SPCjessica2004

Since yesterday I've received a ton (okay, by ton I mean 7 E-mails..but let's keep things in perspective!) about the MCC/Oxbridge game. I'll try to weed through them as time permits and post questions and answers and post some of them to the forums and try to provide a breakdown. One of the questions was super technical, don't expect a response on that. Another one was a fan who was very upset I didn't know Oxbridge had suspensions during the Lakes game. Sorry, I didn't know. The only non MCC/Oxbridge question I received was from a really nice Chaminade-Madonna parent asking who and where they would play since their players/coaches aren't allowed to look beyond the team they're playing this week. You will play the winner of the Clearwater Central Catholic vs Calvary Christian (Clearwater not Ormond Beach). If you draw Calvary Christian then Chaminade would host. If you draw CCC you would need to travel to Clearwater on Black Friday. I'll be out of town today and probably tomorrow, I'll gather questions/comments and post on Wednesday.

See, that's why I love message boards! Great posters like MuckCityChamp and Broward can fill in the blanks for me:-)

CLASS 3A- ROUND 2 PREVIEW Game of the week: #4 Melbourne Central Catholic at # 2 Oxbridge Academy Rankings: MCC is ranked #58 in the state by Maxpreps, Oxbridge is ranked #22 This is a game that was hyped the moment the new regions were broken down. MCC who is a defending Class 3A Regional champion vs Oxbridge Academy looking for their first ever Regional championship. On paper this is an even match-up with both the Hustlers and Thunderwolves senior loaded with major division 1 talent. Both teams are battle tested going into this one, both teams have expectations of playing in Orlando. I think Oxbridge has an advantage in the trenches, I think MCC has an advantage at the skill positions. For Oxbridge the key is going to be getting pretty on MCC Qb Joaquin Collazo and for MCC they have to find a way to disrupt Oxbridge QB Gio Richardson who is playing at a very high level right now. Oxbridge has a good 1-2 punch at RB with Meeks leading the charge. Many believe that MCC is peaking at the right time, while whispers in the background are that Oxbridge, after struggling against Lakes 2 weeks ago and a tough start against King's last week may have peaked already. I don't believe any of that- I believe that both teams will get each others best efforts and I also believe that both teams started preparing for each other weeks ago. Jessica's Pick: Neither team is very deep, but each teams starting 11 is as good as you're going to find anywhere in the smaller schools in America. The winner of the game will come down to which linemen will wear down first. MCC brings back most of an offensive and defensive line that survived 9 overtimes last year against CCC, but that game was in Melbourne where MCC has a history of pulling special upsets. Going to Oxbridge is a totally different story. At the start of the season I had MCC in Orlando, it was my gut choice unless something happened. So this pick is really going against my gut and based more on logic. Somebody has to win..and I just think Oxbridge's CJ Smith will make one extra play to win the most thrilling game in Oxbridge Academy history.. Oxbridge 35, MCC 32 Chaminade Madonna vs Benjamin School Rankings: Chaminade-Madonna is ranked #12 in the state by Maxpreps and Benjamin School is ranked # 92 The Lions have peaked at the perfect time and are rolling in the playoffs behind the running ability of Shaun Shivers. Benjamin School is 8-2 with losses coming to North Broward Prep and at Key West. Benjamin turned heads when they defeated rival King's Academy and to win a playoff game is a huge step forward for the Buccaneer program. I'm a fan of QB Jordan Travis who is a Louisville commit. This is going to be one of the better QB/Offensive line combo's that Chaminade has seen, but I don't think Benjamin School has seen anything like the machine that is Chaminade. Jessica's Pick: Benjamin School coach said, and I quote, " We’re just a very average team without Jordan". While Benjamin has a couple of other players- Chaminade will take Jordan away and force somebody else to beat them- thus, by the Bucs own admission, they're probably not anywhere close to pulling this upset. Chaminade on the other hand has played some of the top competition in America and while it hasn't always been pretty, they're healthy and are better for it. I don't see Chaminade winning this one by an obscene score as I think CM will prioritize health over scoreboard shock...which is the right call at this point in the season. Chaminade by 35 Taylor County vs Florida State University School Rankings: Taylor County is ranked #105 and FSU School is ranked #129 in the state by Maxpreps. Kevin Sawyer's 150 yards rushing helped FSU school upset Ft. White in overtime 28-27. Taylor County defeated Newberry for the second time this season in convincing fashion. Josh Mixon had a big night. Jessica's Pick: Taylor by 17 Clearwater Central Catholic vs Calvary Christian (Clearwater) Rankings: CCC is ranked #27 and Calvary is ranked # 108 in the state by Maxpreps The first round of the playoffs featured quite a few rematches from regular season games in the entire state of Florida; however, as we enter regional championship week in 3A CCC vs Calvary is the only rematch from a regular season game. Earlier this year, CCC defeated Calvary 23-14 at Calvary. Since the loss Calvary has been on fire offensively averaging just over 35ppg while only giving up 5ppg. Calvary gave CCC everything they wanted and then some earlier this year as Amari Burney and Deandre Ferguson had big nights. Jessica's Pick: When the teams met earlier this year CCC was coming off a huge 21-13 win over Rockledge while Calvary had a bye week before hosting CCC. There is a complete difference in strength of schedule between the two teams. CCC got the jolt it needed by beating Tampa Catholic for the second time this season. Calvary picked up their first ever playoff victory last week and now plays in the schools first ever Regional Championship game, CCC has played in 11 Regional Championship games and this will be the 6th consecutive. CCC won 4 in a row before having that streak snapped last year. Calvary is a good team, but CCC is playing for an undefeated regional championship season at home. Good enough for me! CCC 42, Calvary 17

