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For those that do not live in the Tampa Bay area, there is a huge game this week between Clearwater Central Catholic and Calvary Christian (the Clearwater version, not the Ft. Lauderdale version). The requests for information about this game from (mostly) the Calvary side have been amazing. Between my hubby and I, figured we would write an article explaining why this is such a hyped-up game. ------------------------ When Clearwater Central Catholic lost to Melbourne Central Catholic in 9 overtimes in the 2016 Class 3A finals to the Hustlers it signaled a changing of the guard in football. The Marauders who boasted a ridiculous 11 players with at least 1 division 1 offer, 3 all Americans and a cult-like following by the media would need to be rebuilt. Graduation was going to take its toll; however, CCC was still in great position to make another run in 2017..... and then things got interesting. While there are a lot of reasons the Marauders lost to the Hustlers that fateful night, one of the biggest reasons in the eyes of those at the game was coaching. CCC often looked confused on offense and the defense was caught out of position by a lightening fast Hustler offense. Longtime head coach John Davis had retired prior to the season leaving the programs in the hands of son-in-law and 1st year head coach Chris Harvey. After the senior class graduated, the Marauders 2 brightest stars-All-American Amari Burney and All-State (Class 3A) Deandre Ferguson transferred to Calvary Christian a Baptist school located 4 miles from CCC. Bob Putnam, the Tampa Bay Times reporter asked the question on everybodys mind- why the transfer? It came down to 2 words- poor coaching. While CCC was getting all of the headlines, attention and rankings- the Warriors of Calvary waited. Calvary spent millions of dollars upgrading their athletic facilities which are now the best in the county and within earshot of the best in the state. The athletic facility, simply known as "The Rock" has a beautiful glass enclosed weight room which overlooks a multi-million dollar field with fully functional jumbo-tron. Calvary knew the Marauders would be vulnerable after superstars CJ Cotman (UNC), Dillan Gibbons (Notre Dame), Rashaad Steward (Cincinnati) graduated. The Warriors were amassing talent of their own. They boast one of the top linemen in the state: Ethan White, Rb River Wood and a host of highly skilled athletes. The Warriors have a great QB, offensive line- fast and physical defense- but were missing a superstar. When Amari Burney transferred in..and Deandre Ferguson shortly after him, the Warriors had everything they needed. CCC was in trouble and it knew it. Marauder coaches announced via twitter they were leaving the program which only added fuel to the fire there were issues with the program after the Tampa Bay Times article regarding Burney's quote broke. The teams defensive coordinator John Scargle took the head coaching position at Palm Harbor University. Still, the Marauders had talent but would be young in 2017. Those who know Coach Harvey speak very highly of him; however, he would need help- he turned to the grandfather of the Marauder football program- John Davis, to come out of retirement and help rebuild the program as an offensive coordinator. The announcement of John Davis returning rejuvenated the fan base, but despite some key transfers into the program- the Marauders did not look anything like past powerhouses in a 21-14 Spring game loss to Clearwater High School. After the game, most of the players who transferred into the program, transferred back out. The Marauders were staring at a very unenviable early season schedule that featured loaded teams in Wiregrass Ranch, Berkeley Prep, Tampa Catholic and a star-studded Rockledge. Calvary was proclaimed to be the team to beat and was ranked by Spectrum Sports and the Tampa Bay times, CCC did not receive any local rankings prior to the season starting. Over the Summer both the Warriors and Marauders worked hard in the weight room and the results have showed on the field. The Warriors announced their presence in week 1 obliterating Class 2A regional finalist Admiral Farragut Academy 44-14, and then knocked off another class 2A regional finalist Northside Christian 28-0. CCC upset Wiregrass Ranch 21-19 in the KO classic and then pulled a similar upset 29-28 over Berkeley; however, their 25-0 win over a loaded Tampa Catholic team that got people talking that maybe CCC wasn't dead after all. Many people wanted to see how the Marauders would handle Rockledge, a Brevard County power that features some of the nations best athletes and had narrowly lost to Viera and Osceola, 2 other teams on the verge of national rankings. CCC won 21-13... and with it..the hype has began... At the start of the season CCC at Calvary in week 8 was supposed to be Calvary's coronation after years of planning, scheming and building to become the county's best football team- it may still be. The Marauders and Warriors will lace them up on Friday and give the fans an epic, classic 48 minute battle for county supremacy.

