Hwy17

Perhaps they are getting enough transfers this year?

Division 1 and Division 2 ? I though we have that now in the form of classification? Or, do you mean a division 1 and division 2 in each class? People complain that there are too many classes now. My answer to the problem is not well liked.

Broward - to answer your second question, what I'm afraid is going to happen now that open transfer rules are in place, is that in places like Tampa, Fort Myers, or Orlando, is that one program will attract all the top talent and breeze through the season until the finals when they play a team from SFL. Now who will it be and how long will it last that one program will dominate will depend on how well that program works the system or some one else comes along and beats them at it. We are getting close to that now.

And why don't they get that talent anymore? Might want to ask those in Brandford?

5a is basically the old 3a. After winning 4 straight state titles in the 1980's, Live Oak Suwannee was slapped with probation by the FHSAA and had to forfeit some of their games from 1990 season. Funny stuff going on.

Since you ask - I remember when small towns like Avon Park, Frostproof, Live Oak, and Bartow use to dominate. Although some of that "funny stuff" I was talking about use to be associated with the later two. In this day and age, these kind of programs are basically lucky to win a district title and out in the early rounds.

Brings to mind a conversation I had with a now retired coach. Since I don't have his permission, I won't use his name. We talked about how some great coaches who have won year after year with their respective programs but never seem to when the big one, while a few seem to win championships time and time again. He told me he knew most every coach in this state and basically said the really great ones fall in to two groups - those who win because of hard work, discipline and developing players, and those who win at all costs.

I'm not accusing any team of breaking any rules, but there sure is some funny stuff I've seen happen over the years.

BrowardHandicapper: Don't like it, still don't like it and probably never will. Read my response to cat-scratch, what I'm referring to as keeping student body count down but letting transfers in. Matters not to me whether public or private do it. My point about Southridge is that they aren't trying to play down a class. Now if you want to talk about being forced to play up a class, my school fought FHSAA for years over that.

So they come there for athletic reasons? I have and never have had issues with parents wanting to send they kids elsewhere for academic reasons or because the school their kids are zoned for are not a good fit. Lakewood Ranch is an example, my friends in Bradenton tell me right now, no parent wants their kid to go to that school. When your able to get able to get starting players who otherwise you would not have had, but remain a 4a school, then your not a true 4a school. The concept of classification was created years ago on the idea that the larger the student body population, the likelihood of having more athletes from the general population is increased. Letting them cross lines compromises this concept.

Isn't Southridge an 8A school? Letting in transfers while keeping your student body count down so can have an edge on the competition is the way to go. Its like letting a welterweight gain 20 lbs after weigh in.

Yes it does get under my skin and although I used AHP as an example, I know of public schools that do it too. Cocoa was the example I used this year. Back in 2005-2006, Lakeland was winning state titles, and the message boards were full of how many transfers they were getting not only from neighboring Polk county schools but from neighboring counties as well. Hell, FHSAA had an investigation against Armwood and stripped them of their championship in 2011. So the answer, lets make school choice the loophole for recruiting. 2011 - I watched Southeast's program fall while and Palmetto rise as some of their best players transferred to play for the former assistant now HC at Palmetto. Next year they all went over to Manatee. So its not totally public vs private.

BrowardHandicapper: It was a thread on the Flvarsity board that Cocoa bragged about how many transfers in they were getting. https://flavarsity.forums.rivals.com/threads/cocoa-tiger-football.7965/#post-60069 BTW, prior to 2013 AHP rarely got past the first or second round of the playoffs, 1998 the one year they made a title run.

I think if you are going to allow it, either (1). limit the roster size and number of transfers a program can take, or (2) if a program takes in too many transfers, play up in a higher classification. Those programs in urban/metro areas obviously have an advantage over those in smaller counties to "attract" all the players to their programs. Colubiahighfan, you being from a one high school county should be able to understand that.

Wrong! When a 4a school like Cocoa comes on here and brags about getting as many transfers as they do, IMO, they aren't really a 4a school any more. - Not picking on or disrespecting Cocoa, just using them as an example, its the system that allows it. I can throw some others in. Why was there such outrage towards Armwood in 2011 or Lakeland in 2006 because of the transfers they got? Now its legal to "recruit", we just call it school choice. Can only have so many on the field? - Again, and I will use 2013 as an example as I posted a long piece on this that year. American Heritage Plantation breezed through the 5a playoffs that year. Mr. Highschool, Steve Berry, wrote an article on the other site about AHP that they had more than 25 division 1 recruits on their team. The top 6 public schools in 5a that year all had a roster between 45-55 players with 3-6 division 1 recruits. So how does a school like AHP get a roster the size nearly double any other 5a public school and more than quadruple the number of division 1 prospects? Please answer me that? Its a rip-off to the rest of the public schools in that division. AHP is really an 8a school playing in class 5a. While only 11 play on the field at one time, show many any team that can last long with all their players going both ways? Injuries happen! A school like AHP or Cocoa or others can simply plug another player in. The rest of us end up putting in a freshman or sophmore that isn't quite ready for varsity.

I'll give it a chance. In fact, my school will probably not be effected at all, and maybe even benefit from the new system. I never though it right that 3 team districts exist where a team can get into the playoffs with a 1-9 record while a 7-3 team in the next district sits out. Also, some early round match-ups usually are tougher than the later rounds because of district vs district format. But truthfully what bothers me the most is how the state legislature and the FHSAA have all but made recruiting legal and the trend that has been going on for the last five years or so where there are a few schools that benefit by seeing how many transfers they can get and thus compromise the whole purpose of having classification in the first place.

Which is what I'm saying. Class 2a only is virtually a private school class with 1 public school that choose to be there instead of 1a due to travel. Most independent conference schools would be 2a. Class 3a is all private Class 4a has 6 private schools. Most of these would fit into class 3a with a small adjustment to the enrollment number (change to 1000). Class 5a has 5 private schools Class 6a has 0 private schools Class 7a has 1 private school (STA) Class 8a has 2 private schools - Christopher Columbus and Belen Jesuit IMO those last 8 would fit into class 8a well.

Not that many private schools over 1000. One reason why some many private schools play independent is because they can't field a team year-to-year. Schools like Bishop Verot, Jacksonville Bolles, that are in 4a are right at 1000. Tampa Jesuit is all male so they have to double their number.

Maybe Something like this? Class A: Public Schools only under 600 Class 2A: Private Schools only under 300 Class 3A: Public Schools 600-1200 Private Schools 300-1000 Class 4A: Public Schools 1201-2000 Class 5A: Public Schools 2001-2800 Class 6A: Public Schools over 2800 Private Schools over 1000

I don't like it either. Larger districts would have solved the problem. 3 district per region, champs and runner-up in, the remaining 2 spots going to the 3rd place teams with the best overall record and a point system to tie-break. It worked before.

So, if I'm reading this right, if you play a team that was 1-9 last year but they were in the playoffs by virtue of being in a 3 team district, a win over them is now worth 38 points instead of 35?

Too bad the Lake Gibson vs Winter Haven game was cancelled earlier this year. Would like to have seen that one.

Yeah, but Jesuit looks like a beast!

Defense! The Hardee defense has been playing lights out lately. The Hardee offense, while struggling early in the season has gotten better and not turning the ball over . Plus they are ridding what should be a 5 game win streak.

Should be a close game. I'll take Hardee 21-17