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Nine Pensacola area soccer teams are still alive and heading to the FHSAA regional playoffs.
The association released state brackets on Thursday night, and four local squads will be hosting regional quarterfinals. Only the Pensacola Catholic girls would host a regional semifinal match if they advance.
Both Crusaders teams captured district titles in District 1-3A, as did the Gulf Breeze girls and Booker T. Washington boys in District 1-5A.
But the Booker T. Washington boys will be traveling, as they will face a higher seeded district champion. Tate will host a Region 1-6A quarterfinal after earning an at-large bid.
All nine teams are chasing regional titles and trips to the soccer state championship. The 1A-3A regional tournaments will run Feb. 2-13, with the state championship taking place Feb. 17-21 at Lake Myrtle Sports Park in Auburndale.
The 4A-7A regional tournaments will run Feb. 5-17, with the state championship taking place Feb. 23-28 at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand.
Below are the regional brackets featuring area teams, along with some analysis for each region. Local teams are in bold. District champions are marked with an asterisk and will host a regional quarterfinal unless they play a higher seeded district champion.
(1) Niceville* vs. (8) South Lake*
(4) Tate vs. (5) Buchholz
(2) Bartram Trail* vs. (7) Nease
(3) Mandarin* vs. (6) Tocoi Creek
Analysis: Tate stays the No. 4 seed and will be home for the regional quarterfinals after topsy-turvy district results elsewhere in the region.
Buchholz entered the district tournament as the No. 2 team in the region, but dropped after losing to Bartram Trail in penalty kicks in the District 3-6A final. Bartram Trail bumped up to the No. 2 seed as a result.
Mandarin jumped from the No. 5 seed pre-district tournament to the No. 3 seed after winning the District 2-6A championship.
Tate beat Buchholz in penalty kicks in the 2024 Region 1-6A quarterfinals. Niceville, who's beaten Tate three times this season, is the No. 1 seed in the reigon.
(1) Arnold* vs. (8) Booker T. Washington*
(4) Gulf Breeze vs. (5) Fleming Island*
(2) Beachside* vs. (7) Chiles
(3) Ponte Vedra vs. (6) Choctawhatchee
Analysis: Both area squads will hit the road for the regional quarterfinals.
Booker T.'s reward for a third straight District 1-5A title is a trip to two-time defending state champion Arnold. This will be the fourth straight year the two teams have met in the playoffs. The Wildcats won the first meeting in the 2023 Region 1-5A semifinals, while the Marlins prevailed in the Region 1-5A final in 2024 and 2025.
Booker T. was very close to getting the No. 6 seed, finishing just 2 spots behind Chiles and three spots behind Choctaw, a team the Wildcats beat twice this season, in the FHSAA state rankings.
Gulf Breeze will make the more than five hour trip to Clay County to face the District 3-5A champions. Fleming Island won state titles in 2012 and 2017 and lost to Arnold in the regional semifinals a year ago.
Analysis: The Jaguars qualify for their eighth straight state playoffs despite a 5-11-2 record. They'll travel to face a Wakulla squad that upset Fort Walton Beach 1-0 in the District 1-4A championship, the same Vikings squad that beat West Florida 5-0 in the district semifinals.
(1) North Bay Haven* vs. (8) Fernandina Beach
(4) Bolles vs. (5) Pensacola Catholic*
(2) Wolfson* vs. (7) South Walton
(3) Santa Fe* vs. (6) Suwanee
Analysis: The Crusaders went from the first team out of the field before district tournament play to the No. 5 seed and a regional quarterfinal home game after beating South Walton in penalty kicks to win the District 1-3A title.
Catholic advances to the state playoffs for the third straight year but is looking for its first state playoff win since 2022, when it advanced to the Region 1-2A final. The team that ended their season that year? Bolles.
(1) Niceville* vs. (8) Navarre
(4) Nease* vs. (5) Tocoi Creek
(2) Bartram Trail* vs. (7) Lake Minneola
(3) Pace vs. (6) Mandarin*
Analysis: District 1 got two of the four at-large bids.
