Florida High School Football wraps up this week in Daytona Beach

The Florida High School Athletic Association state football championship games feature 7 teams from South Florida’s Miami-Dade and Broward counties, 3 teams from the Orange county area, two teams from the Panhandle and a team each from Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Lakeland, and Madison county.

The season wraps up this week at Daytona Stadium, where the Class 4-8 games will be played on December 11-14.

The Class 1-3 games took place last week at Gene Cox Stadium in Tallahassee.

Both South Florida teams came home from Tallahassee last week with victories, as the Hialeah Champagnat Catholic Lions beat Lakeland's Victory Christian Academy Storm 35-14 to earn their third state 2A title.

In 3A action, Hollywood’s Chaminade-Madonna Lions beat the Florida High Seminoles 35-20. The Lions accomplished their first three-peat (5 titles total) and is only the second team in Broward County history to do so (St. Thomas Aquinas did it in 2014, 2015 and 2016).

The Madison County Cowboys accomplished their own three-peat in 1A by taking down the previously undefeated Blountstown Tigers 70-35.

South Florida programs comprise 5 of the 10 teams going to Daytona, and have a chance for a historic sweep of all five classes.

4A- Jacksonville Bolles Bulldogs (11-1) vs Booker T. Washington Tornadoes (12-2) Wednesday Dec. 11 7pm

Booker T. Washington is looking for its 6th state title under first year coach Ben Hanks.

The Tornadoes won a dogfight in St. Petersburg against the previously unbeaten Lakewood Spartans 9-7, after dispatching Carol City, Gulliver and Cardinal Gibbons in the playoffs.

Bolles, whose 11 state championships are top in Florida, forced four turnovers in beating Cocoa 20-14.

6A- Pensacola Escambia Gators (14-0) vs Central Rockets (11-3) Thursday Dec. 12 at 7pm

Central has been an enigma all year, but their three losses were to high quality opponents- Northwestern, Chaminade-Madonna and Baltimore's St. Frances Academy.

The Rockets rallied to beat the Palmetto Tigers 34-30 on the road to return to the state finals after a four year absence as it seeks its 6th state title.

Escambia comes in undefeated after beating Tampa Gaither 45-21.

This is the first time that both Central and Northwestern are going to the state finals together, as they were in the same 6A "Class of Death" of Carol City, Northwestern and Central which combined for the last seven Class 6A state titles.

8A- Apopka Blue Darters (12-1) vs Columbus Explorers (10-4) Friday Dec. 13 7pm

This is Columbus' second consecutive trip to the state championship (and fifth overall). Last year the Explorers lost a heartbreaker to the Jacksonville's Mandarin Mustangs.

Columbus' quest for its first state title will have to go through a very good Apopka team, which beat them in the 2014 8A final 30-23.

Both teams are coming in hot. HC Dave Dunn navigated the Explorers through a mid-season slump and losses to South Dade, Booker T. Washington, Dillard and University and has his team peaking at just the right time.

Apopka's only loss is to the Jones Fightin' Tigers, which are in the 5A final.

This game will come down to how Apopka handles a steady diet of Henry Parish Jr., who was awarded the inaugural Nat Moore Trophy this week as the top high school football player in South Florida.

5A- Orlando Jones Fightin' Tigers (13-1) vs Northwestern Bulls (12-2) Saturday Dec. 14 noon

Back to back 6A champs Northwestern Bulls are aiming for their first three-peat after reclassification to 5A.

HC Max Edwards' Bulls prevailed in the game of the year against the American Heritage Patriots at Heritage Field and then outclassed Tampa Jesuit for a 42-21 victory at Traz Powell Stadium.

Jones is heading to a state final for the first time in program history with a 21-20 victory over Crawfordville's Wakulla.

7A- Orlando Edgewater Eagles (13-1) vs St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders (13-0) Saturday Dec. 14 7pm

The undefeated Raiders remain the second ranked team in the USA Today poll behind Bellflower California’s St. John Bosco, who ended previous number one Mater Dei’s season last week. But if St. John Bosco loses the Open Division Championship to #7 Concord De La Salle this Saturday, a strong showing by St. Thomas Aquinas may earn them a third national championship (2008 and 2010).

HC Roger Harriot's Raiders earned their 12th trip to the final in the last 16 years after demolishing the Venice Indians 42-0 at Brian Piccolo Stadium.

With a win, the Raiders would avenge last year's finals loss to the Lakeland Dreadnaughts 33-22 and match Jacksonville Bolles' current state record 11 titles.

This may be the first real test for the Raiders. Edgewater is seeking its first state championship in their fourth attempt after defeating Seffner's Armwood, which was ranked 20th in the country by USA Today.