Rick Patrick
reporter3.riverbendnews@gmail.com
With the 2024 regular football season behind us, several area teams have their sights set on a coveted state title. The state playoffs for the varsity football season begin on Friday, Nov. 15, and a handful of North Florida teams are in the mix.
In the Rural Classification tournament, the number 16-seed Branford High School Buccaneers will be playing the number one-seed and defending state champions, the Hawthorne Hornets, in Hawthorne. The number nine-seeded Lafayette High School Hornets will travel to Cottondale to face the number eight-seed Cottondale Hornets. The number seven-seeded Warriors of Aucilla Christian Academy will host the number 10-seeded Blountstown High School Tigers. The number two-seeded Cowboys of Madison County High School will host the number 15-seed Terriers of Moore Haven. All games have a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. The Rural Class State Championship game will be played on Friday, Dec. 6, at The Villages. The time for the championship game is still to be determined.
In Class 3A, the Suwannee High School Bulldogs have a number seven-seed and will travel to Tallahassee to face the number two-seed Godby Cougars with a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Class 3A Championship game is set to be played at Pitbull Stadium in Miami. The date and time are still to be determined.
New this year will be the Rural Florida Invitational Tournament (FIT). In this tournament, the number 10-seeded Hamilton County High School Trojans will go on the road to Wildwood for a 7:30 p.m. game against the number seven-seeded Wildcats of Wildwood High School on Friday, Nov. 15. The number four-seed Tigers of Jefferson County High School will have a bye in the first round. They will host the winner of the game between the number five-seed Dixie County Bears and the number 12-seed Gators of Wewahitchka High School. The Rural FIT Championship game will be played at The Villages on Friday, Dec. 6, at 1 p.m.