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I've quietly lurked for sometime enjoying the site. So this year I decided to try give the weekly Pick-ems a try. I'm an average FLHS football fan, stuck living in Knoxville, TN. Cocoa alumni from way back, so you know which way I lean. I kinda keep up with the better teams in Brevard and around the state, so that's how deep my knowledge goes. Looking at my current standings, in the Pick-ems, I'd say I'm meeting my expectations. I enjoy the shared info and insight shared here, as well as the opportunity to do so on the site. Thanks to all that contribute and to Josh for the site.

Sitting here, in South Florida, and I’ve been watching UIL (Texas) high school football championships, LIVE. For the last few days (for FREE). And can’t watch any Florida high school championships…man I miss them Sunshine Network days.

Already landed on my feet. In less than 4 hours I found a new home! Wont be the head coach, but titles do not mean much to me anyway. I know I can make a difference where ill be coaching.

John Peery, Former editor of the local weekly Apopka Chief, passed away today. John wrote all of the sports articles in the Chief, and was always on the sidelines of Apopka football games. And though he retired a year ago, he continued to write his articles and cover Apopka football from the sidelines. We last exchanged pleasantries at the Pancake Supper and Pep Rally before the Edgewater game three weeks ago. I ragged on him a bit for picking Edgewater to win by 7 points and suggested that the Darters could pull the game off. Little did either of us know the shellacking we were about to take. Last Friday John was on the sidelines when our kicker nailed a 43 yard field goal to win as time expired in dramatic fashion. John, who was am ample man, literally leapt for joy. Though I don't count myself as a personal friend, for the past 25 years, his weekly articles have been a staple in my life. I am sure all Apopka fans will agree with me that John was the epitome of what it meant to be a Blue Darter. John graduated in the class of 1974, and his daughter graduated from Apopka several years after my two boys did over a decade ago. I don't know if John ever posted on this message board, but he used to post on the old Florida Varsity Football Central board back in the day. In addition to Apopka football, John was an ardent fan of Tennessee football. He will be greatly missed.

Damn @cribboy305, @THIS_IS_DILLARD, and @nolebull813!!! Keep it down! All this trashing refs talk is gonna release the Kracken! Chill. Refs never ever, EVER, get a call wrong. And you three don't seem to understand that. And you NEVER will. Becasue you are not qualified to complain! ... play on