Pace, despite jumping from the No. 4 seed in the pre-district tournament rankings to the No. 3 seed, will make the more than five-hour trip to Mandarin after the Mustangs won the District 2-6A title. Niceville thrashed Pace 6-1 in the District 1-6A championship.
The Patriots qualified for the regional playoffs for the third time in four years, but are looking for their first state playoff win since 2014 when it advanced to the Region 1-4A final. Mandarin is in the the regional tournament for the first time since 2019 and is looking for its first state playoff win since 2013.
Navarre is in the state playoffs for the 12th time in 13 years and will be looking for revenge against Niceville. The Eagles beat the Raiders 4-0 on Nov. 18 and ended their season a year ago in the regional semifinals.
Analysis: It will be the battle of the Dolphins in the regional quarterfinals.
The two programs are state playoff mainstays. Gulf Breeze is playing in its 15th straight state playoffs, while Mosley is making its 17th state playoff appearance in 18 seasons.
Gulf Breeze is looking for its first state playoff win since it won the 2023 state championship. A regional semifinal date at Ponte Vedra, the No. 1 team in the nation according to the United Soccer Coaches, likely awaits the winner.
Analysis: Pensacola Catholic is seeded behind South Walton despite beating the Seahawks twice this season, including a 2-0 win in the District 1-3A championship on Jan. 27. Both wins have come at South Walton, and the Crusaders would have to win their a third time to take home their first regional title since 2013.
But before Catholic can look ahead, they'll have to win a rematch with a North Bay Haven squad they beat just 1-0 on Jan. 15.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: FHSAA soccer, Pensacola area playoff bracket
Continue reading...
The association released state brackets on Thursday night, and four local squads will be hosting regional quarterfinals. Only the Pensacola Catholic girls would host a regional semifinal match if they advance.
Both Crusaders teams captured district titles in District 1-3A, as did the Gulf Breeze girls and Booker T. Washington boys in District 1-5A.
But the Booker T. Washington boys will be traveling, as they will face a higher seeded district champion. Tate will host a Region 1-6A quarterfinal after earning an at-large bid.
All nine teams are chasing regional titles and trips to the soccer state championship. The 1A-3A regional tournaments will run Feb. 2-13, with the state championship taking place Feb. 17-21 at Lake Myrtle Sports Park in Auburndale.
The 4A-7A regional tournaments will run Feb. 5-17, with the state championship taking place Feb. 23-28 at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand.
Below are the regional brackets featuring area teams, along with some analysis for each region. Local teams are in bold. District champions are marked with an asterisk and will host a regional quarterfinal unless they play a higher seeded district champion.
Boys
Region 1-6A
(1) Niceville* vs. (8) South Lake*
(4) Tate vs. (5) Buchholz
(2) Bartram Trail* vs. (7) Nease
(3) Mandarin* vs. (6) Tocoi Creek
Analysis: Tate stays the No. 4 seed and will be home for the regional quarterfinals after topsy-turvy district results elsewhere in the region.
Buchholz entered the district tournament as the No. 2 team in the region, but dropped after losing to Bartram Trail in penalty kicks in the District 3-6A final. Bartram Trail bumped up to the No. 2 seed as a result.
Mandarin jumped from the No. 5 seed pre-district tournament to the No. 3 seed after winning the District 2-6A championship.
Tate beat Buchholz in penalty kicks in the 2024 Region 1-6A quarterfinals. Niceville, who's beaten Tate three times this season, is the No. 1 seed in the reigon.
Region 1-5A
(1) Arnold* vs. (8) Booker T. Washington*
(4) Gulf Breeze vs. (5) Fleming Island*
(2) Beachside* vs. (7) Chiles
(3) Ponte Vedra vs. (6) Choctawhatchee
Analysis: Both area squads will hit the road for the regional quarterfinals.
Booker T.'s reward for a third straight District 1-5A title is a trip to two-time defending state champion Arnold. This will be the fourth straight year the two teams have met in the playoffs. The Wildcats won the first meeting in the 2023 Region 1-5A semifinals, while the Marlins prevailed in the Region 1-5A final in 2024 and 2025.