East Lake plays Tarpon Springs tonight in a big rivalry game. Tarpon Springs is the team that turned East Lake in. This could get interesting!

Cardinal Mooney was having a very strong season despite the loss to Southeast, they were clearly a favorite to make the playoffs in Class 3A Region 3. Now they go from 3-1 to 1-3 and then lose to Southeast to drop them to 1-4 which seriously jeopardizes their playoff hopes. They also still have road trips to Winter Haven and CCC on the schedule. A Mooney team at 6-4 could sneak in to the playoffs at the 4 spot, a Mooney team with 5 or 6 losses is on the outside looking in, unless Berkeley Prep loses out.

Week 7 of the regular season started to see some separation of teams from top to bottom; however, week 8 should answer any outstanding questions. Here's my top 5 in 3A entering week 8: 1) Chaminade-Madonna: Huge game this week on tap against Booker T. 2) Oxbridge Academy: Continuing to roll, this time shutting out a good Port St. Lucie Centennial. 3) Clearwater Central Catholic: Marauders get most impressive win in 3A of the week as they knocked off a very solid 5A Rockledge team. 4) Lakeland Christian: Vikings continue to remain undefeated, this time upending Land O' Lakes 38-7. 5) Melbourne Central Catholic: Hustlers dropped a game against Bishop Moore on a 3rd game on 7 days scenario. Other teams of note: King's Academy, Orlando First Academy, Calvary Christian (Clearwater), Tampa Catholic, Taylor County, Ft. White, American Heritage (Delray). My game of the week: Chaminade-Madonna at Booker T. Washington The Lions should be as healthy as they have been going into this one coming off a bye week. Booker T. on paper, has struggled; however, they've played one of the toughest schedules in the state to this point. Chaminade is another powerful opponent, but maybe not to the level of Miami Central or Coral Gables. I felt going into the season this would be a defining time for the Lions to see where they stand. Right now, Chaminade is 3-2. I think athletically the teams are very even with a small nod to Chaminade, but Booker T is stronger/deeper in the trenches and have superior numbers. This is going to be a great game to attend and I commend Chaminade for scheduling up regardless of their record. Clearwater Central Catholic at Calvary Christian (Clearwater) This game is already being hyped as one of the most definitive games in the state this week as it's a match-up of Max-Preps, All-Americans. CCC and MLB De'Andre Fitz-Henley vs Calvary and WR/S Amari Burney. The storylines are ripe for further explanation as the week progresses. Calvary did not play last week and instead used the week to rest and game-plan the Marauders. The school has been heavily promoting this game and there is an attendance expectation of around 2-2.5k fans. The game is also expected to be televised or streamed professionally. While Calvary has had a strong season, CCC has just done more against much better competition while remaining undefeated. Last week, the Marauders hit the road and knocked off Rockledge 21-13 who was ranked #4 in 5A according to the Pinkos poll. Melbourne Central Catholic at Ft. Hill (Maryland) The Hustlers has been banged up, battered and bruised against some very strong competition. MCC finished a grueling 3 games in 7 days with wins over Archbishop McCarthy, Liberty and a loss to Bishop Moore. The Hustlers are still sitting in a good spot, but the importance of the game against a small-school national powerhouse takes on added significance when taking into consideration the importance of home field in the playoffs. Ft. Hill is undefeated and currently owns a 30 game winning streak; however, I imagine they haven't played a team as athletic as the Hustlers- still, MCC is a long way from home in this one. If MCC can win this one, they'll be heavy favorites in their last 3 games. Berkeley Prep vs Mitchell (Pasco County) The Berkeley Prep Buccaneers received a boost to their playoff chances when Sarasota Cardinal Mooney had to forfeit 2 games they dropped from 3-1 to 1-3 and then the Cougars lost to Southeast to fall to 1-4. Berkeley Prep helped their cause by knocking off Admiral Farragut 14-7. A Berkeley Prep win would give them a plethora of points for playoff consideration as Mitchell is undefeated and has played a competitive schedule thus far. I'll be updating this thread over the course of the week.