My recap: Quarter 1 TD called back on Vero 1st series was legit - definitely motion / illegal shift on Vero Holding call on MNW at 7:46 on 2nd drive looked legit - moved Vero to MNW 11 A few obvious jumps/offsides on Vero - 3 in one possession Close call around 6 min mark on a potential fumble ruled as incomplete pass - looked like right decision. Lots of jumps overall, nothing seemed particularly out of order or one sided. One questionable no-call PI on MNW around 5min mark. Looked like interference to me and from the commentators. Running into the kicker call on Bulls was legit. Defensive holding on Bulls soon after inconclusive due to being out of frame. Was 2nd defensive holding call on MNW DBs Commentators seemed to think Bulls' DLine was leaning into neutral zone and not called Vero Final Drive, late hit called against Bulls was legit - put Vero at the 3 and led to 1st score. No overtly problematic calls Q1 as far as video showed. Some missed/uneven calls but nothing that would change the 6-0 outcome of the quarter. I can't tell about the two sideline warnings on MNW because both were out of frame. Quarter 2 Personal foul against Vero for pulling helmet off Bull on a tackle WAS questionable. This call allowed MNW possession for a long drive that might have ended in a punt but ended in a score. Subsequent delay of game and illegal formation calls against bulls looked legit. 1st and goal for Bulls and sideline warning becomes penalty. Obviously this is third call against Bulls. Assume it was legit, but out of frame. Bulls score anyway: Bulls 7, Indians 6 Next possession, unsportsmanlike conduct called on MNW, late flag. No one seemed to know who it was on. End of that series, pooch kick returned by Bulls for TD. Same offiicial throws flag just prior to returner entering endzone. Commentator initially agreed because he saw Vero player fall in front of MNW player at the spot of the flag - called it a "silly foul" to block the guy in the back like that after the returner had clearly beaten him. Slow motion clearly showed that wasn't a block in the back. So 2nd commentator seemed to pivot in his comment away from this ruling and said, "must have been an illegal block" . So clearly commentators missed it, camera didn't show it. So the play was either out of frame (irrelevant to the play) or potentially a bad call. Holding call on MNW was obvious False start call on MNW punt actually helped them pinning Vero inside own 10. Holding call at 3min mark on Vero legit according to commentators. Roughing the passer on MNW QB was obvious. officials debated ball placement because it was a completion. Ball eventually placed correctly. Next play, Bulls score with 7 seconds left. two separate delay of game calls on both sides evened out Halftime: Bulls 13, Indians 6 3rd quarter Offsides called on Vero to start kickoff looked right (camera was zoomed in, but you could see helmet on botom of screen looked past line, but commentators complained). 1st series, Bulls jump, legit MNW illegal procedure call hard to tell. Personal foul (late hit) on Vero looked legit. Set up MNW inside Vero red zone Bulls TD at 9:45 - flag thrown for holding #79 for MNW did indeed look to hold, saw Vero Dlineman #76 complain, had left arm under leg and turned sideways. So good call, even though QB had already rolled out. MNW flagged for intentional grounding. Very late call. Momentum shifts back to Vero at this point. MNW punt: Block in back on Vero Beach was apparent on the video, but commentators initially called confidently that MNW had illegal block. Didn't see it. Very late flag (personal foul) against MNW - commentators seemed to be confused as to what it was for. Speculated that it was sideline warning again. Vero commentator questioned where official placed ball after forward momentum by Bulls QB, but replay showed placement was correct. Just prior to Vero score, MNW charged with 2 consecutive 12-men on the field calls. Legit. Just bad coaching there. Personal foul on Bulls during Vero TD is earned. Ejection because it was helmet to helmet and QB was already in end zone by 5 yards. Game tied at 13 w 3 min left in quarter Last 20 seconds MNW called on some defensive holding call that was unidentifiable by both the commentators and the camera. 4th quarter 1st series, #5 MNW safety called for personal foul with late flag. questionable. safety was falling, helmets contacted, but could have easily been a no call. Next play defensive PI on Bulls, brings Indians to 1st and goal inside the Bulls 10. good call. Bulls with 103 yard pick 6 TD. Holding call negates it. No camera angle on it. Commentators didn't see it either. Block was clearly no where near the play. Camera showed Bulls DB got a jump and beat all but two of his blockers. So block, if legit, was out of the play. I can see some concern here. A couple plays later, Bulls false start. Close but good call. Next play, big TD called back on Bulls 3 and 14. Flag was thrown earlier in backfield on screen play. Illegal procedure. Didn't see it, but probably legit. You can see frustration kicking in on Bull's side. Penalty #30 on Bulls pins them inside their own 5. Punt return for Vero flagged twice: illegal block on Vero, late hit on Bulls. 1st call good, late hit ok, commentator aid hit was 5 yards out of bounds, but camera showed it was closer than that and momentum forced. Could have been a no call. On same play, it appeared that the Vero receiver's knee touched the turf at the point of reception. Referees took a while to make the call. Penalties should have been of setting. eventually, zebras rule "knee was down" - then two dead ball fouls followed. Took several minutes to resume play. Big run by Vero, holding call made. No evident on camera. Veros still maintain drive. Bulls called for CB lining up in neutral zone Bulled flagged late for Personal Foul in endzone (facemask). Could not see on camera but official was right there. Eventually called of setting penalties. Serious lack of discipline. Before next play, MNW calls timeout. 3rd and 1 inside the 5, MNW gets flagged for their THIRD 12-men on the field call. No excuses here. Vero 1st down at the Bulls 3 yard line. Two plays inside of the 3 and no score. Commentators are beside themselves. TD on 3rd down. Missed PAT with 2:25 in game ensuing kickoff, obvious fair catch violation on Vero. Bulls miss last best chance to win with open dropped ball by #2. Would have been TD. Before next snap, MNW coaches called for being on field. Not visible but probably legit. - It was the 4th overall. Officials' decision took far too long to call. Final 19-13 Overall, one score negated for Indians, 4 called back for Bulls. 2 of them were questionable, 2 weren't. Clearly, MNW is undiciplined, both on the field and on the sideline. But also clear, MNW has more talent overall. If they can get some discipline they are still looking as a contender come playoff time.

