Florida high school football playoffs: Raines falls in Open division debut as Bolles, Mandarin, St. Augustine advance

Raines' 24-game winning streak ended in its debut in the Florida High School Athletic Association's new Open division, while Bolles, Mandarin, St. Augustine, Trinity Christian, University Christian, Columbia, Nease, Baker County and Fort White all advanced Friday night, Nov. 13, on a wild first full night of the high school football state playoffs.

The Vikings (10-1) fell 28-7 at West Boca Raton in Open division pool play, according to News4JAX. Across the state, the night's biggest shock also came in the Open division, where fifth-seeded Lakeland knocked off top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas 27-24.

Raines' Open debut goes sideways

Raines had not lost since falling to Miami Northwestern in the 2024 state championship game, News4JAX reported. The Vikings qualified as one of the eight best teams in Florida for the inaugural Open bracket and grabbed a 7-0 lead at West Boca Raton, but the host answered with 28 unanswered points.

The loss does not end Raines' season. Under the format the FHSAA adopted in June, the top eight teams regardless of classification are selected by MaxPreps rankings at the end of the regular season and split into two four-team pools. Pool A holds seeds 1, 4, 5 and 8, and Pool B holds seeds 2, 3, 6 and 7. Each team plays a round-robin within its pool, and the top two from each pool advance to a single-elimination state finals at a host site, according to the FHSAA.

That leaves the Vikings needing to finish at least second in Pool B. They host Columbus, which routed Miami Central 40-3, on Nov. 20, then close pool play at Miami Central on Nov. 27, according to News4JAX.

Here are the first-round Open division results:

Northeast Florida results

Most of the area's top seeds took care of business. Columbia, the unbeaten top seed in Region 1-4A, shut out Clay 35-0 to move to 11-0. Mandarin rolled past Oakleaf 35-7 in Region 1-5A in a game News4JAX said was never in question, and Bolles routed visiting Freeport 49-7 in Region 1-2A. St. Augustine beat Lincoln 42-7.

In Region 2-1A, Trinity Christian blanked Father Lopez 41-0 and University Christian beat Wildwood 56-13, setting up a marquee second-round game at unbeaten Hawthorne. Baker County, the last local team standing in Region 1-3A, beat South Walton 28-7. Fort White, from Columbia County, beat Baker 49-7 in Region 1-1A.

Nease delivered the thriller of the night, going on the road to edge Pace 35-34 in Region 1-5A. The Panthers improved to 8-3.

Here are the first-round results involving teams from the News4JAX coverage area, as reported by the station:

Upsets and close calls

There were just a couple of notable upsets, News4JAX reported, and one stung locally. A 5-5 Rickards team from Tallahassee won 28-24 at 8-2 Ed White, holding off a fourth-quarter comeback after the Commanders had trailed by three touchdowns. Ed White had been hoping to set up a second-round rematch with St. Augustine in Region 1-4A.

In Region 1-6A, host Creekside was upset 28-25 by Lake Mary, a 2-8 team that drew criticism for making the playoffs as a No. 5 seed despite its record. Bishop Kenny's season ended in a 34-31 loss to Pensacola Pine Forest in Region 1-3A, and Bradford fell 35-7 to Berkeley Prep in Region 2-2A. Bartram Trail lost 26-13 to Orlando Evans, and Ponte Vedra fell 37-6 at Gainesville Buchholz.

Elsewhere around the state

Beyond Lakeland's upset of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Open division's other Pool A game went to Chaminade-Madonna, which shut out Venice 35-0. In Region 1-6A, top seed Seminole outlasted Lake Brantley 50-36, DeLand beat Spruce Creek 42-7 and Mainland edged Winter Park 31-28. In Region 2-2A, First Academy, Tampa Catholic, Clearwater Central Catholic and Berkeley Prep all advanced.

SSAA and Thursday results

In the Sunshine State Athletic Association, West Nassau smothered Union County 15-6 in the Atlantic League semifinals and will play in the league championship game for the second straight year. The Warriors (10-2-1) face 13-0 King's Academy on Nov. 20 at The Villages. Episcopal's unbeaten run ended with a 45-21 loss to undefeated Tallahassee Maclay in the 11-man state semifinals, though the Eagles' 12-1 finish is the best record in program history, News4JAX reported.

On Thursday, Fletcher beat Ribault 43-30 in the high school Gator Bowl postseason game, and Hilliard beat Providence 35-7 in the Independent League 2 regional semifinals. Hilliard (11-0) will visit Jay in the regional final on Thursday, Nov. 19. In the Florida Invitational Tournament, Yulee lost 34-6 to Beachside, Tocoi Creek fell 55-45 to Lake Howell and Riverside lost 43-41 to St. Cloud.

What's next

The FHSAA second round is set for Friday, Nov. 20. Here are the matchups for area teams, according to News4JAX:

Across the state line, News4JAX reported that Charlton County, Pierce County and Ware County advanced to the second round of the Georgia playoffs. Ware County visits Dalton, Pierce County hosts Hapeville Charter, and Charlton County travels to Bowdon on Nov. 20.