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Saying Pahokee is part of Palm Beach County is technically true, but Pahokee and Belle Glade are completely different than the rest of Palm Beach. They might be in the same county, but it would be easier for any player to go play at any of the top tier schools in Palm Beach than go to Pahokee or Glades Central. As for Hamilton County, unless Alex Brown is walking onto the field, Hamilton County has little chance of competing until the community as a whole gets it together. Hamilton County one of the consistently worse schools in Florida.

Ray, We could still do a promotion/relegation system, just make the top classes smaller (32 teams) and the smallest class would be large 128+ teams. While the team that wins the lowest classification won't historically be good, they will have have had a good enough season to beat other similar teams. Just like when many of the smallest classifications have state champions that we know wouldn't make it a regional final in any other class, but they are still state champions.

I am not Josh, but maybe (non-Metro) people have noted the recent dominance of metro state championships (like 90%) in 2A-8A. They feel that even if you have a great (non-Metro) team, too many of the great teams in these metro can stockpile talent, because the density is too high and the players because of school choice can easily go to. They won't say it is because they don't want to play Miami Northwestern, Miami Central, STA, Bolles, Trinity Christian, but that is what it really boils down to. 2) Only football, and if you pay attention to some of the local journalists who cover high school sports, they were pushing for it for everything (they used this weekend's METRO girls basketball as proof). ___________________ I do find it interesting that the most Republican of areas of the state (North Florida/SW FL) are the ones pushing this more than any other area, when it was their legislators in the Florida House/Senate/Governor that pushed for Open Enrollment, which leads to the creation of these super teams. And now that these super teams are created, they are upset, but don't realize it was their own people that did this to them. (They prefer to blame the "Metro" areas and their recruiting).

Seriously, we are worried that Pahokee is going to start picking up transfers? Glades Central is the closest school to Pahokee, they are 13.3 miles, and no kid is turning on Belle Glade for Pahokee (or vice versa). And if we are concerned, why are we not concerned that Union County is only 15.9 miles from Bradford. (Yes, school choice allows you to attend another district's schools if there is room).

Somehow I doubt they will be calling me anytime soon, I offered critiques on a week to week basis on the RPI/Power Rankings (as I couldn't get my numbers to match with theirs due to out of state games), they basically told me to bugger off. I stopped doing the math after several weeks, but I know it had to do with how MaxPreps handled out of state games.

In one of my other posts about promotion/relegation, I have suggested that the top "rural school" switches places with the lowest ranked rural school not in 1A regardless of size. I mean I am surprised that more rural school people aren't upset at the Sneads Volleyball team and their 9 straight state championships.

You trust the schools to do it, if they fail to do it the FHSAA steps in. Most of these schools would rather play competitive schools. (If it became too cumbersome it could be dropped, but until we sort all the teams out (takes 5 years), we don't know). I would too, but I also recognize reality. Coaches/ADs are too scared of that kind of change. You spoon feed it to them, so that the changes aren't so sudden and they barely notice the whole system is changed after 5 years. If you try a blank slate (which is kinda what the FHSAA tried a couple of years ago, it shocks the system too much). As for dividing by Metro/Suburban, Let's use Baker, Columbia, Alachua, and Marion. Baker County K-12 hovers around 5.4K Columbia County K-12 hovers around 10K Alachua County K-12 hovers around 30K Marion County K-12 hovers around 43K The solution we are told is that Baker County should be able to compete against Marion County, despite the fact that Marion is nearly 8 times the size. If county size is the problem, that we need Metro/Suburban/Rural classifications to truly differentiate.

Does Trinity or Bolles take pride in the fact that they win a state championship in a clearly weakened classification and before the season starts 90% of the teams have no chance of beating them? I think we take pride in the idea of an accomplishment, a team wins a state championship against other similar type teams (teams with a history of losing, maybe this is the catalyst to become a mediocre team).

I would reduce to 6 classes as well, but it would be over a period of 5 years (and I am keeping the current 1A). If the FHSAA's calls me up to do this, then I will sit and do the math, but until then this is what the finals look like. 6A - 32 teams (All make playoffs, 70% of schedule against other 6A schools) 5A - 64 teams (50% make playoffs, 60% of schedule against other 5A schools) 4A - 96 teams (33% make playoffs, 60% of schedule against other 4A schools) 3A - 120 teams (27% make playoffs, 50% of schedule against other 3A schools) 2A - 140 teams (23% make playoffs or 46% make playoffs and compete to a regional championship)

