Districts To Watch: Florida Playoffs (Classes 5A-9A)

District tournaments are here already in the state of Florida.

With that, here is a look at the Top 4 district races in Classes 5A-9A respectively starting with 4A and working our way down.

Note: All records listed are district records.

ICYMI - Districts To Watch: Florida Playoffs (Classes 1A-4A)

Class 9A

9A-2

-There might not have been two closer games between a No. 1 and No. 2 seed this regular season. Seminole (11-1) won by a total of two points in a pair of matchups against rival Oviedo (9-3). Lake Brantley (10-4), Winter Springs (4-7), Lyman (3-8), Lake Mary (3-9) and University (1-11) round out the district.

Players to watch: 2019 guard O'Shae Baker (Seminole), 2019 guard Brian Brooks (Seminole), 2020 guard Kayamo Galloway (Oviedo), 2020 guard Mamush Galloway (Oviedo), 2019 guard Sparky Fabre (Lake Brantley).

9A-7

-Osceola (6-2) won the No. 1 seed over George Jenkins (5-3) as Haines City (5-3) sits in a close spot in third place. Gateway (3-5) and Ridge Community (1-7) are also in the five-team district.

Players to watch: 2019 forward Isaiah Palermo (Osceola), 2019 guard Josh Marte (Osceola/Bethune Cookman signee), 2019 forward Jaduhkiss Soto (Osceola), 2020 guard Adarius Lee (George Jenkins), 2020 guard Marvin Landy (George Jenkins), 2022 forward Antwan Walker (Haines City), 2019 forward Elijah McClain (Haines City). 

9A-9

-Wellington ended last season as the state runner-up losing to Oak Ridge in Lakeland. The Wolverines (8-1) are the top seed with Jupiter (8-2) and Palm Beach Central (7-3) not too far behind. Leonard (2-5), Palm Beach Gardens (1-7) and Seminole Ridge (0-8) are the other teams in the district.

Players to watch: 2019 forward Linton Brown (Wellington), 2020 guard Leonty Frazier (Wellington), 2019 forward Trent Webb (Jupiter), 2020 forward Josh Glesil (Jupiter).

9A-11

-Deerfield Beach (9-1) finished in first place over Stoneman Douglas (8-2). The two district rivals met for the second time as Deerfield Beach held on for a 43-41 road win on Jan. 8. Coral Springs (5-5), Monarch (4-6), Taravella (3-7) and Coral Glades (1-9) round out Class 9A-District 11.

Players to watch: 2019 guard Jayson Salley (Deerfield Beach), 2020 guard Degarrian Glass (Deerfield Beach), 2020 forward Marshaun West (Stoneman Douglas), 2020 guard RJ Rowe (Stoneman Douglas).

Class 8A

8A-5

-In the lone meeting between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in Class 8A-District 5, Edgewater outlasted Windermere 95-89 on Jan. 30. Edgewater (7-0) and Windermere (6-1) will likely meet again in the district championship on Friday at Windermere. West Port (3-2), Lake Minneola (3-3), Lake Howell (3-4), Ocoee (2-3), East River (1-6) and East Ridge (0-5) are also part of the eight-team district.

Players to watch: 2020 guard Michael Eads (Edgewater), 2019 guard Trevon Cason (Edgewater), 2020 guard Shakur Poteat (Edgewater), 2019 forward Dakota Rivers (Windermere/FGCU signee), 2021 guard Trey Moss (Windermere), 2019 guard Joshua Colon (Windermere).

8A-8

-Wharton (13-1) is one of the top teams in the Tampa Bay area with Freedom (12-2) just behind them in terms of solid play. Plant (10-4), Wiregrass Ranch (8-6) and Sickles (7-7) are also in the mix. Gaither (4-10), Steinbrenner (2-12) and Leto (0-14) are the other teams in Class 8A-District 8.

Players to watch: 2019 guard Darin Green Jr. (Wharton/UCF signee), 2019 guard Jasper Floyd (Wharton), 2020 guard Carr Thiam (Wharton), 2019 guard Kevin Rodriguez (Freedom), 2019 guard Xavier Betancourt (Freedom), 2019 guard Logan Morrissey (Plant/Air Force signee), 2020 forward Reagan Weiss (Plant), 2019 guard Elijah Howell (Wiregrass Ranch), 2022 guard Jahvon Thomas (Sickles).

8A-10

-St. Pete had won both meetings against East Lake before losing in the PCAC Championship Game to East Lake on Saturday night. St. Pete (6-1), East Lake (9-2), Seminole (4-2), Countryside (3-7), Palm Harbor (3-7) and Pinellas Park (0-6) represent Class 8A-District 10.