With the first week of the class 3A playoffs in the books let's see how I (and by extension husband) did! I'll go down the list of Rd 1 games and then going into week 2. I am not doing any further rankings since the playoffs will ultimately determine who the top ranked teams are from here on out. WEEK 1 REVIEW Game of the Week: Tampa Catholic at Clearwater Central Catholic Jessica's pick: CCC 31, TC 28 (Overtime). What I said going into the game: " Unlike week 3, I think CCC gets the best of what the Crusaders of TC have to offer. This one will go the distance and the Marauders will have to rally late..but..expect an all time classic! " Result: CCC 37, TC 35 CCC was picked by as many as 21 by the computer polls, but this is a heated, vicious rivalry. Tampa Catholic is one of the most individually talented teams in the entire state and I believe by the time this 4 year rotation finishes will have as many as 19 of their 38 players playing college football somewhere. This was not the same TC team that lined up against CCC in week 3 and it wasn't the same TC team that lined up against Jesuit last week. TC did not turn the ball over once while forcing 5 turnovers for CCC (including a pick 6). In the end, TC has an answer for everything CCC did or attempted to do. In the end it still wasn't enough, CCC did just enough to hang around and then stole the game on a 29 yard TD pass from QB Rory Hicks to WR Brett Seither on a jump ball to the back of the endzone with no time left on the clock to win. This was indeed an all-time classic game! Kudos to the TC Crusaders for a great season, I've no doubt this will be a top 3-5 team in 3A and a top 50 team in Florida at some point in 2018. American Heritage Delray at Chaminade-Madonna Jessica's pick: Chaminade by 38 What I said going into the game: " Chaminade Madonna is ranked #12 in Florida according to MaxPreps, AHD is #181 and that's probably the closest this game will be. That said, it won't show on Friday night, but I do think the Stallions are heading in the right direction " Result: Chaminade 38, AHD 0 Thank you Chaminade-Madonna for making me look great on this pick! Chaminade moves onto round 2 against after a strong victory. AHD is clearly rebuilding but they gave everything they had against a much better Chaminade team. I still stand by my statement that there are good things happening at AHD and this will be a program that returns to prominence in the near future. I think for 2018 AHD needs to back off the tough schedule a bit. Still, you have to respect AHD for playing a tough schedule and building the program back up. I think 2018 could be a strong season if the guys they have stay and they add a few pieces in the off season. Melbourne Central Catholic at Orlando First Academy Jessica's pick: MCC 42, TFA 14 What I said going into the game: " Despite being undefeated MaxPreps has First Academy 141 and 7-3 MCC at 78. Is it an upset is a 4 seed defeats a 1 seed? In this case- no. " Result: MCC 55. TFA 21 It was always going to be an uphill battle for Orlando TFA simply because of the firepower that MCC has. Kudos to TFA for an undefeated season, that's an accomplishment for the program as they work toward the future. I would like to see them schedule a bit tougher, but they do have a bright future. This will be a player in the Region 2 race in 2018. King's Academy at Oxbridge Academy Jessica's pick: Oxbridge by 35 What I said going into the game: " The Thunderwolves can't get caught looking ahead to MCC or Chaminade and I don't think they will. Kings has had a strong season, but staying on the field with Oxbridge is more than they're capable of. " Result: Oxbridge 42, King's 7 King's Academy is not a bad football team and I still maintain that point. I admit going into the season I didn't know much about them, but thank's to Broward Handicapper I educated myself..err.. my husband educated himself and then explained it to me. King's to me, is a solid 3A team that can compete with most 3A teams- but, right now- it's probably to much to expect them to compete with the top 4 teams in 3A (Oxbridge, Chaminade, CCC, MCC). Oxbridge did what they needed to do after a slow start. I think King's will still be solid in 2018 and compete in Region 2 along with TFA for a playoff spot, but needs a few south Florida game breakers to compete with the elite teams. Calvary Christian (Clearwater) at Lakeland Christian Jessica's pick: Calvary by 14 What I said going into the game: " LCS has a couple of key wins including Avon Park and Berkeley Prep so I can dig LCS being a favorite ONLY if Tate Whatley plays. If the QB doesn't play it's hard to see them staying on the field with Amari Bruney, Deandre Ferguson and the rest of the Warrior football team. " Result: Calvary Christian 24, LCS 10 It turns out that LCS QB Tate Whatley did not suit up against Calvary, but the LCS defense showed up limiting Calvary's big play ability. In the end Calvary's Amari Burney is one of the top players in America for a reason, he single handedly turned the game around with a series of interceptions (including a pick 6). LCS moved the ball, but without a running game to speak of and the Sr. QB out- LCS had to resort to trick plays which mostly didn't work. Calvary advanced to the first regional championship game in school history. LCS finished a very fine 8-2 and if not for injury may still be playing this week. LCS has some holes to fill, but there's good talent on the team. Region 3 in 3A is top heavy, so I expect they'll fight for a playoff spot in 2018. OTHER RESULTS: Taylor County 34, Newberry 8 (Jessica's pick: Taylor County by 21) FSU School 28, Ft. White 27 (Jessica's pick: Ft. White by 7) Benjamin 43, Everglades Prep 6 (Jessica's pick: Benjamin by 14)

