Ridaught: FHSAA releases final soccer rankings, district matchups

Buchholz's Nicholas Rossi (right) takes the ball away from Santa Fe's Giacomo Burgetto. Both teams are No. 1 seeds entering this week's district tournaments
Buchholz's Nicholas Rossi (right) takes the ball away from Santa Fe's Giacomo Burgetto. Both teams are No. 1 seeds entering this week's district tournaments.
Photo by C.J. Gish

On Sunday, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) released its final rankings for girls and boys soccer.

With the regular season officially over, teams can prepare for postseason play.

The highest-ranked school in the Mainstreet Daily News coverage area, girls or boys, is the Buchholz boys team.

The Bobcats, who finished the regular season unbeaten for the first time in program history, are ranked 27th overall in Florida and ninth in Class 6A.

Buchholz (10-0-3) is the No. 1 seed in Class 6A-District 4 and will host either No. 5 seed Gainesville or No. 4 seed Lake Minneola at 7 p.m. on Friday in the district semifinals.

The Hurricanes won last year’s district title and were also unbeaten heading into the postseason. In fact, GHS made the deepest run of all boys teams last year before falling at home to Niceville, 2-1, in the 6A-Region 1 Final.

However, the Hurricanes (4-8-1) have struggled this year and will be on the road at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in the quarterfinals.

The district championship is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. at the highest seed.

Forest (Ocala) is the No. 2 seed and will play the winner of No. 3 Springstead (Spring Hill) and No. 6 South Lake (Groveland) in the other district semifinal.

Buchholz is one of four area boys teams who are No. 1 seeds along with Oak Hall (2A-District 2), P.K. Yonge (3A-District 4), and Santa Fe (Alachua) (4A-District 2).

The highest-ranked girls team in the area is P.K. Yonge (10-3-3).

The Lady Blue Wave are ranked 60th overall and No. 9 in Class 3A. They have played a difficult schedule with a 6.6 strength of schedule.

Due to a lack of officials, there was a schedule change for all of Class 3A-District 4.

Keystone Heights, Williston and P.K Yonge will play doubleheaders.

The top seed P.K. Yonge girls will play No. 8 seed Interlachen at 6 p.m., followed by the top-seeded boys’ game against No. 8 Branford at 7:30 p.m.

Keystone Heights, which is the No. 2 seed in both tournaments, will host No. 7 Fort White in girls’ action at 5 p.m., followed by the boys’ game against No. 7 seed Interlachen at 7 p.m.

Williston, which is the No. 3 seed in both tournaments, will host No. 6 seed Branford (girls) at 6 p.m., followed by No. 6 seed Fort White (boys) at 7:30 p.m.

Santa Fe (Alachua) is the only other area girls team with a No. 1 seed. The Lady Raiders (6-6-1) will face either No. 4 Eastside or No. 5 Palatka at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Citizens Field in the district semifinals.

GHS, which is the second highest area team in the area at No. 94 overall/No. 26 in 6A), is the No. 2 seed in 6A-District 4 and will host either Forest (Ocala) or Lake Minneola in next Monday’s district semifinals.

Girls Soccer (teams in the Mainstreet coverage area in bold)

District Tournaments – Dates & times are subject to change

Class 2A-District 2

Quarterfinals (at Trenton) – Wednesday, Jan. 24

4 Oak Hall 
vs. 5 Bell, 5 p.m.
6 St. Francis Catholic Academy 
at 3 Trenton, 7 p.m.

Semifinals – at Lafayette (Mayo) – Friday, Jan. 26

St. Francis Catholic/Trenton winner vs. 2 Jefferson County (Monticello), 5 p.m.
Oak Hall/Bell winner at Lafayette (Mayo), 7 p.m.

Championship – at Lafayette (Mayo) – Tuesday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.

