Rematch will be the word of the day Friday for 10 Orlando area teams opening this year’s FHSAA football playoffs. Five of the 19 games feature opponents who played each other in the regular season.
Four of the rematches are Class 7A games, with Lake Mary (7-3) hosting Hagerty (6-4), Seminole (5-5) traveling to Spruce Creek (8-2), Winter Park (6-4) playing at Boone (9-1) and Lake Nona (7-3) going to St. Cloud (8-2). The other is 1A Orlando Christian Prep (6-4) at Melbourne Central Catholic (2-7).
Lake Mary, Seminole, Boone, St. Cloud and MCC were the winners in the first meetings.
So, in a rematch situation, where does the pressure reside? Is it with the team that has the task of beating a familiar opponent for the second time? Or does the pressure weigh with the team that was unable to win the first time?
Boone coach Andy Johnson said none of that really matters.
“I’ve never had it happen before. I feel fine about it. They’re a good team, but we’re a good team too,” Johnson said of Winter Park. “Most of the hype will be over by the first snap and at that point it just becomes football. Whoever plays better will win.
“I don’t think it’s that big of a deal, to be honest. There’s pressure on both teams.”
Football playoff pairings: Four Orlando teams No. 1 seeds; TFA bracket on hold
St. Cloud coach Mike Short said the pressure is equal.
“They’re kinda coming at this with a revenge-type narrative and we gotta make sure we don’t make the same mistakes that we made before,” Short said.
A total of 23 area teams qualified for the state tournaments. That includes Oviedo (8-2), which plays at Gainesville Buchholz (9-1) in a Thursday night 6A Region 1 game.
Four area teams are the No. 1 seed in their class: DeLand in 7A, Edgewater in 5A, Jones in 4A and Bishop Moore in 3A. That assures those teams home-field advantage for the three regional rounds and positions them to also be home if they reach a state semifinal if their rankings don’t change when the FHSAA updates rankings prior to the final-four games.
Also Friday night, Foundation Academy, Mount Dora Christian and Real Life Christian play Sunshine State Athletic Association playoff games.
Class 7A Region 1
No. 8 Creekside (4-6) at No. 1 DeLand (10-0) 7:30 p.m.
Under mastermind coach Rick Darlington, DeLand achieved its second 10-0 regular season in 106 years since the Bulldogs played their first game in 1920. This game is at Spec Martin Stadium.
No. 5 Winter Park (6-4) at No. 4 Boone (9-1), 7
Boone overcame a 10-point deficit in beating the Wildcats 44-38 in an Oct. 10 game that decided the District 4 title. Aaron Hardy Jr. ran 17 yards for the game-winning touchdown run with 1:12 remaining.
No. 6 Seminole (5-5) at No. 3 Spruce Creek (8-2) 7:30
This is a rematch of an Oct. 17 game Seminole won 16-10 in overtime at home in Sanford. Seminole coach Karl Calhoun said his team is healthier this time.
No. 7 Hagerty (6-4) at No. 2 Lake Mary (7-3), 7
Lake Mary routed the Huskies 55-17 in a Sept. 26 district game. The Rams won back-to-back district titles for the third time, joining 1984-85 and 2013-14.
Class 7A Region 2
No. 6 Ocoee (5-5) at No. 3 Sumner (8-2) 7:30
Ocoee’s losses were to five Orange County teams that reached the playoffs with a combined 39-11 record — Boone, Dr. Phillips, Jones, West Orange and Winter Park.
No. 5 Plant City (7-3) at No. 4 West Orange (9-1) 7:30
This is a rematch of a game West Orange rallied (twice) to win 26-25 in last year’s playoffs.
Class 7A Region 3
No. 8 East Ridge (6-4) at No. 1 Vero Beach (10-0), 7
East Ridge makes its first playoff appearance in 14 years (2011).
No. 5 Lake Nona (7-3) at No. 4 St. Cloud (8-2) 7:30
St. Cloud topped the Lions 25-17 on Sept. 26 in a game that decided the District 10 title — the first for the Bulldogs since 2015.
No. 7 Dr. Phillips (7-3) at No. 2 Jupiter (10-0), 7
Jupiter is 10-0 for the first time in school history. DP was the region champ a year ago.
Class 6A Region 1
No. 6 Evans (8-2) at No. 3 Pace (9-1) 7:30
The Trojans will travel 436 miles one way for this game in the Panhandle. Kickoff is 8:30 p.m. ET.
Class 6A Region 2
No. 7 Tampa Plant (5-5) at No. 2 South Lake (9-1), 7
This is the first home playoff game for the Eagles in 25 years. South Lake defeated Land O’ Lakes that year before losing in the second round.
No. 6 Durant (5-5) at No. 3 Osceola (6-4)
The Kowboys, making their 19th consecutive playoff appearance, are 22-5 all-time in first-round games. They beat Durant 35-6 a year ago.
Class 5A Region 2
No. 8 Lake Gibson (5-5) at No. 1 Edgewater (10-0)
Area No. 1 Edgewater completed its fourth 10-0 regular season, the third in four years (2022, 2023, 2025).
No. 6 Winter Springs (7-3) at No. 3 Gaither (9-1), 7:30
The Bears will make their first playoff appearance since a 2019 district-title season. Gaither is 9-0 since losing its opener 38-21 to undefeated Armwood.
Class 4A Region 2
No. 8 Deltona (5-5) at No. 1 Jones (8-2) 7:30
The Tigers, state runners-up last season, have a 19-6 playoff record in six years since a 2019 runner-up finish. That includes five region titles.
Class 3A Region 2
No. 8 Hernando (7-3) at No. 1 Bishop Moore (9-1)
The Hornets, region runners-up to Eau Gallie last year, make their 18th consecutive playoff appearance.
No. 7 Tavares (6-4) at No. 2 Eau Gallie (7-3) 7:30
Tavares locked down its berth with a 77-35 win against East Ridge to close the regular season.
Class 1A Region 2
No. 5 Orlando Christian Prep (6-4) at No. 4 Melbourne Central Catholic (2-7), 7
This is a rematch of a district-title game MCC won 38-14.
SSAA 11-man semifinal
Mount Dora Christian (11-1) at Foundation Academy (10-2), 7
The last time they played, Foundation won 21-7 in a 2022 regular-season game. The winner advances to the Nov. 22 final at The Villages.
SSAA 8-man semifinal
Real Life Christian (11-0) at Merritt Island Christian (11-1), 7
Real Life, located in Clermont, is in its seventh year of 8-man football. Senior quarterback Caleb Burden has thrown 24 TD passes and run for 16 scores for the Raptors. The winner will advance to the Nov. 21 final at The Villages.
Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays. Buddy Collings can be found on X.com @VarsityBuddy.