While the announcement was not a total shock to most high school football fans in the Sunshine State and around the country, the news is still a lot to take in given the fact no head coach in the history of high school football in Florida stayed as the head coach at one school for his entire coaching career.

Not even the late Corky Rogers, who still leads the state with the most state championships won by one coach at any program in Florida with 10, spent all his time at one school over his 45-year history as a head coach which his record is split between Lee (Jacksonville) now known as Riverside and Bolles (Jacksonville).

Castle who came into the season needing just a handful of games to catch Rogers’ state win record for most wins by a football coach in Florida at 465 did just that during the 2022 season by capping off his overall win record with 473 wins that included winning the 2022 Class 4S State Championship over Venice last month in Fort Lauderdale.

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All of this is from one man at one school who was a head coach in all or part of six different decades is something that is traditionally unheard of and will unlikely be ever seen again by a coach in this state for many generations to come.

Castle coached nine Dreanaughts teams to a state championship game, winning eight of those state championships with titles won in 1986 (5A), 1996 (5A), 1999 (5A), 2004 (5A), 2005 (5A), 2006 (5A), 2018 (7A), and 2022 (4S) to pair with the 29 district championships he won as a coach. His eight state championship victories are the most won by a head football coach at a public school in Florida.

Those teams between 2004 and 2006 are the most remembered of any of the Lakeland teams that Castle coached, coaching them to a 53-game winning streak between 2004 and 2007 which broke the record of 52 straight wins that was set by Union County (Lake Butler) between 1994 and 1997, winning three straight state championships, all against St. Thomas Aquinas, and two national championships in 2005 and 2006.

Now for myself as a multimedia journalist, watching Lakeland in two of the state championship games of the eight that Castle won was a treat to watch, not just from the journalistic side but as a fan of the game, so let’s talk about the impressiveness of the two-state championship games I did get to watch Castle coach in and just how much I will remember these two games.

First, let’s talk about that 2018 game in the Class 7A state championship game against St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) first because it was the first state championship game appearance for Lakeland since 2008 when they got outpaced by St. Thomas Aquinas 56-7 in the Class 5A state championship game that year, the only time Castle ever lost a state championship game.

In that game in 2018, there was a vibe that this Lakeland team was different in many ways, but some wondered if the Dreadnaughts would be able to match up well against the Raiders, an old foe that Castle went 5-1 against in state championship games.

That night on December 7, 2018,  the Dreadnaughts were coming in as the underdog to the Raiders who were the No. 1 ranked team in the state and ranked by multiple publications nationally. However, the 14-0 Dreadnaughts at the time appreciated the underdog status given that most people thought St. Thomas Aquinas would easily stammer the Dreadnaughts toward another state championship victory.

However, Castle’s methodical coaching approach was something that was most overlooked and under-appreciated given the era of high-paced football that has taken precedence, but if you look at it overall, the methodical approach is what has won Castle the state championships he has won.

In that game, the Dreadnaughts worked up to a 10-0 lead in the state championship at halftime that ended up with a 33-20 victory that capped off a perfect 15-0 season.

Running back Demarkus Bowman and cornerback Fenley Graham had explosive plays on a rushing touchdown and Graham exploding for a kickoff return touchdown that helped propel the Dreadnaughts to that victory under the lights at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

If you told me that Lakeland would have won this game on that December night in Orlando, I would have likely said no, but I know we could not count Lakeland out given their history. Even looking through the pick’ems I was a part of at that time in 2018, I had taken St. Thomas Aquinas in that one, but Lakeland played its finest game of the 2018 season that night and earned that victory.

Now looking back on the most recent state championship victory that came just last month, the Dreadnaughts were nasty on defense which was one of their calling cards during the 2022 season. Players like Larry Jones III had an impressive performance along with Idris King added to that list for the Dreadnaughts in the Class 4S State Championship game while opposing teams did not want to go anywhere near Cormani McClain if they could avoid doing so.

Watching that game on the sideline, I saw again the methodical approach of the Dreadnaughts of playing defense when it mattered getting their opponent off the field on offense and being methodical with the offense on running plays, using the clock to their advantage and orchestrating long drives that gave the Dreadnaughts the points needed to win.

Overall, I could sense at the time on the afternoon on December 17, 2022, that Castle was going to ultimately hang it up. The opportunity to retire while riding high from a state championship victory is the greatest way to exit and for Castle to be able to do that on his own terms is extremely impressive.

And the way to exit was marked by Lakeland High’s tribute of words to express everything that Coach Castle has done for one of the oldest programs in the state with the statement the posted yesterday.

A statement from the LHS Athletic Department: pic.twitter.com/wvYs2JDAYY

— Lakeland Dreadnaughts (@LHSNaughts) January 3, 2023

The last part “Bill Castle is synonymous with Lakeland Football and winning. He leaves a monumental legacy in his wake as FHSAA Coach of the Century,” is the most important part of it all highlighting his selection as one of 12 coaches selected to the FHSAA all-century football team in 2007 highlighting 100 years of high school football in the Sunshine State.

The legacy includes coaching numerous players that went on to play college football at the highest level and some of them eventually become star players in the NFL with too many to list here for the sake of listing all the athletes Castle has had an impact on.

In this moment in my thought while putting this commentary together… Castle should be billed as “Florida’s Greatest All-Time High School Football Coach,” a title he should hold for many generations to come and is an honor he has rightfully earned.

Coach Castle, may we wish you the best in retirement and thank you for giving a lot of us – old and young – in the Sunshine State and across the nation a lot of great football memories to last a lifetime. Your contributions to high school football will be unmatched!

The post WILSON: Bill Castle’s legacy at Lakeland is one that will be remembered for generations to come appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

Over the last few years, we have seen it more and more often that parents have been causing a massive headache for officials associations across the entire state. Currently, Florida is experiencing one of the highest shortages for officials in all high school sports in the nation and it is parents who are the primary factor of why there is this shortage and will continue to be a shortage until something is done.

