Messed up regions?

[FalconT2]

I'm sure this has been covered before but was just looking at matchups this week. Armwood in NORTH and Mainland in SOUTH???

Can someone explain to me how a school 120 miles NORTH of the other is in the South while the other is in the North. That just seems whacked up.

 

[Choctaw_fan]

But the drive to the panhandle would have been about the same for both.

 

[BigGatorMike51]

Why does Manatee, St Pete, Vero Beach & Fort Pierce Central always have to cross the state in round 1 & 2 when Bloomingdale & Plant are just up the road? Wouldn't it have made more sense for Dr Phillips & Boone to have played the 2 East coast teams and Manatee & St Pete to have played Plant and Bloomingdale?

 

[Hwy17]

Originally posted by BigGatorMike51:

Why does Manatee, St Pete, Vero Beach & Fort Pierce Central always have to cross the state in round 1 & 2 when Bloomingdale & Plant are just up the road? Wouldn't it have made more sense for Dr Phillips & Boone to have played the 2 East coast teams and Manatee & St Pete to have played Plant and Bloomingdale?

It always seems to end up that way. To keep an even number of teams in each region there is some "making it fit." Last year my Hardee team had to travel 3 hours to play American Heritage, while Lake Wales hosted Merritt Island, also 3 hours away. Hardee and Lake Wales are 30 miles apart. One time we had Cocoa Beach in our district, over 2 hours away, while all the other district teams where under 1 hour.

 

[anon_00zx5879k0jmw]

Maybe they need to go with East & West Regions?

 

[181pl]

I 95. Much more direct drive between Volusia and S Fla. At least if we're talking about the Armwood Mainland issue.

 

[tampa1]

The real question is why is Venice/Largo in the North and Mainland in the South....

 

[Choctaw_fan]

How about four regions that do not play each other until the semi-finals?

For any panhandle team, a third round trip is at least 5 hours. Niceville is going to Orlando, 8 hours away. Armwood coming to Niceville will be about 7 hours. Unless you travel the day before, that trip is very tough on the players. It definitely gives home field advantage.

If they went to 4 regions, most teams would not have to go more than 4 hours for any game. If you draw the lines separating each region horizontally, the furthest distance would be across the state. This might plan might not work well for all classes. We know most 8A teams are only in the large cities.

How about semi-final games at a neutral site? There are a lot of college stadiums not needed this time of year. Then both teams would travel a much shorter distance. Just a thought!