I, for one, saw it as well. Disgraceful on the individual's part. Josh's website is one of last good places to talk football, sports and high school athletics with people. As a mother of a child on the verge of joining youth league athletics I appreciate this website more and more! Keep it up Josh!

Rockledge is a surprise for sure. When they were 1-3 things weren't looking good, but looking at the complete body of work now that all of the results are in, it's impressive. Looking at those 3 losses, Maxpreps has Viera at #9 in Florida, Oceola at #15 and CCC at #29 in Florida. All 3 teams are ranked in the top 250 in America and all 3 will probably be playing in the playoffs for multiple weeks. The question now becomes- how far can Rockledge go? It's a team I'd like to look at when the season is over and the champions are crowned.

Nolebull813, You would be correct, Fort Hill did run the Wing T and so does Orlando First Academy. I think First Academy has the athletes to play a more competitive schedule and be successful, but it's hard to to see how good the Royals are when they play teams like 4 Corners, Foundation, Agape, West Oaks. Credit where credit is due, they did beat Calvary Christian (Clearwater) and Lake Highland. Neither are super powerhouses, but they're not terrible either- I consider both solid high school football teams. MCC is finally healthy after playing a few games without their starting QB, Joaquin Collazo. He's the glue of the offense. I just think that MCC is a better football team than First Academy. It's worth pointing out that these two teams (MCC and TFA) have a significant history with each other as they were district rivals for years. This will be a good game, but I just see the firepower for MCC overwhelming TFA in the third and 4th quarters are a competitive first half.

