See this week's state playoff schedule for Pensacola area HS teams

[ASFN Admin]

There’s a lot of high school sports going on this time of year to put it lightly. Every sport is in postseason mode, with softball in district tournament play and every other sport in either regional or state tournaments.

To try to keep track of everything, the PNJ created a guide for state playoff events this week. You can check out a schedule for district softball here.


Some sports have already started the path to a state championship, while others had their brackets released this weekend. Below is a breakdown along with dates, for where Pensacola teams stand in each sport.

Check back throughout the week for roundups on area postseason sports action.

Baseball​

(All regional semifinals will be a best 2-out-of-3 series, with game 1 on Friday, game 2 and an if necessary Game 3 on Saturday)

Region 1-6A semifinals​

• No. 5 Tocoi Creek at No. 1 Pace
• No. 6 Oakleaf at No. 2 Buchholz

Analysis: Pace (24-4) continued its walkoff magic against Lake Howell in the regional quarterfinals, with Bryce Hatton dashing home on a groundball to second base in the bottom of the seventh for a 3-2 win. Now, they face a Tocoi Creek (15-13) squad that kept Tate’s bats mostly silent. Look for South Florida commit Kaleb Stockwell to try to do the same to the Patriots in game one.

The winner will either see defending regional champion Buchholz (20-7) or an upstart Oakleaf (13-14) squad that mercy ruled Bartram Trail in the regional quarterfinals.

Region 1-4A semifinals​

• No. 5 St. Augustine at No. 1 Choctawhatchee
• No. 7 Escambia at No. 3 Clay

Analysis: Escambia (16-12) gets a rematch with Clay (15-13) after a stellar performance by Clayton Sanders on the mound at Bishop Kenny in the regional quarterfinals.

Clay threw a combined no-hitter in a 4-0 win over Wakulla in the regional quarterfinals, with Florida commit Ryan McMahan walking three and striking out 10 in six innings pitched. The Blue Devils swept Escambia 2-1, 6-2 in this same round a year ago.

Choctaw (23-5) swept St. Augustine (15-13) in the regional quarterfinals last year and is looking to advance to the regional finals for the first time since 1999.

Region 1-3A semifinals​

• No. 4 West Florida at No. 1 South Walton
• No. 3 Suwanee at No. 2 Fernandina Beach

Analysis: West Florida (18-8) gets another shot at South Walton (24-4) after the Seahawks beat the Jaguars 3-1 in the District 1-3A final on April 16.

South Walton is perfectly set up for a best two-out-of-three series with three Power 4 commits in Coleman Borthwick (Auburn), Griffin Loy (Virginia) and Denton Lord (Mississippi State).

West Florida sophomore Harrison Vernier will take the mound Friday night for Game 1 coming off a 61-pitch shutout against Baldwin in the regional quarterfinals.

Fernandina Beach (22-4) will match up with a Suwanee (17-11) team that cruised past a West Nassau team that had several seniors miss the regional quarterfinals due to prom.

Rural Region 1 semifinals​

• No. 4 Chipley at No. 1 Northview*
• No. 2 Jay at No. 3 Holmes County*

Analysis: Rural teams around the state start their march to Fort Myers after a two week layoff.

Rural District 1 champion Northview (18-8) matches up with a Chipley squad it beat 17-3 on Feb. 24. Jay (14-7) has to travel despite being the higher seed after Holmes County (12-14) won the Rural District 2 title. The Blue Devils ended the Royals season in the regional a year ago on their way to a state championship.

Beach volleyball​

All district champions marked with an asterisk (*)

Region 1-2A quarterfinals (April 27)​

• No. 8 Beachside at No. 1 Chiles*
• No. 4 South Walton at No. 5 Ponte Vedra*
• No. 7 Crestview at No. 2 Bishop Kenny*
• No. 6 Leon at No. 3 Gulf Breeze*

Analysis: Gulf Breeze will have to be road warriors if it wants to win a third straight state championship. The Dolphins lost at Bishop Kenny on March 9 and split with Chiles during the regular season. Gulf Breeze will play in the regional semifinals on Thursday if it advances.