13 years agon February 1, 2010, I launched FloridaHSFootball.com as something to be involved in the world of high school football and here we are getting ready to roll into year 14! Thank you to everyone for your support along the way!

Good God, please don't tell me that Jesse and Columbia Fan are going to spend the next three pages of this thread arguing about whether Columbia and Madison are rivals! I don't know if I can take it.

Wow! Just wow didn’t see this coming , the tigers crowd talking mad trash , they yelling “it’s gone b a long ride down alligator alley back to dade” lol hahaha whewwww talk yall trash jesuit. when I see games like this it really take me back to what I’ve been saying COACHING, solid competent coaching is so vital. so much was said about Miami northwestern talent & their speed & how Jesuit was gonna be overwhelmed & yet it’s the tigers overwhelming the bulls. why because of coaching , then boys in Tampa are well coached to the “T” & their O-LINE & D-LINE are fit,disciplined & understands their assignment. down here in south Florida we praise speed, size & athleticism but it’s our COACHING that needs to be evaluated, our o line play down here is suspect especially vs teams who actually is well coached. All I can say is CONGRATS TIGERS! You wasn’t intimidated by the Miami mystic & the bright lights.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge one of the most important figures in Lakeland football history who's never gotten any credit from anyone under 40, or who started paying attention to Lakeland football post 2003. Bill Galloway. He was the OL coach who developed the "Beefaloes" tradition, which is what made Lakeland into the power-running team that goes a long way to explain their sustained success. Galloway left, I believe, after the 2003 season to move to Tennessee. He was with Castle for roughly 20 years. And, when he was there, I can tell you he was almost Coach 1B to Castle's 1A. Castle's offenses in the early years were known for being balanced- they produced a QB who held the NCAA completion percentage for a time (Wayne Peace at Florida). Galloway's influence probably helps explain the shift to run-dominant offenses in the 1990s. Lakeland won three state titles with Galloway being a crucial part of the staff, and I think his mark carried over to the teams that proceeded his exit. There were some other long-time coaches who deserve credit as well. But, Galloway was a towering figure who functioned almost like a co-head coach with Castle. Lakeland ran for over 1100 yards in two (2) playoff games, mostly from under center, and without a hurry-up approach. The Lakeland tradition of power football, which inspires players today, owes a lot to Galloway.

https://x.com/jonsantucci/status/1695249654961918443?s=46 https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwddF88tO6k/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== THESE TWO LINKS WILL SHOW TWO PLAYS, BOTH OF WHICH ARE TDS CALLED BACK FOR PHANTOM PENALTIES. At some point though Jambun you gotta do yo own research, internet is free.

If you wanted to watch 2 tremendous defensive teams you needed to be in Lakeland tonight. Not sure what their mindset was as maybe they thought the first game was a fluke and they would just blow us out as they had the other 11 teams on their schedule but nothing could be further from the truth. They continually hurt themselves (trash talking, etc.) drawing 5 Unsportsmanlike Penalties during the game. We actually ran the ball against them better than I thought we would and though I don't know the stats may have outgained them overall. Final score was 14-7 with them mounting one drive the entire game which was an impressive 16-17 play 89 yard drive for their first TD in the 3rd quarter tying the game. Their second score was a 60 yard TD run by Tyler Williams which ended up being the margin of victory. Outside that, we kept their running attack in check all night. I believe we had 3 or 4 time consuming drives of our own getting into the red zone twice and coming up empty on interceptions. Each of those picks it appeared that our QB and WR weren't on the same page as both times it was thrown directly to the defender with the WR nowhere in the area. We just shot ourselves in the foot on a couple of plays which could have changed the outcome. My hats off to our tremendous group of seniors that have given us 3 years of outstanding teams with hopes of a state title, but it just wasn't to be. Good luck to Lakeland in the finals.