So, I wrote up my Class 3A preview last week and thought it posted but it did not. Such is life! Anyway.. With the regular season over, I wanted to provide my final Class 3A rankings and throw some topics out there.. Final 2017 Class 3A Regular Season Rankings 1) Chaminade-Madonna Prep: Lions retain #1 spot after a solid win over previously undefeated University School. 2) Oxbridge Academy: Knocked off Palm Beach Lakes in a closer than expected contest, but still finishes the season a very strong 8-1. 3) Clearwater Central Catholic: Had a bye week for week 11, but finished season at 9-0. 4) Melbourne Central Catholic: Hustlers maybe 7-3, but demolished Palm Beach Central last week and are finally healthy. 5) Orlando First Academy: Undefeated regular season deserves respect. Receiving consideration: Taylor County (Perry), Lakeland Christian, King's Academy, Tampa Catholic, Calvary Christian (Clearwater), Heritage Delray. There are some amazing first round games this year that feature some of the states best going at it early. Here are the games I'm looking forward to: Tampa Catholic at Clearwater Central Catholic This is the grand daddy of first round playoff games in 3A. This is already one of the most heated historic private school rivalries in the state and now it's a first round playoff game. CCC is 9-0 and TC is 7-3. CCC finished with the top average points in Class 3A and thus will host every playoff game as long as they win. The teams met earlier this year in Clearwater with CCC winning 25-0. In the game, CCC racked up just under 450 yards total offense while limiting TC to under 150. While TC did lose to Jesuit for the 18th consecutive year- The Crusaders have looked very good on offense since week 4 (2nd half of the MCC game). Maxpreps has CCC ranked #27 in Florida and Tampa Catholic #138, so on paper CCC is the favorite, but no so fast (Lee Corso voice!). CCC, to me, needs to be on upset alert. TC is one of the most individually talented teams not named Chaminade-Madonna. Like CM, they have multiple power 5 offered guys and a plethora of former NFL players coaching. Tampa Catholic always loses to Jesuit and tends to rebound the following week. Unlike week 3, I think CCC gets the best of what the Crusaders of TC have to offer. This one will go the distance and the Marauders will have to rally late..but..expect an all time classic! Jessica's Pick: CCC 31, TC 28 (Overtime) Melbourne Central Catholic at Orlando First Academy After all the screaming, shouting and complaining- the Hustlers make the playoffs as the 4 seed in region 2. The Hustlers won't see a home playoff game, but the senior laden Central Catholic program has the pieces to be in Orlando regardless. Orlando First Academy is undefeated, but outside of a solid 22-20 win over Calvary Christian (Clearwater) the Royals haven't played anyone of particular note. Still, the Wing-T offense of First Academy can be tough to stop if you don't prepare for it. MCC maybe on the road, but they've also been on the road. Including the kickoff classic, the Hustlers have played at Cardinal Gibbons, BuFord GA, Fort Hill MD and a trip down to Archbishop McCarthy and up to Deltona. MCC appears to be as healthy as they have been and after a 50-6 thrashing of Palm Beach Central appear to be peaking at the perfect point in the season. Despite being undefeated MaxPreps has First Academy 141 and 7-3 MCC at 78. Is it an upset is a 4 seed defeats a 1 seed? In this case- no. MCC 42, TFA 14 Lakeland Christian vs Calvary Christian (Clearwater) This is an interesting game for a few reasons. #1, many people feel that Berkeley Prep or Ocala Trinity are more deserving than Calvary Christian. Calvary has played some strong teams including #1 seeds First Academy and CCC. They've also played playoff teams Indian Rocks and AFA. Lakeland Christian has a powerful offense if QB Tate Whatley is healthy, but after suffering a serious injury against Avon Park it's a toss-up if he'll play. Lakeland Christian is the 2 seed and ranked #96 on Maxpreps while Calvary is #147. LCS has a couple of key wins including Avon Park and Berkeley Prep so I can dig LCS being a favorite ONLY if Tate Whatley plays. If the QB doesn't play it's hard to see them staying on the field with Amari Bruney, Deandre Ferguson and the rest of the Warrior football team. Not knowing if the QB will play really hampers my prediction here, but I'll go with.. Calvary Christian 35, Lakeland Christian 21 Chaminade Madonna vs American Heritage Chaminade Madonna is ranked #12 in Florida according to MaxPreps, AHD is #181 and that's probably the closest this game will be. That said, it won't show on Friday night, but I do think the Stallions are heading in the right direction. This is just Chaminade's year, but if the Stallions can muster a strong effort and pick up a few transfers- they bring almost their entire team back in tact for 2018. I could see these teams meeting in years to come to much more competitive games, but the 2017 version? Snooze fest. Chaminade-Madonna by 38 over American Heritage (Delray). Oxbridge vs Kings Academy Contrary to popular belief, I don't think Oxbridge will go "into that good night" after this season- but I also believe this is their best chance to win a state championship for a while, the north is going to loaded in 2018. That makes the 2017 playoffs even more important. The Thunderwolves can't get caught looking ahead to MCC or Chaminade and I don't think they will. Kings has had a strong season, but staying on the field with Oxbridge is more than they're capable of. Oxbridge is ranked #32 in Florida according to MaxPreps, King's is 93. Oxbridge by 35 over King's Academy. Other Predictions I'm leaving to people more familiar with the teams: Taylor County by 21 over Newberry. Ft. White by 7 over FSU School Benjamin by 13 over Everglades Prep

This is a fair point. OTC could very well be a Region 1 team.

Trinity Catholic plays in a very difficult region. CCC, Tampa Catholic, Lakeland Christian, OTC, Calvary Christian, Berkeley Prep. That's some fierce competition (SPC is also on the move upward, but needs another 2 years). I didn't mention Sarasota Cardinal Mooney who would have been a contender if they didn't have to forfeit games. This is a region that you can make the playoffs as a 1 loss team, probably make the playoffs as a 2 loss team; however, 3 losses is probably to much to overcome; sadly, OTC lost 3 games early and the teams they lost to laid an egg. I think Trinity found a successful formula at the end of the 2017 season and I think JCP backing out of the week 11 game is of poor taste on their part. The silver lining is that next year Berkeley Prep, Calvary and Cardinal Mooney are going to take a step back. LCS will be about the same, pending the QB situation after Whatley graduates (the 8th grade RB is very good). Tampa Catholic brings back all of their weapons and CCC should once again be contending for a state championship. If Trinity schedules correctly, the talent is there to be in the mix and/or be a favorite to be a higher seed in 2018.