Our opinion on this is that parents need to cool it as well as the fans. The officials are human like we are. They work everyday jobs as we do. Officiating is not the primary job of most officials you see at any high school athletic event in this state. Adults (yes you the parents) should be serving as role models for our student-athletes, not humiliating them because you don’t like a call from the officiating crew. Officials go through hours and hours of training each and every year to learn new rules and to refresh on existing rules. The abuse by the adults must come to end sooner rather than later or the lights at your nearby high school stadium or gymnasium will no longer come on for high school athletic events in this state. How would you feel about that? Hopefully not good after reading this. 

As such, it is very unprecedented for the governing body of high school athletics in this state to issue such an opinionated column, but unprecedented times call for unprecedented actions. We are fully backing the FHSAA with this column and running it word-for-word as sent to us and the rest of the working media in this state.

Without further ado, here is the column from Karissa Niehoff and George Tomyn.

If you are the mother or father of a high school athlete here in Florida, this message is primarily for you.

When you attend an athletic event that involves your son or daughter, cheer to your heart’s content, enjoy the camaraderie that high school sports offer and have fun. But when it comes to verbally criticizing game officials or coaches, cool it.

Make no mistake about it. Your passion is admired, and your support of the hometown team is needed. But so is your self-control. Yelling, screaming and berating the officials humiliates your child, annoys those sitting around you, embarrasses your child’s school and is the primary reason Florida has an alarming shortage of high school officials.

It’s true. According to a recent survey by the National Association of Sports Officials, more than 75 percent of all high school officials say “adult behavior” is the primary reason they quit. And 80 percent of all young officials hang up their stripes after just two years of whistle blowing. Why? They don’t need your abuse.

Plus, there’s a ripple effect. There are more officials over 60 than under 30 in many areas. And as older, experienced officials retire, there aren’t enough younger ones to replace them. If there are no officials, there are no games. The shortage of licensed high school officials is severe enough in some areas that athletic events are being postponed or cancelled—especially at the freshman and junior varsity levels.

Research confirms that participation in high school sports and activities instills a sense of pride in school and community, teaches lifelong lessons like the value of teamwork and self-discipline and facilitates the physical and emotional development of those who participate. So, if the games go away because there aren’t enough men and women to officiate them, the loss will be infinitely greater than just an “L” on the scoreboard. It will be putting a dent in your community’s future.

If you would like to be a part of the solution to the shortage of high school officials, you can sign up to become a licensed official at HighSchoolOfficials.com. Otherwise, adult role models at high school athletic events here in Florida are always welcome.

The post NFHS & FHSAA: Dear Mom and Dad: Cool it appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla — It was a collective sigh of relief for the FHSAA on Sunday when the final brackets came to life on the NFHS Network.

However, the person taking the biggest sigh of relief was FHSAA football administrator Frank Beasley although he wasn’t totally relaxing just yet at that moment as he was getting the brackets ready to be published on the FHSAA website.

But if you had been inside the FHSAA offices on Saturday morning, no sigh of relief could be found.

With having all-access this past weekend to what was going on in the first year of the new playoff points system, the FHSAA wanted to make sure that everything was accurate. Even with the best computer formulas and software, things can malfunction from time to time.

All of that was made evident when several staff members sat a pair of tables inside the Dorothy W. Brunson Conference Center with stacks of master schedules printed off, laptops open and Chick-Fil-A breakfast sandwiches in a sack in the center of the table.

As the FHSAA staff reviewed the schedules, one thing was clear — Week 11 did matter for a lot of teams and was one of the biggest topics while reviewing things.

In my view, this Week 11 generated the most buzz I have seen for the final week of the season since FloridaHSFootball.com launched in 2010.

But there was a catch in all of this…

There was a wait for at least five to six more games to be played on Saturday afternoon and evening.

As it turns out, that small collective group of games mattered when it came down to the final seeding purposes.

One of the biggest games that matter was the Raines vs. Ribault game in the Northwest Classic in Jacksonville. A Raines win would likely guarantee the No. 1 seed in Class 4A-Region 1. A loss would have sent them to the No. 2 seed.

In the end of all that it was Ribault that ended up getting hurt even worse. A win would have given them the No. 2 seed in Class 5A-Region 1. Instead, a running clock loss shipped them down to the No. 4 seed.

Now fast forwarding to Selection Sunday with a time change built in… hey did anyone get any extra sleep by the way?

With Selection Sunday here, I got to the FHSAA offices early (is 7:30 in the morning early enough?) although Frank Beasley, Jamie Rohrer, Will Adams, and Kyle Niblett were already there before I even got there.

Walking in they were already doing another run through checking for any errors or changes with the results of Saturday’s games being entered. That kind of dedication was the sign you knew the FHSAA wanted to get this right.

By the time 9:00 AM rolled around things were pretty much set in stone as the final brackets for everyone in the room (including myself) was printed off.

After getting handed one of the sets of printed brackets and glancing over them, I sort of knew there was going to be a lot of happy football teams, some that were going to be surprised and some that were going to get very angry at what was going to be unfolding in just under two hours.

With Austin Lyon of Spectrum Sports and Marty Pallman of ThePrepZone.com set to host the reveal on NFHS Network, attention turned towards which game in each classification was one to highlight as the best matchup for that classification.

Being there in the room at this moment made me realize that when you work hard to do something, the reward that follows it can be a big pay off as I batted out suggestions for which games to highlight. A lot of them were used, but everyone also knew it was going to be hard to just pick one game from each classification.

Then 10:00 AM Eastern rolled around it was time for a Facebook Live Chat. At that point, I knew I had to phrase my words carefully given I knew I was going to be hit up with a lot of questions.

On that chat, some people were trying to get me to spill the beans if I knew something but I felt as I did a good job not letting anything out there other than hypothetical guesses. Some of those guesses did happen, but others didn’t.

When the clock hit 11:00 AM Eastern, it was show time… it was for real!

Although I was in the room, I was asked to hold off until the feed got out there which was on a feed delay of about two to three minutes. Once the matchups hit the screen I knew it would be a joyous moment for those following on Twitter in getting them posted.

Sure enough, it was as we saw the biggest one-hour spike on page views in the nearly eight-year history of FloridaHSFootball.com.

But at the end of the show with everyone in the room, including FHSAA Executive Director George Tomyn, it was nothing but a round of applause for how everything went. The matchups were out there and the Drive To December was out of the gate on the way to the Road To Orlando.

