With the regular season in the books, district tournament play begins this week across the area, with every team chasing an automatic bid to the state playoffs.
6A District 1
#1 Pace vs. #4 Tate
#2 Navarre vs. #3 Crestview
Crestview opens on the road against Navarre. The Lady Bulldogs split the season series with the Raiders, dropping a 4-3 decision at home before winning 4-0 on the road. With Crestview seeded third and Navarre second by a narrow margin in the standings, this semifinal could determine which program claims the No. 3 seed.
A Crestview win would set up a district championship meeting with Pace, one of the top title contenders in the state, which handled the Lady Bulldogs 9-0 on March 10. Regardless of how districts unfold, Crestview is all but assured of a playoff berth.
5A District 1
#1 Niceville vs. #4 Mosley
#2 Gulf Breeze vs. #3 Milton
Niceville opens at home against Mosley. The two teams did not meet in the regular season, but the Lady Eagles enter as the clear favorite. A win would send Niceville to the district final against the winner of Gulf Breeze-Milton.
Gulf Breeze handed Niceville a loss on opening night, while the Lady Eagles blanked Milton 5-0 in their only meeting. Niceville currently holds the No. 1 seed in the region, though an early district exit could open the door for Chiles to claim the top spot.
4A District 1
#1 Fort Walton Beach vs. #4 Rickards
#2 Arnold vs. #3 Choctaw
Fort Walton Beach enters as the top seed and hosts Rickards in a game the Lady Vikings are favored to win. Choctaw travels to Arnold after dropping both regular-season matchups, though the Lady Indians were competitive in each.
The semifinal winners advance to the district championship. With Fort Walton Beach currently the No. 3 seed in the region, the Lady Vikings are in strong position for a playoff bid. Choctaw will need a district title to extend its season.
3A District 1
#1 South Walton vs. #4 Bay
#2 West Florida Tech vs. #3 Pensacola
South Walton opens against a Bay team that has yet to win a game this season and has been run-ruled in all but one contest, making the Lady Seahawks heavy favorites to advance. South Walton would then face the winner of West Florida Tech-Pensacola, with West Florida Tech the favorite in that matchup.
South Walton looks unlikely to overtake Wakulla for the region’s top seed regardless of results. Should the Lady Seahawks come up short of a district title, Paxon School for Advanced Studies could leapfrog them in the rankings, sitting just 0.537 points behind.
2A District 1
#1 North Bay Haven – bye
#2 Bozeman vs. #7 Rutherford
#3 Walton vs. #6 Pensacola Catholic
#4 Destin vs. #5 Freeport
Three local programs are in this bracket. Walton opens against Pensacola Catholic, while Destin and Freeport square off in the other semifinal. Walton would face the Bozeman-Rutherford winner with a win, and the Destin-Freeport winner advances to meet North Bay Haven.
For all three area teams, the path forward is narrow: win the district or the season ends here.
1A District 1
#1 St. John Paul II vs. #4 Wakulla Christian
#2 North Florida Christian vs. #3 Rocky Bayou
The Rocky Bayou Lady Knights open on the road against North Florida Christian. A win sends them to the district championship against the winner of St. John Paul II-Wakulla Christian.
Rocky Bayou sits as the No. 8 seed in the most recent FHSAA rankings, and with no projected district champions currently outside the bracket, the Lady Knights should be playoff bound barring a bid thief.
Rural District 1
#1 Northview – bye
#2 Jay – bye
#3 Paxton vs. #6 Laurel Hill
#4 Central vs. #5 Baker
Paxton and Laurel Hill meet in one semifinal, with the winner advancing to face Jay. Baker travels to Central, and that winner draws Northview. The two semifinal winners meet in the district final.
For Paxton, Baker and Laurel Hill, the district title is the only path to the postseason.
