SPCjessica2004

I guess he thinks highly of Buford.

Since I can't get to as many games as I've like, I love having the ability to watch them live on TV or through other broadcasts- I hope they stream games in the future as I'm sure there are others like myself who really enjoy the sport but due to real life constraints can't get out.

Thanks Broward! Those weren't rankings, they were just random thoughts but I numbered them to seperate thoughts on each team. I have Oxbridge in my top 5. Right now, they're number 4 on my list.

Columbia, Right now, I think MCC is better than Oxbridge- but, it's really too early to know; however, MCC turned some heads by beating Cardinal Gibbons. They've got some serious momentum heading into Buford this week.

I was asked to post a few thoughts about the Kickoff Classic results from the past week. In general, I never recommend ranking teams off the Kickoff classic as it's impossible to know which teams are playing to win all 4 quarters or experiment with players in different positions; however, here are some thoughts I came across (Note, these are NOT rankings, just thoughts). 1) Chaminade-Madonna is the real deal and deserving of a top 10 team in all of Florida and I would wager a top 50 team in America. On paper, Chaminade-Madonna lost to Deerfield 17-7, but when it was starters vs starters the final was 7-3 Chaminade. If the Chaminade-Miami Central game isn't on your radar for Thursday night at Traz Powell, you need to follow the results. 2) Calvary Christian (Clearwater) probably isn't ready for prime time yet. The Warriors boasted by several huge transfers were expected to be an offensive powerhouse under Todd Yoder's Warrior program- that maybe still the case, but going against a veteran Berkeley Prep team on the road proved to much for Calvary. If not for a long drive to end the game against the Berkeley backups the final would of been 20-10 and it wouldn't have been that close as Berkeley Prep dominated most of the game. We'll find out this week if Calvary Christian is a contender or pretender as they play Admiral Farragut a highly talented 2A power that has the athletes to match Champagnat. 3) Melbourne Central Catholic knocking of Cardinal Gibbons reaffirms that the Hustlers under coach Sizemore have morphed into a power house. The talk from the South Florida area is that Cardinal Gibbons is one of the top teams in that area; however, the Hustlers hit the road and picked up a 35-33 win. I predicted the Hustlers finished 9-1 at the start of the season, but that was before they scheduled Buford, GA. MCC travels to Buford this week and while Florida is pulling for MCC, this is probably a battle the Hustlers will come up short in- still, this is the first of 2 out-of-state games the Hustlers are playing. 4) Ocala Trinity Catholic is going to be good this year. Yes, the Celtics lost 14-3 to Bucholz, but I think in terms of 3A this is going to be an above average year of OTC who is looking to return to their glory days. Knocking off CCC/Berkeley or Tampa Catholic is asking to much of the Celtics, but OTC doesn't play them in the regular season. I think it's realistic to expect OTC to battle for a playoff spot in the top 4. 5) Clearwater Central Catholic proved Josh and FloridaHSfootball correct by ranking them in the top 3 in 3A. (I had them #4, but moved them to #3). No football program in current 3A has been a more consistent winner over the past 20 years. CCC knocked off the #1 ranked team in Pasco County and held one of the most potent offenses in the state to 6 points in the first half of their KO Classic. CCC travels to Berkeley Prep this week. 6) Tampa Catholic. Outside of Chaminade-Madonna, I don't think you'll find a collective group of wide receivers better than Tampa Catholic's in 3A, the speed, power and coaching has the Crusaders offense likely to put up huge numbers. QB Jacob Dean and RB Jalen Bussey are going to have huge seasons. The big question regarding Tampa Catholic as it has been in years past- can they win the big game when it counts? 7) St. Petersburg Catholic won! Okay, this really isn't a storyline and I assure you we're still in for a long season, but come- let me have my moment. The Barons under 1st year head coach Jay Davis knocked off Bradenton Christian 25-13. I actually think SPC will win 3 or 4 games this year which is a HUGE improvement if we do. 8) Oxbridge and American Heritage are both going to be powers in 3A this year as well. MCC is the favorite to win 3A North but Oxbridge isn't to far behind. I do think Oxbridge is missing a few pieces to win a state championship, but we'll know more after this week. American Heriage Delray is another program that's quickly gaining attention in the shadow of Chaminade in Region 4.