For myself personally, I was grateful for this rare opportunity to be inside the FHSAA offices. It may just be a perk of living in Gainesville, but maybe it is more than that and really signifies the credibility FloridaHSFootball.com has built around the state for high school football and girls flag football information.

However, in the end of all of this, a lot of credit needs to go to Frank Beasley for his vision on giving high school football the “shot of adrenaline” it needed in Florida and Justin Harrison, FHSAA’s Associate Executive Director of Athletic Services for tasking Frank with the challenge to find something to keep football exciting in Florida.

Also major thanks to Kyle Niblett and Jamie Rohrer for the invite to be there this weekend to see the bow be put on top of the all of this in the first year of the playoff points system.

And now for my take on how the playoff points system played out: I think it did the job it was designed to do. Yes, there were a few snubs, but that is how the points work and showed that strength of schedule means everything. I will say a few tweaks are needed for 2018 and beyond, but we are on the right path now for high school football in Florida and the path for teams to get to the playoffs.

Good riddance to the old win and you’re in format with district champions and runner-ups.

Now it is time to go see how the first round matchups play out here this week on our Drive To December.

The post COLUMN: FHSAA All-Access weekend gives inside look to Selection Sunday in Florida appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

It was not a sign of weakness or us being lazy for not wanting to post football scores last night.

Call it more of respect to the thousands of followers who follow us with football being the furthest thing from their mind.

What games that had been spared from Hurricane Matthew’s fury were limited to some parts of Tampa Bay, Southwest Florida and most of the Panhandle.

I know the show must go on in these areas, but when you have to think about the state as a whole, something didn’t feel right this time around.

This was nothing like Hurricane Hermine, which struck the Big Bend area just last month and the damage was nowhere near the level Hurricane Matthew brought despite never officially making landfall.

However, for most of us, we were at home watching the images and videos come in of what Hurrican Matthew’s trek up the east coast of Florida caused damage wise.

Some sections of the east coast got lucky and were spared some of the furies of Hurricane Matthew. Others not so much.

At one point at least 17 of 67 counties were under a Hurricane Warning from Broward County up to the Florida/Georgia line. Another 15 counties were under Tropical Storm Warnings as well at one point with the storm. That is 32 of 67 counties that were under some kind of warning. That is nearly HALF of all the counties in Florida that were in warned areas due to Hurricane Matthew (NOTE: Does not count the west coast counties since they were placed under watches and warnings as quickly as they disappeared).

Put those numbers in perspective that is nearly HALF of all the counties in Florida that were in warned areas due to Hurricane Matthew

And those few miles of shifting with the eye to the east made all the difference for Florida.

However, going back to the numbers here in regards to the counties that were fully under warnings for most Hurricane Matthew.

Does anyone realize just what the percentage of football programs alone were affected by Hurricane Matthew in warned areas?

It wasn’t 10, 20, 30 percent.

Not even 50 percent.

Try over 60 percent — well 63 percent to be exact.

Of 556 programs (FHSAA and the few non-FHSAA 11-man teams), 352 football teams were affected in some form or fashion by Hurricane Matthew.

That number right there is why football didn’t matter.

As soon as Matthew became a threat football went to the bottom of the list.

Some areas got lucky in this, but others not so much.

Some are getting to reschedule games, others not so much.

And those that thought they might get to play on Monday? Not likely going to happen at this point either as the damage assessments continue to take place.

Overall, this storm is a good reminder for all of us. It is not about football, but about life and when something threatens your life, you got to handle that first. Football will be here for us when we get back.

That getting back will start this coming week as people pick up the pieces and we all try to return to a sense of normalcy in Florida.

The post OPINION: Football didn’t matter last night (or for this weekend) appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

Here are my initial thoughts on the first-ever Strength of Schedule rankings release we just did here on FloridaHSFootball.com.

• Really thought that St. Thomas Aquinas or IMG Academy would have the strongest schedule, but to see Miami Northwestern and Miami Norland in the top two spots speaks volumes about District 6A-16 and the strength of all four teams in that district. It will be interesting to see how the Top 5 shakes out the season.

• And on the thoughts of St. Thomas Aquinas and IMG Academy, both tied at No. 5 for the toughest schedule in the state. Both teams I expect to rise over the first two weeks of the season, but will be dependent on how well their opponents come out of the gate to start as well.

• You might notice quite a few independents gracing the Top 25. A majority of those teams are from the Gold Coast Football Conference which expanded from six to 10 teams this off-season and with that brought in four of the best teams that had left the Southeastern Football Conference in Coral Springs Charter, Westminster Academy, Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian and Pompano Beach. I expect things to change rather quickly after Week 1.

• Speaking of the independents, Orangewood Christian enters the season as the team with the toughest schedule in the 32-member Sunshine State Athletic Conference. They tied with Pompano Beach of the Gold Coast Football Conference at No. 9 in the Top 10 for Independents.

• The fact that no Class 8A team cracked the Top 25 in the preseason strength of schedule ranking might help support the fact that Class 8A is wide open and that they have some of the weakest schedules in the state. However, some of the teams in the Top 10 in Class 8A are no surprise like Miramar, Miami Killian, Orange City Univerity, Southridge and Dr. Phillips. However, Flagler Palm Coast and DeLand were a bit surprising to see.

• Miami Jackson, which is home to the first female head coach in the state in Lakatriona Brunson, made sure here team’s schedule got a little stronger for 2016 when she added Bolles on to the schedule. The Generals took the top spot away from Plantation American Heritage with that move in Class 5A.

• One of the teams that folks complained about a ton about last season in reaching the playoffs was Eastside. The team which enters the season with a new head coach after going 1-10 last season finds themselves with the third-toughest schedule in Class 5A to start the season. With many of the teams on the schedule having reached the playoffs last season, this should not surprise many folks.

• Miami Central’s Strength of Schedule is hurt by the fact the team is only playing an 8-game regular season schedule, after being unable to find games to fill in two of three bye weeks at the end of the season. It will be interesting to see if the Rockets strength of schedule can stay inside the Top 10.

• South Walton surprised me a little bit by having the toughest schedule in Class 1A, considering that Trenton added Class 5A state runner-up and Class 2A regional semifinalist Northside Christian to the schedule. However, Trenton is not far behind at No. 3 with Blountstown who traditionally put a strong schedule together check in at No. 2 in Class 1A.

