Telegraph Staff Writer
Bradford is still the number-one team in Class 2 Suburban and, thus, the top-ranked team in its region, while Union County is first in its region and sixth overall in Class 1 Rural in the latest Florida High School Athletic Association football RPI rankings, which were released Oct. 26.
End-of-the season rankings will be used to determine playoff qualifiers and postseason seeding.
Bradford is a member of Region 2 in Class 2S. The second- and third-ranked teams in the region are teams the Tornadoes beat by a combined score of 56-0 — Baldwin and Baker County.
The rest of the top 10 in Region 2-2S, in descending order, consists of North Marion, Eastside, Palatka, Tocoi Creek, Fernandina Beach, Yulee and Crescent City. Bradford defeated Eastside 28-0 and Tocoi Creek 27-0. The Tornadoes play Palatka Friday, Oct. 28, to determine the District 6 champion.
When looking at Class 2S as a whole, the top 10 teams in order are Bradford, Florida High, Pensacola Catholic, South Sumter, Wakulla, Baldwin, Bay, West Florida, Bishop Verot and Cocoa.
To qualify for the playoffs, Bradford will either have to be the District 6 champion or have one of the top-four RPI rankings among non-district champions in Region 2.
When combining all of the state’s classifications, Bradford is ranked 11th behind Miami Central (2 Metro), Edgewater, (3M), St. Thomas Aquinas (3M), Chaminade-Madonna (1M), Bartram Trail (4S), Columbus (4M), Plantation American Heritage (2M), Jacksonville Trinity Christian (1M), Lakeland (4S) and Cardinal Gibbons (2M).
In Region 3 of Class 1R, Union is ranked first ahead of Hilliard, Lafayette, Fort White, Madison County, Branford, Bell and Hamilton County. The top six teams in the final rankings for Region 3 will advance to the playoffs.
When looking at Class 1R as a whole, the Tigers are sixth behind Hawthorne, Pahokee, Chiefland, Northview and Chipley. The seventh- through 10th-ranked teams are Williston, Sneads, Port St. Joe and Hilliard.