GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Drive to 305 football playoffs will conclude this week in Miami for Classes 1A-7A. The 2024 Florida High School Football State Championship Event will take place at South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium in Miami on the campus of Florida International University. This will mark the second time that the Football State Championships have been played on the south Florida campus. The event will kickoff on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. with the Class 1A Championship at 7:30 p.m., with remaining games to be played at 12:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday (all times are EST).

With four returning champions back from 2023, there will be multiple story lines to follow in this championship week’s slate of games. Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood), Cocoa, Lakeland and St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) all return to title games in hopes of repeat performances. Additionally, the 2024 season marks a return to the traditional 1A-7A classification model, as the playoffs moved away from the Metro-Suburban structure that had been used for the past two seasons.  

The 2024 Championships gets started right away in Class 1A Wednesday night with a rematch of last year’s 2023 Class 1M State Championship between Clearwater Central Catholic Marauders and the Chaminade-Madonna Lions. This will mark the third straight year the Marauders and Lions face off in the title game but will be the ninth straight year the Lions play for a title. The Lions will also be seeking an impressive four-peat if they capture a title in 2024. The Lions currently have two separate three-peat performances and will look to add to an impressive trophy case that already contains eight state championships overall.

Thursday’s matchups will see each of the remaining three returning champions in action. The afternoon matinee between the Cocoa Tigers and Gadsden County (Havana) Jaguars will start the day, as the Tigers seek their third straight and seventh overall title after claiming the 2S classification in each of the past two seasons. The Tigers are making their fourth straight title game appearance and sixth overall appearance in a championship game since 2016. The Jaguars meanwhile are participating in their first overall title game in school history as they hope to upend the defending champ. The evening game on Thursday pits the final two title defenses of 2023 against each other in the newly constructed Class 5A. The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders (formerly of Class 3M) and the Lakeland Dreadnaughts (formerly Class 4S) will write another chapter in their storied history against each other, that may have reached its pinnacle when the teams last faced each other within the confines of Miami-Dade County (then Dolphin Stadium) for a state championship back in the mid 2000’s. The stakes are high again this year as the Raiders, winners of the state’s first ever five-state championships in a row, will seek continued success in their domination of the state record books and will look to add to their current fifteen overall titles. The Dreadnaughts, winners of the last two state championships will be seeking their third straight title and tenth overall in their school history.

Both Friday & Saturday will see four new state champions crowned at the state championship event. The Friday afternoon matinee scheduled between Osceola (Kissimmee) and West Boca Raton in Class 6A will have a relative newcomer taking home a title, as the West Boca Raton Bulls are making their first ever title game appearance in football, while the Kowboys of Osceola will seek their second overall championship in their seventh title game appearance. Jones (Orlando) and American Heritage (Plantation) will face each other in the 4A title game on Friday night. The Tigers of Jones are making only their second title game appearance in history, while the Patriots of American Heritage will seek their sixth overall championship. Saturday afternoon’s Class 7A State Championship will see the Lake Mary Rams make their first ever title game appearance against a recent power in the Venice Indians, who will be seeking their fourth overall title in history in what is now their fourth straight title game appearance. Saturday evening’s finale will pit the Miami Northwestern Bulls against the Raines (Jacksonville) Vikings in Class 3A. The Vikings are seeking their fourth overall title in history in the first title game appearance since 2018, while the Bulls are back in their first title game since 2019 and will be seeking their eighth overall championship in history.

Tickets for the event are currently on sale and are being sold by game for an advanced purchase rate of $17.00, and a day of price of $20.00. Tickets are exclusively available through GoFan and are all general admission seating. Parking lots will open 90 minutes prior to the scheduled game times, with spectator gates opening 60 minutes prior to each contest. Fans are encouraged to arrive early and have your tickets accessible on your mobile device prior to arriving at the gate. For additional event and venue information, including streaming opportunities for those who are unable to attend in person, please see the information below or visit the football sport page.
 
2024 Florida High School Football State Championships – South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium (Miami)
 
Wednesday, December 11

• Class 1A State Championship, 7:30 p.m.
  • Clearwater Central Catholic vs. Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood)

Thursday, December 12

• Class 2A State Championship, 12:30 p.m.
  • Cocoa vs. Gadsden County (Havana)
     
• Class 5A State Championship, 7:30 p.m.
  • St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) vs. Lakeland

Friday, December 13

• Class 6A State Championship, 12:30 p.m.
  • Osceola (Kissimmee) vs. West Boca Raton
     
• Class 4A State Championship, 7:30 p.m.
  • Jones (Orlando) vs. American Heritage (Plantation)

Saturday, December 14

• Class 7A State Championship, 12:30 p.m.
  • Lake Mary vs. Venice
     
• Class 3A State Championship, 7:30 p.m.
  • Miami Northwestern vs. Raines (Jacksonville)

Know Before You Go:
Where: South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium (Miami)
When: Wednesday, December 11^th – Saturday, December 14^th
Brackets & State Championships Matchup Schedule: 2024 Tournament
Facility Information: Stadium map | Clear Bag Policy in effect | Stadium Information | Map it
Lodging Information: list of hotels nearby as per Greater Miami Visitors & Convention Bureau
Host: FIU Athletics
Admission: $17.00 per game with advance purchase and $20.00 day of

• All tickets available exclusively via GoFan
• This is a General Admission Event only (no reserved seating)
• $3.00 cost of parking already included in each ticket of admission 

Parking: fee included in the cost of admission (parking information & map)
Official Merchandise:  Team IP
Live Streaming: NFHS Network