• St. Johns Creekside which went 0-10 last season had one of the toughest schedules in Class 7A, considering over half their opponents reached the playoffs last season, it was no surprise to see them crack the Top 25. However, Columbia, which is within the same region as Creekside had a slightly stronger schedule and that is helped in thanks to the addition of Camden County on the schedule this season.

Look for more of my quick thoughts on our Strength of Schedule rankings each week starting after Week 1.

The post JOSH’S QUICK THOUGHTS: Preseason Strength of Schedule rankings appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

The Eagles were coming off of a slaughter of a relatively solid football team in Glades Day on homecoming, winning 62-20 on their home turn. But something turned off against Pembroke Pines Charter that North Broward had previously had in most of their games this season. They simply didn’t have that ‘it’. What is that ‘it’? Well, ‘it’ is something Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski talks about all time, ‘it’ is different for every team.

For North Broward, maybe ‘it’ was the defense, giving up 34 points to the Jaguars in this contest, after allowing teams to an average of just over 13 points per game in each of their first three road games, which were all wins. Maybe ‘it’ was turnovers, in which North Broward had three of those in the fourth quarter alone, including an interception on the final desperation drive of the game. Was ‘it’ the offense, which despite putting up 27 points, was expected to display a show on a Pembroke Pines Charter defense that had allowed at least 30 points in all but one of their conference games this season, including mustering 61 points to Key West.

But overall, ‘it’ is a mystery. ‘It’ is the same mystery that made Coach K’s far superior Duke team consumed with loads of five-star talent lose to Mercer in round one of the 2014 NCAA tournament. ‘It’ is the same mystery that made Florida State lose on the road to 2-4 Georgia Tech just last week. But one thing is certain, ‘it’ can’t define a team’s season, certainly not North Broward’s.

The Eagles have played too well this year to turn around, to fold, to wave the white flag now. Just two years ago, North Broward had won just a single game, not even grasping the sniff of a playoff game. Now, the Eagles are entering their second playoff game in the last two years, an accomplishment one on the North Broward Prep campus would find ‘out of reach’ previously. Not to mention, North Broward still went 3-1 away from home this season, and in their three losses, were in all but one game until the very game. The Eagles were brutally crushed last season against Key West, appearing outmatched. This year, they were a few plays away from defeating the Conchs.

How about the adversity the Eagles have overcome this season? North Broward followed up both of their losses earlier in the year against McCarthy and Key West with wins, 32-20 on the road against Inlet Grove after losing to the Conchs, and 27-7 at Saint Andrews after losing to Archbishop. The injuries the Eagles had were killer, as well, losing defensive linemen Ted Arthur, Kenny Kenningsen, Troy Efird, and senior running back Andrew Sierra all at one time. But let me bring up that Rex Nottage’s team kept chugging along.

They didn’t let it faze them. Underclassmen backups like Bradley Cooper and Christian Paillet stepped up their game, while already established starters like Dymitri McKenzie, Kirby Burns, and Kallen Jennings stepped their games up to an outstanding level, star status. Unlike other teams would have, the Eagles stayed afloat and more. They lost just two games on the year despite all their injuries, and while most of their stays were out, they faced three road games, which we’ve learned that anything could happen on the road in High School football.

But a small academic private school’s football team has gone head-to-head with powerhouses Key West and Archbishop McCarthy. They’ve taken down public schools with over 1,000 kids per grade like Coral Glades, and they’ve put North Broward Prep football on the map. Without the surplus enrollment, without the dominant athletic brand name, and without a team with 50+ players on it. The Eagles have put together the perfect blend of talent and hard work to develop a successful culture. One loss can’t define the season, and that is something North Broward must prevent next week.

So, whatever ‘it’ is, North Broward has had it. They’ve had it all season long, but lost ‘it’ last week. They will gain ‘it’ back this week because they’ve done it all season—faced controversy and conquered it.

North Broward Prep will travel to Key West for the Gold Coast conference semi-finals next Friday night with a trip to the championship game on the line. There’s no doubt that it will be tough, and they will face tons of controversy throughout the contest. But will they prevail, will they have ‘it,’, and which North Broward team will show up? Will it be the team that took down 2014 state runner-up Glades Day by 42 points, or will it be the team that was shockingly upset by Pembroke Pines Charter?

Only time will tell.

The post North Broward Prep must put upset behind them in anticipation of playoffs appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

Offense

The Rockets offense was abysmal and really an embarrassment to the great football that Florida is usually known for. For a defending state champion, coming out in your first official game in defending your state championship, you should be able to score points with your first string quarterback leading the way. It didn’t happen.

Known for having a strong running game, Miami Central didn’t use this fact to their advantage. It also didn’t help when the offensive line looked like a sponge allowing DeMatha to do what ever they pleased once they broke through, creating trouble for the running back and the quarterbacks.

Of course the offense could learn from all of this and be fine next week, but what we saw was exposure to an offense that really needs improvement. When you score the only points you get late in the game and against second team players from the other team, that is not what a state championship caliber team does.

Defense

Defense might be the only bright spot for the Rockets as they were able to put pressure on the Stags early on. In the first half, the Rockets were able to keep up for the most part, but we knew the Rockets would eventually be in trouble if the offense couldn’t get anything going and that is exactly what happened.

Usually halftime is a good way to catch your breath and regroup, but what ever was said by head coach Roland Smith to get the team turn the tide instead went south as they allowed DeMatha to be able to cash in on the opening drive of the second half and thus started the trouble.

Pretty much, you can blame the offensive woes, for the defensive breakdown and allowing the Rockets to just run out of gas.

Special Teams

The first chance that the Rockets got to be able to get some points with a field goal attempt that was ultimately blocked by DeMatha and allowing the Stags to return the blocked kick 80-yards for a touchdown. Such things have to be avoided and improvement is needed as special teams is the third, and most often forgotten part about a football game.

Discipline

Discipline or really the lack of it showed for the Rockets. I couldn’t remember the last time I really saw Miami Central lack so much discipline. It really has been a long while and we may have to go back to 2012 when the last time Miami Central lacked discipline in a game that cost them the entire game.

