Northeast Florida High School Football Playoffs Open Nov. 13: Raines, Columbia and Mandarin Enter Unbeaten or Top-Ranked, and State Semifinals Come Dec. 4

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Florida High School Athletic Association playoffs begin Friday, Nov. 13, with the quarterfinal round for Classes 1A through 6A, according to the FHSAA's 2026 football postseason schedule. Northeast Florida teams head into the bracket after a regular season that ended with Raines at 10-0, Columbia at 10-0 and Mandarin at 9-1 holding the top three spots in the final Varsity 4 Super 10 rankings from News4JAX. Pairings and game sites are noted on the FHSAA playoff bracket, which the association says will list game locations as they are set.

The FHSAA lists four dates for the traditional classes. The quarterfinals are Nov. 13, the semifinals are Nov. 20, the regional finals are Nov. 27, and the state semifinals are Dec. 4. The association also lists two state championship sites, The Range at H.G. Morse Stadium in Sumterville and South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium, but its page does not say which class plays at which site.

The playoff calendar

The FHSAA page does not list a separate regional first-round date, and it does not give a bracket release date. Fans should check the bracket on fhsaa.com for the exact opponent, kickoff time and site for each team, because those details are set by the association and the host schools. Seeding and travel will not be known until the bracket is posted.

Final Super 10: where Northeast Florida teams stood

News4JAX's Varsity 4 published its final regular-season Super 10 on Nov. 3, after the coaches poll was released Nov. 2. The table below shows the ranking, record, class and the seeding outlook that Varsity 4 reported for each team. The seeds are the outlook in that report, not official FHSAA brackets, so the real pairings may differ.

The separate Super 10 coaches poll ordered the teams slightly differently, placing Bolles fifth and Bradford sixth. It listed Creekside, a Class 6A school at 8-2, as its No. 10 team. Poll orders like these reflect the opinions of the people who vote in them, not official FHSAA seeds.

Raines and the new Open division

Raines is ranked No. 1 and has won 24 straight games, according to Varsity 4. The report says the Vikings are headed to the inaugural Open division playoffs, with quarterback Samon Ellison-Morgan and running back TJ Williamson named as key players. The FHSAA says the Open division is a regional round robin played over multiple weeks, and it lists the Open division's state semifinal date as to be determined.

Because the Open division follows a different format from the classes above, Raines's schedule will not match the Nov. 13, Nov. 20 and Nov. 27 dates in the table. The Varsity 4 report did not give Open division opponents or dates. Readers following Raines should watch for the FHSAA's Open division bracket rather than assume the traditional rounds apply.

Columbia, Mandarin and St. Augustine

Columbia finished its first unbeaten regular season since 1997 under head coach Brian Allen, according to Varsity 4. The Tigers beat Suwannee 48-0 in their last regular-season game and were listed as the No. 1 seed in Region 1-4A. Their home field, Tiger Stadium, is in Lake City.

Mandarin beat St. Augustine 32-31 in overtime for the second straight year, according to the report. Head coach Toby Bullock's team moved up to No. 3 in the Super 10 and was listed as the No. 1 seed in Region 1-5A. St. Augustine went 9-1 in the regular season for the second year in a row and was listed as the No. 2 seed in Region 1-4A.

Other local teams to watch

Varsity 4 also listed six teams under "keep an eye on," and each could play a role in the regional brackets. They are Baker County (7-3, Class 3A), Bartram Trail (7-3, Class 5A), Bishop Kenny (6-4, Class 3A), Clay (7-2, Class 4A), Creekside (8-2, Class 6A) and Flagler Palm Coast (8-2, Class 6A). Ed White improved its regular-season record by a game from last year, and Nease recovered from a 1-3 start to finish 7-3.

Bradford, at 9-1, was denied a perfect regular season and is listed as the No. 2 seed in Region 1-2A. The report notes a possible Region 1-2A meeting with Bolles. Trinity Christian, at 6-4, could face a showdown with University Christian or Hawthorne on the way to a state semifinal berth, the report says.

Not part of the FHSAA bracket

Some Northeast Florida programs play outside the FHSAA playoffs. According to Varsity 4, the Sunshine State Athletic Association's Atlantic League Division and the 11-man state championship playoffs both held quarterfinal games on Friday, Nov. 6. Those brackets included Fernandina Beach at West Nassau and Union County at Paxon in the Atlantic League, and Christ's Church Academy at Maclay and Episcopal at Seffner Christian in the 11-man playoffs.

What to know before going

Tickets, kickoff times and gate policies are set by the host school, so check the school or the FHSAA bracket before heading out. Game sites are noted on the bracket, and the association lists locations as to be announced until the pairings are set. Because the Varsity 4 seeds are an outlook rather than an official bracket, the home teams on Nov. 13 may not match the seeds above.