different look when it comes to district play.
The district loses 2012 runner-up Newsome, along with Riverview. Both will make the move up to 8A District 6.
East Bay and Brandon will remain in the district, with the addition of Strawberry Crest, which will be moving up from 6A District 8.
The Chargers spent the last two years competing with perennial powers Armwood, Hillsborough and Sickles, along with King and Jefferson — which have had competitive teams in the past.
SCHS went 4-6 last season after winning just one game its first year in the district. John Kelly, who will enter his second year with the Chargers this fall, said that although the realignment ultimately doesn’t have an effect on performance, it should help the program from a geographic and community standpoint.
“It’s one of those things that’s out of your hands and you have to line up and play whoever is across from you,” Kelly said. “But, being able to play teams closer to us and to have a district composed of mostly eastern Hillsborough teams is a neat thing.”
Strawberry Crest will also be moving from a seven-team district to a five-team, which means more non-district games and a district schedule that carries even more weight, with just four district games deciding which two teams move on to regionals.
“It’s an interesting situation because there is a higher percentage of your team making the playoffs, but the percentage of error goes up,” Kelly said.
The move should also benefit Durant, the back-to-back 7A District 8 champion. Newsome, the runner-up last season, eliminated the Cougars in the region semifinals, snapping their 11-0 record. With Newsome now in 8A, Durant will be one of the favorites out of the district and region.
According to head coach Mike Gottman, the Cougars can’t take any game lightly, especially district games and what looks to be a brutal non-district schedule that could have Durant facing teams such as Armwood, Hillsborough, Tampa Bay Tech and keeping a heated rivalry with Newsome.
“The district will be wide open, but we’re pleased where we’re at,” he said. “We have to get ready to play the better teams in Hillsborough County and hopefully stay healthy through those non-district games.”
According to Plant City head coach Wayne Ward, the new district will be a positive thing for his football team and the Plant City community. Durant and Brandon are already archrivals for the Raiders, and with the addition of Strawberry Crest, he said it should make for an interesting two years.
“We’ve got a lot of good teams in this district,” Ward said. “Durant is still the top dog, and bringing in Strawberry Crest creates a rivalry all the way through the district. I feel like it’s pretty even across the board and anybody can win on any given night.”
Ward is no stranger to competitive districts. When he played for the Raiders, Plant City was in a district considered by many to be the toughest in the state if not one of the toughest in the nation.
“We had Plant City, Brandon, Lakeland, Riverview (Sarasota), Manatee (Bradenton) and Southeast (Bradenton),” he said. “Nine times out of 10 the team that came out of that district went on to win the state title. There was no let-down games when it came to that district.”
With just four district games deciding postseason fates, there certainly won’t be any “let down” games for area teams the next two years.
7A District 8 Football
- Brandon
- Durant
- East Bay
- Plant City
- Strawberry Crest
Note: Changes will take effect for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.