SPCjessica2004

I might be in the minority on this one, but I don't view a successful high school coach as a coach that won state championships. That might be the metric used to compare college or NFL coaches.

These days a team that consistently wins state championships is typically due to the fact they recruit the best talent in their area and in modern times it's quietly becoming the state and in some teams cases the nation.

I've always been of the impression since I was at St. Petersburg Catholic back in the very early 2000's that high school coaches are far more important to the development of young men. I imagine the players that played for Mr. Budnyk would consider him a champion even if he doesn't have a ring that says "State" on it.

I remember reading about Coach Budnyk in the Palm Beach Post in the mid 2000's before his retirement. Sounds like an amazing individual from a different generation that was able to adapt to the changing times.

I might be in the minority on this one, but I don't view a successful high school coach as a coach that won state championships. That might be the metric used to compare college or NFL coaches.

These days a team that consistently wins state championships is typically due to the fact they recruit the best talent in their area and in modern times it's quietly becoming the state and in some teams cases the nation.

I've always been of the impression since I was at St. Petersburg Catholic back in the very early 2000's that high school coaches are far more important to the development of young men. I imagine the players that played for Mr. Budnyk would consider him a champion even if he doesn't have a ring that says "State" on it.

I remember reading about Coach Budnyk in the Palm Beach Post in the mid 2000's before his retirement. Sounds like an amazing individual from a different generation that was able to adapt to the changing times.

I see on their roster they have alot of seniors and juniors on their team 

I expect Vero v. Chaminade to be similar to Muscle Shoals last year. Basically, CM gets out-coached for most of the game but finds a way to win a game they shouldn't because of their superior athleticism. 
 
 

Jessica has reminded us in the past that Chaminade does better as the season progresses...maybe because their transfers have had a chance to gel?
If that is the case, Vero should be facing a solid, late-season competitor.
 

13 of Hillsborough's 27 public schools have opened since 1995.  Those 13 schools have only won a combined 28 playoff games.  
Hillsborough
Alonso(8A) 2001     1 p/o win
Blake(6A) 1997     3 p/o wins
Durant(7A) 1995     5 p/o wins
Freedom(7A) 2002     0 p/o wins
Lennard(7A) 2006     2 p/o wins
Middleton 2002(5A) (reopened)     2 p/o wins
Newsome(8A) 2003     3 p/o wins
Riverview(8A) 1998     2 p/o wins
Sickles(7A) 1997     3 p/o wins
Spoto(5A) 2006     1 p/o win
Steinbrenner(8A) 2009     0 p/o wins
Strawberry Crest(7A) 2009     0 p/o wins
Wharton(7A) 1997      6 p/o wins

...a little off-season fun here.  A number of FL hs teams have a color in their school or mascot name.  For example, in college we have the Duke Blue Devils and the Bowling Green Falcons.
Can you think of any such high schools in FL?  There are quite a few.
 
Admiral Farragut Blue Jackets
Apopka Blue Darters
Avon Park Red Devils
Bartow Yellow Jackets
Blake Yellow Jackets
Clay Blue Devils
Edison Red Raiders
Father Lopez Green Wave
Fort Myers Green Wave
Gainesville Purple Hurricanes
Hilliard Red Flashes
Holmes County Blue Devils
Kathleen Red Devils
Lake Howell Silver Hawks
Leesburg Yellow Jackets
North Fort Myers Red Knights
PK Yonge Blue Wave
Pahokee Blue Devils
Peterson Academy Tech Silver Eagles
St Augustine Yellow Jackets
St Petersburg Green Devils
Sebring Blue Streaks
Stanton Blue Devils
Vernon Yellow Jackets
West Park Prep Crimson Trunk Elephants
Williston Red Devils
Winter Haven Blue Devils
 
 
 
 
 
 

I actually communicated with a few individuals this morning in the media who wanted my opinion. I think outside of the game Mainland drew that this is going to be rough for Florida, but the teams going are going more for the experience.

I focus on small school football. Last year Chaminade drew Muscle Shoals a very good but not great Alabama team. This year, the team that replaced Chaminade is CCC, a very good football team in their own right. Instead of drawing another very good team of the quality of Muscle Shoals, they draw a 4 time defending state champion that would smoke Chaminade and probably be favored to beat JaxTCA that early in the season. 

Cocoa is a very good nationally recognized program that has athletes to spare, but they draw Hoover, Alabama.  Cocoa has a history of fielding varsity rosters of 38-45 and sometimes not even that many. They'll draw a team that will field a varsity roster of 80+.