The forums are back online finally after much dismay when someone hit the server with a malware ad attack that took days to figure out where the issue was. This affected things from the website loading properly to the forum software working correctly. With all that said, everything is back online now the software that runs the forums is now 100% up to date as well.

Sorry, but you're not allowed to agree with another poster on this Board. It's against the rules. If you think you agree with something that someone has posted, you have to ignore that post and go back to one of their earlier posts that you don't agree with and then attack that post (or attack the poster himself).

First thought: Madison is not in the Top 50. Second thought: we may need someone to do another well check on Jesse. Third thought: Soon-to-be-State-Champs Dillard is not in the Top 10. Fourth thought: we may need someone to do a well check on This_is_Dillard.

I've learned over the years that every now and then you need to do something for somebody else. So, I decided to do this for Jesse. I've created this thread -- Jesse's own little safe place, if you will. As the title suggests, it's for people to come and share posts relating to Madison, but it's a place that Jesse can call his own. Obviously, the most important Madison (at least for Jesse) is the high school football team from Madison County, Florida, that, best I can tell, is the third best team in Florida, if not the country, behind only IMG and STA. But, because this thread is for "All Things Madison," people should also feel free to discuss Madison, Wisconsin (home of the University of Wisconsin), Madison Avenue (in New York City, home to many of the nation's advertising giants) and James Madison University (in Virginia). I'm afraid any discussion of James Madison himself (4th President of the United States) might cross over the line into the realm of politics, so we probably ought to keep those discussions off this thread. However, I see no reason why we can't include conversations about James' wife, Dolley Madison. And we can certainly discuss Dolly Madison Bakery products (I anticipate a rather 'healthy' debate over which are better: Zingers or Golden Creme Cakes). Jesse, as for you, here is my suggestion: when you run across a topic on this website that is related to high school football, but which really doesn't have anything to do with Madison, avoid the temptation to post in that thread and instead come back to this thread. So, for example, if someone started up a thread to discuss how Venice would match-up against Lakeland, there is no reason for you to say "They both trash. MadCo would put running clock on both of them." Come to this thread and post: "Who care about Venice and Lakeland. They both trash. MadCo would put running clock on both of them." We all understand that once you've been triggered, you have to say something; it's simply a matter of you saying it in the right place. And this is that right place. Just don't be disappointed if you find yourself alone in this room a good bit of the time. Like most of time. Maybe even all the time. Perhaps that will give you a little insight as to how much other people care about MadCo football. And, just to get the debate going, I'll go with Zingers.

Please join in the search for crib boy. Look in bushes, trees, behind couches, or under spot rugs. It’s a typical trait of those who “trash” then “Dash”.......

As a South Floridian ... we reject the inclusion of Sarasota County. We stand firm at 5

