It’s been complete dominance from a Duval County Middle School Football championship stand point. That dominance has come mainly from one team, the Matthew Gilbert Panthers. Since the inception of the Duval County Middle School playoffs in 2013, Gilbert has won the championship three out of four years. In 2015, Fletcher capped off their playoff dominance of being the only team from the east division to make the playoffs by winning a city championship. In the south division, Mandarin had a nice run in 2014, but Twin Lakes has represented that division in the playoffs three out of four years. The west division has experienced more parody between two teams. Lake Shore won the division in 2013, with Joseph Stilwell taking the division crown in 2014 and 2015. Last year, Lake Shore was able to capture the western division again, yet the prevailing factor when it comes to championships in Duval County is the dominant reign of the Panthers.
Well that reign has come to an end in 2017 as Gilbert missed the playoffs for the first time in school history thanks to Ribault Middle School. In the East, Fletcher also missed the playoffs for the first time in school history. In the South, Twin Lakes was dethroned as division champions, and in the West, Jeff Davis knocked off Lake Shore to assume its place atop of their division. Yes 2017 is the year of change in Duval County, and tonight is the beginning as the four team playoffs begins. #1 Ribault faces # 4 Landmark, while #2 Dupont face #3 Jeff Davis as the four teams vie to make history in Duval county.
