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some Suncoast area scores Mitchell 59, Hudson 0 Gulf 35, Land O Lakes 14 Nature Coast 22, Tavares 21 East Lake 14, River Ridge 0 (3 quarters varsity). (14-14 final)

NOW THAT S--T WAS FUNNY!!!!!!!!

Carter Smith could be playing MLB next year but opted for football. As a sophomore pitcher, he was clocked over 90mph+ with his fastball. Here in Lee County, we have plenty of great athletes. Most people think of Deion, Jevon Kearse, Jammi German, Earnest Graham and Sammy Watkins etc. But the area is full of talent, however, most don't end up at the same school.

I cold be wrong, but I'm thinking there's no way this team competes with Good Counsel, MNW or STA this year. At least right now. So that's three losses right there. Throw in South Dade or Miami Palmetto who always plays us tough - it's not hard to see 4 losses on the season right now before playoffs. But it's early. On the positive side, we do have a stud receiver returning in Bryce Fitzgerald, I just hope we can settle in on a QB to get him the ball. Young kid from Palm Beach transferred in this spring looking for a starting QB job, but he was the least impressive of the 4 I saw. We have 1 or 2 notable playmakers on defense (including Fitzgerald who plays DB too) - but we graduated 8 starters (3 playing D1 next year) and our best returning player Chavez was out injured - and they are moving him to a receiver/slot back position anyway, so let's see if that opens things up for 4* Fitzgerald at WR. We just have limited playmakers and smaller OLine than we have had in a while. The coaches always do well with what we have, so I should be careful not to overstate how much of a rebuilding year this is - but when you lose your Dade County player of the year QB and the majority of an impressive defense, I need to be realistic. If you watched it, you'd feel similar. I do feel a bit better after reading BV's QB Carter Smith is apparently the #1 rated QB in the state. That explains why he torched our young guys so badly with 27 straight points before the boys had an answer. But it's clear we had some real inconsistencies on offense. I'm hoping with time and the selection of a starter, things will settle down there.

Don’t throw in the towel yet Columbus, rumor has it, off the street, not from the administration or coaches, that Central & Chaminade are holding a recruiting seminar , of course for pay. Topics like 1) How to recruit the Nation & make it look like “your team was sought out”. 2) How to get over 20 transfers without the FHSAA questioning it. 3) How to reach over to Naples & other out of countyFlorida non powers & snatch their best players for the betterment of high school football. Etc……

https://x.com/Omar_Haugabook/status/1794633754444783687

7-4 implies losing in the first round of the playoffs. Based on the brackets in the south, I can't see Columbus going one and done in the playoffs. Maybe 8-4 or 7-5 with a loss to Palmetto or similar team in the second round if you have really dropped off a lot.

Thanks @Wavebb!

Oh, they tried we just looked bad. Looks like a big drop off this year. We have a 4 QBs battling for a starting position and our OLine lost quite a bit. Defense was suspect against a scrambling QB all night. We need a lot of work if we want to survive this schedule we have coming up. If you asked me right now, I'm thinking 7-4 season on the way.

My new team, South Lake H. C. Brad Lord took a very heavy underclassmen squad into Foundation Academy, which personally as a H.C, im 0-2, beat them convincingly 49-14. We only had 36 offensive plays. Q. B. Trey Kelly Rising Sophomore went 7-9, 1 dropped and 1 blocked, 212 yds and 2 Td's, The running backs rushed for 202yds 3 TD's in only 27 carries. Where my old school Poinciana lost to Horizon 20-30. Poinciana only had 33 players on the official roster ( all time low, I had over 60). Cameron Brown Had a great game throwing for 2 TD's and ! rushing TD, (great effort) IMHO Horizon , while being a great program, was down from last year, Also include that 32 didnt play in the first half. (he drove the ball right down the field in his first possession in the 3rd 1/4 and they scored ( not to take away from the efforts of their other running backs, they will be a force to be reckoned with. Horizon is not as good as they were last year (up front only). I am sure the coaches will make corrections and become way better in the fall. At the end of the day, PHS, still needs discipline on defense (too many stupid penalties) and a direction to work for. Yes, I am being super critical, after spending 10 years trying to fix that program, what they (administration) did hurts. Not the new HC. fault, In fact I try to help him any way I can. PHS looks like a team led by a first year head coach who hasnt found his way yet. I truly hope they do. the HC is a great guy, just young and needs a lot of help understanding the ins and outs of HS football. Im not hating, (for the PHS head coach). I just want to see this different direction we are looking for!

You may be right Observer but it didn't look that way to me. And I am not a Verot fan. FM Green Wave only but support all the Lee County athletes despite the school they attend

Yep, this is a pretty surprising result. I assume the Explorers tried like BV and SR tried, although I assume "the narrative" will be that Columbus was the only team that didn't try

He is doing well Nulli and his index will return this year

For any in the know, is there any chance that the index gets an update this year? I hope he and his family are doing well. I hope the FHSF posters and your families are doing okay also.

Yes KeemD321

Columbus as in Miami Columbus?

