5 takeaways from the FHSAA's high school football playoff bracket release

High School On SI Florida brings you a few takeaways from the FHSAA's release of the postseason brackets

Pace High receiver Alijah Lavender (No. 3) evades the Aggie's defense to tack on extra yards after catching the ball during Friday night's home game against the Tate. / Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) released its high school football playoff brackets and we here at High School On SI brought you live updates and the Top 25 games from the first round.

Now, how about some top takeaways from what we thought of the bracket release and things that stood out?

We've got that too for you, so take a look below of our five takeaways from the FHSAA's playoff bracket release on Friday evening:

Florida high school football first round playoffs: Top 25 games to watch

1. Miami Central is officially out of the postseason

Miami Central is looking to rebound from an 8-4 2023 season and the end of their run of four straight state championships as the 2024 season is set to get underway. / Robson Lopes

As expected, the Miami Central Rockets are officially out of the postseason at 0-9 and it was confirmed in the bracket release show, with a 5-5 Barron Collier team set to take on No. 1 seeded Miami Northwestern. It ends what has been a tumultuous season for the Rockets that began with a major injury to safety Amari Wallace before official practices ever took place. A season opening loss to Lakeland at Traz Powell was quickly recovered by eight straight wins, before Miami Central self-reported the ineligible player and was hit with having to forfeit eight games and a $900 fine. What has been a roller coaster of a season is now over for the Rockets and brings upon a question-filled off-season.

2. Chipley has quite the road trip in the Rural classification

Quarterback Malik Henderson (1) carries the ball during the Chipley vs Jay football game at Jay High School on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. / Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tigers caught the short straw end of things in the Rural State Championship series as the No. 11 seed and hitting the road from the Florida Panhandle to South Florida. Chipley will take the near 500-mile hike down to No. 6 seed Pahokee in the opening round. We just can't help but notice just the 7-hour bus ride the Tigers will have to take down many different highways en route to 'Muck City'.

3. Pace can breathe easily this time

Pace High running back Makael Williams (No. 20) runs the ball at will against the Tate defense during Friday night's home game against the Aggies. / Tony Giberson/tgiberson@pnj.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Remember these guys from a year ago? The Pace Patriots were an unhappy bunch in 2023 after being snuffed from the Class 3S playoffs and having an 8-2 record against some arguably pretty good teams. This time around, the Patriots were able to get in with no problem, as one of the top seeds in Class 6A, Region 1. Pace heads into the postseason with a 9-1 mark and will host a talented Oviedo squad that will travel up with a 8-2 record.

4. Sometimes, the computers don't make a whole lot of sense

Mitchell Mustangs after winning the Class 6A, District 9 championship / Andy Villamarzo

Leave it up to the computers. One example of things not making a whole ton of sense is the case of Mitchell and Wiregrass Ranch. Though there was a disparity in three points between the two schools heading into Thursday's Class 6A, District 9 title tilt, one would think the overall deal breaker would be a head-to-head between the two teams because, well, that decided the district championship. Nah. Instead, Wiregrass Ranch ended up being the No. 3 seed ahead of Mitchell, who came in at No. 4 in 6A, Region 3. Trust us when we say there's probably several other situations like this one that you can find in the brackets, but this was a head scratching one for sure.

5. No surprise, The First Academy (Orlando) excluded from the postseason

The FHSAA lowered the boom on The First Academy on Friday, ordering the Royals to forfeit 8 wins and pay $36,000 in fines. / Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

It was reported by the Orlando Sentinel's Buddy Collins that The First Academy lost its final appeal before the postseason brackets were released on Friday evening by an 11-0 vote. The Royals will finish the season winless at 0-10 in a 2024 campaign that was thought to be destiny for The First Academy in making a serious run through Class 1A. Picking up then-wins over Lipscomb Academy (Tennessee), Edgewater and Sanford Seminole were milestones for the program. Now, they seem like distant memories that will go down in the record books as forfeit losses due to the litany of rule violations.

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl