LIVE OAK, Fla. — The last time the Suwannee, Branford and Lafayette football teams made it to the state playoffs in the same year was in 2000.

Now, with some familiar faces on the sidelines, the Bulldogs, Buccaneers and Hornets will all be participating in the 2018 playoffs.

All three teams are led by hometown coaches who are back at their high school alma mater — Joey Pearson with the Hornets, Kyler Hall with the Bulldogs and Tim Clark with the Buccaneers.

Pearson, the longest-tenured head coach of the group, has been Lafayette’s head football for the past 20 seasons. He’s taken the Hornets to the postseason 15 times.

It’s been a pretty good ride for Pearson, especially as of late.

Before the season, it was announced that he would be joining the FACA Hall of Fame. In the middle of the season, Pearson picked up his 150th win as LHS head coach.

“I have a lot invested here, in Mayo and Lafayette High,” Pearson said. “I take great pride in our program, our town and bringing a positive light to the community that supports us so much.”

Lafayette is the fourth seed in the region and will host Union County in the first round Friday. The Hornets won five of their last six games to finish the regular season 7-3. 

“It’s our first home playoff game since 2012,” Pearson said. “It will be a big advantage to play here.”

After just missing out on the postseason the past two years, Suwannee earned the eighth seed and final playoff spot in Class 5A-Region 1.

Fresh off a 33-7 win against Taylor County to finish 6-4 in the regular season, the Bulldogs travel to top-seeded Trinity Christian on Friday to open the playoffs.

“There have been a lot of emotions this season,” said third-year SHS coach Kyler Hall. “But this group has taught me more than I’ve taught them. They’ve shown me what it looks like to keep playing and keep believing.

“So happy for these guys and the coaching staff.”

Also in the playoffs in Region 1 are Godby, the No. 2 seed which hosts No. 7 Ponte Vedra, West Florida, the third seed which faces No. 6 Bolles, and Ribault, the No. 4 seed which will host fifth-seeded Wakulla.

In Class 1A, the Buccaneers used a strong finish to grab the sixth and final seed in Region 3. Branford will head to third-seeded Dixie County on Friday.

The Bucs are 6-4, the program’s first winning season since 2010. 

BHS will enter the playoffs with wins in three of its final four games.

“It’s a great feeling, because the playoffs were something I never got to experience as a player,” said BHS alum and second-year Bucs head coach Tim Clark.

“As far as it happening in a short time, that’s just the product of a talented group of kids that came together and bought what we’re selling. This is all them. I just hope groups in the future learn from this team and continue to raise the expectations higher and higher.”

Madison County, the defending state champion, is the region’s top seed and will host the Lafayette-Union County winner in the second round.

Chiefland is the second seed and will host the Branford-Dixie winner.