Booker T. was very close to getting the No. 6 seed, finishing just 2 spots behind Chiles and three spots behind Choctaw, a team the Wildcats beat twice this season, in the FHSAA state rankings.
Gulf Breeze will make the more than five hour trip to Clay County to face the District 3-5A champions. Fleming Island won state titles in 2012 and 2017 and lost to Arnold in the regional semifinals a year ago.
Region 1-4A
- (1) Fort Walton Beach vs. (8) Rickards
- (4) Vanguard* vs. (5) Bay
- (2) Wakulla* vs. (7) West Florida
- (3) Bishop Kenny* vs. (6) Stanton*
Analysis: The Jaguars qualify for their eighth straight state playoffs despite a 5-11-2 record. They'll travel to face a Wakulla squad that upset Fort Walton Beach 1-0 in the District 1-4A championship, the same Vikings squad that beat West Florida 5-0 in the district semifinals.
Region 1-3A
(1) North Bay Haven* vs. (8) Fernandina Beach
(4) Bolles vs. (5) Pensacola Catholic*
(2) Wolfson* vs. (7) South Walton
(3) Santa Fe* vs. (6) Suwanee
Analysis: The Crusaders went from the first team out of the field before district tournament play to the No. 5 seed and a regional quarterfinal home game after beating South Walton in penalty kicks to win the District 1-3A title.
Catholic advances to the state playoffs for the third straight year but is looking for its first state playoff win since 2022, when it advanced to the Region 1-2A final. The team that ended their season that year? Bolles.
Girls
Region 1-6A
(1) Niceville* vs. (8) Navarre
(4) Nease* vs. (5) Tocoi Creek
(2) Bartram Trail* vs. (7) Lake Minneola
(3) Pace vs. (6) Mandarin*
Analysis: District 1 got two of the four at-large bids.
Pace, despite jumping from the No. 4 seed in the pre-district tournament rankings to the No. 3 seed, will make the more than five-hour trip to Mandarin after the Mustangs won the District 2-6A title. Niceville thrashed Pace 6-1 in the District 1-6A championship.
The Patriots qualified for the regional playoffs for the third time in four years, but are looking for their first state playoff win since 2014 when it advanced to the Region 1-4A final. Mandarin is in the the regional tournament for the first time since 2019 and is looking for its first state playoff win since 2013.
Navarre is in the state playoffs for the 12th time in 13 years and will be looking for revenge against Niceville. The Eagles beat the Raiders 4-0 on Nov. 18 and ended their season a year ago in the regional semifinals.
Region 1-5A
- (1) Ponte Vedra* vs. (8) St. Augustine
- (4) Gulf Breeze* vs. (5) Mosley
- (2) Beachside* vs. (7) Fleming Island
- (3) Chiles* vs. (6) Clay
Analysis: It will be the battle of the Dolphins in the regional quarterfinals.
The two programs are state playoff mainstays. Gulf Breeze is playing in its 15th straight state playoffs, while Mosley is making its 17th state playoff appearance in 18 seasons.
Gulf Breeze is looking for its first state playoff win since it won the 2023 state championship. A regional semifinal date at Ponte Vedra, the No. 1 team in the nation according to the United Soccer Coaches, likely awaits the winner.
Region 1-3A
- (1) South Walton vs. (8) Keystone Heights*
- (4) Fernandina Beach* vs. (5) Bolles
- (2) Pensacola Catholic* vs. (7) North Bay Haven
- (3) Florida High* vs. (6) Wolfson
Analysis: Pensacola Catholic is seeded behind South Walton despite beating the Seahawks twice this season, including a 2-0 win in the District 1-3A championship on Jan. 27. Both wins have come at South Walton, and the Crusaders would have to win their a third time to take home their first regional title since 2013.
But before Catholic can look ahead, they'll have to win a rematch with a North Bay Haven squad they beat just 1-0 on Jan. 15.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: FHSAA soccer, Pensacola area playoff bracket
Continue reading...
