Have you got questions about the FHSAA’s Rural Florida Invitational Tournament? You’re not the only one.
Media, fans and even the coaches competing in the Division B Rural state football championship can’t fully explain the first-year showcase, which features the top 12 teams that missed out on competing for the Rural Class state title.
“I have no idea,” responded Baker head coach Matt Brunson when asked to explain the tournament in which his team is seeded No. 1. “I don’t think it’s been defined very well. I think of it is kind of a satellite or trial run for the FHSAA in possibly doing something like this for other classes. But I couldn’t tell you if that’s right.”
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Brunson has long dealt with the FHSAA. He’s been a part of five state titles at Baker (six if you want to count the vacated title by Pahokee), played and coached in double-digit Final 4s, gone 121-24 in his 12 season at Baker and established a Gator tradition of practicing on Thanksgiving because, well, there was more football to be played.
So it’s no surprise his Gators are once again playing postseason ball. Only this time, more question marks than answers have surfaced about just what they’re competing for.
Is there a trophy at the end of it, coach?
“I have no clue,” answered Brunson.
What about if it’s considered a state title?
“I couldn’t tell you,” he responded.
Nowhere on the FHSAA website has it been defined, and a call to the FHSAA offices has not yet been returned.
So for now, yes, the invitational is its own entity of the postseason and is labeled by the FHSAA as the 2024 FHSAA Football State Championships – FHSAA Rural Football Division B.
A state championship will be celebrated. Twelve teams will live to play another day.
Brunson has no complaints
“We’re gonna play wherever they put us,” said Brunson, who returned to Baker this offseason after a one-year stint in Opp, Alabama. “If we win next Friday, we’re practicing on Thanksgiving and that’s always been our goal at Baker. We’re trying to develop young men and part of our success recently has been playing in those region championship wins, those Final 4 games, those state runner-up finishes.
“We look at this as another fall camp to the season. Our JV guys have us up to 41, 42 guys and 28 guys are returning, so we’re building to the future and we’re trying to extend these senior seasons as long as we can.”
Rural Florida Invitational Tournament
Bye: No. 1 Baker (7-3), No. 2 Port St. Joe (5-5), No. 3 Franklin County (6-4), No. 4 Jefferson County (6-4)
No. 8 Trenton (3-7) vs. No. 9 Sneads (4-6), winner players Baker
No. 5 Dixie County (4-6) vs. Wewahitchka (2-8), winner plays Jefferson County
No. 7 Wildwood (3-6) vs. No. 10 Hamilton County (2-6)
No. 6 Fort Meade (2-7) vs. No. 11 Taylor Peterson (3-6)
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: FHSAA’s new Rural Class B-Division state championship has 12 teams