I mentioned in another post, but I think they just went off of the 2018 Maxpreps state and national rankings.

I wish good luck to all the teams in Florida all of them deserve to be invited and represent Florida even if we'll be taking a few on the chin.



 

Brentwood Academy lost to 2 teams last year they were both behind CCC in the national rankings. A couple hundred spots behind CCC. So they are definitely beatable. 
If I was a betting man I would take BA straight up, but that’s why they play the game!!!

I agree with Cocoa vs Hoover.  I never want to sell Cocoa short, but Hoover... wooah boy
 

Don’t write these FL teams off just yet. 
Brentwood Academy plays in a watered down playoff, and was in a dog fight with an average private Texas team two years ago. Barely won 21-14 and was considered national top 50
UMS won state but it was a small school title, and outside the state top 5, Alabama can be pretty pedestrian. Chaminade was in a dog fight because the coaching is lacking. Western has been trending upwards the last few years. 
Winter Park has came out of nowhere like Wekiva due to the rise in transfers. If they continues then they could hold their own. 
Hoover lost a stud to transfer and isn’t the Hoover of old. Cocoa can surprise them for sure. 
I don’t have high expectations, I just hope to God they can all make it competitive 

...where these schools would play if in Florida.  
Bishop Sycamore 6A
Brentwood Academy 4A
Hoover 7A
Pickerington Central 6A
UMS Wright 3A 
 

If I were Chaminade-Madonna I would be upset about it. While I agree they're likely to be in the 3A final, they'll just as likely have to travel to CCC for a third year in the final 4, turn around and travel to Tallahassee the following week to get thumped by JaxTCA. 

Appreciate the good thoughts. We need them.

Proseteye,

I saw on the schedule that OTC is playing Calvary Christian. This is a good game as Calvary Christian has a prolific QB and some talented WR's to throw to. OTC has been in a 2 steps forward, 1 step back rebuilding process. Let's see if the new coach and a senior laden team gets the Celtics over the hump.

While JaxTCA is in your region I think the more immediate focus should be on winning a playoff game. This will go a long, long way to re-establishing the Celtic brand in Marion county.  You won't have to worry about Chaminade or CCC, they are in regions 3 and 4 respectively.  First Academy is in region 2 this year.  

OTC is a team worth following, there's some good things happening.

I agree Columbia. There are, however, also other 3A teams that will be a challenge besides TCA. Berkeley Prep, Calvary Christian, Chaminade, CCC, and the First Academy. We now have what looks to be a very stable QB in Jr Domanic Brinser. Good skills and 6'2" 195. Our receivers and RBs mostly have two or three years of experience. So, we shall see.

University School, Clewiston, GC

Dam tough ass schedule 

Man that's a crazy schedule!!!! Did they learn anything from last year??? Got beat up physically and mentally last year!!!Ha d nothing for the playoffs left. I've seen Pahokee teams with less talent destroy a team like Hawthorne from last year.

Columbia, I'm not saying that Hawthorne was bad, Actually they were pretty sound. I'm saying that due to last season's schedule Pahokee was not as good at the end of the season as they should have been. I've seen less talented Pahokee team destroy a team like Hawthorne in the past!

If you look on Jax TCA hudl page 
theirs a few kids that came from sandalwood and one of them is a CB Committed to bama.

It seems like Chaminade-Madonna is loading up their schedule with some tough teams, are they that good this year???

This is true to a degree, but they had to play these teams. Nobody else would play them. Did anybody really think Flanagan, Cooper City,  and the other merry minimums on their schedule last year were going to hang around to get beat by 70 again?

They're a 2 time defending state champion that is bringing back a team that would compete for a state championship without a single transfer, instead they have 21 transfers and word is they have some legit super stars transferring in shortly once the summer scholarship goes into effect. (It's the scholarship for learning disabilities).

As for Chaminade and Vero. I stand by my statement, If Chaminade is healthy they'll win this one. I'm not saying it'll be a blowout, but they'll end up with more points.  They play Central/Carol City/AHP and like years past, they play those super powers early and will lose to one or two of them.  By week 7 they'll turn into Super Chaminade and wipe the floor with everybody else except JaxTCA who will have turned into Super JaxTCA by then. 

I've seen this story to many times.

Vero Beach is playing in a spring jamboree at Boca Raton on May 22. 1st half: Vero vs. Dwyer 2nd half: Vero vs. Boca 3rd half: Dwyer vs. Boca

I think the people in charge of the freedom bowl just assign the teams either randomly or what works for the teams
 
And one team is clearly not like the others lol