OTC will win by 21+

Sarasota Cardinal Mooney's playoff chances just went from really, really good to very poor after they self reported an illegal player earlier today per the Herald Tribune (see link below). Mooney basically went from 3-1 to 1-3; they play Bradenton Southeast, Winter Haven and then a huge rivalry game at Clearwater Central Catholic as 3 of their last 4 games. Basically, they would need to win out and pick up some category 1 wins. Tough blow for the Cougar program. http://www.heraldtribune.com/sports/20171005/prep-football-mooney-forfeits-2-games

I can confirm it as MCC players have already posted highlights against them from Monday. It wasn't advertised, even I missed the game being played.

The FHSAA has released the updated point totals for the year and here's what they've got so far. I'm going to break these up by North and South. 3A North The First Academy 43.25 Taylor County 40.40 MCC 39.33 Florida State U School: 39.00 Oxbridge: 36.75 Ft. White 36.67 3A South Calvary Christian 39.25 Clearwater Central Catholic 39.20 Tampa Catholic 38.67 Cardinal Mooney 37.75 Chaminade-Madonna 37.25 * Lakeland Christian 37.00 King's Academy 36.25 * On the FHSAA master schedule, CM is listed as having their game against Blanche Ely cancelled; however, I can confirm the game was played on 10/2 and CM won. Blanche Ely would be worth 38 points to CM, thus their average points jump to 37.4. Some immediate feedback on North 3A Taylor County's 40.40 is very impressive at this part of the season. Looking at the schedule, there's no reason to think they won't continue to rack up points as they move forward. FSU has also racked up quite a few points in region 1. Ft. White is sitting in a good spot as well. While Oxbridge has played the best football so far this year, if the playoffs started tomorrow, they would most likely have 2 very long road trips in the 2nd and 3rd round of the playoffs. First Academy is rocking and rolling with points thus far this season. 43.25 tops all of 3A. Oxbridge cancelling the Uschool game outright is a blow, as a win would have vaulted them near the top with likely category 1 points at the end of the year. Looking at their schedule, I see quite a few teams finishing at catagory 3 wins, but I don't see them moving their average points drastically higher than where it is now. MCC has a strong amount of points at 39.33, but the back end of their schedule after returning from Fort Hill, Maryland isn't looking pretty as the last 3 teams on their schedule haven't won yet. Still, the front half of their schedule is looking strong. MCC is capable of beating any team in north 3A, but let's face it- they need home field advantage when they play Oxbridge. MCC going to Oxbridge and winning would be a tall task. Some immediate feedback on South 3A Calvary Christian leads the south which is a tip of the hat to the Warrior program, but there's trouble on the horizon. The Warriors lost their starting running back for the year and injuries are starting to mount. Tampa Catholic is very impressive at 38.67. TC should roll the next few weeks, but faces tough tasks against Belleview and Jesuit to finish their season. I felt that Lakeland Christian played a soft schedule, and the points prove it. Despite being undefeated, their average points are only at 37. I don't really see LCS climbing as their SoS will remain soft going forward outside of Lake Highland Prep. Chaminade-Madonna, who has played the toughest schedule in the South is surprisingly low right now at 37.4. Part of this, I think is due to Booker T. having 3 losses. Blanche Ely and Piper are hurting their SoS as well. Chaminade really needs Doral Academy, Uschool and Miramar to keep winning and then knock off Doral and Uschool to potentially give them category 1 win points. Doral Academy would give Chaminade category 2 points and Uschool would give Chaminade category 1 points. CCC is almost positively in the drivers seat if they win out. Tampa Catholic and Berkeley Prep are hitting the soft spots in their schedule, Calvary will probably finish 6-2 and St. Pete Catholic and Northeast will win a few games to give CCC a few extra points. Sarasota Cardinal Mooney will finish at the .500 mark. CCC is a slight underdog this week at Rockledge, but they'll be hefty favorites in the last 3 games. Even if the Marauders fall to Rockledge, they're probably still in good shape to host all 3 games in the South at home as long as Rockeldge also wins 2 additional games to finish their season, Chaminade loses to Booker T and Lakeland Christian loses to Lake Highland Prep. Rockledge would have to be considered heavy favorites over Space Coast and Titusville, Booker T would be a favorite over Chaminade and Lake Highland would be a 2 TD favorite at home against LCS. Curious to see how this changes from week to week as upsets happen!