Melbourne Central Catholic knocked off 6A Cardinal Gibbons 35-33. Clearwater Central Catholic knocked off 7A Wiregrass Ranch 21-19. Berkeley Prep beat Clearwater Calvary 20-18. My St. Petersburg Catholic Barons beat Bradenton Christian 25-13.

Chaminade-Madonna is too low, they need to be higher; however, I also understand the concept of starting them off at 10 and letting them work their way up. If the Lions went undefeated, they would be ranked #1 in Florida for all classes and probably in the top 15 in America.

These are the Kickoff Classics I'll be paying attention to as I feel they're the most compelling match-ups. Berkeley Prep vs Calvary Christian Berkeley Prep is a defending Class 3A Regional Champion and has quite a few stars on the roster. They have the Tampa Bay Times #1 ranked football player Nicholas Petit-Freer and fellow top 50 ranked player DE Mayan Ahanotu. They also have a good QB in Joshua Youngblood, Rb JaVon Cooper and star 6'5 WR/TE Zack Mathias. They also boast Jaylen Harrell. Calvary Christian is expecting to see massive improvement this year as they're going to be lead by superstar CCC transfer Amari Burney. They also added CCC transfer De'Andre Ferguson and also boast one of the top linemen in the Bay area Ethan White. Calvary did not play a Spring game so nobody knows what to expect. I expect both teams to play to win, but Berkeley Prep has a huge game against CCC in week 1 and Calvary probably needs game film on their team to make adjustments as they go into their week 1 game against AFA. Clearwater Central Catholic vs Wiregrass Ranch This is basically a battle between the preseason #1 private school in Pinellas vs the #1 Public school in Pasco. The Bulls of Wiregrass are the #1 ranked Preseason Pasco County team by PascoFB and by many publications that cover the county and it's easy to see why. Wiregrass Ranch, a 7A team is loaded with talent across the board. Jordan Miner is one of the top CB's in the state and they also feature a trio of talented running backs and also feature a veteran QB in Grant Sessums. The Bulls also feature one of Pasco counties better coaching staffs lead by Mark Kantor. By all popular opinion, the Bulls should be looking at an 8-2 season and battling for a playoff spot behind Plant. CCC is no stranger to being a top ranked small school in 3A and 2017 is no exception as, but the Marauders have historically preferred not to challenge themselves in the preseason as they emphasize film work and putting players in positions they don't normally play to find hidden gems over wins if the game doesn't count. CCC is lead by some truly amazing athletes in their Junior and Freshmen classes, but their senior class is lead by one of the top linebackers in the state Deandre FItz Henley. Melbourne Central Catholic vs Cardinal Gibbons MCC is a favorite to be playing in Orlando against Chaminade-Madonna for 2017; however, the Hustlers have a tough KoC opponent in Cardinal GIbbons. MCC brings most of their roster back in tact from their undefeated regional championship team in 2016 including QB Joaqun Collazo, RB Lavonte Valentine and most of the line and linebackers. Chaminade-Madonna vs Deerfield Beach Chaminade-Madonna maybe the biggest favorite to win a state championship in recent Florida football history. The amount of talent on this team is impressive even by Miami/Broward custom built all-star team standards. The Lions have lofty expectations and have put together a schedule to match those expectations. While many feel the Lions will finish 7-3, I actually think they have the talent to finish 9-1. They have the depth of a 7A team and some of the best coaches in the greater Miami area. Of coarse, all of the lofty expectations are on paper and message board fodder. This is where the rubber meets the road.

Keem, I freely admit I'm rooting for MCC this year and hope the Hustlers have a strong season. I think everybody will root for MCC when they travel to GA regardless if they're a future foe or not. If I were looking at a single team to upset Chaminade this year it would be the Hustlers.

Depth is a problem for every 3A team except Chaminade. MCC and Oxbridge are evenly matched, but I'm giving the nod to MCC because Oxbridge,as a program is clearly on its way down because the powers that be seem to be willing it. MCC doesn't have a realistic shot against Chaminade in the finals- nobody in 3A 2017 does. Even if Chaminade lost Shaun Shivers and Xavier Williams, they still have more D-1 talent on the roster than 80% of the teams in Florida, let alone 3A. It's funny reading these message boards with people asking "Do you think Chaminade is the best team in 3A"- it's like watching a blowout on TV and the announcers are trying to keep people from changing the channel. Chaminade will beat every team in 3A this year not named AHD, Oxbridge or have Central Catholic in their name by 4-5 TD's. They'll beat AHD, Oxbridge and schools named Central Catholic by 2-3 TD's. CCC and AHD have lots of numbers in their senior classes- but lets not by silly, if you follow college recruiting both schools are going to have multiple power 5 player conference players in their junior classes and upwards of 10-12 kids playing college football in 2019 somewhere after they graduate. In the end I commend Chaminade-Madonna for doing the right thing. They won't seriously be challenged in 3A, so they are playing some of the top teams in America- because they themselves, for 2017, are a top team in America.

