gatorman-uf

2016 8A ?,??? 7A 4,735 6A 6,715 5A 3,119 4A 3,856 3A 2,292 2A 1,373 1A 3,870 TOTALS 25,960

They have been re-districted to be in 3A

Stanton (Jacksonville) and Paxon (Jacksonville) and Suncoast (Riveria Beach)... schools that are 100% academic magnets. The students have to be committed to academics first and athletics second. No easy classes to hide a star athlete. You have to take Advanced Placement or International Bacculaurreate courses your entire time. They occasionally get some good athletes, but putting together 50 of those types of players is hard for a football team.

Joshua, The system has been proposed for several reasons over the past year+... 1) Not all Games mattered during the Regular Season 2) Lack of Competitiveness in Early Rounds of playoffs 3) Complaints of "losing" teams making the playoffs 4) Constant complaints about being in certain districts 5) We don't have "Big" Games during the season. My problem with changing the system is that the new system doesn't do much for numbers 2-5. We now will have #1 vs #8 in the playoffs that will not help competitiveness. #2 vs #7 will not help competitiveness. Losing teams make the playoffs because we have too many classifications, shrink the classifications, or simply shrink the number of districts per region by 1 and most of the problems would have been fixed. Constant complaints exist about being in certain districts because people don't want to face teams they feel they have a competitive disadvantage with. While my idea of promotion/relegation is unprecedented, it solves the problem. This system (even with no districts for every classification), still means that you face a team in the playoff that dominates you. Finally, the old system did not punish somebody from playing "big" games. The new system actually makes rivalry games less likely to continue as they could cost you a playoff spot if they are poor. The system doesn't reward you for playing a 10-0 team because if you lose, you could have earned more points playing a 0-10. --------------------------- As for problems with relegation/promotion due to geography, we already have that issue. Teams in the Panhandle and areas outside of big Urban areas already have long travels. Jacksonville schools have traveled down the coast to Daytona and Deland in the past. Teams in North Central Florida have traveled from Gainesville to Tallahassee in the past. --------------------------- As for the argument, make your team better.... Isn't that what should have been said to the Independents schools who fled from 2A and 3A? While it would be unprecedented, California has created an Open Division (article is about basketball). So the idea of good teams playing good teams (not based on enrollment) is out there. http://www.espn.com/blog/high-school/california/post/_/id/1386/five-questions-cif-basketball-open-division

I have said it many times now. The new playoff system does not solve the issue of competitiveness. It actually just makes it so coaches can try and game the system. The district was simple and allowed you to mostly play that you wanted. The problem is that we continue to have teams in classification who out play the level of competition due to numerous reasons (transfers, recruiting, etc). So move them up a classification (exemptions for 1A and 2A). Move poor teams down. It evens out the competitive levels. Shrink the classifications by 1 and you can eliminate 3 and 4 team districts.

As of 2015, FWHS has 598 per FHSAA 6-8 does not count towards your student population numbers. 2016 #s have not been released, but if they are putting FWHS, Newberry, and Baldwin in 3A than they are over 600.

As I have stated numerous times, this tries to fix a non-existent problem. The problem of bad teams making the playoffs is solved by shrinking the number of classes and avoiding 3-4 team districts. But the FHSAA is trying to make things more complicated and the average fan is going to be totally lost on this.

c2c is an extremely user unfriendly site for both fan and coach. Maxpreps is so much cleaner and easier to use than C2C. The only positive in c2c was the contract process which still was a pain in the butt.

Thank you

Joshua, If a school made the playoffs in 2017 would this affect the bonus points for 2018 or do only the 2015 & 2016 playoffs count? Thanks in Advance,

One of the rules that many coaches I have dealt with regarding videotaping games is that you don't close up shop until the two units are clearly separated and in their huddles post-game for this very reason.

As the new playoff system comes into affect, will not the new playoff system make it even worse. Right Now, you have a #1 playing a #3, a #5 playing an #8, we would expect these games to be closer than a #1 vs #8 or #2 vs #7.

Yes, except now imagine 60 of the best teams in the classifications and you start getting the idea. Now obviously, school size plays a large role in success, but we can obviously name many schools that are top notch that are smaller.