I was able to narrow down the search area to

Josh was the team who went 10-0 and lost in the 1st round. Lol

I wrote this poem last Friday night while enjoying a game. Any perceived slights, omissions or misrepresentations are strictly unintentional. If you’re pressed for time, skip ahead to the last two lines. In the spirit of “Twas the Night Before Christmas”; with apologies to Clement Clarke Moore and Joshua Wilson… ‘Twas the 25th of August, and all through this site Board members were fired up; it was opening night The coaches all studied their game plans with care In hopes a state title soon would be there The players were all clad in blues, whites and reds While visions of NIL deals danced in their heads Me in my team gear, with Momma in tow Had just settled in for the band’s pregame show When down on the field there arose such a clatter I put down my popcorn to see what was the matter When, what to my wondering eyes should appear? The head man, with eight assistants pulling up the rear I looked at the head coach, and thought, oh my gosh For I knew in a moment it must be St. Josh Full of bluster and hot takes, his posters they came And he whistled and shouted and called them by name Now Icaza, now Dillard, now Darter and KeemD Now Venice, now Badbird, now NoleBull and Nulli Now post away, post away, post away all But first a little advice, for each of y’all Feel free to debate, but don’t personally attack others No matter your team, we are all still “brothers” Keep your posts on point; don’t get too messy Get way out of line, you’ll be on the sidelines like Jesse Maintain some ‘Perspective’; you don’t want to be labelled Foolishly bet on your team, and your account might be ‘Disabled’ Focus on the positive, point out players who are shining Quit your complaining, and Metros - stop whining Take it easy on the refs; they’re doing their best But if you don’t like it, put ‘Jambun’ to the test No fretting over classes; there may be a lot Just be grateful it gives more Suburbans a shot Don’t worry about Power Rankings; they’re really not that bad Since you’re opposed to large districts, it’s the best to be had You can dream about transfers having to sit out a year For now, we can be thankful the football season is here Now there’s green grass and bright lights; get ready, let’s go You could be stuck at home watching some boring show And then like a receiver, he was off in a flash But I heard him exclaim as he took off in a dash From Key West to Pensacola, and points far and near Good luck to your team, and to all a good year!

Hey @VeniceIndianFan! Where are you man? I'm just making sure you're okay after last night. No one wants to start the season with a loss. I know I don't. However, there's plenty of season left and it's best to take the lumps early and improve from that. I'm speaking for myself too, lol.

You literally ask everyone to give examples of poor officiating when they mention bad calls. He went through and broke them all down and actually agreed with more calls than most other people have, now you’re taking issue with it?! He NEVER rated the officials, simply stated his opinions on the calls. You are known for asking why people don’t agree with calls or what happened, he gave it to you and instead of breaking down the calls yourself your attacking him. YOU have given ZERO input on the officiating, only questioning people instead on this and other threads. Get over yourself, refs are human and screw up.

Before people start bashing this matchup because this years' Green Wave are very young and have no chance of winning this game, I would like to take a moment to explain how this game came about. Tonight is Sam Sirianni Night in Fort Myers. It is a local celebration of our long- time coach, Sam Sr. He led the Greenies for 33 seasons, including 5 decades, before his passing in '02. His son Sammy Jr. took over and is still the HC at this time. Coach Smith and Sam Sr were very close friends for many years. Coach Smith contacted us numerous times over the summer about coming over to be a part of our night to honor our former coach. With that said, Sam Jr. finally accepted, knowing full well that this year's team would not be able to give the Raiders much of a game. It's a celebration of our '92 team that lost at STA in the state semi's for the second year in a row. In an effort not to make this post too long and boring, I just wanted to point out that even in this day and age, once in a while friendships and respect can still mean more than wins and losses at the high school level. After getting to know Coach Smith and many of the Aquinas fans over the years, I have the utmost respect for the program and those close to it. I have an open invitation to Aquinas games and have seen many of their games from the sideline over the years. I knew of the school when it was Central Catholic High. Had many friends who attended STA who were nationally ranked tennis players as was I. Jeanne and Chris Evert to name a few. So that should explain how this game came about and if I didn't explain this very well, please just reply and I will try to do better.

Whoaa. Thought for a minute you were really looking for the ultimate test and had scheduled Madison.

It was good to see team champions from Jacksonville, Madison, Venice, Tampa, Ft Laud, Hollywood, & Miami. Crib boy said everything runs through Miami-Dade but actually they were in 7 classifications & were eliminated in all but 1 class. Jesuit beat down the 305 & beat 954. Hillsborough had 3 terrific teams in the finals! Pine Forrest went under the radar & out played Jesuit, but didn’t outscore them. Venice made Apopka look outmanned with their strictly run offense. Gibbons & Cocoa was a tremendous game. Chaminade ended the season as good as any team in the State. Aquinas smothered TBT early. Rockets, Dade’s only champion were exceptional! Whata great season....it simply goes by too fast.