Players to watch: 2019 guard Dionte Blanch (East Lake), 2021 guard Dean Gabrelcik (East Lake), 2019 guard Terell Strickland (St. Pete), 2019 guard Ahke McMichael (St. Pete), 2020 guard Parker Conitz (Seminole).

8A-13

-Forest Hill (6-0) earned first place. Palm Beach Lakes (6-2) took Forest Hill in overtime before losing but lost to third place Dwyer (4-3). Royal Palm Beach (4-4), Olympic Heights (2-4), West Boca Raton (2-5) and Boynton Beach (1-5) round out Class 8A-District 13.

Players to watch: 2019 guard Torrin Andrews (Forest Hill), 2019 guard Tylor Millor (Forest Hill), 2020 guard D'ante Daniels (Forest Hill), 2019 guard Michael Ingram (Dwyer), 2019 guard Bailey Stephanos (Dwyer), 2019 guard Sheldon Edwards (Palm Beach Lakes), 2020 forward Giancarlo Rosado (Palm Beach Lakes).

Class 7A

7A-2

-In a three-team district, it seems to always come down to Choctawhatchee and Crestview. Crestview (3-1) is in first place with Choctawhatchee not too far behind (2-1) and Fort Walton Beach (0-4) in last.

Players to watch: 2019 forward Diante Smith (Choctaw/TCU signee), 2019 guard Joshua Williams (Choctaw), 2019 guard Marcus Purcell (Crestview), 2019 guard Jaden Voisin (Crestview).

7A-5

-Mainland's lone loss came to Edgewater in the second game of the season. The Buccaneers (24-1, 10-0) swept both Deltona (9-3) and Atlantic (9-3) but needed three overtimes to beat Atlantic on Dec. 14. New Smyrna Beach (5-7), Pine Ridge (4-8), Father Lopez (2-8) and Seabreeze (0-9) are also in the district.

Players to watch: 2019 forward RJ Rhoden (Mainland/Long Beach State signee), 2020 guard Jordan Sears (Mainland), 2019 forward Johnny Brown (Mainland), 2019 guard Evan Busby (Deltona), 2019 guard Marlon Bradley (Deltona/FAU football signee), 2019 forward Kevin Beans (Atlantic), 2019 forward Dewarren Bolden (Atlantic).

7A-11

-Lehigh (5-0), Fort Myers (4-1) and Dunbar (4-2) all can come away with the district title this season. Estero (1-2), East Lee County (1-4) and South Fort Myers (0-2) round out Class 7A-District 11.

Players to watch: 2020 guard Quinton Desamours (Lehigh), 2019 guard Delshawn Green (Lehigh), 2021 guard Javian McCollum (Fort Myers), 2019 forward Michael Roberts (Fort Myers), 2021 guard Caleb Jones (Dunbar), 2021 guard Ahmad Watkins (Dunbar).

7A-13

-There a trio of teams that have all beaten one another this season in Class 7A-District 13. First place Jensen Beach (5-1) has beaten Bayside (5-1) but has lost to third place Okeechobee (4-2) while Bayside has beaten Okeechobee. This is wide open up top of this district. South Fork (3-3), Sebastian River (2-4), Heritage (1-5) and Eau Gallie (1-5) are also in the district.

Players to watch: 2020 forward Lavarius Hampton (Jensen Beach), 2020 center Emanuel Rogers (Jensen Beach), 2019 guard Brody Boyer (Bayside), 2019 guard Stephan Dieujuste (Bayside), 2019 forward Jemal Davis (Okeechobee/Warner signee), 2019 forward J-Quan Ferrol (Okeechobee)

Class 6A

6A-2

-Rickards (19-3, 4-0) and Godby (19-7, 2-2) are in a two-team race here in Class 6A-District 2. Rickards won both matchups this season by 10 or more points. Suwannee (2-4) and Wakulla (0-4) are also in the district.

Players to watch: 2021 forward Roddrick Henry (Rickards), 2019 guard Kelvin Dean (Rickards), 2019 guard Phillip Russell (Rickards), 2019 guard Tavaris King (Godby), 2019 guard Dahron Thomas (Godby).

6A-7

-This one has been Nature Coast Tech's (10-1) for quite some time, but Crystal River (9-3) and Central (6-4) are right there. In fact, Central beat Nature Coast 34-32 on Jan. 25 in the second meeting of the series. Hernando (6-6), Lecanto (4-5), Citrus (4-8) and Weeki Wachee (0-12) round out the district.

Players to watch: 2019 guard Robert Gomez (Nature Coast),  2020 forward Orien Adams (Nature Coast), 2020 guard Rashaad Boyce (Central), 2021 forward Talon Bergantino (Central), 2019 guard Daniel Nesby (Crystal River).

