Florida’s best high school teams will soon play only one another for a state title.
The Florida High School Athletic Association’s board of directors voted 10-0 on June 9 to create an Open Division, a separate postseason bracket for the state’s top-ranked programs in 11 sports. It takes effect this fall.
The format covers football, boys and girls basketball, girls volleyball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls lacrosse, and girls flag football.
In each sport, the top eight teams move into the Open Division regardless of classification. Football’s field will be set strictly by MaxPreps rankings after the regular season, with no human input. The other sports will use rankings taken after their district tournaments. Teams cannot opt out.
The eight qualifiers split into two pools. Pool A holds the No. 1, 4, 5 and 8 seeds; Pool B holds Nos. 2, 3, 6 and 7. Quarterfinals will be played at the lower seed, and the host school keeps the gate. The association hopes to stage semifinals at The Villages Charter School, with the championship in Miami.
Backers say the change attacks a familiar problem: a few programs hoard the hardware. St. Thomas Aquinas football has won seven straight state titles. Chaminade-Madonna has taken seven in the last nine years.
No county knows that wall better than Pinellas, which has never won a state football title. Clearwater Central Catholic reached the championship game three straight seasons, from 2022 to 2024, and lost to Chaminade-Madonna each time, by a combined 146-21. Pull the dynasties into their own bracket, supporters argue, and the rest of the field finally gets a real path.
Executive Director Craig Damon has championed the idea, saying it spotlights Florida’s national-level talent while reviving the traditional brackets left behind. Four states, including California, already run a version of the format.
Leon High coach Ricky Bell, a board member, said the panel spent roughly two years studying the plan before the July 9 vote.
Not everyone is convinced. Some coaches question whether a 7A or 3A champion still means much once the strongest teams are pulled out. Others say the bracket loses the feel of a deep playoff run earned week by week.
Damon has left the door open to adding a human element to football selection in future seasons. For now, the MaxPreps computers decide.
The shift arrives with other changes for 2026-27. A 35-second shot clock will debut at the basketball state semifinals and finals in Jacksonville, with optional use at regionals if both schools agree.
For Clearwater Central Catholic, it cuts both ways. Climb into the top eight, and the Marauders could line up against Chaminade-Madonna again. Fall just short, and the dynasty among powerhouse programs in Broward and Dade counties is finally someone else’s problem.
Quick hits
Stegbauer takes over Osceola Fundamental baseball
Rick Stegbauer is the new head baseball coach at Osceola Fundamental High School, taking over for Stefan Futch.
Stegbauer served as an assistant under Futch, who is stepping away from coaching but will remain a teacher at the school. Futch led the Warriors to the Class 4A region final this past season, where they lost a best-of-three series to Jesuit, the eventual state champion.
Stegbauer said he wants to build on the foundation Futch set over his years with the program and stressed developing players on and off the field.
He plans to hold a parents meeting in midsummer for anyone hoping to play for the Warriors. Details will be posted on the team’s Osceola Warriors Facebook page.
Moton returns to St. Petersburg High to lead Green Devils
Gabriel Moton, a former standout at St. Petersburg High, is the school’s new boys basketball coach.
Moton takes over for Chris Blackwell, who left to coach at St. Petersburg Catholic. The move reunites Moton with his roots: he played for Blackwell as a Green Devil, earning two-time team captain and MVP honors before graduating in 2010.
As a senior, Moton averaged 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists and led St. Petersburg to a district title and a Class 6A region final. He went on to play two seasons at Boston College, then transferred to Brandeis, where he earned first-team all-conference honors. He later played professionally overseas.
A school hall of famer, Moton said returning home to lead the program is an honor and pointed to building a culture of discipline and championship-level basketball.