Class 4A football full brackets: recruits to watch, biggest question

The FHSAA's football playoff brackets have been released, and Class 4A is one of the only classes not to have a team make the inaugural Open Division.Class 4A is littered with championship contenders. Undefeated Columbia headlines Region 1 as the No. 1 seed. Region 2 includes Lake Wales and Jones as Bishop Moore holds the No. 1 seed in the region. Region 3's top seed, Port Charlotte, has been firing on all cylinders since getting healthy. Back-to-back state champion American Heritage headlines Region 4 as the top seed. Here are the full brackets for each region, including burning questions and recruits to watch. Region 1Regional Quarterfinals(8) Clay at (1) Columbia(5) Mosley at (4) Choctawhatchee(7) Lincoln at (2) St. Augustine(6) Rickards at (3) Ed White Burning question: Is this Columbia's year to break through?The Tigers haven't won a championship since 1967, but are primed to make a real run at one this year. Columbia sits at 10-0 and is the overwhelming favorite in their region. The Tigers have proven they can take down top-notch programs with wins over Bolles, Madison County, Trinity Christian, and Ed White, plus they have elite players putting up big numbers. Maryland commit Kyren Caldwell is up to 602 receiving yards with 10 touchdowns on 32 catches, running back Jerome Horne is averaging 6.6 yards per carry, and 4-star junior EDGE Mikel Morgan is up to 14.0 sacks on the year.Recruit to watch: Lincoln 2028 CB Kahmaree CrumityCrumity is a polished, lengthy corner that has earned offers from the likes of Miami, Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, and others. Good corners don't have a ton of stats, since offenses tend not to challenge them unless absolutely necessary, but Crumity does have 14 total tackles with a pair of TFL through seven games. The 5-foot-10, 175 pound junior will be a stalwart to opposing offenses and force them to throw away from him. Region 2Regional Quarterfinals(8) River Ridge at (1) Bishop Moore(5) Zephyrhills at (4) Vanguard (7) Jones at (2) Lake Weir(6) New Smyrna Beach at (3) Lake WalesBurning Question: Will we get Lake Wales vs. Jones again? Jones downed Lake Wales twice last year, most notably in the regional finals. Lake Wales got their revenge this year in a mud-bogged 28-6 win that saw nearly as many fumbles as completed passes. The two teams seem to be on a collision course again to decide the region, and the Highlanders are firing on all cylinders heading into the playoffs. Jones' defensive line of Fred Ards III (Texas A&M commit), Noah Robinson (UCF Commit), and Dajour Webb (West Virginia commit) will not be an easy out, however. Recruit to watch: Lake Wales 2027 ATH Kaneilius PurdyPurdy has been sensational at all three phases of the game for Lake Wales. On offense, he's up to 819 yards and 13 touchdowns on 37 catches, has three touchdown rushes on 10 tries, and is 1-for-3 in the air for a touchdown and an interception. He's been invaluable in the Highlander secondary, racking up 29 tackles with an interception and two forced fumbles. He's also a dangerous return man on special teams, and the general rule of thumb for opposing teams is not to kick it to No. 1. When they do, he often makes them pay with big returns or house calls. Region 3Regional quarterfinals(8) Gulf Coast at (1) Port Charlotte(5) Clearwater at (4) Dunbar(7) Estero at (2) Tampa Jesuit(6) South Fort Myers at (3) NaplesBurning question: Do people know how good Port Charlotte is? The Pirates were not healthy to start the year, and missing key starters led to a 1-2 start that included a controversial loss to The First Academy. Since that game however, Port Charlotte has returned their starters and is 6-0 with an average margin of victory of 37 points. The Pirates are peaking late in the year to no fault of their own, and have gone largely undiscussed in the grander Class 4A discussion. With QB Logan Flaherty (FSU commit), WR Elias Pearl (Florida commit), and a tenacious defense that has sophomore phenom Andre Scott in the secondary, an appearance at Pitbull Stadium is extremely feasible. Recruit to watch: Tampa Jesuit 2027 LB Kaden HendersonHenderson is an elite linebacker prospect committed to Texas A&M and ranked No. 7 overall in the USA TODAY Florida Top 100. Henderson is a versatile, powerful backer that can line up as an edge rusher or shut down passing lanes. He's tallied 59 tackles, 14.0 TFL, 8.0 sacks, and two interceptions on the year.Region 4Regional quarterfinals(8) Blanche Ely at (1) American Heritage(5) Atlantic at (4) Miami Norland(7) Miramar at (2) Miami Northwestern(6) Jensen Beach vs. (3) McArthurBurning question: Is this American Heritage's region to lose? The Patriots are back-to-back Class 4A champions, having downed Jones for both titles. American Heritage has picked up some losses that have left people wondering if the Patriots are as good as advertised but the story was the same for last year's squad that entered the playoffs with five losses. If head coach Mike Smith has proved anything, it's not to count his teams out until the clock hits triple zeroes. With elite junior quarterback Neimann Lawrence (Texas commit) running the show, American Heritage is not a team to be counted out so quickly.Recruit to watch: McArthur 2027 S Jaylyn JonesThe Miami commit missed a big chunk of the year but has been impressive since returning, tallying 17 tackles, two interceptions, and two TFL through five games. Jones is ranked as the No. 31 overall player in the USA TODAY Florida Top 100, and impressed 'Canes staff with elite range and ball-hawking skills. With Jones in the secondary alongside fellow Miami commit Sherrod Gourdine, teams will have a tough time throwing the ball. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Class 4A football full brackets: recruits to watch, biggest question