The area's top high school girls soccer teams took the field Tuesday to start their quest toward the state championships. Wednesday night, its the boys' turn.
Eleven teams hailing from Volusia, Flagler and St. Johns counties secured spots in last week's Florida High School Athletic Association bracket reveal, including four district champions — New Smyrna Beach, St. Augustine, Seabreeze and Beachside. Three of those squads will enjoy the luxury of a first-round playoff game.
More:Bartram Trail girls edge Creekside, earn top overall FHSAA ranking
More:Seabreeze boys edge Bartram Trail with clutch saves, Cole Miller's header
Let's run through every game and preview which teams might have the best chances of reaching the finals later this month at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand. All games are set to kickoff at 7 p.m. local time unless otherwise noted.
REGION 1-7A
East Ridge (14-3-1) at Creekside (15-3-1)
Creekside caught fire in January, winning six in a row before a 1-0 district semifinal defeat to Bartram Trail. The Knights still did enough to earn a top-four seed, and they get the benefit of a home game in facing fellow wild card East Ridge. All-Area placekicker Ronald Daragjati leads the team with 13 goals on an average of 2.8 shots per game. East Ridge, which reached the Class 6A Elite Eight last year, outscored its opponents 59-10 and also went unbeaten in January prior to its district tournament. Rafael Enriquez (15 goals) and Amir Taylor (10) surpassed double digits in scoring.
Bartram Trail (12-3-1) at Lake Mary (16-3-1)
As the No. 2 seed, Bartram Trail could host a regional semifinal Saturday night. Yet, the Bears head out to Lake Mary for the first round due to the Rams winning their district. After losing to Seabreeze on Jan. 5, Bartram rolled through St. Johns County with consecutive wins over St. Augustine, Nease, Ponte Vedra, Tocoi Creek, Menendez and Creekside. Luke Williams and Dimani Mathlin are two of the area's most dynamic midfielders. Lake Mary averages 3.1 goals per game, sticking another three past Sanford Seminole to secure its postseason position.
Region 1-6A
Ponte Vedra (11-3-3) at Niceville (13-4-3), 6 p.m.
A state semifinalist a year ago, Ponte Vedra needs to regroup in order to gear up for another deep postseason run. The Sharks lost 2-1 in overtime to surprising district champion Oakleaf, a result that likely burst the bubble of crosstown rival Nease. Senior midfielder Andres Villasana came up clutch in last year's playoffs, and he finished second in scoring only to Mark Romano. For Niceville, junior Grant Wheeler had a hand in 23 of the Eagles' 45 goals, scoring 18 of them. Tanner Boxberger kept 10 clean sheets and made 47 saves.
Region 2-6A
Dwyer (11-6-1) at New Smyrna Beach (16-0-1)
New Smyrna Beach capped its best regular season in program history by staging a late rally against Oviedo in the district final. Joel Smith tied the game with 1:21 left in regulation, and Brooks Beeman beat the buzzer in the first period of extra time as the Barracudas prevailed 2-1. Despite an unblemished record, the 'Cudas are seeded second in the region behind Viera. Dwyer held its own against some of Palm Beach County's best and should not be taken lightly. The Panthers possess a strong crop of veterans, including senior and leading scorer Thiago Solis (18 goals).
Region 1-5A
St. Augustine (5-10-4) at Arnold (17-0-2)
Easily the biggest local surprise during district tournament week, St. Augustine overcame a pair of regular-season losses to Menendez to pull a 5-3 upset in the final. The Yellow Jackets netted 16 goals in three tournament games, equating to 44.4% of their season total, and booked a playoff spot for the first time since 2007. Arnold has turned into one of the top programs in the state, reaching back-to-back state finals including a championship triumph in 2021. Zachary Gunning paces the Marlins with 17 goals, and Sander Richard has chipped in 11 goals and eight assists.
Menendez (9-7-3) at Booker T. Washington (8-6-3), 6 p.m.
Despite the district-final loss, Menendez stacked enough wins and built a strong enough schedule to claim a wild card berth. Will Manaute shifted from centerback to a box-to-box midfielder as a senior, and matched freshman Ryland Vabolis for the team lead with seven goals. Washington also has a pair of joint top scorers; junior Kyle Hunnicutt and sophom*ore Anthony Kuba pumped in 15 apiece for the Wildcats.
Region 2-5A
Matanzas (8-5-2) at Horizon (12-3-4)
Matanzas and Seabreeze slugged it out in one of the most competitive local district finals, requiring penalty kicks to settle the 2-2 score. Seabreeze came out on top 4-3, dropping the Pirates down to the No. 7 seed; though a rematch could soon be on the cards. Landon Grover and Davi Nunes Dos Santos scored for Matanzas, while Ben Kopach made six saves, upping his season total to 99. First-time district champion Horizon is undefeated in eight home matches this season (4-0-4). Five seniors top the scoring charts for the second-year Hawks, led by Christian Rodriguez's 22 goals.
River Ridge (6-6-3) at Seabreeze (12-3-3)
Defensively solid and possessing the individual attacking flair of Cole Miller and Michael Hogan, Seabreeze could prove yet again to be a difficult postseason out. AJ Cole turned in a big year in between the sticks as well, posting eight clean sheets and making 6.1 saves per game. River Ridge rebounded after winning just once in its first five games to grab the No. 6 seed in the region. Jimmy Pedraza, Michael Canizio and Marko Maric produced six goals apiece, and Joshua Sarka pulled the strings for the Royal Knights' attack with nine assists.
Region 1-4A
South Walton (10-6-2) at Beachside (7-4-6), 6 p.m.
Closing on a three-game winning streak, first-year Beachside edged Bishop Kenny in a penalty shootout to score a landmark district championship. The Barracudas have not tasted defeat since the conclusion of the winter break, going 4-0-4 in that time span. In comes South Walton from the upper reaches of the Panhandle, and the Seahawks have endured some ups and downs of late — losing twice, and winning in overtime during their last four games. However, South Walton's defense is a tough nut to crack, conceding only 18 goals in 18 games.
Region 3-3A
Taylor (12-6-1) at Benjamin (9-4-4)
Yahir Palacios made nine saves, but Taylor suffered a costly 1-0 defeat to regional top seed Trinity Prep in the District 9-3A final — costly, at the very least, from a logistical sense. The Wildcats need to drive more than 3 hours to Palm Beach Gardens to square off with Benjamin. They will rely upon the experienced strike partnership of Ricardo Jaimes and Steven Aguirre. Nearly a full month off appears to have done Benjamin quite a bit of good; the Buccaneers have not lost since Dec. 10, a run of seven matches in the new year. Sophom*ore Winford Cash tallied 14 goals and nine assists in just 1,105 minutes of action (16 games).
Region 1-2A
Christ's Church (10-7-0) at St. Joseph Academy (7-3-5)
A relatively surprising district semifinal loss to St. Johns Country Day spoiled St. Joe's chances at the top seed within its region. However, the Flashes still have a strong core group that went all the way to the Class 2A Final Four last year, most notably senior attacking midfielder Abram Wilson (nine goals, 10 assists). St. Joseph defeated Christ's Church 3-2 on Nov. 17, though Judah Zeigler and Caleb Zeigler produced goals for the Eagles. Eliot Niece has the team lead, however, with 23 goals.
