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Playoff Frenzy: FHSAA releases football playoff brackets, 10 Big Bend teams are in

The chase for Bragging rights at Bragg Memorial Stadium is on.

The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) released the high school football playoff brackets Sunday morning.

And 10 area teams have advanced into the playoffs, with six Big Bend teams facing each other in the first round.

With that said, let's jump into the bracket breakdown.

1R Region 2: Aucilla Christian gets 3 seed.

No. 3 Aucilla Christian vs. No. 6 Wewahitchka

The Warriors get the three seed and will host Wewahitchka for the opening round of the 1R Region 2 playoffs. The visiting Gators are 5-5 and beat Franklin County 34-8 in week 11, and have won four of the last five games. Aucilla Christian ended the season in week 10 with its only loss of the season, falling to Flint River Academy and finishing the season 7-1.

The winner will play Port. St Joe.

1R Region 3: Madison County gets the 1 seed.

Florida High defeated Madison County 35-23 on Sep. 22, 2023
Florida High defeated Madison County 35-23 on Sep. 22, 2023

The Cowboys are the top-ranked team in the 1R Region 3 bracket, getting a bye into the semifinals and facing the winner of No. 4 Lafayette vs. No. 5 Branford in the first round. Madison County has won five straight and finished the season with a 34-21 over Rickards.

Lafayette is 6-4 and lost its final game of the season to Pace, 35-7, Branford is 7-2 and has won four straight to end the season.

1S Region 1: Tallahassee's region

The North Florida Christian Eagles hosted the Wakulla War Eagles for a high school football game on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
The North Florida Christian Eagles hosted the Wakulla War Eagles for a high school football game on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.

No. 1 North Florida Christian vs. No. 4 Munroe

The Eagles will have a familiar foe in the opening round of the playoffs.

Munroe traveling to NFC, just a few weeks after the two programs met in week 10, with NFC winning 63-26, the final game of the season for both programs.

The winner will face the winner of St. John Paul II vs. Maclay

No. 2 St. John Paul II vs. No. 3 Maclay

The Panthers will host Maclay in the opening round of the 1S playoffs, with the two teams meeting for the first time this season. JPII won four of its last five games, falling to Pensacola Catholic in the last week of the regular season and finishing 4-6. Maclay finished 5-5 and has won two in a row, beating Taylor County 35-34 in overtime in week 11.

The winner plays the winner of North Florida Christain vs. Munroe.

2S Region 1: Wakulla, Florida High, Gadsden County are in

Florida High football beat Lincoln 24-22 on Nov. 3 at Mike Hickman Stadium
Florida High football beat Lincoln 24-22 on Nov. 3 at Mike Hickman Stadium

No. 2 Wakulla vs. No. 7 Gadsden County

It's another Big Bend playoff matchup with Wakulla hosting Gadsden County in a game that is surely going to have plenty of offensive fireworks. The War Eagles finished the season with a crucial win over Suwannee, going 10-0 and getting a bye in week 11. Gadsden County finished the season with a 6-4 record and won two straight games, including a 49-0 win over Gateway in week 11.

The winner will possibly have another Big Bend matchup, playing the winner of Florida High vs. Marianna.

No. 3 Florida High vs. No. 6 Marianna

Florida High will host Marianna in the opening round of the 2S playoffs, the second time the two programs will meet this season, with the Seminoles winning 38-0.

Florida High finished the season 8-2, beating Lincoln in a dramatic week 11 game to end the season. Marianna finished the year with a 6-4 record, beating South Walton by one point in week 11 to get the six seed and push Gadsden County to seven.

The winner will face the winner of Wakulla vs. Gadsden County.

3S Region 1: Lincoln gets the 2 seed

Florida High football beat Lincoln 24-22 on Nov. 3 at Mike Hickman Stadium
Florida High football beat Lincoln 24-22 on Nov. 3 at Mike Hickman Stadium

No. 2 Lincoln vs. No. 7 Matanzas

The Trojans get the two seed in 3S Region 1, hosting Matanzas to open the postseason. Lincoln is coming off a dramatic loss to Florida High in week 11, finishing the season 8-2. Matanzas travels to Lincoln with a 7-3 record, winning four of its last five, including a week 11 33-0 victory over Winter Springs.

The winner will face the winner of No. 3 Choctawhatchee vs. No. 6 Columbia.

4S Region 1: Leon, Chiles miss out on postseason

Chiles and Leon football players during Chiles 37-0 win over Leon on Oct. 13
Chiles and Leon football players during Chiles 37-0 win over Leon on Oct. 13

With Mosely winning the district and gaining an automatic bid, both Leon and Chiles were out of the postseason as the 4S Region 1 bracket did not include either team, seeing both programs' season end.

Leon finished 6-4, its first winning season since 2016, completing a remarkable turnaround from its 1-9 finish in 2022. Chiles for the second straight season are on the outside looking in, finishing the year 6-4 and narrowly missing out of the playoffs.

Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: 10 Tallahassee area high school football programs make the playoffs