Hopefully between now and when they play Miami Killian next week that the Rockets realize that to four-peat as state champions, that discipline is a must.

Future Thoughts

I still think Miami Central has a chance to four-peat as state champions but the Rockets proved they are not the No. 1 team in the state and likely not the No. 1 team in Class 6A. Those spots will have to be earned back and something that could prove to be difficult this season. The next few weeks will show us if the Rockets have learned from the mistakes against DeMatha or if this will indeed be a long season for a team that has become the face of Class 6A football.

The post Thoughts on Miami Central after 38-14 loss to DeMatha Catholic appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

However, 2015 is not even over yet and bills are already being filled for the 2016 session including one ready to throw the FHSAA into the ringer, so-to-speak.

Ross Spano R-Dover, who represents District 59 in the Florida House of Representatives has filed House Bill 31 with basically where several bills from the 2015 legislative session left off at.

My question for Spano is what is so important to overhauling the FHSAA?

Of course, I am sure I will email his office and get no reply like I got from another Representative regarding another bill from the 2015 session.

But, seriously, why the continued attacks on the FHSAA?

I am at a loss here.

Yes, I don’t agree with every single thing the FHSAA does. No one ever will agree to everything, but the change the landscape of high school sports is not what is needed. The focus needs to be on education instead, but we have thrown that out idea out to the dogs.

Basically, House Bill 31 deals with wanting to give the school the option to join the FHSAA either as full-time members or on a per sport basis. That right there could lead to many issues, especially if associations follow different rules for sports and how they handle eligibility.

However, looking at this bill, I don’t expect it to be the last bill to be filled to overhaul the FHSAA, but if this particular bill is to become law, it will dramatically reshape how high school athletics in this state are conducted including which teams decided the FHSAA is not worth their time for select sports. Either everyone should be playing by the rules or go elsewhere, but don’t be playing by the rules for one sport and not the other.

Either way in the end of all of this, Tallahassee is heading down the wrong path as they have been with other issues that are already bringing them back another special session later this year.

The post Wilson Commentary: Tallahassee wanting to throw the FHSAA into the ringer is nonsense appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

By Adam Rosenfield
Krossover Intellegence
Follow @AdamRosenfieldf

For most young athletes, summer is a time of relaxation, time at the pool, eating unhealthy, and other activities that might cause an individual to not be performing at 100% once class is in session. More recently, plenty of schools have instituted some kind of voluntary workout program, realizing that for athletes to grow, they need some kind of summer conditioning program to maintain their skills.

Know a coach who could use some help to beat the heat? Make sure you share this post with a friend using the social icons in the top right. You can also follow us on Twitter for more great football coaching content.

Krossover’s new tendency reports will take your scouting film to the next level. All you have to do is upload game film, and we’ll take care of the rest. See how we can help you make the most of your prep time by signing up for a quick demo right here.

Here are some tips and drills for football athletes in the summer.

Don’t Overdo It in the Weight Room

Incoming freshman, even if they might be world-beaters, still have very undeveloped bodies, and lifting too much at the start might cause severe injury. Put incoming freshman on different weightlifting plans than experienced lifters, making sure no one’s goal is a “one rep max”. While players need certain strength for certain positions, a 14-year-old should focus on general muscle endurance rather than that 400-pound bench press.

Change It Up A Little

The name of the game of summer conditioning is to obviously get players into football shape, but preaching football 24/7 might bog an athlete down come August. Summer is designed to take their mind off of school and playing for the team. Make the workouts fun – get a soccer ball to get your players thinking differently one day a week, try yoga for flexibility, or maybe even a little kickball after a fierce conditioning week for team bonding.

Set Goals

As stated above, in the summer, there are no wins and losses. The key to the summer is setting goals. Help your players find their goals- ask them what they want to improve on- is it your speed, strength, is it general football knowledge? Tell your players to write them down, and keep them yourself- possible even planning practice around them if much of the team has shared goals.

Keep ‘Em Healthy

This goes hand-in-hand with weight training; if players do not train correctly they are at risk for Rhabdomyolysis – which can occur if you do a high intensity workout after months of inactivity. One activity athletes can do is foam rolling, which helps massage soft tissue and can help reset the body, allowing an athlete to train pain free.

Stay Hydrated

Give the athletes as much water as possible. The daily recommendation for a sedentary person is 64 ounces – athletes need to be more in the 96-ounce range. Some football-specific publications call for athletes to drink 7-10 fluid ounces of water for every 10-20 minutes. When you are in leading summer workouts, ensure your athletes are getting this amount, as performance, and overall health, can be severely impacted.

Work on Speed & Explosiveness

Here are a few drills done by athletes such as Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles, and Buffalo Bills WR Sammy Watkins, that work on speed potential, and explosiveness before workouts.

Speed

Falling Starts – do this 5 times – this helps an athlete maintain a good power line from the head to the back hell, and builds acceleration

Speed bounding – 3×3 each leg

Sled Drag – do this four times

Explosiveness

Monday – Do 3 sets of 5 box jumps using a 24-42 inch box

Wednesday – Do 3 sets of 5 single-leg box jumps using an 18-30 inch box

Friday – Do 3 sets of 5 speed-plyometric box jumps using an 18-36 inch box

Editor’s Note: FloridaHSfootball.com is partnered with Krossover Intelligence. This article was originally published by Krossover. Check out their blog or follow them on Twitter for more great high school football content.

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Now put that all aside. The times have changed.

Now we have smartphones accessing information at any time we want. We watch videos when we want, where ever we want and getting scores, well you can still check the paper for them, but you can get them anytime now as well.

Also in all of that change, coaches have seen technology improve in helping them with the game including pushing highlights out of top players from their teams However, that technology has had its limits.

Now time for me to ask all the coaches a question:

When was the last time you had someone else, other than an assistant coach, break your film down for you, give you tendencies and reports and made it so efficient that you actually gained back time to coach your team in what it needs to learn for the upcoming week?

If you are saying never or in a long time, then this article could help you get time back to doing things that matter the most for you and your team.