mbhs69, Good point on AHD- it looks like they are going to miss the playoffs this year- another casualty of the playoff system. Due in part to how talented Chaminade is, I never really considered AHD a threat for 2017 and looked at them more as a 2018 team. Chaminade will still have 2x top 300 players, return 4 outta 5 on the O-line and bring back a stud DE along with the Mayo kid at WR and the QB, that's a lot of financial aid money and I'm curious if the chit's they had to call in prior to this season will catch-up with them in the off-season. I'm told that Oxbridge will slip in 2018, but it's the 2019 class that you'll see the ramifications of de-emphasizin athletes. I think the 1/2 bunch of Meeks/Richardson gets them through 2018 with enough wins for a playoff run. I think you'll see MCC schedule smarter and get enough guys in to make that an interesting game. I digress though, that's looking to far into the future. King's vs Benjamin will be a very interesting game. King's vs Benjamin Tampa Catholic vs Jesuit MCC vs Fort Pierce Central Chaminade vs Uschool Berkeley Prep vs Lake Highland Ocala Trinity vs Jordan Christian Calvary (Clearwater) vs Indian Rocks Week 11 is going to be very, very interesting in 3A as teams make a final push!

Thanks Cat! I need a proofreader and an editor :-) When my own kids grow up a bit more I will probably do some freelance work. For now, it's just message board talk and learning from you guys about what fans, players, coaches are looking for in their teams.

Small shake-up in the Class 3A Rankings this week: 1) Chaminade-Madonna: The media and fans in South Florida tried to paint me a picture that the 6-1 Doral Academy Firebirds were a good football team that could compete with Chaminade. I've no doubt the Firebirds should be proud of their season and maybe if this was the Chaminade that showed up against Miami Central the would have stood a better chance. Instead, Doral Academy was obliterated by a fast strike Lions offense and a defense that refused to give ground. 2) Oxbridge Academy: Oxbridge hit the road and played a competitive game against a surprisingly solid, but young, Ft. Myers team. Oxbridge was probably playing a trap game, but the Green Wave played well- still, the Thunderwolves played the worst game of their year and still didn't surrender a point. When talking about the top defenses in Florida, Oxbridge has to be at the top of the list. 3) Clearwater Central Catholic- CCC knocked off Admiral Farragut 42-6. The game wasn't competitive after the first 4 minutes with CCC up 14-0. CCC's dominating underclassmen performed well in limited action. CCC is in prime position to win their region outright. If CCC wins the regional championship and in the process goes undefeated, that has to be one of the biggest story-lines of 3A this year for a team that graduated 9 division 1 athletes, lost their top 4 returning underclassmen to rival schools and had major assistant coaching upheavals. 4) King's Academy- The Lions can be denied no more! After knocking off previously undefeated Key West. King's Academy is rolling and enter a very interesting game on Thursday against arch-rival Benjamin School. So, how far can King's go? It depends on how soon they run into Oxbridge. Right now, Orlando First Academy in the 1 seed in the region with King's being 2, Oxbridge is #3 and Taylor is #4. I think King's has a chance to upset Orlando First Academy, not so much Oxbridge. 5) Melbourne Central Catholic- Perhaps no team in 3A has been more discussed over the past week than MCC when the realization hit that this highly talented Hustler team may miss the playoffs due scheduling tough out of state opponents. The Hustlers, even if they win out, do not control their playoff destiny at this point; still, this is a team that should win big in their last 2 games against Atlantic (Port Orange) and a under preforming FPC team. Others on my list: Orlando First Academy, Lakeland Christian, Tampa Catholic, Taylor, Ft. White, Calvary Christian (Clearwater) GAMES I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO Orlando Lake Highland Prep vs Orlando First Academy Lake Highland Prep dismantled a previously undefeated Lakeland Christian team 30-3 last week. This week? Another 3A powerhouse that is also undefeated, Orlando First Academy. First Academy currently has the most points in 3A and is the top seed in the north as a result; however, many have questions their schedule outside of a 2 point win vs Calvary Christian (Clearwater). Lake Highland Prep is a much improved team this year than the past few seasons- a win here would be a signature win for First Academy. Taylor (Pierson) vs Crescent City I've been trying to microanalysize this game, but the truth is- I'm no closer to knowing much about either of these teams. This game will have a significant and direct impact on MCC's playoff chances. I'm not going to hash out the numbers, but if Taylor wins- they're pretty much in. If Crescent City wins, MCC is likely but not 100% fore sure in. The game is listed as Taylor's Senior night. If anybody wants to throw some information out about either team, please do. Lakeland Christian vs Avon Park LCS lost for the first time last week against LHP (as noted above). Since LCS doesn't have a very compelling SoS, it dropped them a bit more than other teams that suffer their first loss. The Vikings can pick up a huge boost to their point total against a currently undefeated Avon Park team. Avon Park's SoS hasn't exactly been frightening and with the game in Lakeland should be okay in this one. Due to the competitive nature of Class 3A-Region 3 and in particular Tampa Catholic's quick rise to become an offensive powerhouse, a loss to Avon Park would drop LCS, potentially down to the 4 spot. Tampa Catholic vs Belleview Tampa Catholic plays a televised marquee game on 11/3 against arch-rival Tampa Jesuit and this week could have been another marquee game, but with the Rattlers losing to a previously winless North Marion team it's hard to imagine the highly athletic Crusaders losing at home. TC has been very efficient outscoring teams 170-10 in the past 3 weeks. From a pure athletic and talent stand point, Tampa Catholic is 2nd only to Chaminade this year. Belleview has had a successful season this year up until last week and should still provide a challenge for the Crusaders who have bullied some building and rebuilding teams in the past 3 weeks. I'm also interested in the results of Kings vs Benjamin. I'd like to see how badly Chaminade pounds Flanagan to see if they reach 69-0 which Oxbridge put on Flanagan. Berkeley Prep vs Sickles could be a good game as well.

