FHSAA to add two new playoff divisions for football’s Florida Invitational Tournament A total of 32 more teams will make the postseason in separate brackets
Mandarin traveled to Atlantic Coast in the battle for the Principal's Cup in Week 2 of the high school football season. The Mustangs won 47-0. (Kevin Nguyen, News4JAX)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida High School Athletic Association is expanding the football playoffs with two new brackets for teams who just miss out on qualifying for the postseason.
In a letter sent to member schools on Thursday and obtained by News4JAX, the FHSAA said the Florida Invitational Tournament will begin this year.
It expands on the successful Rural invitational tourney which began last year. It adds 16 teams in Classes 1A through 3A and 16 teams in Class 4A through 7A. Those 16 teams are the highest rated programs that don’t make the traditional playoff field.
The goal is to allow teams who don’t make the 32-team field in one of the classifications to compete for a separate title.
The FIT brackets will hold the first two rounds on Nov. 13 and 20 followed by the semifinals on Nov. 28. The Villages Charter will host championship games on Dec. 5-6.
In the Rural invitational tournament last year, Fort Meade beat Dixie County 21-13.
Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.
About the Author Justin Barney headshot
Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.
Richard's Swing Makeover Pt. 14: Time to file -- metal, not taxes ▶ 0:59
Richard's Swing Makeover Pt. 14: Time to file -- metal, not taxes
Local man shares warning after catching rare bacteria while fishing in St. Johns County ▶ 0:55
Local man shares warning after catching rare bacteria while fishing in St. Johns County
Donate toys to our annual Channel 4 Toy Drive! ▶ 0:24
Donate toys to our annual Channel 4 Toy Drive!
Voices of the 904 Ep. 7 - The one-man army cooking with a passion to feed the city that raised him ▶ 0:21
Voices of the 904 Ep. 7 - The one-man army cooking with a passion to feed the city that raised him
Culinary Nunnsense: Richard shares his stew recipe -- perfect for the lower temps in our forecast ▶ 2:28
Culinary Nunnsense: Richard shares his stew recipe -- perfect for the lower temps in our forecast
Nassau County community mourns passing of ‘cherished community advocate’ ▶ 0:40
Nassau County community mourns passing of ‘cherished community advocate’
Color the Weather: Zayne’s Forecast ☀️📚 ▶ 1:33
Color the Weather: Zayne’s Forecast ☀️📚
St. Johns County sheriff explains what led to deadly deputy-involved shooting ▶ 1:15
St. Johns County sheriff explains what led to deadly deputy-involved shooting
Byron Chandler Interiors in St. Johns County shares tips on home decor! ▶ 0:58
Byron Chandler Interiors in St. Johns County shares tips on home decor!
Final full moon of 2025 expected to be supermoon ▶ 0:53
Final full moon of 2025 expected to be supermoon
76-year-old mother killed in Lake City crash adopted two young girls who also died ▶ 1:32
76-year-old mother killed in Lake City crash adopted two young girls who also died
3 bills propose rules to prevent child drownings in Florida. There have already been 112 this year ▶ 0:38
3 bills propose rules to prevent child drownings in Florida. There have already been 112 this year
Annual Channel 4 Toy Drive tradition returns on Thursday, Dec. 4 ▶ 0:47
Annual Channel 4 Toy Drive tradition returns on Thursday, Dec. 4
Typical Florida household needs 17 years to save for a 10% home down payment, study finds ▶ 0:48
Typical Florida household needs 17 years to save for a 10% home down payment, study finds
Patchy dense fog ahead of storms ▶ 0:33
Patchy dense fog ahead of storms
St. Johns County commissioners push for developers to pay for land conservation ▶ 0:37
St. Johns County commissioners push for developers to pay for land conservation
Mother of 18-year-old killed in Burger King shooting shares her grief, along with a message ▶ 0:54
Mother of 18-year-old killed in Burger King shooting shares her grief, along with a message
Tracking rain, storms across Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia ▶ 0:34
Tracking rain, storms across Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia
We're talking playoffs! What are things looking like for the Jags? ▶ 0:54
We're talking playoffs! What are things looking like for the Jags?
Hurricane season 2025 comes to a close on Sunday ▶ 1:05
Hurricane season 2025 comes to a close on Sunday
Fireworks at Jacksonville's Holiday River Fest ▶ 0:27
Fireworks at Jacksonville's Holiday River Fest
DoorDash driver drops food and puts it back in box ▶ 0:13
DoorDash driver drops food and puts it back in box
Christmas tree lighting at Jacksonville’s Holiday River Fest ▶ 0:59
Christmas tree lighting at Jacksonville’s Holiday River Fest
Views from Jacksonville's Holiday River Fest ▶ 0:53
Views from Jacksonville's Holiday River Fest
Micah Anderson with the dagger!! 🗡️🗡️ ▶ 0:21
Micah Anderson with the dagger!! 🗡️🗡️
Previous photo Next photo 