Flag football​

All district champions marked with an asterisk (*)

Region 1-3A quarterfinals (Wednesday)​

• No. 8 Nease at No. 1 Ponte Vedra*
• No. 5 Bartram Trail at No. 4 Oviedo*
• No. 7 Lincoln at No. 2 Chiles*
• No. 6 Pace at No. 3 Niceville*

Analysis: Pace (11-6) is hoping the third time is the charm against Niceville (15-2). The Eagles beat the Patriots 39-20 on March 26 and 20-0 in the District 1-2A championship on April 23.

The top five seeds in the region are all ranked in the FHSAA 3A top 10. That includes undefeated Ponte Vedra (17-0) and defending state runner-up Chiles (14-2).

Region 1-2A quarterfinals (Tuesday)​

• No. 8 Menendez at No. 1 Choctawhatchee*
• No. 5 Booker T. Washington at No. 4 St. Augustine*
• No. 7 Godby at No. 2 Paxon*
• No. 6 Yulee at No. 3 Arnold*

Analysis: Booker T. Washington (10-2) dropped from the No. 3 seed to the No. 5 seed after losing to Fort Walton Beach in the District 1-2A semifinals and now has to make the long trip to St. Augustine as a result. Neither the Wildcats nor the Yellow Jackets (12-5) have won a state playoff game.

Choctaw (14-3) and Paxon (14-2) are the only teams in the region ranked inside the top 20 in 2A. The Indians were 2A state runner-up last year.

Boys Lacrosse​

Region 1-2A semifinals (Tuesday)​

• No. 4 Buchholz at No. 1 Ponte Vedra
• No. 7 Gulf Breeze at No. 3 Fletcher (Atlantic Coast HS)

Analysis: Wesley Morrill’s overtime goal against Nease sent the Dolphins to a third straight regional semifinals and avenged a regional semifinal loss to the Golden Bears a year ago. Gulf Breeze (11-7) will look to avenge another recent loss, as Fletcher (11-6) beat the Dolphins 8-5 on Feb. 14.

Gulf Breeze has lost five straight regional semifinals, while the Senators have never been to a regional final.

Ponte Vedra (17-2) will likely await in the regional final on May 1. The Sharks stomped Niceville 21-3 in the regional quarterfinals to take the first step to back-to-back Final Four appearances.

Tennis​

FHSAA State Championship​

• April 27-May 1, Sanlando Park, Red Bug Park and Sylvan Lake Park

Analysis: Pensacola Catholic’s boys team was the only area team to qualify and they’ll compete in the 1A state championship April 29-May 1 at Red Bug Lake Park.

The FHSAA has only listed full qualifiers for 4A and 2A on its website, and Pensacola’s Cash Schweigert will compete in the 2A singles tournament.

Track and field​

• Region 1-1A and Region 1-2A championships, May 1 (Pine Forest)
• Region 1-3A championship, May 2 (Pine Forest)

Analysis: Arguably the state’s toughest region will flock to Pine Forest's impressive facility to try to qualify for the FHSAA state championship. The top two finishers in each event will automatically qualify state, which will be held May 6-9 at the University of North Florida.

Pensacola Christian swept the District 1-1A championships, while the Tate girls, who are now coached by area legend Paul Bryan, and the Navarre boys won the District 1-3A championship.

Boys volleyball​

All district champions marked with an asterisk (*)

Region 1-2A quarterfinals​

• No. 8 St. Augustine* at No. 1 Gulf Breeze*
• No. 5 Bartram Trail at No. 4 North Bay Haven
• No. 7 Belleview* at No. 2 Beachside*
• No. 6 Nease at No. 3 Choctawhatchee

Analysis: A year after advancing to the Final Four in just their second season as a program, Gulf Breeze (18-5) is the top seed in the region. The Dolphins will have to play all regional matches at the yet to be opened Soundside High School due to end of year testing, but still will make every team come to Santa Rosa County.

Gulf Breeze swept St. Augustine (7-16) in the regional quarterfinals a year ago, and could play North Bay Haven (5-10) for a fifth time this year in the regional semifinals. Beachside (15-11) is the only other team in the region with a winning record, while Gulf Breeze is the only team ranked inside the FHSAA 2A top 20.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola area high school sports postseason guide April 27-May 2

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