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Florida High School Football Playoff Brackets 2026: Open Division Field

Columbus, West Boca Raton, Chaminade-Madonna, Lakeland, Miami Central, Raines and Venice join the Raiders in Florida’s inaugural Open Division playoffs.
Jon Van Hoozer|
The Raiders earned the No. 1 seed in Florida’s inaugural Open Division football playoffs.
The Raiders earned the No. 1 seed in Florida’s inaugural Open Division football playoffs. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

St. Thomas Aquinas earned the No. 1 seed in Florida’s inaugural Open Division football playoffs Friday as the FHSAA announced the eight teams that will compete for its newest state championship.

Columbus follows at No. 2, ahead of No. 3 West Boca Raton and No. 4 Chaminade-Madonna.

Lakeland takes the No. 5 seed, with Miami Central sixth, Raines seventh and Venice eighth.

The selections leave unbeaten Carrollwood Day outside the Open field and in the Class 1A championship race. The Patriots had entered the reveal just 0.12 rating points behind Miami Central in the Oct. 31 rankings.

The final order also differs from that earlier snapshot. Miami Central moves ahead of Raines and Venice to take the No. 6 seed, placing the Rockets in the same pool as Columbus, West Boca and Raines.

Pool play is scheduled to begin Nov. 13, with each qualifier playing three games before the semifinal field is determined.

Florida Open Division Football Playoff Seeds

  1. St. Thomas Aquinas (10-0)
  2. Columbus (9-1)
  3. West Boca Raton (9-1)
  4. Chaminade-Madonna (8-2)
  5. Lakeland (9-1)
  6. Miami Central (7-3)
  7. Raines (10-0)
  8. Venice (9-1)

Aquinas and Raines enter as the field’s two unbeaten teams. Three qualifiers come from Class 5A, two each from Classes 3A and 6A, and one from Class 2A.

Pool A: St. Thomas Aquinas, Chaminade-Madonna, Lakeland and Venice

Pool A includes No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas, No. 4 Chaminade-Madonna, No. 5 Lakeland and No. 8 Venice.

The group creates potential rematches from two close regular-season games. Aquinas defeated Chaminade 21-20 on Oct. 2, while Venice beat Lakeland 32-25 in double overtime on Sept. 4.

Those results give Pool A an established competitive history before its opening games. Aquinas will begin against Lakeland, while Chaminade faces Venice.

Pool B: Columbus, West Boca Raton, Miami Central and Raines

No. 2 Columbus, No. 3 West Boca Raton, No. 6 Miami Central and No. 7 Raines make up Pool B.

Columbus opens against Central in a rematch of the GMAC championship game, which the Explorers won 28-3 before lightning ended the contest in the third quarter.

West Boca begins against unbeaten Raines. The Vikings also have a regular-season victory over another Open qualifier, having defeated Venice 20-17 on Oct. 2, though the teams are assigned to different pools.

Open Division Opening Matchups: Nov. 13

Pool A
No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas vs. No. 5 Lakeland
No. 4 Chaminade-Madonna vs. No. 8 Venice

Pool B
No. 2 Columbus vs. No. 6 Miami Central
No. 3 West Boca Raton vs. No. 7 Raines

Game locations and kickoff times should be checked against the official bracket and school announcements.

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Jon Van Hoozer
JON VAN HOOZER

Jon Van Hoozer is a South Florida-based sportswriter covering high school athletics, with a primary focus on football, basketball, and recruiting. A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Van Hoozer provides on-site coverage throughout South Florida, including game reporting, player and coach interviews, and recruiting coverage. His coverage focuses on the athletes, programs, and storylines shaping one of the nation's most competitive high school sports markets. He began contributing to High School On SI in 2026.

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