Since I have some free time this morning and lots of E-mail, I figured I'd share some of the more common themes I've been receiving. 1) Why no love for Orlando First Academy? First Academy is a very solid football team that has remained undefeated to this point. Going to Clearwater and handing Calvary Christian their only loss this far has clearly been the highlight of the season. But, the other wins came over Foundation Academy, West Oaks Academy and a decent Orlando Christian Prep. The Royals have a huge game coming up against Orlando Lake Highland Prep in a few weeks, but the schedule outside of Calvary and LHP is really lacking. I will give credit to TFA for knocking of OCP though. As far as rankings- yes, the Royals deserve a shutout, but where would you put them? They aren't a top 5 team in 3A and while you can make an arguement for a 6-8 ranking, it's hard to justify. 1st Academy is on the radar and will get some more love in the coming weeks. 2) Calvary Christian fan here, how do you see our game against CCC going? The school is already hype and they're already promoting the game to the media and alumni to get tickets early. I said last week that Calvary was going to promote this game heavily, it would be televised and it would be standing room only. I expect between 2 and 3k fans at the game since the Warriors have a bye week. Let's be totally blunt here, Calvary is only relevant in football today because Amari Burney and Deandre Ferguson transferred from CCC to Calvary due to "terrible coaches". That never made sense to me, my husband or my brother and considering the Marauders are undefeated this year I would question the "terrible coaches" drum they are both pounding. The main issue is Amari and Deandre are both WR's- yes Amari is an all-american and one of the top safeties in America and De'Andre is an all-state player; however, the individual that makes the offense go is River Wood, the star RB. It's plastered all over twitter that he left Calvary this week. I'm all for a school getting into a rivalry game and hyping it up a few weeks in advance, but when I look at 3A football- I wouldn't pick a fight with Chaminade, Oxbridge, MCC, CCC unless I have a roster that looks like Apopka or Miami Central. Calvary is a far cry from any of those teams. 3) How do you see Chaminade finishing this year? The Lions have been the most talked about team in 3A since Spring football and rightfully so. Right now, they sit at 3-2. Looking at the schedule, I think Chaminade will make short-work of Flanagan and Doral Academy. That leaves Booker T. and Uschool. Chaminade has the week off to prepare for Booker T. and I think it's a winnable game for Chaminade; however, Booker has a significant advantage in the trenches. Booker T. has to be favored in that one as the quality of athletes are similar, but there's just more of them at Booker T. So, going into week 11- that would put Chaminade at 5-3. The question is, how does Chaminade match-up with Uschool? It's certainly a rivalry game as Chaminade has a history of getting players from Uschool. I think Chaminade is probably 2 TD's better than Uschool right now, but that could change. For now, I'd say Chaminade finishes 7-3. 4) Is it to soon to tell who will make the playoffs? Looking at the regions individually, yes- it's hard to say which teams will for sure make the playoffs. Even teams that are undefeated right now could find themselves sitting outside if they falter for a few games. This will be a good topic for discussion after week 8 though (2 more weeks) when all of the games are made up. 5) Will Lakeland Christian go undefeated? There's a chance they could- it will come down to their game against Lake Highland Prep in a few weeks. Lake Highland is having a strong season. Avon Park is another team that could play spoiler for the Vikings.

Thanks Darter! Very interesting- so, at some point- somebody had to put in 21-20 Titusville? I'm curious if it was just a fan being silly or a placeholder score. Obviously, not verified!

Broward, Thanks for the love! I always enjoy your posts, and the call on King's was magic as they're on the radar now. I really want to do a bit more research and maybe make a trip to a north Florida team, but it's very difficult. At least in central and south Florida the schools stream their games and Spectrum sports features them. Berkeley Prep being 1-3 is a shock honestly. They brought back most of the pieces from last years Final 4 team including their massive offensive line and 2 out of 3 running backs. They got CCC and Tampa Catholic at home in the first 4 weeks. Result? They blow a 14 point lead to CCC in the last 8 minutes of the game and lost 29-28 on a last second field goal..they beat Kingdom Prep and then travel to LCS where they have a classic shootout before dropping that one. Last Thursday, they had the lead most of the 2nd half against TC only to squander it in the last 20 seconds. This is a dangerous team, but with as competitive as Region 3 is, they really need to win out to make the playoffs. Mitchell and Lake Highland Prep are going to be very difficult for the Bucs to pull off. Oxbridge at the start of the season was a curiosity. The concept is that based on the news articles the team was going to de-emphasize sports. It was later explained to me that it would be harder to get guys in, but the guys that are there now could stay and compete their education. What Oxbridge has now is still enough to be a dominant 3A team, which they've shown to be. I think it was more me mis-understanding the defintion of de-emphasizing football meant. AHD has a tough one this week, but I can see them finishing 7-3 and getting in the playoffs, maybe even the second round if they avoid finish at the 3 seed (assuming Chaminade is 1 and King's is 2).

