Treasure Coast high school football: Who's in, who's out and who's on the bubble?

The 2026 Florida high school football regular season is about to reach its final act.Treasure Coast-area teams have gone through offseason training, fall practices, Kickoff Classic preseason games and 10 weeks of regular-season action to reach this point. And depending on any potential makeup games, area teams enter Week 11 with varying degrees of purpose. For some, Week 11 is one final tune-up before the stakes ramp up for the postseason. For others, it will be one final time to hit the field in 2026, and for some players, the final time they will play in their prep careers. All programs on the Treasure Coast enter this week under either category. Watch the best high school football games in FloridaBut before we dive into which teams fall where, here’s a quick refresher on how playoff qualification works in Florida high school football: - The top eight teams in the state’s MaxPreps rankings will play in the Open Division championship to determine an overall state champion. The remaining teams that earn a postseason berth will play for state championships in their respective classification (1A-6A).- There are four regions in each classification, with each region constructed of eight teams.-Each region has four automatic bids available to district champions. Each region also has four at-large bids available to non-district champions determined by the MaxPreps rankings. -The Florida Invitational Tournament is in its second year of existence. FIT is a separate postseason for the highest-ranked teams that did not earn berths into the traditional playoffs. There’s a 12-team bracket for Class 1A-3A and another 12-team bracket for 4A-6A. Without further ado, here's a look at where Treasure Coast high school football teams stand entering the last week of the 2026 regular season:District championsVero Beach (8-1): District 8-6A champions, 81.6 MaxPreps rating, ranked first in FHSAA Region 2-6A, fourth in Class 6A, 23rd overallJensen Beach (7-2): District 13-4A champions, 58.57 MaxPreps rating, ranked seventh in FHSAA Region 4-4A, 20th in Class 4A, 108th overallSummary: These two teams began their regular seasons lined up against one another. After Week 10, each team was crowned as district champions. The Falcons captured back-to-back district titles and four in the last five years after riding the outstanding effort of Alex Thornton last week. The senior athlete rushed for 215 yards and four touchdowns to singlehandly outscore Fort Pierce Westwood. Meanwhile, Vero Beach scored on the ground, through the air, on defense and on special teams in a shutout win at Treasure Coast that wrapped up the program’s third consecutive district title.Even with the new addition to the trophy case, each team has plenty to play for in Week 11. Jensen Beach looks to sweep its county and earn back the Fergie Ferguson trophy when it hosts Martin County. The Tigers have won the last two meetings. The Falcons will seek revenge after relinquishing the lead in the closing moments of last year’s matchup.The stakes are even higher for Vero Beach, who looks to lock up homefield advantage through regionals. Vero currently holds the top seed in Region 2-6A with a 81.6 MaxPreps rating. Edgewater (77.1) is second in the region with games remaining against Boone and Evans. Vero Beach closes the regular season at Eau Gallie. The two teams have faced off in each of the previous two seasons, with each side collecting a home win. The Commodores came away with a 29-27 victory in 2024 before Vero notched a 41-31 win last year from the Citrus Bowl. Potential District ChampionJohn Carroll Catholic (6-3): District 10-1A leader, 59.89 MaxPreps rating, ranked second in FHSAA Region 4-1A, ninth in Class 1A, 98th overallSummary: The Rams had a chance to put the district to bed last week. Now, it falls on Week 11 and the computer’s hands.John Carroll came up short last week at Benjamin, setting up a potential three-way tie between the Buccaneers and Pahokee atop the District 10-1A standings. The three teams each would have a 2-1 record in district play if Benjamin defeats on Monday. The tiebreaker is determined by the highest ranking by season’s end. Currently, that status belongs to the Rams, but just barely. They are ranked second in Region 4-1A with a 59.89 MaxPreps ranking. Pahokee (58.89) is next, followed by Benjamin (55.0).John Carroll can improve its case as it hosts Spruce Creek in the regular season finale from McGuire Stadium. However, both the Bucs and Blue Devils have two games to close out their regular seasons.Firmly on the BubbleFort Pierce Central (5-3): 53.36 MaxPreps rating, ranked eighth in FHSAA Region 2-6A, 31st in Class 6A, 159th overallSummary: The Cobras have navigated through the highs and lows of the 2026 season. The highs: a 4-0 start with wins coming all at home. The lows: back-to-back losses to Vero Beach and Treasure Coast by a combined margin of four points, followed by a 39-point loss to Bishop Verot.Central bounced back from that rough stretch thanks to a 42-0 rout over St. Lucie West Centennial. And through it all, the Cobras would qualify for the traditional playoffs if the season ended today as they hold nearly a six-point lead over St. Cloud for the final at-large berth. They still