Hawthorne trash. Madco by 40. Madco beats every other team in playoffs this year and beats IMG by 14. (Sorry, just channeling my inner Jesse).

I have moved on. That being said. When you put 9 years of your life into something you kinda become attached to it. I’ll still be working there. Have to see it and live it daily. If you truly can’t understand that. It was more than just a job.

Always read, seldom post, but I can offer some insight here. My son and I drove down to first game and I watched the second game on feed. The score of the first game was very misleading. Simply put, Mandarin lost the first game because they had 5 turnovers, with one of them being a punt snapped into the end zone for a free LM score. Even with all the turnovers, Mandarin was going in to score in the 4th qtr to bring the game within 2 or 3 points when they dropped a wide open TD on 4th down. LM then took the next drive in for a score to get the final margin. By no means did LM go up and down the field on them all game like they have on everyone else. They did hit some longer runs, but only managed about 250 yards total. The second game was very similar, but this time with fewer turnovers, I believe it ended up being a zero margin. The consensus up here all last week was that if as long as Mandarin didn't turn the ball over a bunch they should handle them comfortably, which they obviously did. You can see the talent there with Noah Grubbs. Some similarities to Carson Beck, who we had up here a few years ago. The first game against Mandarin he was a 6 of 18 for 108 yds. Haven't seen any stats for this past game but they will likely be very similar. It is not a coincidence that by far his worst two games this year were both against Mandarin. There was not a lot he could do because his receivers were just not able to get open. The Mandarin secondary is one of the best in the entire state, regardless of classification. They will all be playing meaningful football on Saturdays in the future. Mandarin is kind of an outlier in this region being up here in Jax but connected to a region with a lot of Metro Orlando schools. They won a terrible district and had three losses, all because of the same thing....turnovers. They do have some trouble with power running teams (i.e. Bartram and Bolles), but have shown improvement in that area throughout the year. I really don't see any power running team like those aforementioned two in their path going forward. The only receiver that has given them any trouble all year was Naeem Burroughs of Bolles and he is going to light up everyone he faces. They have all kinds of talent on offense, the kind of players that if you do not come up with a plan to stop them individually they will torch you. They have a talented QB who is a three year starter and two excellent backs who benefit from teams scared to death they are going to get beat deep by Jamie Ffrench, in which he usually does anyway. Really, their only issue on offense has been turnovers in certain games. If they limit those going forward they could very easily win out. Top to bottom, they have more sheer talent than anyone left in their path. In fact, this current team has more talent than their 2018 state title team. Looking ahead, much of their talent will return so they are likely going to be as talented or even more so next year. As for LM not having their back, yeah, I could see where that could make some difference, but even if he were playing, Mandarin was just the better team overall. Having the threat of a decent back allows compensation for having average receivers, which ultimately was what ended up being the real problem for LM this year. The kid can make all the throws, he just needs some quality receivers to throw to.

The game might end before 9 o'clock...lol

Perhaps the schools in the panhandle should be allowed to play in the Alabama or Georgia playoffs instead if they wanted to . . . it could be called "State Choice."

https://www.aroundosceola.com/sports/beeken-removed-poinciana-football-coach The Lord did find me a place to go! with Brad Lord at Southlake! Go EAGLES!

For over taking Hollywood Chaminade and winning the FHSAA's final regular season title. Hats off to this perennial little powerhouse that will play anyone, anywhere. It's hard not to love those kids and their fabulous football program.

I'm leaning towards "No Contest" early in the 4th quarter.

St. John Bosco losing to Kahuku in Hawaii this past weekend makes STA's loss to SJB look worse. Maybe it's a sign that karma will eventually even things up against STA.

I don't know about supervisor. But I do know I am your superior. BTW, I also know you are an insecure, unpleasant person though I have never met you in person.