We are proud to have partnered with Krossover, a revolutionary company providing breakdown of your game film, providing you tendency reports as well as comprehensive ODK while using your existing film exchange account. All you have to do is upload your film to Krossover and they take of the rest, allowing you to get back to other things that matter the most.

To sign up for a quick 5-10 minute demo or if you have any questions give Krossover Specialist Ken Hoffman at 888-339-5395 or email Ken at ken@krossover.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: FloridaHSFootball.com is proud to have formed a partnership with Krossover in promoting their services which we feel will help coaches improve their game planning, while giving them time back to actually coach the game they love!

The post Technology has evolved, so should your game planning and film breakdown with Krossover appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

It was the fact the state budgeted $2 million dollars for IMG Academy in Bradenton, that sent almost nearly every coach at a public high school to their boiling point.

I, myself is, a product of the public school system in Florida (Clay County District Schools to be exact), so I keep an eye on what is going on the education sector in about public education in Florida. So when hearing that Tallahassee can’t find the money to help schools fix aging infrastructure, but found money to give to IMG, it sent my blood boiling.

My question is why give taxpayer dollars to IMG? This is a multi-million dollar corporation that has it hands in everything from professional training for pro athletes to contracts with college athletic programs handling sponsorship and broadcasting rights including the Big Three in Florida.

The reason provided for allotting the $2 million in the 11th hour by the state legislature was that they (IMG) would be creating jobs. I get it about creating jobs, but we are also talking about money going to a private institution that is clearly not broke for anything and charges students anywhere the past the $50,000 a year a limit to attend.

What my biggest aggravation behind this is that again state can find money in places for private corporations, but when it comes to giving teachers proper pay and the fact coaches are not paid what they should be for taking on the extra duties, it makes me sick.

However, when hearing the news that Rick Scott vetoed the line item to give IMG the money when signing the budget into law yesterday, I cheered quietly knowing I was still going to write this column. In the end I need to speak what I am feeling because lately the opinions of IMG around the state and around most coaching circles has been very strong.

My hopes are that if IMG wants to improve its campus or create more jobs, that it looks to its corporate parent, not the taxpayers of Florida, who are mostly not interested in footing the bill for a school that certainly should be able to support itself. Also I hope Tallahassee one day finds a way to give the schools their construction money back in the budget so that our education facilities don’t fall behind 15 years like the rest of education has in the state.

The post OPINION: Governor Rick Scott made the right move in not giving IMG Academy taxpayer dollars appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

That purpose is to help balance the notion of athletics and athletes within the educational background. There are people that work at the FHSAA that have worked at the school level before working for the association and know first hand what it takes to create such a balance.

Obviously, that balance is about to lose its luster thanks to legislation now moving full steam ahead in Tallahassee.

Previously, I wrote about the need of Tallahassee needing to butt out of high school athletics and instead focus on more important needs of the schools which include proper funding.

But, Tallahassee doesn’t care what you or I have to say at this point and it really shows in the voting in this bill.

In a vote of 86 Yeas and 29 Nays, the House moved HB 7137 one step closer to reality and one step closer to allowing fair play to go out the door in its entirety.

You could say though that fair play has lost its luster over the last few years and I would certainly agree it has to some degree where you are at, but now it just makes its even harder to keep teams that are trying to do things with kids from their own neighborhoods or towns from being competitive, especially if they have to play in the same district as a school that has decided it would like to win at all costs.

Basically all Tallahassee has done has listen to a select few because they got caught red handed for doing something they shouldn’t have and would rather win at all costs instead of balancing the line between athletics and education. Now we are left stripping down what is left of the way HS athletics are now and possibly allow the chances of schools to hand pick which sports belong to what conference or association. Not smart at all.

Furthermore, I was raised you don’t always get what you want in life and life ain’t fair. However, it seems Tallahassee is trying to make it to where we might as well just hand out a trophy to everyone and go home. Forget doing things the right way.

In the process of breaking all the news out including quotes involving the passing of the bill in the House, one of our followers, a student athlete saw something else here that is going to be ruined in the process: School Pride. I couldn’t agree more that school pride is going to go down big time the way this bill is written.

As a matter of fact, I received permission from this student athlete who is Chase Howell and has proudly represented Buchholz High over the last four years as a STUDENT-ATHLETE. Howell is quite disgusted that Tallahassee even has the time to deal with this bill.

My views on SB 7137 as a high school athlete @FlaHSFootball @SunPreps pic.twitter.com/57D2hd6IQb

— Chase Howell (@ChaseHowell13) April 22, 2015

There is a lot that I agree with in what he said. Tallahassee doesn’t understand the pillars of high school athletics and what they are suppose to mean. If you want to win at all cost, that is for the pros, but high school athletics serves a purpose for community pride and to help mold students into future leaders. Athletics is more than about sports…it is about lessons that will carry on forever in life way beyond when the playing days are over.

But, all of this sends one message to the rest of the nation that our own government knows more of how to run high school athletics than anyone at the FHSAA or inside the schools. It is like saying we don’t care what you know, we know best because the people elected us here. Not the case and should never be the case.

In the end though this is what Florida has to show for its 2015 legislative session while students, teachers and administrators are frustrated over this test, test, test mentality and the fact that both the House and Senate are bickering over a budget that likely will seem to call a special session or send the current session into major overtime. Never mind the fact they can’t fund schools properly or the fact they are putting a hospital in Jacksonville on the brink of closure which would then result in the loss of jobs.

To all the legislators in Tallahassee who have decided to not work with the FHSAA and instead decided to do what was in the best interest of a select few, please take your ball and go home. It is really embarrassing that I have to call myself a Florida resident in seeing this garbage come out of place just 154 miles northwest of me.

I will sit here now while I try to explain to the rest of the nation why our own legislature can’t listen to its own citizens and try to ruin high school athletics in the same sentence.

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Some hold true to serving the people, but then there are others that turn a blind eye to me and you as a tax payer and do what ever they please. Then you got politicians that want to put their hands into everything, but really could careless what they are exactly doing or the effects said legislation could do. The former is what is happening now in Tallahassee.

This time however, this really hits home for thousands of athletes and coaches in the state in over 30 sanctioned and recognized sports as supported and organized by the FHSAA.