Because I don't have anything set up and am starting from scratch, this is taking a while. But I have finished a simulation for Classification 1A. They will have no districts next year so this is actually more meaningful than 7A. Region 1 Baker High School 39.5 * Playoff Northview High School 37.5 * Playoff Holmes County High School 35.5 Graceville High School 35 * Playoff Cottondale High School 34.5 * Playoff Vernon High School 34 Wewahitchka High School 32 Sneads High School 31.66667 Jay High School 30.5 Region 2 South Walton High School 38.88889 Blountstown High School 38 *Playoff Port St. Joe High School 37.22222 *Playoff Freeport High School 37 West Gadsden High School 36.5 * Playoff Bozeman School 35 Chipley High School 33 * Playoff Liberty County High School 30.55556 Franklin County Middle/High School 28 Region 3 Madison County High School 42.22222 * Playoff Fort White High School 38.5 * Playoff Baldwin Middle-Senior High School 35.5 * Playoff Union County High School 35.5 Lafayette High School 35 Hawthorne Middle/High School 34.44444 Hamilton County High School 33.88889 * Playoff Hilliard Middle-Senior High School 33.33333 Bell High School 30.5 Jefferson County Middle/High School 30 Region 4 Pahokee Middle-Senior High School 42 *Playoff Trenton Middle/High School 40.55556 * Playoff Newberry High School 40 *Playoff Frostproof M/S High School 35.5 * Playoff Williston High School 35 Fort Meade Middle-Senior High School 34.5 Dixie County High School 34.375 Taylor Middle/High School 33.88889 Crescent City High School 33 Chiefland High School 32.5 Branford High School 31.5 Teams in Bold would be facing each other (#1 vs #4, #2 vs #3). Teams with " * Playoff" are teams that are in the playoffs under current system of Champions and Runner Ups. South Walton is the team that would benefit the most under the new system as they lost a district shootout and were eliminated. Hamilton County would be the biggest loser in this situation. Not only would they be out the playoffs a team they beat Lafayette (Mayo) would be closer to the playoffs than they would. What this tells me if I was a coach, is schedule very carefully. I will continue to say it, I am not sure I see the benefit in scheduling tough under the new system or even mediocre teams.

In theory, I like teams like Trinity Christian, Bolles, Cocoa, Godby, Bishop Moore, and other continuously great schools to move up in classification until winning districts or making the playoffs is not an absolute. I want us to eventually the 60 best schools put them in an 8A classification and let them play. Size would not matter, if you are a 3A school and beat the 3A schools, then move up to 4A. If you beat the 4As, move up to 5A, And so forth. If you are an 8A school and can barely field a team, let's move you down to 7A to try and be more competitive. If you are not competitive at 7A, move down to 6A. If you are not competitive at 6A, and then 5A and so forth. One of the worse ideas we have is that school size is the only factor that contributes to success. While I am sure there is a strong correlation between size and success, we can many mid-size schools that are better than the 8A schools in their own counties. So we need to stop pretending that size is the only factor, let on field success or failure allow teams to move up and down in classifications, not just school size.

My best example of what I mean is that it is silly for Trinity Christian to be playing in 3A, they should be forced to move up and play in a "harder" classification. Additionally, teams like Stanton Prep, Paxon School for Advanced Studies, and Englewood (to pick 3 Jacksonville Schools) should be forced down until they can be competitive. Obviously, exceptions for Rural 1A and Urban 2A schools.

http://www.fhsaa.org/sites/default/files/orig_uploads/News/9.26.16-fhsaa_board_of_directors_approves_new_football_playoff_format.pdf You have to average otherwise a team that has 9 games vs a team that played 10 games would be at a disadvantage. Also 4th bullet point under How Points Are Scored.

Your average (assuming a loss) would have decreased and you have been out of the playoffs as a 6-4 team.

The new system has 4 categories: 1) .800 win % and above, 2) .600 to .799 win %, 3) .400 to .5999 and 4) below .4000 Fletcher had wins against Fort White (Category 1) and Mandarin (Category 2), Columbia had two Category 2 wins (Fletcher and Suwannee) and no Category 1 wins. Flecther's losses (Lee and CHS) were a Category 1 and 2 loss. Columnia's losses (Lee, TC-Jax, and Buchholz) were a Category 1 and 2 Category 2 losses).