Upon further review, Bishop Moore did NOT lose to Titusville as the game wasn't played. I did pull it from Maxpreps; however, I should have been more attentive and looked for a game presser. I apologize to the Hornet community; however, since they've only lost 1 game, that makes this Friday's game even more interesting as Jones is a very, very solid Orlando area team.

It's officially just past the halfway point of the 2017 football season, but with the weather issues the state has faced this year not every team has played 6 games yet. It looks like the bulk of the teams in the state will be making up games either the week of 10/2 or 10/09. Regardless, here are my 3A rankings and halfway through the season thoughts, we'll round it off with some games to look forward to! Class 3A Week 7 Rankings 1) Chaminade-Madonna, while many people have moved Oxbridge Academy into their #1 spot, I'm not- at least not yet. Chaminade has a make-up game on Monday 10/2 against Blanche Ely and then on 10/6 they have their normally scheduled bye week before a huge game against Booker T. Washington. 2) Oxbridge Academy- another week, another win for the Thunderwolves. The latest victum was Belle Glade Glades Central. Oxbridge has been highly impressive this season. The show should continue this week against Port St. Lucie Centennial. It's ashame the game against Uschool was cancelled outright, that could of been a classic. 3) Clearwater Central Catholic- CCC picked up a win over historic rival St. Petersburg Catholic 49-7 in a game that could have ended even worse for my beloved Barons. CCC had 2 TD's called back in what my husband called "mercy" penalties. CCC is clearly rolling right now. A trip to a very good Rockledge high school is on tap this week; however, it's the game being played 10/13 against Calvary that is already generating a noticeable buzz in 3A. 4) Melbourne Central Catholic- The Hustlers have been rolling and should welcome back starting QB Joaquin Colazo this week against an old rival- Orlando Bishop Moore. MCC has the pieces, coaching and if they stay healthy, talent to be in Orlando come November. Huge road trip to Fort Hill, Maryland in a few weeks. 5) Lakeland Christian School- LCS dispatched county rival Ft. Meade 35-0. A few years ago this would have been a marquee game for 3A, sadly with the fall of Ft. Meade in recent years the Vikings have been making quick work of the Miners. Other teams of note: Calvary Christian- The Warriors went on the road and pulled off a huge, huge, huge OT win at Sarasota Cardinal Mooney giving the Cougars their first loss of the year. The Warriors who are sitting at 4-1 have a bye week before hosting CCC on 10/13. King's Academy- Don't look now but the Lions are undefeated and have a favorable schedule to stay that way. While I don't consider King's Academy a threat to knock off the Chaminade, Oxbridge, CCC, MCC's of 3A, everyone else is fair game. Tampa Catholic- The Crusaders have turned a corner on their season with a defining win on the road against Berkeley Prep. The Crusaders moved a .500 record and have a favorable schedule until they play arch-rival Tampa Jesuit to close the season. Ft. White- While many people are quick to talk about MCC vs Oxbridge in Region 2, CCC in Region 3 and Chaminade in Region 4- Class 3A Region 1 has a solid power themselves that is being overlooked. Ft. White has a few big games coming up, but is anybody playing better right now in that region? BIG GAMES OF THE WEEK I really wanted to add a 3A game from North Florida or the Panhandle, but I guess week 7 is a bye week for most teams up there. American Heritage (Delray) vs University School A few weeks ago the Stallions were written off for dead, but now that they're healthy they've quietly won 2 in a row against Holy Trinity and Pensacola Catholic. Uschool is rolling right now, a 4A powerhouse- the Sharks have quickly become a household name after the program had to reinvent itself a few years ago. If the Stallions can find a way to upset Uschool, they should be favorites in their last 4 games. Melbourne Central Catholic vs Bishop Moore The Hornet's vs the Hustlers (both species of Bee's btw) will meet up for the first time in a few years in Melbourne. The Hustlers only loss this year was to Buford, Georgia. The Hornet's have 2 losses, Jones and Titusville. Bishop Moore has a slight advantage in the trenches, but the Hustlers have an overwhelming advantage in speed across the field. Clearwater Central Catholic at Rockledge Coach Younger at Rockledge wanted to build a schedule that featured some of the top teams in their classes for the state. After receiving an influx of talent from nearby Holy Trinity and rival Cocoa, the Raiders have the tools, weapons and talent to challenge the states best. The Raiders maybe 1-2 but they competed well against Viera and Osceola. This week the Raiders welcome another one of Florida's top small school programs known for its consistency in winning year in and year out, Clearwater Central Catholic. HOW DID I DO? Time to hold myself accountable- how did I do? At the start of the season I had: 1)Chaminade 2) Melbourne Central Catholic 3) Clearwater Central Catholic 4) Oxbridge 5) Berkeley Prep 6) Tampa Catholic 7) American Heritage Well, not bad. The only "whiff" would be Berkeley Prep who currently sits at 1-3, but even then, they could end up being a factor in the playoff race if they win out. I had LCS at 9, now they're at 5; however, I still think they've benefitted most from an easy SoS. MCC and CCC are, essentially, tied at the hip although pressed to pick one, I pick CCC due to the common opponent Tampa Catholic. I didn't expect Chaminade to go 10-0, but I did think they had a shot at 9-1. Hindsight being 20/20 that was silly. Tampa Catholic started at 6 and I have them at 7. Overall, I'll re-evaluate this again at the end of the year, but overall- I feel pretty good with my preseason projections.

