The road to the Class 7A state title goes through Venice.
Venice went wire to wire as the No. 1 team in the USA Today Florida Network high school football poll, so it’s no surprise that it is the top overall seed in Class 7A.
Venice had an overall rating of 24.61. Lake Mary, the top seed in Region 1, is No. 2 in the class. Both teams will have home field advantage through the state semifinals.
Venice is looking for its first state championship since 2021, when it beat Apopka 35-7. Venice lost to Lakeland in the Class 4S state championship the past two seasons.
Palm Beach Central (Region 3) and Columbus (Region 4) are the top overall seeds in their regions.
Here is a region-by-region breakdown of the Class 7A bracket.
The four-team district of University, Flagler Palm Coast, Spruce Creek and DeLand was one of the deepest in the state this season. All four qualified for the regional playoffs, but the postseason will be the true test of how strong this district really is. DeLand was a regional champion last season but graduated many of the players from the 2023 squad.
The Notre Dame commit is the No. 14 quarterback and the No. 151 overall recruit on the 247Sports composite. Through Week 9, Grubbs completed 60.6 percent of his passes for 1,644 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Venice scored 496 points this season. That’s an average of 49.6 points per game. The only teams to keep Venice under 42 points this season were IMG and Clearwater Central Catholic. Even the offensive line has found the end zone this season (tackle Al Oliver scored on a 10-yard touchdown run against Sarasota). Venice has shown it can win in a shootout, so keeping them out of the end zone is the best way to pull off the upset.
Taylor, the son of former Pittsburg Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor, is No. 9 on the USA Today Florida Network top 100. Despite dealing with injuries this season, Taylor had 50 tackles, six tackles for loss, four interceptions and four pass breakups through Week 10. He is committed to Michigan.
Palm Beach Central was a regional champion two years ago and finished the season on a seven-game win streak. Dr. Phillips rose as high as No 2 in the Class 7A rankings before suffering its lone loss against Edgewater in Week 9. Vero Beach has won five in a row. Jupiter has won five in a row since its lone loss against Palm Beach Central. Lake Nona has won four in a row since losing to Dr. Phillips. This is a region that could go several different ways.
Alford, an Ohio State commit, is No. 15 on the USA Today Florida Network top 100 and the No. 2 ranked linebacker in the state. TCPalm’s 2023 Defensive Player of the Year had 67 tackles, seven tackles for loss, a sack, six quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery through Week 10.
Not including 2020, when Columbus opted not to play in the FHSAA playoffs because of the COVID-19 pandemic. the Explorers have won five consecutive regional titles. The back-to-back state champions lost three games this season but all against really good competition — Our Lady of Good Counsel (Maryland), St. Thomas Aquinas, Miami Northwestern. Columbus also beat Miami Palmetto 17-14 in Week 4.
This region has several standout defensive backs — Goleman safety Darryl Bell III, Western safety Jaylyn Jones, Santaluces cornerback Caden Gordon, South Dade safety Tedarius Hughes — but Fitzgerald gets the nod here as the group’s lone senior. The Miami commit, ranked No. 27 on the USA Today Florida Network top 100, had two interceptions and three pass breakups through Week 6.
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