have a lot of work to do though, beginning with a matchup against their greatest rival. Showdown 47 will take place Friday from Lawnwood Stadium as the Cobras will face Fort Pierce Westwood. Central owns a 24-22 advantage in the series. Each of the last five Showdowns have been decided by one score. The Cobras will then play at Cocoa the following week in a makeup game from a Week 3 postponement.FIT Playoffs? Treasure Coast (5-4): 46.51 MaxPreps rating, ranked 10th in FHSAA Region 2-6A, 38th in Class 6A, 212th overallMartin County (5-4): 41.96 MaxPreps rating, ranked 13th in FHSAA Region 3-5A, 53rd in Class 5A, 256th overallSouth Fork (7-2): 41.55 MaxPreps rating, ranked 14th in FHSAA Region 3-5A, 55th in Class 5A, 259th overallFort Pierce Westwood (5-4): 34.78 MaxPreps rating, ranked 13th in FHSAA Region 4-4A, 54th in Class 4A, 308th overallSummary: This group of winning teams may have additional weeks of practice in their future even as their chances to leapfrog into their respective regional bracket may be unlikely. Enjoying their best season in more than a decade, the Bulldogs have been the most consistent team of the bunch. Under head coach Eric Kresser, and behind the play of senior quarterback Champ Smith, junior defensive lineman Nicky Arcaro and junior linebacker Quinten Dacres, South Fork has won its last three games, highlighted by a thrilling comeback victory over the Tigers in this season’s Martin Bowl. The Bulldogs aim to reach eight wins in a season for the first time in 14 years when they host Jupiter on Friday.The other three teams have seen their respective season go in waves. Both Martin County and Fort Pierce Westwood opened the season 2-0, but each had to wrestle through slides to enter the final week of the regular season above .500. After opening the season with losses at Martin County and Jensen Beach, the Titans were mired in a 13-game losing streak across three seasons before ripping off five consecutive wins, capped in dramatic fashion at Fort Pierce Central. Treasure Coast has since cooled off with back-to-back losses, the last of which denied the team a district title, but the Titans’ 2026 season should be considered a massive success following a winless 2025 season. They’ll look for win No. 6 against Legacy. SSAA PlayoffsSt. Edward’s (6-4): 27.3 MaxPreps rating, 24th in SSAA, 390th overallMaster’s Academy (2-8): 5.9 MaxPreps rating, 34th in SSAA, 507th overallSummary: One week after facing one another, both the Pirates and Patriots have been selected to compete in the South consolation bracket in the SSAA postseason. St. Edward’s, who is currently on a four-game winning streak, will host Cambridge Christian on Thursday. The following day, Master’s Academy hits the road to face Saint Stephen’s Episcopal. If the Pirates and Patriots each win, the two teams would face off the following week at Michael J. Mersky Field.Who’s outLegacy (3-6): 20.22 MaxPreps rating, ranked 15th in FHSAA Region 4-4A, 77th in Class 4A, 451st overallCentennial (1-8): 20.06 MaxPreps rating, ranked 16th in FHSAA Region 2-6A, 78th in Class 6A, 452nd overallOkeechobee (3-7): 15.8 MaxPreps rating, ranked 34th in SSAA Atlantic, 475th overallSebastian River (1-8): 14.97 MaxPreps rating, ranked 16th in FHSAA Region 4-4A, 80th in Class 4A, 481st overallPort St. Lucie (1-8): 7.01 MaxPreps rating, ranked 17th in FHSAA Region 4-4A, 83rd in Class 4A, 504th overallTradition Prep (1-8): -7.0 MaxPreps rating, ranked 546th overallFHSAA Week 11/SSAA playoff scheduleSSAA consolation playoffs - Cambridge Christian (3-7) at St. Edward’s (6-4), 6 p.m. ThursdayPatrick’s prediction (sure to be wrong): St. Edward’s 35, Cambridge Christian 14Port St. Lucie (1-8) at St. Lucie West Centennial (1-8), 7 p.m. ThursdayPatrick’s prediction (sure to be wrong): Port St. Lucie 26, St. Lucie West Centennial 12Showdown 47 - Fort Pierce Central (5-3) at Fort Pierce Westwood (5-4), 7 p.m.Patrick’s prediction (sure to be wrong): Fort Pierce Central 27, Fort Pierce Westwood 21Martin County (5-4) at Jensen Beach (7-2), 7 p.m. FridayPatrick’s prediction (sure to be wrong): Jensen Beach 21, Martin County 10Treasure Coast (5-4) at Legacy (3-6), 7 p.m. FridayPatrick’s prediction (sure to be wrong): Treasure Coast 41, Legacy 14Spruce Creek (5-4) at John Carroll Catholic (6-3), 7 p.m. FridayPatrick’s prediction (sure to be wrong): John Carroll Catholic 17, Spruce Creek 14Jupiter (8-1) at South Fork (7-2), 7 p.m. FridayPatrick’s prediction (sure to be wrong): Jupiter 28, South Fork 17Harmony (2-7) vs. Sebastian River (1-8), 7 p.m. FridayPatrick’s prediction (sure to be wrong): Harmony 21, Sebastian River 14Vero Beach (8-1) at Eau Gallie (6-3), 7 p.m. FridayPatrick’s prediction (sure to be wrong): Vero Beach 17, Eau Gallie 16SSAA consolation playoffs - Master’s Academy (2-8) at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal (6-4), 7 p.m. FridayPatrick’s prediction (sure to be wrong): Saint Stephen’s Episcopal 38, Master’s Academy 21Patrick’s 2026 predictions (sure to be wrong): 78-24Audience’s 2026 predictions (sure to be right): 73-29Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at 772-985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Treasure Coast high school football: Who's in, who's out and who's on the bubble?Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.