I watched the Booker T. vs Chaminade game. Booker T was probably a little bit better than Chaminade, but the QB went out very early in the 2nd quarter with the game tied 7-7. Booker T. was a totally different team after that point, obviously Chaminade is a great team and Carol City is just as good. I don't think Booker T. has packed it in, I think they're just getting beat since they can't move the football against these elite teams. I think they'll beat the living poop out of Evans next week, but won't make the playoffs.

Minor correction, if Taylor wins next week then Crescent City would finish 6-3, but that's still a 66% winning percentage which is good for Cat 2 points. On a side note, I've been told that Crescent City maybe without the services of their 2nd best player and they were already a minor underdog with him.

Well, as expected- Taylor killed Umatilla tonight and Cresent City was killed by Hawthorne. I thought both of those things would happen. Taylor will host Cresent City next week. Next week is Cresent City's last game of the year as they have a bye week in week 11. Thus, if Taylor wins, Crescent City will finish 6-2 which is a 75% winning percentage and would award Taylor 45 points. Taylor does have a week 11 game against Pine Ridge, but Taylor will be a hefty favorite in that one if they come off with a win against Cresent City. Looking at the results of tonight, I feel confident in saying that if Taylor beats Cresent City next week- they'll get in over MCC. If Taylor loses to Cresent City I think MCC will squeak in. If Taylor played MCC, I would take MCC by 3 TD's at a minimum.

Good morning! I wanted to detail Melbourne Central Catholic's situation a bit more because it's really a topic of debate on the Space Coast Daily News, MCC fans and people trying to understand how a team as loaded as the Hustlers could potentially miss the playoffs. First, MCC plays in Class 3A Region 2. The region consists of: Orlando First Academy, Winter Park Trinity Prep, Melbourne Holy Trinity, Taylor (Pierson), Oxbridge Academy, King's Academy, Father Lopez, Cardinal Newman. In order to make the playoffs, MCC has to accumulate an average point total that is in the top 4 of the teams listed above. Oxbridge is having a phenomenal season, but what's hurting the Hustlers is that First Academy and King's Academy are better than anticipated. MCC is currently at 36.5 points which would put them at 5th currently. So, how does MCC make the playoffs? Let's look at MCC's current schedule of teams played and do some projection: Buford Cat 1 loss 33 points Palm Beach Central Cat 2 Win 45 points Liberty Cat 4 Win 35 points Archbishop M. Cat 3 win 40 points Bishop Moore Cat 1 loss 33 points Fort Hill Cat 1 loss 33 points Buford and Fort Hill are in no danger of losing another regular season game, so they'll finish as Cat 1 teams. Liberty will finish as a Cat 4 team. I think Palm beach Central will win out to finish 7-2 which will keep them a Cat 2 team. I think Archbishop M. will finish 6-4 making them a Cat 2 win. Bishop Moore has a toughie in week 11 against Seminole (Sanford) which is a wildcard game- more on this later. Right now, there's 1 change I think will definitely happen. Archbishop M. will become a Cat 2 team and award MCC 45 points. If Bishop Moore loses to Seminole (Sanford) they'll become a cat 2 loss for MCC and award 28 points. I know that's a 50/50 game, but for purposes of this thread, let's assume Bishop Moore wins to give MCC the best chance to get into the playoffs. MCC has 3 games remaining: South Fork who will finish as a Cat 4 team. Atlantic who will finish as a Cat 4 team. Fort Piece Central who will finish as a Cat 4 team unless they upset Vero Beach...which probably won't happen. That will give MCC a total of 329 points with a 9 game divisor for a projected total of 36.5. In other words, they'll stay right where they're at. They won't gain or lose points. The issue for MCC is Taylor (Pierson) is currently at 36.8 points with a 6-1 record and I don't see the point value of the teams they've played changing much if at all. Taylor has 3 games remaining, 2 of those games they'll win handily- Umatilla and Keystone Heights are both Cat 4 teams; however, on 10/27 Taylor plays their Senior night game against Crescent City who currently has a 5-1 record. Crescent City plays Bradford tonight and I think they'll lose, dropping them to 5-2 which keeps them a Cat 2 team. If Taylor beats Crescent City and Crescent City wins their last regular season game against Pine Ridge (Hint: They should), they would finish with a 6-3 record, which means 45 points for Taylor which is enough to keep MCC out of the playoffs. To summarize- if you're a Hustler fan you need 3 things: 1) Win out and root for Palm Beach Central to win out. 2) Root for Bishop Moore to beat Seminole Sanford 3) Crescent City beats Taylor on 10/27.