I ran a simulation based on the new playoff format for Classification 7A, Region 1... I don't like the new system that goes into effect next year. I think it is overly complicated for what the goal should be. The FHSAA membership disagrees, so be it. My position has not changed we need to create a promotion/relegation system that pushes better teams up the ladder and worse ones down until they can be successful. District Champs/Runner Up Under Current System Lincoln/Leon Lee/Columbia Buchholz/Bartram Trail Ocoee/Hagerty Under the Simulation 1) Ocoee vs Oakleaf/Columbia 2) Buchholz vs Bartram Trail 3) Lee vs Fletcher 4) Lincoln vs Hagerty Ocoee High School 39 Buchholz High School 38.8889 Lee High School 38.75 Hagerty High School 38 Fletcher High School 37.7778 Bartram Trail High School 37.5 Lincoln High School 37.5 Columbia High School 37.2222 Oakleaf High School 37.2222 West Port High School 36.1111 East Ridge High School 36 Leon High School 35.625 Fleming Island High School 35.5556 Lake Howell High School 33.5 Chiles High School 32.2222 First Coast High School 32.2222 Atlantic Coast High School 31.5 Edgewater High School 30 Lake Minneola High School 29.5 Creekside High School 29.4444 Now, the new system is funky and weird. 1), I can't actually break the tie between Oakleaf and Columbia as they have the same # of category 1 wins (0) and same # of category 1 and 2 wins (2). There is no next tie breaker, so who earns the 8th spot is a mystery. 2) CHS (which beat Fletcher in the regular season) ends up being pushed potentially out. Two of our first round games are rematches (real excitement there for a first round match). 3) If we assume Columbia gets the spot, then the old system provided 7 of the 8 that would have gotten in anyway (only Leon stays home). Link to Data

Some interesting articles from the Gainesville Sun about the Suwannee Conference... (1988) Chiefland Coach/Principal Doyle McCall talks about some of the positive impact of the conference. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=esBWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FeoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6431%2C227418 (1990) Williston, Dixie County, Chiefland, Union County, Newberry are members and Keystone and Interlachen wanting to join. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=j89PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oQYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5449%2C3801585 (1992) Last reference I can find to Suwannee Conference https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DsRPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pQYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6873%2C4769971

I have no problem with 1 weekend of games... I just wish they would do it Friday-Sunday. Have 2 games on Sunday (noon and 4 pm). Friday and Saturday 11: 3:30, 7:30 pm

Nothing new here... still doesn't solve the problems. The major problems are caused by too many classifications. People are upset that a 1-9 team makes the playoffs because they are in a 3 team district. Well, why does that happen? Answer: Teams are too spread out with this many classifications. People continue to say that you will see more marquee match-ups with the new system, I continue to ask how does the current system stop them from happening? Nobody ever answers that question. The current district/runner-up doesn't discourage you from scheduling a 10-0. Also some teams are not going to reschedule some games. Columbia High School is going to play Suwannee every year, because it is a gate game that both communities want. Columbia is going to continue to play Gainesville and Buchholz because they are close, gate games. People say that we will have less blowouts in the first rounds, these were the point differentials in the state championships when the best of the best are supposed to be playing and would happen under the new or old system. 8A Game: 19 point spread 7A Game: 35 point spread 6A Game: 35 point spread 5A Game: 3 point spread 4A Game: 20 point spread 3A Game: 27 point spread 2A Game: 45 point spread 1A Game: 34 point spread How does this new system fix the above? Simple answer it doesn't.... We have to stop pretending that school size is the only factor that matters in football success. We need to weight success on the field along with school size. Does this mean a school like Trinity Christian or Oxbridge might be playing in a classification 2 or 3 sizes bigger, sure. But their success has proven they can handle it. At the same time, do we need to allow schools like Stanton Prep to play in a lower classification because they aren't going to compete with schools their own size. YES!!!

My favorite part, he enrolled at AHD on June 15 and was back at St. JP II by June 22. His reasoning "he didn't like American Heritage." Seriously, you can make that decision in a week? Whether he was recruited or not, think about it for a second. You are a rising Junior, the QB at AHD is a rising Junior and just won a state championship. Do you really think you are going to beat out the reigning starter? I just don't get it.

Great Job to Justin Barney and the Florida Times-Union http://jacksonville.com/sports/high-schools/2016-07-09/story/florida-produces-most-nfl-talent-yet-statewide-pay-high-school