Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
The Florida High School Athletic Association has released its first point averages and standings for the four regions in Class 1A. Also released were playoff projections for Class 1A.
As of Tuesday, Oct. 3, when the first set of point averages were released by the FHSAA, Madison County High School (MCHS) led the state and Region 3 in Class 1A with a point average of 46.6 points. This would make the Cowboys the number one seed team in Region 3. If the playoffs were held today, other teams in Region 3 making the playoffs would be Dixie County (42.83 average), Lafayette County (40.17 average) and Union County (37.33 average). Again, if the playoffs were held today, Madison County would face Union County in the first round, while Dixie County and Lafayette County would square off in the first round.
The playoff seedings in Class 1A are determined by a point system that awards points based not only on wins and losses, but also takes into consideration a team's strength of schedule, which is based on an opponent's record and playoff appearances in the previous season. Before the season, this new playoff formula was put into place by the FHSAA for Class 1A schools. The state was divided into four regions and the teams with the top four point averages from each region will make up the 16-team playoff tournament. The final point averages and playoff seedings will be announced by the FHSAA on Sunday, Nov. 5, at 12 p.m. The first round of the Region 2 playoffs will take place on Friday, Nov. 10, at 7:30 p.m.