I really like while American Heritage Del-Ray is doing, they have quietly rebuilt the program after a really rough season in 2016. To be fair, the schedule was ridiculous last year. The 2017 schedule is much more bearable and I think with the added depth, they are going to evolve into a force by the time the playoffs roll around.

If MCC is going to win a state championship, this is the year to do it. Chaminade is, IMHO, a top 50 team in America right now and a top 3 or 5 team in Florida. Neither team is going to be seriously tested in 3A prior to the state semi finals so it's good MCC is stepping up and going out of state to play high levels of competition. MCC has an easier road being in the north as Chaminade will have to go through American Heritage Delray and CCC in consecutive weeks, but Chaminade is better than both teams- but by the time they get to AHD and CCC (both game will be played at Chaminade), they'll have had multiple battles. Right now, I'd go Chaminade 35, MCC 21 in the state finals; however, MCC has emerged as a legit threat to Chaminade if AHD and CCC can slow down Chaminade a bit before the state finals.

Jashaun Corbin transferred from Holy Trinity to Rockledge. He's an FSU commit.

According to Jashaun Corbin's Hudl page he transferred to Rockledge, coupled with Atoine Green at WR that gives them two FSU commits. Rockledge has a toughie with VIera in week 1 and then they back loaded their schedule with CCC, Palm Bay, Merritt Island and Cocoa. Overall, I easily see this being a team to watch going into 2017. Good choice.

ForWhiteFan76, I, for one, agree with you. Fort White is where MCC has been in years past- a team that has playmakers and if they catch a team on a bad night and they play a great game can upset somebody. MCC was in the boat last year, they caught CCC looking ahead to Chaminade. CCC had 2 of the top 300 players in America and 11 kids that went to play Division 1. MCC battled, battled and in 9 overtimes finally pulled an upset. Their reward? A fresh and healthy Chaminade came to town the next week and just clobbered MCC. When you look at 3A as a whole, many people may not be impressed, but if you look at the top 7 or 8 teams, it's a grind as they all have and will continue to play and be successful against teams in 6/7 and even 8a. I'm not in favor of participation trophies- my son will tell you that! But, I do think teams in the final 4 deserve a tip of the hat, especially in 3A where it's not uncommon for the elite teams to have rosters of 30-35 with 30-40% of that roster being a legitimate prospect for college football.

It's tough to project Oxbridge Academy right now. My understanding based on the Palm Beach Post is that they're d emphasizing football, meaning- they're not kicking football players out, but they will not be getting 3,4,5 star kids showing up on a Monday afternoon before football practice either. I'm fairly positive I know what's in their senior class- which makes them a top 2 team in the north of 3A, but after that- I don't know what's coming up behind them. As for Ocala Trinity Catholic,would it be a surprise if they won 3A North in 2017? Yes. To win 3A north that means they beat MCC and/or Oxbridge. OTC would be heavy underdogs in either game. After 2017? Say 2018/2019? I don't think it's a stretch to put OTC in the mix or see them win 3A north, but it would still be a stretch to see them beat CCC/Chaminade/AHD in the finals.