I don't know if you are talking to me or Nulli, but it happens in both our systems. And yes, 8A (or 6A in Nulli's) would have all the teams that would normally be competing for a state championship in one classification, the teams that right now you would pencil into Regional Finals and would think it weird if they lost in round 1 or 2. Why? Because Super Teams are killing sports in general. Everyone knows that a team like Trinity Christian will be in the finals in 2A or 3A without batting an eye, so why compete? The FHSAA needs create a system that strives to create competitive balance. Competitive Balance encourages teams to try and do better because they are facing similar type teams. Some schools have tradition, some have great feeder programs, some have money and a name, some have great coaches. And the good teams want to compete with teams that are similar. Teams that lack some of the above want to compete with other schools like themselves. Size doesn't matter anymore. 1A Rural has been a success overall if you ask the schools, because they feel that they have a chance and are playing schools like themselves (Madison County not withstanding). I think all the schools want that same level of feeling. Promotion/Relegation system accomplishes this and the best part is that you can do this in every sport.

First, your idea of splitting them into different quadrants is exactly what my idea does, you just add that it should also be based on metro/suburban. My problem is that Metro/Suburban is completely arbitrary. Look at Duval, Raines and Mandarin have recently won state championships, but it had been 2 decades since a public school team had won from that County. Is that really a dominant county? Is Columbia really pulling from the same area as Vanguard or St. Augustine, despite school size similarities? My problem with the Metro/Suburban is that doesn't solve the competitive imbalance issues, they still exist. Looking https://www.jacksonville.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2022/01/20/high-school-football-possible-2022-fhsaa-metro-suburban-classifications/6590427001/ It is suggested that Stanton/Paxon and Raines should be in the same district!!! It is suggested that Bolles and Wolfson should be in the same district!!! It is suggested that Westland Hialeah (.198 winning % over last 10 years) and Miami Carol City in the same district!!! My idea doesn't shock the system, the way the FHSAA tried to do it. The FHSAA tried to say, if you have a good year, we are going to move you into an elite/premiere playoff. No coach wanted that because, maybe they hit lightning in the bottle that year and this is their one chance to go the state championship. My proposed system does it gradually, sure TCA probably represents 3A in the state championship again and again in 4A, but 5A, maybe not. Does an above average Columbia/Buchholz/Vanguard/Bartram Trail win a state championship when they have to face STA, probably not.

I think this solves so many of the issues that we know exist within the current system, but do little to stop. Would recruiting/transfers be a problem still, sure, I am throwing in the towel on that until the state legislature changes (hint: they won't), but in the long term it creates balance. Would a school like Trinity Christian still wipe the floor with most of the 3A schools that they would be facing? Sure, it is going to take time to solve this. But every remaining 2A school would probably be happy, they would feel like they have a chance to win. Another year and probably every 3A is school is happy and so forth. Meanwhile, your worst schools in a classification are feeling better if only because they are moving closer to schools that are on their level. Long term, we probably remove district games as well and simply require a certain % of games to be played against teams in your classification (FHSAA $$$ steps in when distance will be a problem).

The following teams would drop out 3A into 2A (6 teams) Somerset Academy South Homestead (Homestead) Inlet Grove (Riviera Beach) Interlachen Trinity Prep (Winter Park) Gateway (Fort Myers) Cornerstone Charter Academy (Belle Isle) The following teams would rise out of 2A into 3A Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville) Champagnat Catholic (Hialeah) Orlando Christian Prep (Orlando) University Christian (Jacksonville) Victory Christian Academy (Lakeland) John Carroll Catholic (Fort Pierce)

The following teams would drop out of 4A into 3A (6 teams) North Bay Haven Academy (Panama City) Tenoroc (Lakeland) Davenport Umatilla Central (Brooksville) Parrish Community (Parrish) The following teams would rise out of 3A into 4A (6 teams) Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood) Berkeley Prep (Tampa) Florida State University High School (Tallahassee) Clearwater Central Catholic (Clearwater) Edison (Miami) Tampa Catholic (Tampa)

The following teams would drop out of 5A into 4A (only 6 teams). Pine Ridge (Deltona) Titusville Anclote (Holiday) Horizon (Winter Garden) Gulf (New Port Richey) Lake Buena Vista (Orlando) The following teams would rise of out 4A into 5A (7 teams, due to University's ambiguous status) Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale) Cocoa University (Fort Lauderdale) Bolles (Jacksonville) Gulliver Prep (Miami) Booker T. Washington (Miami) Carol City (Miami)

The following teams would drop out of 6A into 5A: Blake (Tampa) Englewood (Jacksonville) Spoto (Riverview) Cape Coral Okeechobee Suncoast (Riviera Beach) Hollywood Hills (Hollywood) East Lee County (Lehigh Acres) Freedom (Tampa) Belleview Brandon Northeast (Oakland Park) The following teams would rise out of 5A into 6A Central (Miami) American Heritage (Plantation) Rockledge Raines (Jacksonville) Wakulla (Crawfordville) Killian (Miami) Bishop Moore (Orlando) Dunnellon Baker County (Glen St. Mary) Godby (Tallahassee) North Marion (Citra) Sebring