I received a message from a Chaminade fan asking me to project Chaminade's point total at the end of the year- in essence, what the young Lion doesn't know is he asked me to project Chaminade opponent records. Not one to duck a request- I got my brother to write numbers down and here's what we came up with after looking at the FHSAA master schedule. Keep in mind these are just guesses for conversation sakes on a message board, nothing more! I have the following anticipated point distributions for Chaminade as my prediction: Chaminade: Central: 33 points * (Cat 1 loss) Miramar: 45 points (Cat 2 win) American Heritage: 33 points * (Cat 1 loss) Piper: 38 points * (Cat 4 win) Ely: 38 points * (Cat 4 win) Booker T: 28 points* (Cat 2 loss) Doral: 48 points* (Cat 3 win) Flanagan: 38 points* (Cat 4 win) Uschool: 53 points* (Cat 1 win) --------------------------------------------- Total Points: 354 Divisor of 9 Total: 39.33 * indicated +3 bonus points for making playoffs in past 2 years. This distribution assumes that Chaminade finishes 6-3 with a loss to Booker T and that Booker T finishes as a category 2 team. It also assumes that Uschool's only loss is to Chaminade. It also assumes that Doral Academy's only other loss is to Chaminade. Overall, I feel that's a good projection as after examining Chaminade's schedule they play teams that are either really, really good or really, really bad- very little in between outside of Miramar who we feel will finish as a category 2 team.

Chaminade beat a underperforming Piper team, but scoring 58 is impressive against anybody. My favorite part was that the CM QB/WR coach was tweeting live updates, instead of, you know, coaching his QB and WR's. Oxbridge beat a Glades Central team that doesn't resemble anything of their former glory years, maybe young? Chaminade plays Blanche Ely on Monday, another game where Nade can score 50+. Should allow Chaminade to get above .500 before having 12 days to prepare for Booker T.

Well, one game in and Chaminade put up 54 on Piper. I was told that Piper isn't a very good team, but a 54-0 win should relieve some stress as the Lions prepare for Booker T. Tampa Catholic knocked off Berkeley Prep 17-13 after being down most of the 2nd half. Oxbridge 31, Glades Central 0. Oxbridge is really impressive the past few weeks.

SFL Spy, My understanding was that the OC was Coach Jones himself. I'm aware they lost their DB's coach prior the start of the season to AHD. Hope the Lions can pull it together, they have a big one in 2 weeks vs Booker T.

