Change never stops with the FHSAA.
One day after approving an Open Division state championship for 10 sports, the FHSAA released the spring sports classifications for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school year.
These classifications are tentative pending the athletic association’s appeals process, which runs through July 3. After that, all classes will be finalized.
The main change in spring sports is that there’s no more class 7A for baseball and softball. The state will now have a rural classification and class 1A through 6A in both sports. This is similar to many fall and spring sports.
Baseball, softball, boys and girls lacrosse and flag football are five of the 10 sports that will use the Open Division starting next year. In football, the top eight teams by MaxPreps rankings at the end of the regular season will compete for their own state title, while every other sport will see the top eight teams after the district tournaments compete in the Open Division.
Other classifications will still have a state championship bracket. State playoffs for beach volleyball and boys volleyball will remain the same.
No other sport changed classes. Beach volleyball is still 1A-3A, flag football is 1A-4A, boys and girls lacrosse are 1A and 2A, boys and girls tennis are 1A-4A, track and field is 1A-4A, boys volleyball is 1A-3A and boys weightlifting is 1A-3A.
Below are the classification breakdowns for Escambia and Santa Rosa County teams in each sport.
Baseball
- 6A: Navarre, Pace
- 5A: Gulf Breeze, Milton, Tate
- 4A: Escambia, Pine Forest, Booker T. Washington
- 3A: Pensacola, Pensacola Catholic, West Florida
- 1A: L.E.A.D. Academy
- Rural: Central, Jay, Northview
- Independent: Aletheia Christian, Pensacola Christian
Like in many other sports, Pace and Navarre remain in 6A but that’s now the highest classification in the sport rather than the second highest. Crestview will join both teams in District 1-6A.
Buchholz, who ended the Patriots season the last three years, remains in Region 1-6A, but state powers Venice and Majorie Stoneman Douglas could be waiting in the Final Four if they don’t qualify for the Open Division.
Tate will drop down from 6A to 5A and join Gulf Breeze, Milton and defending District 1-5A champion Niceville.
Pine Forest drops down from 5A to 4A and will compete with Pensacola rivals Escambia and Booker T. Washington in District 1-4A. Choctawhatchee and Fort Walton Beach remain in the district.
Pensacola Catholic bumps up to 3A alongside Pensacola and West Florida. Freeport and Walton also bump up to 3A, while defending state champion South Walton remains in the district.
L.E.A.D. Academy goes from only being in a district with Rocky Bayou Christian to being in a six-team district that extends all the way to Wakulla Christian in Crawfordville.
Rural District 1 remains unchanged from the previous two seasons. Aletheia Christian joins the FHSAA for the first time as an independent.
Beach Volleyball
- 2A: Escambia, Gulf Breeze, Pace, Pine Forest
- Independent: Pensacola Catholic
The Pensacola area could see three new teams join Gulf Breeze and Pace next spring. Escambia, Pine Forest and Pensacola Catholic would be the first three teams in Escambia County. Catholic’s Gracelyn Wiehenmayer played beach volleyball for Gulf Breeze this spring.
District 1-2A will remain competitive with South Walton staying in 2A. Region 1-2A will stay extremely challenging as well, with defending state champion Chiles and Bishop Kenny waiting on the way to a Final Four.
Flag football
- 4A: Navarre, Pace
- 3A: Gulf Breeze, Tate
- 2A: Escambia, Pensacola, Pine Forest, Booker T. Washington
- 1A: Northview
Pace and Navarre, welcome to the state’s biggest class. Just like in baseball, both the Patriots and Raiders will be joining Crestview in District 1-4A. No other panhandle schools are in 4A.
District 1-3A will look different the next two years for Gulf Breeze and Tate. Niceville remains, but panhandle power Choctaw jumps up to 3A and Mosley bumps over from District 2-3A.
The Indians moving up could make Booker T. Washington the district title favorites in District 1-2A though that district now goes all the way to Panama City with Arnold and Bay bumping over from District 2-2A and North Bay Haven adding the sport.
Northview will compete in 1A after spending the last two years as an independent.
Boys Lacrosse
- 2A: Gulf Breeze, Milton, Navarre
- 1A: Pensacola, Pensacola Catholic, Booker T. Washington, West Florida
Both districts remain the same as the previous two seasons. Adding the Open Division could lead to more historic playoff runs like Gulf Breeze’s march to the Region 1-2A final this spring.
Girls Lacrosse
- 2A: Gulf Breeze, Milton, Navarre, Tate
- 1A: Pensacola, Pensacola Catholic, Booker T. Washington, West Florida
Just like in boys lacrosse, both districts remain unchanged from the past two years. Gulf Breeze won its fourth straight district title this spring, while Pensacola Catholic was district runner-up to South Walton.