Currently, the FHSAA is under-fire now by our elected officials, more particularly by the House Education Committee with a bill that could drastically reshape high school athletics, allow for free agency in high school athletics and basically abolish the FHSAA out of existence. That bill will be further discussed Thursday morning.

However, a similar bill – yet less abrasive at the same time – has been filed by FHSAA critic and current state senator Kelli Stargel-R, Lakeland. It keeps the FHSAA structure intact, but it also wants to abolish the FHSAA as the governing body.

The proposed bill in the House Education Committee is 60 pages long and there have been a variety of takes already about what the bill could do. SB 1480, the one filed by Senator Stargel, is 41 pages long. In other words both bills are lengthy and we can go round and round here all day about the details of each bill, but the goal is pretty clear here between both bills: Abolish the FHSAA and change eligibility requirements.

So my next question is this: Do we really need to abolish an organization that has served this state that is about to celebrate being in existence for 95 years come the next week?

NO!

Reason is simple: There is a lot of work that has been done to evolve what high school athletics is today in Florida. With the work of legislators they want to wipe all that out with a bill and the stroke of the governor’s signature if the bills are merged and make it out of both chambers intact.

The FHSAA is not a perfect organization by any means and any organization is going to have its strengths and weaknesses. However, instead of the legislators finding a way to approach the FHSAA about the issues at hand, they want to again wipe the thing away like it will just go away. Wake up Tallahassee, a bill will not wipe out the issues or the issues you are seeing as issues.

Now focusing more specifically on the proposed bill from the House Education Committee, the bill wants to wipe out the entire structure replacing it with one that seems ludicrous at best.

Instead of a 16-member board made up of the current structure that includes public school, non-public schools, representatives appointed by the commissioner (executive director), school superintendents and school board members, they rather replace it with 16 members (originally 9 members in the first draft) from traditional public schools, public schools of choice, private schools, home education cooperatives and parents of student athletes who are enrolled in such schools or programs.

So basically because we don’t have seats for a select few, Tallahassee thinks they know best and to have some association other than the FHSAA be organized with this model to serve instead of having open dialect with the FHSAA? Sure sounds like it here.

What is worse is the bill proposes taking away two major focal points that I feel are vital to the association being a connection not only to the entire state, but as a connection to the schools.

In the bill the Public Liaison Committee, which is a 15-member committee that makes suggestions and takes comments from the public on a variety of topics and issues. This is the biggest connection between the parents, the communities and the association now. Taking this away takes the biggest platform for connection to the association for most people. This is not smart thinking here.

Also the bill proposes to ditch the Representative Assembly, which in votes on new or amended bylaws and rules that ALL member schools will abide by as well. Basically it takes a power away from the schools to have a voice in how the association is operated. This takes away one part of the connection between the schools and the association. Again not smart thinking.

In all reality it is doing what one person told me: The rich get richer and the weak get weaker. By taking away these two vital parts of the association they will make the communities weaker and the schools weaker across the board AT ALL LEVELS!

What is worse, I see nothing if the existing sport committees will stay, which sports will be kept or further more how they plan to organize districts and championships in such quick time between July 2017 and August 2017. It is unrealistic to expect change this drastic to even be considered, but again Tallahassee thinks they know best and they don’t. Do they even expect an organization to come about so quickly to replace the FHSAA as they so wish?

But I am not done with this yet.

The eligibility part of this bill is what really reeks badly and we could spend all day with this. However, to cut the chase on this, that eligibility won’t have to be based by GPA, zoning, age or years of play is out-of-line.

The way this bill reads now is saying a 20-year old can play football, have a 1.5 GPA and live in the next zone over without any problems. Does anyone see the problem with this? I sure do and it is not pretty.

Overall, the eligibility seems to come down to making sure the schools are not recruiting or making sure the parents or students are recruiting. Not smart thinking here once again by Tallahassee.

And what is even worse is the school would be powerless to enforce their own rules about transfers, something the FHSAA lost a few years ago in another bill that passed, but the school districts have not lost such power at this time. Again, not smart thinking by Tallahassee in wanting to take control away from the schools.

Also appeals appears to be an area they are hitting hard on. Yes, I agree the FHSAA appeals process is rather lengthy and investigations also take rather long amounts of time, something that neither should take large amounts of time. However, this something that would be better have been approached by the Board of Directors to find a common solution to the issue. Instead, once again Tallahassee thinks they know best here and they really don’t.

Again, the FHSAA might not be “the perfect” organization and there are strengths and weaknesses, but to effectively wanting to wipe out an entire organization with peoples jobs (yes there are more than just the executive director and associate executive directors) on the line is by no means smart thinking.

The best solution to the issues is to have open dialect with the FHSAA, but because these bills only benefit a select few, they are going to make sure those folks benefit while the rest of the state suffers.

And for the closing, I suggest the House Education Committee find better things to find with their time. It is a shame that you all as elected officials that represent this state have such a nerve to find time to tinker with how high school athletics are govern in this state. Instead you all should be finding the way to help properly fund schools and help properly fund high school athletics to the fullest potential like it should be.

Furthermore, we have had over 100 coaching changes in football alone this off-season and a lot of these coaches each year cite the weakness in pay in the stipend about why they either step down or why some leave the state entirely. Do you even know that a coach could just apply and get hired for a job across the state line in Georgia and make DOUBLE what he makes right now coaching and teaching? That is what I call ludicrous.

We should have the funds for schools to be able to keep the best coaches around who are also teachers. Instead, you all are answering to a select few and not listening to your constituents and it is time you all start listening to what we the people have to say who ACTUALLY elect you into office.

It also is shame now to call myself a resident of this great state because we have become the biggest joke in the country when it comes to high school athletics because state government thinks they know more than the people that have worked inside the schools and have been coaches or athletic directors themselves.

It is time for Tallahassee to butt out once and for all out of high school athletics.

P.S. It is also a shame I had to write this column to start with, but this issue cannot be ignored anymore!

The post OPINION: Time for Tallahassee to butt out of high school athletics appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

First Coast escapes from DeLand’s challenge
For most of the game DeLand was putting the heat on First Coast, showing they were worthy of making the playoffs and that their six game win streak was not a total fluke. The Buccaneers however pulled away late in the game to seal the deal and move on to the second round. If DeLand showed anything in this game, they might be a force to be reckoned with next season.