6A-8

-After being a steady squad last season, Anclote has taken the next step in the Tampa Bay area and with a 13-1 district showing, the lone loss for the Sharks in Class 6A-District 8 came to Zephyrhills back on Dec. 11. Wesley Chapel (11-3), Zephyrhills (10-5), Gulf (8-6), Fivay (8-6), Hudson (3-11), Pasco (2-12) and River Ridge (1-13) are the other teams in the district.

Players to watch: 2020 forward Jakob Hester (Anclote), 2020 guard Jacobie Forrest (Anclote), 2020 guard Jalen Cooper (Anclote), 2020 guard Isaiah Ramsey (Wesley Chapel), 2020 guard Ja'varrius Wilson (Zephyrhills).

6A-13

-Bishop Moore (6-2) beat back to back state champion Leesburg twice this season in district play with the last meeting going the Hornets way 52-49. Leesburg (5-3) has a chance to reclaim its No. 1 spot with home court advantage. Eustis (5-3), Poinciana (3-4) and Tavares (0-7) are the other teams in the district.

Players to watch: 2019 guard Hunter Cattoor (Bishop Moore/Wofford signee), 2019 guard Jess Hartmann (Bishop Moore/Hope College signee), 2019 guard Lance Erving (Leesburg/Louisiana Tech signee), 2020 guard Akiem Nickerson (Leesburg), 2020 guard Bradley Douglas (Eustis), 2021 forward Jahsean Corbett (Poinciana). 

Class 5A

5A-5

-The winner of Class 5A-District 5 has managed a state semifinal trip the past two seasons with The Villages going two years ago and Trinity Catholic making an appearance in 2017-18. The two teams split the season series with each program winning on the road. After Trinity Catholic lost both regular season games but beat The Villages in the district final, you'll see plenty of chippiness here. South Sumter (3-4), Mount Dora (2-4) and Umatilla (0-8) are also in the district.

Players to watch: 2019 guard Tre Mann (Villages/UF signee), 2019 guard Terry Ivery (Villages), 2019 forward Brandon Farmer (Villages), 2019 forward Peyton Williams (Villages), 2021 guard Jarveil Gainey (Trinity Catholic), 2019 guard Dominic Pugh (Trinity Catholic), 2019 guard Montez Leath (Trinity Catholic).

5A-10

-Three consecutive years, Community School of Naples has been able to capture the district championship. The Seahawks (11-1) lone loss in district play came to LaBelle on Jan. 15, 70-68. LaBelle (10-2) is right there in Class 5A-District 10 with Oasis (9-6) not far behind. Bishop Verot (6-6), St. John Neumann (4-8), Gateway Charter (2-10) and Clewiston (0-12) round out the district.

Players to watch: 2019 guard Parker Weiss (Community School), 2019 guard Jacob Siegel (Community School), 2021 forward Ryker Vance (Community School), 2019 guard Tyler Hutchins (Oasis), 2019 guard Kylar Frias (Oasis), 2019 guard Enrique Hernandez (LaBelle), 2020 guard Noah Garza (LaBelle).

5A-12

-Up top of Class 5A-District 12, Saint Andrew's (10-0) has flourished all season long with Coral Springs Charter (7-2) and North Broward Prep (6-4) not too far behind. In two regular season meetings, Saint Andrew's beat Coral Springs Charter by a combined 10 points. St. John Paul II (0-4), Delray American Heritage (0-6) and FAU High (0-6) are also in the district. 

Players to watch: 2020 forward Yussif Basa-ama (Saint Andrew's), 2020 forward Jackson May (Saint Andrew's), 2021 forward Joshua Minott (Saint Andrew's), 2020 forward Ivan Reynolds (Coral Springs Charter), 2020 forward Ian Tajalli (Coral Springs Charter), 2020 guard Dominick Denny (North Broward Prep), 2020 guard Sawyer Feller (North Broward Prep).

5A-13

-University (20-4, 5-0) is the clear favorite in Class 5A-District 13, but there are four other teams that have put together some solid years in Calvary Christian (15-10, 4-1), Chaminade Madonna (18-5, 3-1), Pine Crest (17-8, 2-3) and Cardinal Gibbons (15-7, 1-4). Pembroke Pines Somerset (4-16, 0-5) rounds out the district.

Players to watch: 2019 forward Vernon Carey Jr. (University/Duke signee), 2020 guard Scottie Barnes, 2020 forward Jace Howard, 2022 guard Jett Howard, 2020 guard Roger McFarlane, 2019 forward Tim Dalger (Calvary Christian), 2022 guard Greg Glenn (Calvary Christian), 2019 forward Toumani Camara (Chaminade Madonna/Georgia signee), 2021 guard Thaddius Franklin (Chaminade Madonna), 2020 guard Elrod Taylor (Cardinal Gibbons), 2021 guard Troy Boynton (Cardinal Gibbons).