Just got done watching Chaminade defeat Doral Academy via live stream. Final was 41-5, the game was never in doubt. Doral Academy has a couple nice athletes, but Chaminade was to much. Doral Academy looked tiny across their line and were manhandled all night by a much more aggressive Lions team, still- Doral should finish 8-2. Shivers had some really nice runs even though it was obvious that Doral was trying to take him away. Chaminade plays Flanagan in a week which should be another running clock before the highly anticipated game against Uschool in week 11.

I usually try to get my previews out by Tuesday, but I ran into a case of the sick child syndrome as the Flu is running amok in the house. I also wanted to get to some E-mail that I think are good talking points and also highlight some key games this week. Class 3A top 5 going into week 9 1) Chaminade-Madonna: I never gave up on Chaminade being #1 in 3A and after knocking off Booker T, even a slightly down and without their starting QB for 3 quarters Booker T. Chaminade picked up the most impressive win in 3A this year. The Lions will continue to challenge themselves the rest of the year with 1 loss Doral Academy and undefeated Uschool still left to play. 2) Oxbridge Academy: The Thunderwolves hit the road to take on a fiesty Ft. Myers team. Oxbridge is sitting in a great spot overall in terms of 3A, but may end up on the road for round 2 and 3 this year. With MCC suffering their third loss, I'm now on board with the Thunderwolves being in Orlando, but the road to Orlando will be a bit tougher than originally thought due to solid play by fellow 3A North teams, still Oxbridge has more than enough to get to Orlando. 3)Clearwater Central Catholic- Calvary Christian, a team with multiple power 5 division 1 prospects and a slew of players expected to make a splash in college next year anticipated finally knocking off CCC. Everything was in Calvary's favor coming off a bye week in front of the biggest crowd in Calvary history. Calvary also caught CCC beat up a bit from a battle against Rockledge the week before; turns out, it wasn't enough as CCC won 23-14 to move to 7-0. 4) Lakeland Christian- The Vikings are hitting the meat of their schedule with back to back games against a 1 loss Lake Highland and a currently undefeated Avon Park team. LCS is playing quality football, the schedule hasn't been daunting but it's clear LCS is capable of beating better teams than what they've lined up against. 5) Melbourne Central Catholic- The Hustlers retain their #5 spot with 3 losses, but those 3 losses came to Buford GA, Fort Hill MD and Orlando Bishop Moore. MCC hits the soft spot of their schedule against South Fork, Atlantic (Port Orange) and Fort Pierce Central. All 3 of those teams are category 4 teams and do not award bonus points as none of them made the playoffs in the past 2 years- this is important as if the playoffs started today, MCC would not make it. MCC will need to win out and need help to get into the tournament. Other teams on the verge: King's, First Academy, Tampa Catholic, Taylor, Taylor County, Ft. White. BIG GAMES FOR WEEK 9 GAME OF THE WEEK Key West vs King's Academy A battle of undefeated teams as the Conch's of Key West will travel north to take on King's Academy. King's Academy has been one of the plesant surprises in 3A. The Lions of TKA have a solid group of wide receivers lead by Jeremiah Scroggins, Cory Croteau and Ryan Kingman. King's scored a big 28-21 win last week over Gulliver Prep, a win this week would have TKA pushing for the top spot in region 2 as it's expected First Academy's average points will drop over the next few weeks. Fort White vs Dixie County This is one of the top matchups in 3A as it pits a very good 2 loss Fort White team against an undefeated Dixie County team. Fort White is coming off a huge 40-0 win over rival Union County. Dixie County is coming off a 27-13 win over Newberry. Looking at both teams, I'm curious how Dixie County lines up against Jacquez Pelham- Ft. White has a big line lead by 6-5 Doug Johnson and has capable receivers. Fort White is currently just behind Taylor County for the #2 seed in region 1. A win over Dixie and Newberry next week could set the Indians up for a playoff push and home field in round 1. Lakeland Christian vs Lake Highland Prep Lakeland Christian is currently undefeated and Lake Highland Prep has 1 loss. LCS is currently #3 in the Class 3A Region 3 standings and in a battle with Tampa Catholic for 2 and the all-important home field advantage in the playoffs. This will be Lakeland Christian's toughest game to date; however, if common opponents mean anything LCS should be fine. LCS knocked off Frostproof 28-6 while Lake Highland's only loss was to Frostproof 22-21. A win here should give LCS the necessary points to jump Tampa Catholic for the 2 seed. American Heritage vs Glades Central The Stallions currently sit at 4-3, but they've played a very tough and competitive schedule against some of the states best. American Heritage is a slight favorite in this one partly because Glades Central has historically struggled against the coaching schemes of the Stallions but this should be a good one. If the Stallions winout they should be in prime position to host a playoff game before heading south to play a much anticipated game against Chaminade. QUESTION TIME! Who will finish with the overall top seed in the North and South? (Everybody!) In the North it's a battle between King's, First Academy, Oxbridge. If King's wins out I think they'll edge out TFA. Oxbridge isn't out of the discussion either, but would need help. First Academy will be hurt by playing Agape Christian. In the South it's a 2 team race- Chaminade-Madonna and Clearwater Central Catholic. Chaminade has played an overall tougher schedule than CCC, but CCC has played a more complete schedule. What I mean by that is I project CCC to only have played 1 cat 4 school and that's Booker. Chaminade will have played multiple cat 4 schools. What helps Chaminade is that every team they've played has made the playoffs in the past 2 years. Neither team controls their own destiny for the 1 seed even if they both win out. This one will go down to the wire unless one of them is upset prior to the conclusion of week 11. Most surprising team that could miss the playoffs? It has to be Melbourne Central Catholic. MCC was picked by myself and a few others to represent the North in Orlando. They now do not control their own destiny to make the playoffs. Assuming Oxbridge, TFA and King's continue to win (they will) it will come down to MCC and Taylor (Pierson). MCC plays all cat 4 schools, so if they win out, they'll actually lose point average from here on out (unless FPC turns their season around). Taylor (Pierson) is already ahead of MCC and plays Cresent City, currently a catagory 2 team. If Taylor wins out, they'll keep MCC out of the playoffs- a situation once thought unimaginable. Why no love for North Florida? I get this one a lot honestly. The truth is complicated; 1) Very few if any 3A-Region 1 stream their games with any quality to see what's going on. 2) These fans tend to be the most passionate, so any inaccuracy is often met with hostility in DM's or E-Mails. I want to gather more information on some of these teams but without any of them traveling south, it's difficult. Is the new FHSAA system hurting or helping? Remains to be seen. in class 3A the teams that are hurting for games are the south powerhouses. The Tampa Bay teams are all going to play each other and finish with 4-5 wins so they're not hurting for games or points. The Broward/Miami teams have to play superpowers to get 10 games. I think the FHSAA needs to help 1-4A with scheduling somehow.