Three team jamboree at Bishop Verot Catholic High School, Fort Myers: Verot 34 Columbus 21. ( Verot went up 27-0 to start). Sarasota Riverview 14 Columbus 6. Verot 21 Riverview 10. Vikings qb, Carter Smith, is unreal. All games were for a half.

They managed to move the ball fairly well against both teams as the QB made good decisions with his feet and his arm but errors cost them. In the Edgewater game with the score 7-0 Deland moved the ball right down the field and the QB hit a wide open receiver in stride from about 20 yards out and he dropped it for which should have been a sure score. They had some other miscues against both teams that would have probably put points on the board, just wasn't their night. I think our defense has a chance to be extremely good again this year despite losing a half dozen very good players to area teams like Jones, DP, The First Academy and even Poinciana. We did manage an excellent transfer from St. Cloud HS that will be a great addition to our O-line, 6'6" 290 lbs. Connor Howes who is eligible starting on June 1. Wouldn't read too much into the scores as this was a Jamboree and the work over the next 3 months will tell the story.

Sounds like a good night for the Kowboys! It is a bit suprising to see Sexy Beast's offense shut out for the night, but those are probably two really good defenses he had to face.

Appreciate it homie

Good job Dillard

FINAL: DILLARD 21 MONARCH 15 In a game that featured one team who was in the state semi game last year in monarch who got even better through the transfer portal in the last few months ; Vs a Dillard team with a 2nd year head coach who has a lot to prove coming into this season after a lack luster 2023 season. OVERALL- this game had a feeling of a playoff game. Both teams played their starters well into the 4th quarter, add the big crowd for both teams, the hard hits & the bands going at it, it felt like a game with huge implications yet we are only in May. In my early in the week predictions I had monarch winning this game 28-21 simply because in my opinion they had the better team and the better offense. More skill players & the better line play within the trenches. THE GAME: monarch came out on their second possession moved the ball down Dillards throat to take a 7-0 lead, only to see dillard come back on their next drive and tie the game 7-7. after that it was pretty much all Dillard. The defense played way better than expected & the offense while have a few kinks to work out showed some signs of being able to be something special come august. after jumping out 7-0 dillard scored 21 consecutive points to go up 21-7. The knights scored a TD with 2 min left to make it 21-15 but the panthers got 2 first downs to run out the clock to get the victory 21-15. OBSERVATIONS: Monarch is once again going to be very good this year. Their online and Dline is massive. Their 4* running back is one of the best in broward & their overall team is going to give a lot of teams fits. DILLARD: the panthers are going to be a huge dark horse this year. They look to have another solid defense, they’re not massive in the trenches, but they have some dawgs and appear to be well coached. with the off season to go , Dillard can turn some heads this season, and they proved that tonight with a good win over a quality inner city opponent.

Solid win for a spring matchup between quality opponents.

Congrats on the win darter.

Apopka 16 Jones 14. Jones scored on an 80 yard bomb a minute into the game. There were no other scores in the first half but on its final drive of the second quarter, Apopka's offense which had been dormant the entire first half finally moved the ball and got inside the Jones 15, but time ran out. This was a harbinger of things to come as on the first drive of the second half, Apopka moved the ball downfield relatively easily and scored to tie the game, in a drive that took about 2:47. Apopka then immediately forced a fumble on the ensuing Jones possession and got the ball on the Jones 15. On third and 15 from the 20, Davison found his running back completely unmarked in the end zone and Apopka took a quick 13-7 lead about 4 minutes into the third quarter as the extra point attempt sailed wide right. Thereafter, and until the final four minutes of the game, Apopka took control as the Jones team seemed to tire. However, for the rest of the third quarter till past the halfway mark in the fourth, neither team scored. Midway through the fourth, Apopka went on a long drive that stalled at the Jones's four yard line and went backward via penalties thereafter. However, the APK kicker redeemed himself scoring a field goal off the drive to give Apopka a 16-7 lead. Jones trimmed that lead down to 16-14 with just under 2 minutes to go in the game on a nice play that must have went about 50 yards. After the Jones score, with just over a minute left in the game, Apopka fumbled the ball away at their own 43. Jones marched the ball downfield and got a first and goal at the Apopka 8 with around 36 seconds left in the game. But their drive stalled at the 8 yard line and on third and goal Jones decided to kick a field goal for the win with 12 seconds on the clock. The kick was blocked by Apopka which took a knee to end the game. Comments on Jones. They looked pretty good on both offense and defense. Their kicking game needs improvement as two field goal attempts including a crucial one were blocked. Interestingly, the kicker made both extra points scored by jones easily. Overall, I expect Jones to be as good as last year and possibly better especially if they pick up further transfers over the summer. Comments on Apopka. This is a good but very young team. Several of its starters will be sophomores from its undefeated freshman team from 2023. Early in the game, the offense sputtered while the defense was strong the entire game. However, the offense came into its own in the second half as TD the QB made better passes and better overall reads after a slow start. This Apopka team should improve as the season wears on. By how much will determine its fate in the playoffs. I am cautiously optimistic that the season will end well. But if it does not, I totally understand why.