CLASS 6A
Another 8-0 run simply by taking the home team. Only one game was less than an eight point margin and that was Bartow falling to Edgewater in Orlando by six points. Maybe the real surprise were just how large some of the margins were. Both Leto and Charlotte in Region 3 won their respective games by fourteen points. St. Thomas won by thirty over a very good Dwyer team. The Tampa Leto/Punta Gorda Charlotte region final is the only one that is not a 1 vs 2 seed.
Best Matchup: We are going to go with a bit of a surprise and anoint the Wiregrass Ranch/Ponte Vedra contest in Region 1 as the best matchup. Wiregrass Ranch has (hopefully) made believers of the skeptics by this time of the season. They have taken on every challenge and been successful. Ponte Vedra, despite its youth, is looking to return to Lakeland for the third season in a row and was the favorite in this region at the start of the season. It wouldn’t surprise if this contest went an extra session or more.
Best Chance for an Upset: No matter who wins the Pines Charter/St. Thomas Aquinas game it will not be an upset, so you can’t pick that one. Most likely, it is Oviedo crossing the county line and taking on top seed Edgewater in Orlando. Edgewater has won its two home playoff games by just five and six points, and hasn’t looked as sharp as earlier in the season. We saw Oviedo roll into Sanford and blow out a Seminole team that is in a Class 7A regional final. All that means is Oviedo has the capability to go into hostile territory and come out with a win. The Eagles of Edgewater need to be ready.
Our Picks
Wiregrass Ranch over Ponte Vedra
Orlando Edgewater over Oviedo
Tampa Leto over Punta Gorda Charlotte
Pembroke Pines Charter over Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas
CLASS 7A
Back to normal with a 6-2 record from our Tuesday night picks. Plant City, the six seed, won the battle of he underdogs at home against the seven seed, Sarasota Riverview. Now all they have to do it go on the road to Winter Haven and play the #50 team in the country according to the latest Ball is Life Fab 50 poll. In South Florida, Miami Senior went up I-95 and took down Coral Springs by double digits. They’re reward is to go face the #2 team in the country, Miami Columbus. One of the more interesting scores from Tuesday night was Orlando Olympia’s 26 point win over district rival Windermere. The Wolverines at Windermere had beaten Olympia twice already this season on its home floor, the last time in districts by 21 points. That is a reversal in just under two weeks of 47 points!
Best Matchup: While maybe not the “best” game, the most competitive is likely to be in Region 1 where top seed Orlando Evans hosts Sanford Seminole. Both teams are athletic, solid on the defensive end, and not given enough respect for what they have accomplished this season.
Best Chance for an Upset: Maybe that turnaround by Olympia against Windermere will light their fire to play at Oak Ridge on Friday night. Oak Ridge won big in the teams only meeting this season at Olympia. The Titans will need to be hitting on all cylinders and hope that Oak Ridge has a clogged fuel injector to win in what will be a packed and noisy Oak Ridge gym.
Our Picks
Orlando Evans over Sanford Seminole
Orlando Oak Ridge over Orlando Olympia
Winter Haven over Plant City
Miami Columbus over Miami Senior