Hello everyone! I've received numerous E-mails and requests regarding Class 3A this year and I'm aware some members have been trying to track me down. My husband, brother and I have been away from high school football for awhile due to family, 9-5 work schedules and various other influencing factors; however, I wanted to at least put out some thoughts on 3A. I don't know how often I'll be able to post or contribute, but I'll try to answer as much as I can when I can. My top 7 teams in 3A going into Fall 2017 1) Chaminade- Madonna: It's hard to envision anybody beating the Lions this year for class 3A now that Jacksonville Trinity Christian is in 5A. Truthfully, if Chaminade didn't receive a single transfer they would still be the team to beat, but they've added 11 transfers from last year making this not only the top team in 3A but one of the top teams in America. Chaminade is also doing what many consider to be the right thing by playing Miami Central, Miami Booker T, American Heritage Plantation and a host of quality teams. I don't think I'm far off by saying the 2017 version of Chaminade will go blow for blow with all of the previously mentioned teams barring injury. 2) Oxbridge Academy: [redacted by admin] I'm not going to touch the controversy surrounding the program [redacted by admin] they'll be in a great position to push for Orlando. CJ Smith is one of the top players in Florida and the team as a whole seems to be just as talented as years past. Oxbridge has an overall quality schedule with Glades Central and Archbishop Wood (PA) on the schedule. 3) Melbourne Central Catholic- Last year the Hustlers were the surprise team in 3A. This year the Hustlers return most of their team in-tact and have a much easier road in the playoffs than having to go through CCC and Chaminade in consecutive weeks. The schedule has also been beefed up. If Oxbridge doesn't field a team this year, MCC has to be considered an overwhelming favorite to be in Orlando in December. Even if Oxbridge fields a team, they may still be the favorite. Joaquin Collazo, Lavante Valentine and a tremendous defense should get the Hustlers to a 9-1 regular season record. I can't see them beating Fort Pierce Central, but everyone else in the regular season is fair game. 4) Clearwater Central Catholic- The Marauders were hit hard due to graduation and then lost their two top returning Juniors to rival Calvary Christian. Still, the Marauders received more than they lost and still have what many consider to be one of the top linebacking corps in the state with Deandre Fitz-Henley leading the defense. Let's be clear, the 2017 version of CCC will not win a state championship; however, I can see the Marauders finishing 9-1 or 8-2 and making a return trip to the State Semi-Finals setting up a state championship run in 2018 behind their immensely talented Junior and Sophomore classes. 5) Tampa Catholic- Like CCC, the Crusaders were hit hard due to graduation with the loss of Austin Sessums and Devan Barrett, still the Crusaders have a strong bunch of athletes Lead by an outstanding young QB in Charlie Dean. TC also has numerous young athletes that are highly thought of by regional websites in the Tampa area. TC always finds a way to play a competitive schedule and this year is no different. The losing streak to Jesuit won't end and I can easily see this TC team finishing 7-3, but the Crusaders should be in the regional finals this year. 6) American Heritage Delray- The Stallions may of struggled in 2016, but with a combination of young players growing-up and transfers the Stallions should begin the path back to the top. Like other 3A teams, they don't have a shot against Chaminade, but that's not the goal for 2017. Getting to 7-3, a win over Glades Central and getting to the regional finals are all realistic. 7) Calvary Christian (Clearwater) - Calvary Christian has historically been an average at best football team that's played in the shadow of CCC, Tampa Catholic and other private school powers in Tampa Bay- but, the 2017 version of Calvary could be on the cusp of breaking onto the regional scene as they managed to grab superstars Amari Burney and Deandre Ferguson from CCC. They are also home to one of the dominant linemen in 3A Ethan White. Now, some questions I've received via E-mail or via message boards: Peezy28 wanted to know my thoughts on Jay Davis being hired at St. Petersburg Catholic per the FloridaHSfootball message boards; I don't know much about Jay outside of him being one of the all-time great quarterbacks in county history. So, if he plays QB for SPC? Sure- I think we can compete, but St. Pete Catholic is going to be a multiple year rebuilding job that is going to require money, time, resources, and luck- all of which have been in short supply at SPC for ages. I've felt for years the Barons should go independent and rebuild the program. The schedule isn't impossible- but there's no reason to be playing Cardinal Mooney, CCC or Calvary. The rest of the games I'm okay with. I wish Coach Davis the best, but I'm not expecting much. What does Melbourne Central Catholic need to win Class 3A? -HustlerJam I discussed this above, but the the Hustlers already received help with realignment of 3A. In years past MCC had to go through any combination of TampaCatholic/CCC/Chaminade/Oxbridge only to face Jacksonville Trinity in the finals. MCC most likely will be matched up with Oxbridge at some point (if Oxbridge fields a team), but the question is- can MCC beat Chaminade in the finals? Well, MCC hung around with Chaminade for a half last year, but wore down quickly since they played a 9 overtime marathon the week before. This Chamainde team is better at every position across the board due to transfers from their 2016 version and I don't think MCC has gotten any more talented due to transfers. So, I could see the game being a 42-24 kind of game going to Chaminade. So, to get to Orlando I think MCC has a very realistic chance to beating Oxbridge and arriving 12-1, but to beat Chaminade they will probably need a combination of Chaminade injury, MCC playing a perfect game and luck. Does Jacksonville Trinity Christian going to 5A open up 3A over the next few years? JaxTCADad It opens up North 3A immediately; however, in 2017 nobody is beating Chaminade. I understand I'm projecting here, but unless there's massive transfers (and it's 3a, so there could be), 2018 could be the most competitive 3A has ever been. It should see a defending state champion Chaminade-Madonna with a highly talented 2018/2019 class, a stupid-loaded Clearwater Central Catholic and a returning to power Delray American Heritage as the top 3 teams in the South. CCC will receive competition from Tampa Catholic, Berkeley Prep. Chaminade and American Heritage will be playing chess trying to out-maneuver each other. The north after 2017 will be completely wide open. MCC, Ocala Trinity, Oxbridge Academy, Holy Trinity will all be players going forward.