Oxbridge will win this by as many points as they want, in addition, they won't be challenged for quite a while.

Rockledge vs Cocoa is going to be a very interesting game. Cocoa is better, but I think Rockledge has some fight in them this year. How does Rockledge match-up with Merritt Island this year? I'm trying to project Rockledge's final record.

I haven't posted it yet as I'm waiting for tomorrow, but in my 3A preview this week- I have this game listed as a game to watch. This could be a showcase game for King's Academy. Also, MCC will probably not make the playoffs if King's wins this game and Taylor beats Crescent City next week. King's is really the surprise team this year in 3A a testament to their coaching staff, players and fans.

So, my very smart, strapping younger brother added up MCC's probable point total at the end of the year based on how the teams they play will finish. Here's what he came up with: MCC BuFord (9-1) Cat 1 Loss 33pts PBC (7-2) Cat 2 Win 45pts Liberty (4-6) Cat 3 Win 40pts Archbishop M. (6-4) Cat 2 Win 48pts Bishop Moore (8-2) Cat 1 Loss 33pts Fort Hill (10-0) Cat 1 Loss 33pts South Fork (1-7) Cat 4 Win 35pts Atlantic (1-9) Cat 4 Win 35pts FPC (3-5) Cat 4 Win 38pts ------------ 340/9 = 37.7 For reference, King's Academy, Oxbridge and Orlando First Academy are expected to hover around the 40 point mark to finish the season- thus, MCC's 37.7 point total puts them in a dogfight for the 4th seed. My immediate feedback is that MCC, Taylor (Pierson), Winter Park Trinity Prep, Cardinal Newman are in the same pack for 4th. Taylor (Pierson) plays a crucial game against Crescent City on 10/27. If Taylor (Pierson) wins that one, it would give them category 2 win points. In summary, if Taylor wins out, I project them to finish at 37.9 which would just be enough to keep MCC out of the playoffs.

Joaquin is the young man's name. I just listened to the entire game- granted it was a Ft. Hill broadcast, what happened to indicate he's out for the rest of the year? He played the whole game. He had 3 TD's passing.

Ft. Hill (Maryland) 44, Melbourne Central Catholic 42. Ft. Hill wins on a 24 yard field goal with 24 seconds left on the clock. What an amazing game to listen to!