The AP Poll hasn't been updated in a few weeks; however, here is the latest along with some feedback: Class 3A Record Pts Prv 1. Oxbridge Academy (8) 2-1 98 2 2. Chaminade-Madonna College Prep (1) 1-2 87 1 3. Melbourne Central Catholic 1-1 79 4. Clearwater Central Catholic (1) 4-0 74 4 5. Lakeland Christian 2-0 32 NR  Others receiving votes: First Academy-Orlando 12, Delray American Heritage 12, Cardinal Mooney 6. Oxbridge jumped Chaminade-Madonna for the #1 spot. This is interesting, before the season began many people (myself included) felt that Chaminade was a top 50 team in America and could be a top 25 team by the years end. I think what's hurting Chaminade isn't that they lost to American Heritage and Miami Central, it's that they were destroyed by both teams and had to rally to beat Miramar. In the end pollsters like a winner. I don't believe Oxbridge would do any better against Miami Central or American Heritage; however, they did beat Flanagan by 60+. I think Chaminade will do the same to Flanagan in a few weeks. Overall, I don't have a problem with Oxbridge jumping Chaminade, but it's too soon for the Lions not to be #1. MCC and CCC are essentially tied which is fine by me; however, I find it curious that CCC is #4 and MCC is #3, especially since CCC has played 2 more games and has a first place vote. MCC plays Liberty this week and then has 2 very tough games, home against Bishop Moore and then they hit the road to play national powerhouse Fort Hill in Maryland. CCC hosts rival St. Pete Catholic and then hits the road against a very good 5A Rockledge team. Rockledge may not be getting love from the AP in 5A; however, all of the computer polls have the Raiders as a top 10 5A team. The game that everybody wants to see and will probably bring in 2000 or more fans is CCC at Calvary Christian. I can't imagine this game won't be televised and a sellout, standing room only. I'll be getting my tickets early to that one! That game will take place on 10/13. I have Lakeland Christian as #5 in my poll and the AP Poll has them at 5 as well. The only knock I have against LCS is their Strength of Schedule is lackluster. They have a really good game at the end of the year against Lake Highland Prep who has proven to be very solid this season, but up until then- I don't see the heavy hitters outside of a competitive, but not what they were 10 years ago Ft. Meade and Frostproof team. I think the Other Receiving Votes area is VERY interesting. First Academy is undefeated and playing very good football, American Heritage has turned it as they welcome back a few players from injury and Sarasota Cardinal Mooney is quickly showing they're a darkhorse in 3A Region 3. I've received E-Mails and read on these message boards that there are two teams to keep an eye out for: King's Academy and Taylor (Perry). King's Academy is most likely being overshadowed due to the region they're in. Chaminade is such a heavy draw that a team has to really be something special to get people talking about somebody other than them. Still, King's is clearly doing something right and deserves some votes and should be pushing for a top 5 spot by week 8 if they keep winning.

Oxbridge will win this one, but not by a running clock. I'll go Ox by 3 TD's.

Columbia, Thanks for the 411 on Dixie! I'll keep and eye on that result. I debated taking Oxbridge at #1 for about 2 seconds, at the end of the day I don't think they would do any better than what Chaminade did against Central and American Heritage. Now, if Chaminade is blown out by Booker T it's a new discussion, but I'll take Chaminade by 3 over Booker. As mentioned above, MCC and CCC should really be tied, those two teams are mirror imagines of each other. I have a hard time ranking a 2 loss TC team over an undefeated LCS team for the simple fact that LCS has a solid win over Berkeley Prep; however, I totally understand the logic of waiting for TC vs Berkeley Prep this Thursday to let it work itself out. It's ashame that TC and LCS don't play this year.