Class 3A-District 4

Quarterfinals – Wednesday, Jan. 24

7 Fort White 
at 2 Keystone Heights, 5 p.m.
8 Interlachen at 1 P.K. Yonge, 6 p.m.

Quarterfinals – Thursday, Jan. 25

5 Trinity Catholic (Ocala) at 4 Newberry, 5 p.m.
6 Branford
 at 3 Williston, 6 p.m.

Semifinals (at Williston) – Friday, Jan. 26

P.K. Yonge/Interlachen winner vs. Newberry/Trinity Catholic winner, 5 p.m.
Fort White/Keystone Heights vs. Williston/Branford winner, 7 p.m.

Championship (at Williston) – Tuesday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.

Class 4A-District 2 (at Citizens Field)

Quarterfinals – Thursday, Jan. 25

4 Eastside 
vs. 5 Palatka, 6 p.m.

Semifinals – Saturday, Jan. 27

2 Suwannee (Live Oak) 
vs. 3 Baker County (Glen St. Mary), 5 p.m.
1 Santa Fe (Alachua)
 vs. Eastside/Palatka winner, 7 p.m.

Championship – Wednesday, Jan. 31, 6 p.m.

Class 5A-District 2

Quarterfinals – Wednesday, Jan. 24

6 Rickards at 3 Columbia (Lake City), 7 p.m.

Semifinals – Friday, Jan. 26
2 Clay (Green Cove Springs) vs. Columbia/Rickards winner, 7 p.m.

Championship – Tuesday, Jan. 30

Class 6A-District 4

Quarterfinals – Thursday, Jan. 25

5 South Lake (Groveland) at 4 Buchholz, 7 p.m.

Semifinals – Monday, Jan. 29

Buchholz/South Lake winner at 1 Springstead (Spring Hill), 7 p.m.
Forest (Ocala)/Lake Minneola winner at 2 Gainesville, 7 p.m.

Championship – Wednesday, Jan. 31

Boys Soccer
 (teams in the Mainstreet coverage area in bold)

District Tournaments – Dates & times are subject to change

Class 2A-District 2

Quarterfinals – Thursday, Jan. 25

6 Trenton 
at 3 St. Francis Catholic Academy, 7 p.m.

Semifinals (at Bell High School) – Monday, Jan. 29

Lafayette/Jefferson County winner at 1 Oak Hall, 5 p.m.
St. Francis Catholic/Trenton winner at 2 Bell, 7 p.m.

Championship – Wednesday, Jan. 31, 7 p.m.

Class 3A-District 4

Quarterfinals – Wednesday, Jan. 24

8 Branford
 at 1 P.K. Yonge, 7:30 p.m.
7 Interlachen at 2 Keystone Heights, 7 p.m.

Quarterfinals – Thursday, Jan. 25

5 Trinity Catholic (Ocala) at 4 Newberry, 7 p.m.
6 Fort White
 at 3 Williston, 7:30 p.m.

Semifinals (at Williston) – Monday, Jan. 29

PK Yonge/Branford winner vs. Newberry/Trinity Catholic winner, 5 p.m.
Keystone Heights/Interlachen winner vs. Williston/Fort White winner, 7 p.m.

Championship (at Williston) – Wednesday, Jan. 31

Class 4A-District 2 at Santa Fe (Alachua)

Quarterfinals – Wednesday, Jan. 24

4 Eastside
 vs. 5 Palatka, 6 p.m.

Semifinals – Friday, Jan. 26

3 Baker County (Glen St. Mary) at 2 Suwannee (Live Oak), 5:30 p.m.
Eastside/Palatka winner at 1 Santa Fe (Alachua), 7:30 p.m.

Championship – Tuesday, Jan. 30, 6 p.m.

Class 5A-District 2

Quarterfinals – Thursday, Jan. 25

5 Middleburg at 4 Columbia (Lake City), 7 p.m.

Semifinals – Monday, Jan. 29

Columbia/Middleburg winner at 1 Clay (Green Cove Springs), 7 p.m.

Championship – Wednesday, Jan. 31, 7 p.m.

Class 6A-District 4

Quarterfinals – Wednesday, Jan. 24

5 Gainesville
 at 4 Lake Minneola, 7 p.m.

Semifinals – Friday, Jan. 26

GHS/Lake Minneola winner at 1 Buchholz, 7 p.m.

Championship – Tuesday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.

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