USA Today Florida Network's FHSAA Class 2A football playoff preview
The path to the FHSAA state championship is now clear.
FHSAA state tournament brackets released on Sunday afternoon from Class 1A to 8A high school football.
The USA Today Sports Network will break down matchups class-by-class.
Here’s a look at the Class 2A playoffs:
Region 1
Quarterfinal matchups
(1) Trinity Christian (BYE)
(4) St. John Paul II vs. (5) North Florida Christian
(3) University Christian vs. (6) Rocky Bayou Christian
(2) Munroe (BYE)
Top two seeds
Trinity Christian: You’ll have trouble finding a better backfield than freshman quarterback Colin Hurley and junior running back Treyuan Webb for the Conquerors. Their regular season schedule prepared the eight-time state champions and 2020 Class 3A title-winners for what looms in the postseason, with wins against American Heritage Plantation and Clearwater Academy International. — Juston Lewis, Florida Times-Union
Munroe: The Bobcats defense has been outstanding, allowing only 80 points and registering five shutouts. The Bobcats defense had 125 tackles for loss, including a team-best 28 by junior Davion Brooks. Munroe started the season with five consecutive wins before dropping its only two games of the season. Offensively, quarterback Joshua Brown has thrown for 1,468 yards and 11 scores and three running backs have at least rushed for 592 yards and four touchdowns. — Jon Santucci, USA Today Network
Dark horse
University Christian: The nine-time state champions, defeated by Champagnat in last year's final, now must likely overcome a reigning title-holder from their own city in Trinity before even getting out of regionals. But don't count them out. UC is getting closer to full health after a rocky start, and in three-year starting quarterback Desirrio Riles, two-way back Orel Gray and pass rusher Kaydrick Robinson (13 sacks), they've got the weapons to push for another final-four visit. — Clayton Freeman, Florida Times-Union
Best first-round game
St. John Paul II vs. North Florida Christian: This will be the second time in the past month that these teams will meet. St. John Paul dominated the first meeting, winning 49-15 on Oct. 22. Will anything be different the second time? — Santucci
Best potential matchup
Trinity Christian vs. Munroe (regional final): Trinity Christian is taking a three-game losing streak into the postseason, but the Conquerors' talent is undeniable. Munroe has allowed less than nine points per game and its lone in-state loss was at Pace, a Class 7A opponent. — Santucci
Recruit to watch
Colin Hurley, Trinity Christian: Considering the amount of talent Trinity Christian has — including Penn State commit Cam Miller and Oklahoma commit Treyaun Webb — it should say something about how special Hurley is. The freshman certainly doesn’t play like an underclassman. Through nine games, he threw for 1,582 yards and 21 touchdowns. Hurley has offers from Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami and others. — Santucci
Region 2
Quarterfinal matchups
(1) Orlando Christian (BYE)
(4) Holy Trinity Episcopal vs. (5) Orangewood Christian
(3) Foundation Academy vs. (6) Victory Christian Academy
(2) Zephyrhills Christian (BYE)
Top two seeds
Orlando Christian: The Warriors have won consecutive games; the lone blemish on their record is a 16-6 defeat at undefeated Lake Highland Prep in the season opener. Orlando Christian has wins against playoff teams Wildwood, John Carroll Catholic and Zephyrhills Christian. The Warriors ground game averages more than 180 yards per game with five different players gaining at least 180 yards this fall. Jamel Lynch leads the defense with 47 tackles and 15.5 tackles for loss. — Santucci
Zephyrhills Christian: The Warriors had an eight-game win streak snapped by Orlando Christian in the season finale, but there's no reason for panic. Running back Dontrevivus Jackson leads Zephyrhills Christian with 1,558 yards and 18 touchdowns and freshman quarterback Jayce Nixon completed 73.9 percent of his passes for 1,333 yards and 14 touchdowns. Sophomore Zyon Vaughn-Nobles had 19.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hurries in the first eight games. — Santucci
Dark horse
Foundation Academy: The Lions went 7-3 against a tough schedule that included Lakeland Christian, University Christian and Tavares. Senior dual-threat quarterback Greg Jones Jr. has thrown for 1,159 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for 455 yards and eight touchdowns. — Santucci
Best first-round game
Holy Trinity vs. Orangewood Christian: Holy Trinity won its first nine games of the season before falling at Father Lopez in the season finale. Orangewood Christian won five of its last seven — including a win against Father Lopez on Oct. 29. — Santucci
Best potential matchup
Orlando Christian vs. Zephyrhills Christian: These teams met in the regular season finale. Orlando Christian won 15-12 with the difference in the game being Zephyrhills Christian's failed two-point conversion attempt in the first quarter and an Orlando Christian safety in the third quarter. They're that close. No reason to think a rematch would be any less exciting. — Santucci