The following teams would be moving out of 7A and into 6A: East Ridge (Clermont) Cooper City Everglades (Miramar) Lake Howell (Winter Park) South Plantation (Plantation) Winter Springs North Port Strawberry Crest (Dover) Olympic Heights (Boca Raton) Mater Academy Charter (Hialeah Gardens) Nova (Davie) Leto (Tampa) The following teams would be moving up to 7A from 6A Northwestern (Miami) Jesuit (Tampa) Jones (Orlando) Naples Vanguard (Ocala) Riverside (Jacksonville) Lincoln (Tallahassee) Columbia (Lake City) Escambia (Pensacola) Pine Forest (Pensacola) Plantation Mainland (Daytona Beach)

In 8A, the following teams would move down: Tohopekaliga (Kissimmee) Freedom (Orlando) Coral Reef (Miami) Royal Palm Beach University (Orlando) Celebration Lake Worth Windermere Leonard (Greenacres) West Boca Raton (Boca Raton) Miami Beach Cypress Creek (Orlando) The following teams from 7A would replace them: St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) Edgewater (Orlando) Lakeland Armwood (Seffner) Dillard (Fort Lauderdale) Tampa Bay Tech (Tampa) Niceville Palmetto Bloomingdale (Valrico) Buchholz (Gainesville) Atlantic (Delray Beach) Wekiva (Apopka)

I have suggested numerous times over the years that we should have a promotion/relegation system (my opinions on how it should be done, have changed, but always a recognition that classifications based solely on size seem antiquated). Additionally, the Florida Legislature's neutering of the FHSAA and now Open Enrollment have created more of what many of us expected and the FHSAA is limited in what it can do. Private vs Public classifications (No go with state legislature) Metro vs Suburban (Doesn't solve the problem of transfers/recruits and throws a lot of schools under the bus) Sitting out a year for transferring (no go with state legislature) Multiplier based on transfers (It might solve the issue for small schools, but does STA really care if they play in 7A or 8A?). My solution use the MaxPreps end of year rankings for the previous 4 years, average them, and move a team up or down based on their ranking within their classification. Good teams will rise up, bad teams will move down, teams will be able to find some competitive balance within their classification. The benefit of this is that it works in all sports. A school dominates in baseball? Move them up! That same school's soccer team scored 1 goal all season, move them down! So yes in theory, your school could be 8A in volleyball and 4A in football, who cares, we want competitive balance that the current classification system doesn't offer. People might suggest that the FHSAA offered this up a couple of years ago, I think they did it wrong. They based it on that season's results and it affected the playoffs. So if you were really good that one season, have a chance at the state championship, the FHSAA wanted to yank you from your classification and put you in a separate class. Long term that might work, but the state wasn't ready for that. So I did the research, here are the teams that would move up/down in each class. Would we have teams that would still be automatic favorites to win the state championship? Sure, but it takes time, coaches/ADs are not going to take a radical switch of where their team is.

Joining Coach Coe leaving the Florida HS coaching ranks. Maybe Columbia can finally make it pass Riverside in the playoffs.

I have no problem eliminating 2 classes. I suggest a 4 year rolling average (for all sports), because you get that special team sometimes that just dominates for 1 year, but then the coach moves on and the Senior class graduates and the team is mediocre again. If it is a 4 year average, teams don't have to fear having one great year moves you up, but rather constant success. I do think that promotion/relegation should happen every year, just the determination is based on the previous 4 years of data.

The answer is the same I have said for over 10 years. A promotion and relegation system is the answer to every problem. If a team recruits and dominates a classification, move them up a classification. If a team has trouble fielding a team, move them down. Do it based on a 4 year rolling average of success (MaxPreps Rating), so a team doesn't go from 2A to 8A overnight, only one classification bump per year. Even 1A should have its most dominate team switch with the lowest ranked rural school(regardless of size) Tell me why this isn't a simpler and easier way to do this. It eliminates concerns about open enrollment/recruiting, because they face other tough teams. If you want to do it even better, 8A should be 64 teams at max, the rest of the classes of the classes 96.

I have been promoting the idea on this and the Old FlaVarsity board for years that promotion/relegation is the best solution for solving competitive imbalance in ALL sports. I would start with school size. After 2 years. I move the top/bottom 10-15 schools in a classification over a 4 year period. And then do it every year after that. Let good teams move up and bad teams move down. Kids get to play equal level programs.

Thank you. My bad.

Saw this across my Twitter feed and it felt it was like a Sexy Beast in training. I cant believe it was nearly 10 years ago that he was playing QB for Apopka.