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...one for the road

To quote Bob Dylan : The times they are a-changin

Solid schedule!

Cardinal Newman Benjamin (Palm Beach Gardens) Palm Beach Lakes @Palm Beach Central @Palm Beach Gardens (loss last year) Dwyer Atlantic (Delray) @Lake Worth Clewiston @Glades Central

Awesome schedule!

All kidding aside, a couple of thoughts popped into my mind about the Venice schedule: 1. Based on the way the playoffs are currently done, Venice could literally play all of its games, regular and playoffs, at home, with the exception of one regular season game and then the state championship game. And if they are deemed the "home" team in the championship game, they will have worn their road white jerseys a grand total of one time the entire season. 2. Unless folks just get tired of going to a Venice home game every week of the season (except one), the Venice athletic coffers should look pretty darn good come December. 3. From a player's standpoint, playing all your games at home may not necessarily be a good thing. There's something to say about road trips, bus rides, and showing up at somebody's else's stadium and quieting an amped-up crowd with a couple of early scores on your way to a big win on their field (followed by the bus ride back to school). Venice kids won't get that experience. 4. Venice is in a three-team district. Unless and until that changes, they'll have exactly one district game at home and one district game on the road every year. The location of all other games played is up to the Venice coach. 5. How many of the remaining eight games that Venice is playing this year are part of a 'home and home' series? I will absolutely guaranty you that Venice isn't playing nine road games next year. Will Venice have to breach the 'home and home' deals? Or is Venice raking in enough at its home games that it can afford to share some of its gate proceeds with visiting teams as a means of luring them in? 6. Road games provide challenges for all all associated with a team (players, coaches, managers, film/camera guys, trainers, band, parents, etc.). It's hard to work out the kinks when you only have to travel once. Overcoming obstacles builds character and gives a team confidence that it can win any game any where. I could actually see the lack of road games coming back to haunt Venice if they make it to the championship game. OK, that's all I've got. I'll just have to remember that we've have this conversation in a "Dillard thread" next season when schedules come out again.