Recruit to watch
Bryan Thomas Jr., Foundation Academy: The South Carolina commit has been almost unblockable this fall. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder, who also sees time at running back, had 64 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and 15 quarterback hurries in seven games. — Santucci
Region 3
Quarterfinal matchups
(1) First Baptist Academy (BYE)
(4) Seffner Christian vs. (5) Neumann
(3) Community School of Naples vs. (6) Evangelical Christian
(2) Northside Christian (BYE)
Top two seeds
First Baptist: The typically run-first Lions have aired it out this year, guided by junior quarterback Ty Keller in his first year at FBA. Keller had 1,901 passing yards and 27 touchdowns against just 4 interceptions entering Week 11. FBA boasts wins over Class 7A Palmetto Ridge, 3A Cardinal Mooney, and Andover (Mass.) High. — Adam Fisher, Naples News
Northside Christian: The Mustangs went 6-2, losing only to playoff teams Carrollwood Day and Foundation Academy on the road in September. Northside scored at least 39 points each week during its current four-game win streak. Quarterback Will Griffin had 1,671 passing yards and 22 touchdowns. Northside is coached by former Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro fullback Mike Alstott. — Santucci
Dark horse
Community School of Naples: The Seahawks won their first six games this season behind a rushing attack that averages 208.3 yards per game. New running back Mathew Wiley averages 117.6 yards on the ground and had a 222-yard game this year. CSN is hurt by its strength of schedule — the Seahawks have just one win over a team with a winning record. — Adam Fisher, Naples News
Best first-round game
Community School of Naples vs. Evangelical Christian: Here we go again. These teams met in the regular season finale, with Community School winning 31-28. Matthew Wiley rushed for 214 yards and helped Community rally after Evangelical raced out to a 14-0 lead. — Santucci
Best potential matchup
First Baptist vs. Northside Christian (regional final): First Baptist handed Community School of Naples a 57-28 defeat on Oct. 29. So while that rematch could happen, we'll go with the Lions against the Mustangs. Both teams played difficult regular season schedules to prepare for this stage. — Santucci
Recruit to watch
Terek McCant, Seffner Christian: McCant is a sophomore athlete that several colleges are keeping a close eye on. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound McCant had 487 rushing yards and eight touchdowns and caught 13 passes for 76 yards in eight games. N.C. State, Colorado State and Western Michigan already have offered. — Santucci
Region 4
Quarterfinal matchups
(1) Avant Garde (BYE)
(4) True North Classical vs. (5) John Carroll Catholic
(3) Glades Day vs. (6) Westminster Academy
(2) Champagnat Catholic (BYE)
Top two seeds
Avant Garde: After a 3-4 season in 2020, the Sharks went undefeated during the regular season and allowed eight points or less five times this season. Only one team, Legacy Charter in the season opener, held Avant Garde under 30 points. — Santucci
Champagnat Catholic: The Lions, ranked No. 1 in Class 2A, are looking for their third consecutive state title. In fact, Champagnat has reached the championship game every year since 2016, winning three times and losing to University Christian twice. Champagnat went 7-2, losing only to Miami Northwestern and Gulliver Prep. Freshman quarterback Ennio Yapoor averaged more than 230 yards and two touchdowns per game during the first six games of the season. — Santucci
Dark horse
John Carroll Catholic: The Rams have hit their stride in the back end of the season and senior wide receiver Prince Strachan at 6-foot-5 leads the way as one of the toughest covers in the area. An athletic defense led by junior defensive end Wilky Denaud and junior cornerback Aidan Singleton has improved during the year. — Bryan Cooney, TCPalm
Best first-round game
True North Classical vs. John Carroll Catholic: True North dropped its final two games, but the opponents (Somerset Academy and Ransom Everglades) helped prepare the Titans for the postseason. John Carroll is riding a three-game win streak with its lone losses coming against playoff teams Cardinal Newman and Orlando Christian. — Santucci
Best potential matchup
Avant Garde vs. Chaminade Madonna: Chaminade-Madonna expects to return to the state championship game. Avant Garde, a second-year program, is looking to establish itself as a true state power and a win against Chaminade would be a big boost. — Santucci
Recruit to watch
Wilky Denaud. John Carroll Catholic: The 6-foot-4, 245-pounder is being recruited as a defensive lineman but plays on both lines for the Golden Rams. Denaud has good size and is aggressive coming off the ball. He has more than a dozen offers, including Arkansas, Florida, Miami, Mississippi State and West Virginia. — Santucci
Final Four prediction
Trinity Christian, Zephyrhills Christian, First Baptist, Champagnat Catholic — USA Today Network
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: USA Today Florida Network's FHSAA Class 2A football playoff preview