It would be nice to see some occasional new blood go on a run but not possible in the transfer era where the strong reload each year and the weak donate their best to the strong. Tired of seeing the same teams every year.

From the second we're born, that train to the final destination has left the station. It picks up speed the older you get. The first 18 years of my life (when trying to get the hell out of my parent's house) went by very slowly. I couldn't wait to get out of John Cox elementary school fast enough. I couldn't get my first kiss or hunch fast enough, lol. Then, I couldn't be rid of Crystal Lake Junior high fast enough. Then on to high school, I couldn't get my first job fast enough at the McDonald's at the intersection of Combee Rd and 92 next to the strip club. I couldn't get my driver's license fast enough or save up enough money to buy my own raggedy-ass car. It was a 1987 4-door Hyundai Excel, lmao! I couldn't graduate from Lakeland fast enough. I couldn't turn 18 fast enough so I could vote and buy my first lottery ticket. I couldn't establish my own independence fast enough and that's when reality kicked. Before I had all the time in the world. Now, there's never enough time. I have to remind myself sometimes to take things slowly and just enjoy the flow of life instead of waiting for the next big event. I tell my children not to wish their life away. Everything may be somewhat of a bore now but that's also the blessing. Don't be in a rush to grow up. If I could go back and do it all again, the only thing I would change is that I would listen to the wisdom of every adult that told me not to be in a hurry to grow up. I can't speak for anyone else but myself. However, when applying your statement, "I just don't know how the last 30 years when by so fast" to my own life, I can say with 100% certainty that the train of life is full speed ahead and it's filled with experiences and people that are no longer here. The realization that one day, that will be me as well so make the most of every single day. Leave a lasting impression. Try to preach love, not hatred, although some situations may AT THE VERY LEAST warrant love from afar.

@ColumbiaHighFan2017classWe obviously see things differently regarding Columbia/Lake Wales schedule, strength and everything in between. Let's make this fun! Here is my proposal: If Lake Wales/Columbia meet and Lake Wales loses, I'll add ColumbiaHighFan2017class was right and the Great Columbia Tigers defeated an Overrated Lake Wales Highlanders Team to my signature. If Lake Wales/Columbia meet and Columbia loses, you add Nulli was right and the Great Columbia Tigers lost to an overrated Lake Wales Highlanders Team in your signature. If Lake Wales loses this week and Columbia wins, I'll add ColumbiaHighFan2017class was right and Lake Wales was so overrated that the Highlanders couldn't stay alive long enough to face the Mighty Columbia Tigers to my signature. If Columbia loses this week and Lake Wales wins, you add Nulli was right and the Mighty Tigers were scared to face Lake Wales and chose to bow out a week early to your signature. If both Columbia/Lake Wales lose this week, it's draw. Also, feel free to change any winning message to your heart's desire. Are you in?

Kowboys defense controlled the game all night with a better performance than the last couple of weeks. Will skip getting into the weeds regarding the game, but Vero couldn't have managed more than 100-150 total yards for the game. Actually, could have been even more lopsided than the final score. Props to #1 Jacobs of Vero as he played his tail off and I can see why he is so highly regarded; he really didn't do much offensively, but defensively he had several important pass breakups that if he wasn't making those plays it would have been a rout early. They just didn't have enough players like him to match up with the Kowboys. Now on to the re-match with Lakeland we have been anticipating since the 3rd game of the season.