Melbourne Central Catholic is going to be a very, very awesome team to watch this year. Glad to see they're upping their schedule; however, I imagine it's because nobody else will play them more than them willingly going out and beefing up their schedule. If I recall a previous post a month or so back, they only had 3 games scheduled and the pickings were getting thin. Looking at the North of 3A this year, MCC and Oxbridge are really on a collision course. Oxbridge may of de-emphasized football, but for at least this year, they should have enough to get to Orlando to play with 100% certaintly a Chaminade team that very well could be undefeated or 1 loss.

Chaminade's schedule is very, very impressive- but I won't run it since it's not publically released yet. The Lions will be a top 50 team in America this year.

St. Pete Catholic announced that Jay Davis will be the new Head Coach at SPC. This is mind-blowing on so many different levels. Don't get me wrong, it's a great hire and one I think the school had to make; however, his father (John Davis) just returned to CCC as the offensive coordinator and his brother-in-law Chris Harvey, is the HC at CCC. SPC had slowly started to get better as a program; however, the best athletes have since left and enrolled at..well.. CCC. Again, as an alum- great hire, but he's going against a machine and will need time to mold the program. In other words, this isn't a one or two year fix. http://www.tampabay.com/sports/footballpreps/jay-davis-extends-familys-coaching-legacy-in-pinellas-county/2316509

QB Rory Hicks transferred from Countryside to CCC today. Reported by TBTimes.

Proseteye, As a St. Pete Catholic alumni, yes- we've had some good to very good football teams in the 1990's and early 2000's. The 2004 SPC team was amazing with Rb Jock Sanders and QB Billy Tapp. The 2001 team with Chris Davis at Qb was very strong as well. SPC's 2013 8-4 team was the last team I would consider "good" as they made the regional finals. Even the 2002 SPC team with QB Gary Fiegel and RB Deondra Lindsey was competitive in games against teams not named CCC or Jesuit. I think coaching has something to do with it, as the coaches SPC has had the past 5-7 years have been successful at other programs; however, haven't been able to do much with the Baron program. I'm sure if John Davis. John Brantley or a Verlon Dorminey were at St. Pete Catholic with time and resources they could turn the program into a respectable program, but the foundation isn't there right now to breed a competitive program. If I saw twitter correctly, when Brooks transferred to CCC, the Barons only had 9 kids in the weightroom and 11 on the roster total. I just think it's strange that St. Pete Catholic's coach enrolls his son into CCC, leaves SPC and is trying to land an assistant coaching job at CCC. If twitter is accurate, most of the SPC kids will be transferring to CCC in the coming days, forcing SPC to probably drop football for at least Spring and re-evaluate the program in Fall. When the position opens, I'm curious who applies for it.

Baily Brooks and probably the entire St. Petersburg Catholic football team (Seriously) has transferred to Clearwater Central Catholic.. http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/hometeam/shannon-brooks-steps-down-at-st-petersburg-catholic/2310892

Peezy, It's Chris Fitzpatrick. They lost their offensive coordinator Bart Roberson and they just lost their defensive coordinator John Scargle who is the new HC at Palm Harbor. I also heard they lost their linebackers coach recently, but I'm not sure of his name.

Marvin Alexander has transferred from Flanagan to Chaminade-Madonna.