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I did double check and you were right Tampa Bay Tech is region 3 
Also I updated the list after looking deeper into region 2 of 7a which I snubbed a bit in original rankings

Venice returned 17 or 18 starters from 2015's team that was decent. This was going to be a very good Venice team from the get go.

The biggest thing is lack of threats Apopka has faced this year
 
Both of their top challengers in regular season have brought them down to the wire (plus the kickoff classic but I've ran that game into ground enough so not gonna bring it back up)
 
So the playoffs will make or break for Apopka
 
They have talent but will have to understand they won't get it as easy as they did during the season

I agree that is main reason I gave Niceville edge over Crestview in both rankings I've done

I agree that is main reason I gave Niceville edge over Crestview in both rankings I've done

I think that game could go either way but for now....Niceville's defense has looked much better against a more impressive SOS.  

Same exact score as last year.

I see a different team from one who lost to Lee
 
Columbia came off 2 weeks of no football and didn't miss a beat, we scored twice in first minute and could have scored 2 more times had we not had penalties call them back

Well, I never thought I would be writing something about Middleburg... of course who cares about Middleburg, right?
 
Well, I do!
 
As a 2005 graduate, I know the pains and struggles of watching a team do well and then collapse.
 
I speak on this from the side as a big school supporter. I didn't strap on a helmet for personal reasons, but all that school spirit earned me Most School Spirit Superlative my senior year. 
 
From 2001-2005 I roamed the halls of that school out there in the middle of Clay County (no Walmart yet...that came about 18 months after I graduated) and I will tell you it was fun watching a team rise up from 2-8 in 2001, 5-5 in 2002 and then boom 2003 we made the playoff for the first time since 1990 when some quarterback named Alan Hall was roaming the sidelines under the legendary David Wilson (yes that David Wilson from Tallahassee Lincoln).
 
2003 was a different year...it meant something. We didn't have the toughest schedule that year I would say. We took losses to Baker County and Alachua Santa Fe then we ripped off 6 wins before Clay defeated us for the district championship in Week 10. Week 11 we defeated a team called Nease that has a sophomore QB named Tim Tebow who was out for that game (never mind he terrorized Middleburg the next two season...one game they dropped 70 on us). Anyways, we played every county school on the schedule (Clay - rival in same 3A district, Orange Park - 6A, Ridgeview - rival in the same district in 3A, Keystone Heights - a 2B school at the time and Fleming Island - the new kids on the block and placed in the 3A district... Oakleaf wasn't even thought or a neighborhood yet as the now almost completed expressway which was just a two-lane newly built state highway at the time in that area).
 
Anyways it was a fun season...really fun.. we finished the regular season 7-3 and went to the playoffs. Our first round opponent was a former rival (I say former because they hadn't been on the schedule since the mid-1990's at least) in Palatka. The Panthers of Palatka were ranked #6 in 3A at the time of the game. Well, RB Trent Stewart and TE Gary Barnidge (yes that Gary Barnidge of the Cleveland Browns) helped power the team to a 54-28 win in Palatka. I didn't get down there for that game, but I got phone calls for that game..was shocked...just totally shocked. Middleburg could be blamed for Palatka's struggles ever since.
 
Our next playoff game was a home matchup with Dunnellon since Middleburg was on the line of the bracket to host since it was a runner-up vs. runner-up. Well, let's just say we weren't prepared for them as Dunnellon threw the Wing-T at us and ran it perfectly. We were out of the playoffs and any hopes of a deep run were dashed. 
 
Well,  here we are in 2016....I didn't think this would even happen. Middleburg was 0-10 last year. When I did district projections before the season started I had to be realistic. I knew Middleburg could beat Englewood in 6A-4, but I gave them no chance to beat Ed White or Nease. Not one chance. I put them to finish 4th...tonight they blew that projection up in my face by moving to 3-0 and all but guaranteeing themselves a playoff berth for the first time in 13 years. Rightfully, they had every right to blow that projection up in my face. It is a testament to what Karl Smeltzer is doing with the team. He is keeping the kids home finally and they aren't slipping away to other programs. Smeltzer played at Middleburg under those days of good teams and he knows to build a winner you got to have the players who can be coached and want to win. Although they are 4-3, they really should be 6-1 because they lost by 6 in OT to Orange Park and lost by 3 in a 3-0 to Fleming Island. 
 
So yes now they will host St. Augustine in two weeks for the district championship. I think now they are at this point where they know they can win and beat teams that haven't been able to beat in a long time. I think this is the start of something that will make Middleburg a more recognizable team in the future.
 
So, yes I am one happy person right now....I am going to soak it in.
 
And to put this one in perspective....a 6A playoff bracket that has Middleburg in it but not Miami Central...that could be cemented as early as next week. I got some stories to write after the season on some of the crazy things...I got two of them right here.
 

Hey I'm happy for you, it is much more fun when you're winning.

Next Friday for homecoming

Solid win, who you all likely play first round?

Neither

8A Apopka vs Dr Phillips
Park Vista vs Southridge 

7A Lee vs Lakeland
Venice vs STA 

6A Niceville vs Armwood
Naples vs Mainland

5A West Florida vs Baker County
Tampa Jesuit vs AHP

4A Bolles vs Dunellon
Cocoa vs BTW

3A TCA vs Tampa Catholic
CCC vs Oxbridge Academy 

2A University vs Victory
Cambridge vs Champagnat

1A Baker vs Blountstown
Madison County vs Pahokee

As the regular season is winding down here is what I am projecting our State Semi Finals will look like in each class EXCEPT 2A....No clue and don't care...
 
8A Apopka vs Osceola
Flanagan vs Southridge
 
7A Lincoln vs Plant
Venice vs STA
 
6A Niceville vs Armwood
Charlotte vs Carol City
 
5A Rickards vs Baker County
Tampa Jesuit vs AHP
 
4A Bolles vs South Sumter
Cocoa vs BTW
 
3A TCA vs Lakeland Christian
CCC vs Oxbridge Academy
 
2A No clue and don't care
 
1A Baker vs Port St. Joe
Madison County vs Pahokee
 
 
Aight so feel free to destroy these and give your own predictions...

This is a simple case of "looking too deep into the name." This is ridiculous and shouldn't have been put in the daily newspaper. People are too sensitive these days.

They both appear pretty good defensively to me. That seems to be the 8A theme state wide in 2016.  I think they are two pretty good 8A teams.
 
 8A Region 1 to me appears to have a lot of good teams but I don't see those 2-3 separating themselves as of yet like usual. Apopka and Seminole appear to be the front-runners but I don't see much of a gap heading into mid-October...

I like Sandalwood to get the quality road win here.

alright im gonna work on a little mini project for this trend
 
thanks now i got the number i need

Apopka got to be careful and Not slip up in playoffs bc wekiva might play them again

Game Day Tigers it's going to take a great effort to get that WIN tonight !!!!!!!!

Carol City 8
Norland 0

Turnover Oxbridge ball.   Good shit.  We might have a ball game folks.   

Man, I'd be safer standing outside naked during an entire cat 5 hurricane than be put next to a tiger, which is like the most common team name.  I doubt the 60 or so people killed by them a year would care that there are thousands of tiger mascots.  Could you imagine if team names where all switched to positive/moral/safe mascots?  Here come the St. Thomas Aquinas Traders! lol

They want more states to join and are in talks with other states to join for either this season or next, per the linked article above. 
 
AHP most likely would be up if STA does not get an invite, or declines an invite.