Apopka – West Orange advance to get a rematch
Just as some thought might happen, Apopka will get a second chance to take down West Orange this season, however, again they will have to go try again by making another trip down the 429 just to keep their season alive. However, this rematch didn’t come easy for neither team as Oviedo threw up a good challenge on Apopka, while Timber Creek played West Orange tight before the Warriors pulled away late on the Wolves. Goes to show anything can happen in the playoffs.

Dr. Phillips about went bust
Dr. Phillips showed last night exactly why they are NOT the No. 1 team in the state and why it makes the Associated Press Poll not even worth looking at. Dr. Phillips was down 14-3 at halftime to Bloomingdale, who had surprised everyone with their amazing 9-1 record in the regular season. The Panthers had to fight back in the second half just to get the win over the Bulls. However, the Panthers will host another set of Panthers next week in the name of the Plant Panthers and for Dr. Phillips there might not be no comeback next week if they get down early.

Epic battle brewing
Flanagan, now 11-0 and Monarch, 9-1, are ready now to have the battle that everyone in Broward County wants to see next week. Both teams are on a mission to make a run to the state finals and there is nothing better than settling the score here in the second round. Both teams have athletes and both have battled through some interesting games so far this season. Needless to say Coral Springs did throw somewhat of a challenge up on Flanagan last night, but again the Falcons have shown us why they are still undefeated now just due to the pure, raw athleticism they have.

North Miami bows out early again
Say what you want, but we saw the writing on the wall when it comes to North Miami. Again the Pioneers bowed out in the first round after winning their district for the second straight win. When you look at Columbus who defeated North Miami last year and Coral Gables this year, one thing favors both teams: Strength of Schedule. North Miami might have been tested a couple of times this year, but just comparing overall quality and throwing in talent, it is not surprise North Miami’s season is over.

The post Five takeaways from the Class 8A Regional Quarterfinals appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.

CLASS 8A
First Coast vs. Flanagan
We really like what First Coast has done this year despite a few questionable areas in a couple of games where things appeared tight. However, the Buccaneers are a team really driven for success and First Coast QB De’Andre Johnson wants nothing more to cap his career the way he started it: playing for a state championship. Flanagan pick comes down to simple dominance. Coach Bush has turned this team from being doldrums to being one you really don’t want to see at all. The Falcons are athletic just like First Coast has been the last few years and this kind of match up could set the state for a barn burner like the 2012 Class 8A Final between Apopka and Cypress Bay.

CLASS 7A
St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Niceville
Still taking Niceville here despite dropping the game last week against Bolles. Usually long bus trips for teams from the Panhandle don’t fair well, but it was Week 11 and it is a good chance some of the starters didn’t fully play to save for the start of the playoffs. St. Thomas Aquinas has been our pick for the south part of the 7A bracket since the preseason and we see no reason to change it. The challenge to get to Orlando may have gotten easier though for St. Thomas Aquinas as there is no Dwyer lurking around in the Class 7A bracket this season.

CLASS 6A
Venice vs. Mainland
I can hear the screaming now coming from TONS of fans, but you know what, this is the likely pick that will get mud thrown at me, but I am sticking to it. Venice has shown some strong dominance in games this year and say all you want they lost 10-0 to Manatee, but that is a rivalry game and it seriously goes back and forth. Also to think about it, Venice didn’t let those 10 points happen until the 4th quarter, so some of that tips to Venice in being able to keep the other team away. Mainland is another team that has posted five shutouts this season and although they might not do that again in the playoffs, their chances of making the run seem to be very favorable now. I will say it: I am not sold on Armwood and I am concerned about Miami Central, especially with the fact of just HOW CLOSE they about dropped a district game to Miami Carol City this year…that one is still raising a red flag that I seriously would like to see go down.

CLASS 5A
American Heritage (Plantation) vs. South Sumter
This is a pick that might go half right, but for now it looks like the best shot from what we have seen so far. South Sumter running the table to the state championship while American Heritage goes from playing the tough schedule the have played to winning to get back to Orlando to defend their state championship. South Sumter hasn’t played the toughest schedule, but their road to Orlando might be the easiest when look at the 5A North bracket. For 5A South I am not sure who might be able to put the brakes on American Heritage.

CLASS 4A
Bolles vs. Booker T. Washington
REMATCH! I expect for the fourth year in a row that Bolles and Booker T. Washington will face each other in the Class 4A state championship. No where in the history of the FHSAA State Football Finals has the two same teams met four years in a row for a state championship, let alone it be in the same classification. What is their to write about why we see this happening? We know how the brackets have looked year in and year out and it is pretty much the same now. I don’t think I have to write much more on why this will happen once again.

CLASS 3A
Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) vs. American Heritage (Delray)
Was seriously thinking before the season started we would see a rematch of Trinity Christian vs. Clearwater Central Catholic in the Class 3A state championship, but the way American Heritage (Delray) has played has forced me to leap frog them over Clearwater Central Catholic. Between Trinity Christian and American Heritage, both teams have been tested with really strong schedules and better yet, this would be grounds for a great game in a rematch of the 2010 Class 1A state championship game that was also a tough battle for both teams.

CLASS 2A
Victory Christian vs. Indian Rocks Christian
This game would likely draw out a TON of fans for both small schools that could result in the biggest Class 2A crowd we have seen in a while. Both teams have clicked on all cylinders and both have players that can really dominated with effort. Indian Rocks gets a lot of credit for beating a 3A Tampa Catholic team that has been good in recent years, while Victory Christian head coach Tommy Lewis really has righted the ship of a program that is knowing to be a consistent winner.

CLASS 1A
Dixie County vs. South Walton
This would be an epic Class 1A state championship showdown. Dixie County is undefeated going into the playoffs for the second straight season and it looks this Dixie County team is even better than last year’s team. South Walton has a legitimate passing threat and is the only team in Class 1A that seems to throw the ball more than run the ball and why not have them playing for the first state title ever this year? They have already beaten Blountstown this year and got a huge win over previously undefeated Baker on the road last week. Their chances are very high now.

The post PLAYOFFS: State Championship Predictions from Joshua Wilson appeared first on FloridaHSFootball.com.