Softball
- 6A: Navarre, Pace
- 5A: Gulf Breeze, Milton, Tate
- 4A: Escambia, Pine Forest, Booker T. Washington
- 3A: Pensacola, Pensacola Catholic, West Florida
- Rural: Central, Jay, Northview
- Independent: Aletheia Christian, L.E.A.D. Academy
Just like in baseball and flag football, Pace and Navarre will now be in the state’s highest classification along with Crestview.
It may not matter to the Patriots, who could be good enough to play for an Open Division state title next year and have played in what they believe is the toughest classification in the state the last four years despite not competing against the biggest schools.
Defending 7A state champion Hagerty and 6A semifinalists Doral Academy and Parrish Community will also be in 6A. Bartow, who Pace beat to win the 6A state championship in 2024 and 2026, will drop to 5A.
Tate will also drop to 5A, joining Gulf Breeze, Milton and Niceville in District 1-5A. Mosley bumps over from District 2-5A to District 1-5A.
District 1-4A will extend outside Escambia County the next two years with Choctaw and Fort Walton Beach joining Escambia, Pine Forest and Booker T. Washington. FWB won the 4A state championship in 2024.
Pensacola Catholic moves up to join Pensacola and West Florida in a more compact District 1-3A the next two years. Panama City Bay has moved up and over to District 2-4A, though area teams will still have to make trips to Freeport, Walton and South Walton, with the first two moving up from 2A.
Rural District 1 remains unchanged. Aletheia Christian and L.E.A.D Academy both join the FHSAA as independent teams.
Boys Tennis
- 3A: Gulf Breeze, Milton, Navarre, Pace, Tate, Booker T. Washington
- 2A: Escambia, Pensacola, West Florida
- 1A: East Hill Christian, Jay, Northview, Pensacola Catholic
The only changes for local teams are Escambia moving down from 3A to 2A and East Hill Christian going from Independent to 1A.
3A schools will still have to contend with Niceville, while 2A teams will be in a district that goes all the way to Bay in Panama City. Freeport also moved up from District 1-1A to District 1-2A.
Girls Tennis
- 3A: Gulf Breeze, Milton, Navarre, Pace, Tate, Booker T. Washington
- 2A: Escambia, Pensacola, West Florida
- 1A: East Hill Christian, Jay, Northview, Pensacola Catholic
Local teams are in the same districts for both boys and girls tennis.
Boys Track and Field
- 4A: Navarre, Pace, Tate
- 3A: Escambia, Gulf Breeze, Milton, Pine Forest, Booker T. Washington
- 2A: Pensacola, Pensacola Catholic, West Florida
- 1A: Central, Jay, L.E.A.D. Academy, Northview, Pensacola Christian
- Independent: Aletheia Christian
Navarre, Pace and Tate all bump up from 3A to 4A and will join Crestview and Niceville in District 1-4A. The Eagles are a powerhouse, winning five state titles in the last six years. No other panhandle teams are in 4A.
District 1-3A will stretch all the way to Panama City the next two years, with Arnold, Choctaw, Fort Walton Beach and Mosley moving over from District 2-3A and Bay moving up from District 1-2A.
District 1-2A got a shakeup as three area teams stayed put. Bozeman, North Bay Haven and Rutherford all moved over to District 1-2A, while Chipley moved over from District 2-2A.
Northview moves down from District 1-2A to District 1-1A, joining four other area schools. Poplar Springs in Graceville moved over to District 2-1A.
Girls Track and Field
- 4A: Navarre, Pace, Tate
- 3A: Escambia, Gulf Breeze, Milton, Pine Forest, Booker T. Washington
- 2A: Pensacola, Pensacola Catholic, West Florida
- 1A: Central, Jay, L.E.A.D. Academy, Northview, Pensacola Christian
- Independent: Aletheia Christian
The changes for boys track and field districts are the same in girls track and field.
Boys Volleyball
- 2A: Gulf Breeze
The Dolphins remain the only area boys volleyball team. They’ve only played three seasons but have advanced to back-to-back 2A Final Fours. Gulf Breeze will see two new teams in its district this year, with Chiles and Suwanee adding the sport. Choctaw and North Bay Haven were in District 1-2A the last two years.
Boys Weightlifting
- 3A: Navarre, Pace, Tate
- 2A: Escambia, Gulf Breeze, Milton, Pensacola, Pine Forest, Booker T. Washington, West Florida
- 1A: Central, Jay, Northview, Pensacola Catholic
Boys weightlifting will look different for the next two years. Navarre, Pace and Tate remain in District 1-3A, as do Crestview and Niceville. Pace will be going for its fourth straight state sweep, but will have to do it without head coach Ty Wise, who will only be coaching the girls weightlifting team next season.
However, Gulf Breeze and Milton drop down, creating a District 1-2A with only Escambia and Santa Rosa County schools. Choctaw and Fort Walton Beach will slide over to District 2-2A.
The same four local teams will remain in District 1-1A, though Walton moves up and over to District 2-2A.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: FHSAA updates spring sports classifications for Pensacola area teams