Turned out to be an extremely even matchup with talent on both sides. The Edgewater QB is the returning starter from last year and gave them a spark running the ball which I don't think we expected. He has a good arm and talented receivers, but not a lot of time to throw and operating against an extremely talented OHS secondary so sledding was tough for them thru the air. They had some success on the ground working the edges as one of our 4* DE was held out with an injury. They have a couple excellent backs to compliment CJ Baxter, so found more productivity on the ground than I thought they would. Our LB core have not jelled yet, but should be better prepared after competing with talent like Edgewater has. On offense we had mixed success on the ground and relied on our inexperienced sophomore QB to make plays with his arm, which he did an excellent job throughout the game. Trailing 22-19 with under 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter, he engineered an 80 yard drive and hit about a 35 yard pass with 40 seconds remaining to re-take the lead 26-22. They were unable to muster any offense in the final 40 seconds and the clock ran out with us in the lead. Penalties weren't a major factor for either team and ball security was perfect by both sides with neither team losing a fumble or a pick, although we probably should have gotten a couple of interceptions. Looking at each team's roster, both will be a handful for anyone. Great game for the fans with Osceola leading early, then falling behind and then retaking the lead. As always, it is just a Spring Game and the way it was conducted both coaches probably got out of it what they wanted. Good luck to Edgewater going forward. GO KOWBOYS!!

I played baseball vs Pensacola Christian and football vs Apalachicola. Also left off Century from the panhandle. 3 stories from my life vs these three teams. Football - we were getting on the bus to go play Apalachicola who believe it or not was ranked #1 in the state and we were 1-5 at the time. The Principal came on the bus and said I just want you guys to have fun and not get embarrassed. Well we went to Apalachicola and upset them. The coach at Apalachicola at the time was Coach Shaw Maddux. I would later in life coach with him at Osceola. Baseball - we were playing Panama City Christian. They had no fence and the school was in deep left field. I hit a ball probably the farthest I've ever hit one. I admired it forgetting they had no fence. It one hopped the school. I got thrown out at third. The coach was not happy with me. I have one about Century as well. My dad was the head coach in football in the early to mid 1980's and Century was a big rival. After a close heated game that Century lost some guys out of the stands came onto the field and started a huge brawl between the teams. Fans got involved and It got real ugly. One of the worst brawls I've ever seen. Now I was young at the time but there were lots of people left bloody after it. Also lost my last high school baseball game at Century. I think it was Buck Showalter (former MLB player and manager) field maybe not but he went to Century.

im trying real hard to figure out why you care so much? is your team in sub urban and your super butt hurt? or is your team in metro and you can figure out why you wont win a state title now? if the answer is neither, you are really emotional about this. suburban doesnt help the suburban teams as much as everyone/anyone thinks. metro still will be majority of same teams winning anyways. it hurts the middle of the road teams in both classes and lumps them with alot of the same districts they were already in or lumps them with teams they were not going to beat regardless of any class. the 5-5 teams will still be 5-5 the 9-1 teams will still be 9-1 get rid of school choice, which wont happen, is the only real solution to the recruiting issue we have in the state. put back in the 365day mandatory sitout period for transfers. major major fines for coaches, suspensions, etc. may get something straight here.

Can you tell us who’s going to be the next coach

The first departure was an opportunity to coach at a big name program, Valdosta. He left in good standing which is why he was immediately rehired after he and the Wildcats parted ways. I think that his second departure was a combination of getting that itch, and the fact that Apopka had not made a deep run in the recent past leading up to his departure. It did not hurt that the Enterprise job paid a lot more than any Florida public school did. As I understand it, the Apopka coaching job is not currently open, so coming back to the Darters was not a current option. Also, perhaps, he just wants to see what he could do with a program like Deland. There is decent talent in the zone, but their coaching situation has been relatively unstable over the last 20 years. If he can keep the talent home, they could make the playoffs with some frequency.

Yes.

RIP Joe Pinkos. I did not know him but always looked forward to seeing how my team would be predicted to do. His rankings will definitely be missed and prayers to his loved ones and family who knew the legend.

Josh, consider making the "Pick 'em" contests (regular season and/or playoffs) an 'official' part of this site and name the contest after Joe. "The Pinkos Pick 'Em.' RIP to Joe and peace and condolences to his family.

At the start of the season I would guess at some of my picks and get them right. As the year progressed I'd research teams and make a pick based on common opponents, average margin of victory, etc. My picks started to fall off. I've gone back to just guessing.