When I post thoughts and my personal rankings it usually take me until week 5 to understand the current football season. I admit that until then I often use 2016 results to validate thoughts, but I've now seen via stream all of the major contenders for 3A. So, here's my updated top 5 at the halfway point: 1) Chaminade-Madonna (1-2). Yes, the Lions have two blowout losses to American Heritage and Miami Central; however, this is still the best team in 3A although I don't believe the gap is as big as once thought. I think there are challenges that have emerged to compete with the Lions. 2) Oxbridge Academy (2-1). Oxbridge has had to ride a stormy offseason and then the season opening loss in heartbreaking fashion to Archbishop Wood. Since then, the Thunderwolves have decimated everything in their path. 3) Clearwater Central Catholic (4-0). The Marauders struggled in the first quarter against a surprisingly solid 6A Northeast team; however, scored 57 points in the last 3 quarters. 4) Melbourne Central Catholic (2-1). The Hustlers rallied late to force overtime and eventually win 31-28 against a solid Tampa Catholic. MCC's starting QB Joaquin Collazo missed the game. 5) Lakeland Christian (4-0). Needed to hold off a pesky Orlando Christian Prep team, but it was their second game in 5 days as the Vikings upset Berkeley Prep last Monday in a classic game. On my radar: Taylor County (3-1), Orlando The First Academy (4-0), Sarasota Cardinal Mooney (4-0) Some notes. I jumped CCC ever so slightly ahead of MCC based on the common opponent Tampa Catholic. MCC beat Tampa Catholic 31-28 in overtime without their starting QBm Joaquin Collazo. CCC beat Tampa Catholic 25-0 without their top WR, Brett Seither. While we can argue the schematics of MCC missing their starting QB and how the offense may of ended the game earlier than OT (the kid is a Class 3A PoY candidate) the fact is MCC gave up 28 points and close to 350 yards total offense to TC. CCC limited TC to about 150 yards and 0 points. The reality is, these teams are evenly matched that they should be tied, but when I tied them at #2 earlier this year it caused a firestorm so I had to break the tie, up until this week I gave MCC the nod, now I'm giving CCC the nod based on the common opponent. I said at the beginning of the year I would not consider dropping Chaminade from #1 unless 2 things happened 1) They had 3 blowout losses and 2) The team I moved ahead of them was playing better football. Chaminade has 2 blowout losses, but I think they're a score better than Booker T thus I do not see a third loss on their schedule. Lakeland Christian is a very solid team, but to this point in the year they have the weakest Strength of Schedule. The win over Berkeley Prep was much needed, but the only team they play from here on out of interest is Orlando Lake Highland Prep; still, Danny Williams and company are doing a great job with the task at hand. Sarasota Cardinal Mooney is really playing some quality football. While they haven't had the toughest schedule they are clearly capable of doing good against more talented teams. Their HC was the old OC at Don Bosco Prep in NJ and their offense has been solid this year. Taylor County vs Dixie County will be a fun matchup between two strong, hard-hitting programs. I would love some analysis by people more familiar with the northern part of the state. What's going on at Ocala Trinity Catholic? The Celtics only scored 3 points against Dunellon, should really be more stout. On paper, this is a solid team. While I'm not saying the Celtics are out of the playoff hunt, their region Class 3A Region 3 is the most competitive region in 3A and has some heavy hitters. Calvary Christian of Clearwater suffered their first loss of the year to Orlando The First Academy. Calvary started off 2-0, but now faces a tough strength of 3 games that would open the door for the above mentioned Ocala Trinity to get into the playoffs. First Academy is quietly having a strong season. Tampa Catholic and Berkeley Prep play each other on Berkeley Prep's field this Thursday in what should be a classic game. Due to the dominance of CCC and the strong seasons Lakeland Christian and Cardinal Mooney have put together, the loser of the TC vs BP game is likely out of the playoffs.

I don't know much about the facebook/twitter barbs, but Rockledge is 0-2 against some super powerhouses. Viera and Kissmiee Osceola are very, very strong and Rocklege appears to have had a good showing in both games. Looking at their remaining schedule I think they would be favorites vs Mt. Dora, Titusville and Space Coast. CCC, Palm Bay, MI, Cocoa are just better programs than them right now I believe.

Nolebull, MCC beat TC 31-28 in OT. It sounds like it was an amazing game.

If you're a Spectrum customer, Spectrum is broadcasting and streaming the Lakeland vs East Lake game. Spectrum is also broadcasting/streaming Clearwater Central Catholic vs Northeast. Chaminade vs American Heritage will be broadcast on ESPNU this evening. Orlando First Academy vs Calvary Christian (both undefeated) is being streamed online via NFHS. I'm checking to see if Tampa Catholic vs Melbourne Central Catholic is streamed.