FHSAA Approves New Seeding for Final Four Teams
Big changes are coming to the world of high school sports in the state of Florida. On April 26, the FHSAA board of directors approved a new seeding proposal for the final four teams in the four sports that play semifinals at home sites: football, girls volleyball, and boys and girls soccer.
The seeding will come from power rankings generated by MaxPreps.
For decades, state semifinals in the four sports have been held as North and South divisions.
The measure will immediately go into effect for the 2021-22 school year. The top seed will be the host against the No. 4 seed, while the second seed will host the No. 3 seed.
Currently, the champions of Regions 1 and 2 and Regions 3 and 4 face off in the semifinals.
The football, baseball, volleyball, and soccer coaches advisory committees all endorsed the proposal, which then sent it to the FHSAA’s athletic directors advisory committee.
That committee voted in favor of the proposal by a vote of 14-1.
Those in favor of the change believe that it increases the likelihood of the two best teams meeting in each state final. However, opponents worried that a potential Region 1 vs. Region 4 matchup could occur – creating excessive travel and expenses for the visiting team.
The current North-South format changes slightly each time the FHSAA realigns schools to balance out the classifications.
Sports that include four or more teams at its particular state championship site – basketball, baseball, softball and lacrosse are all examples – traditionally rotate the semifinal matchups. That formula is not expected to be changed.
Written by: Reagan Cofield
