DarterBlue2

Go Greyhounds! Another team that under-performs relative to talent that passes through the hallways.

In the 22 seasons I have watched at least some area high school football, Colonial has had one good team, which went 7-3 in the first decade of this new century (I forget which year). It did not make the playoffs, but came close, and with the right draw, I think it could have won a playoff game. That team had a mobile QB, a receiver that went on to sign an undrafted free agent contract with an NFL team (I believe he briefly made a roster, before ending up in the Canadian Football League), and a decent defense. They have not been a factor again since. Colonial's zone is currently a working class area, that has a large Hispanic presence (not too many Latino kids gravitate toward the game), but still pulls enough kids which on the surface, should have enough talent to be competitive in football from time to time. It is somewhat of a mystery to me why they cannot raise their football profile and I believe a patient, experienced coaching staff could have some success there.

Dan in Daytona knows this one for sure.

They don't know based on the article. That is way I said it's speculation on my part. I know that at many hospitals, there are various pathogens literally lying around. If you want to work at a hospital, even if you are just a contractor there for a specific project, you have to take a battery of physical examinations. It is actually pretty scary. Not trying to scare you off from going to one if you need to, but they are not as safe as you would think.

Add Tarpon Springs with 26 losses.

Very sad. He probably contracted MRSA at the hospital. But that is speculation on my part. It only goes to show that a routine issue can end in tragedy. Value every day of your life. The fact you are young is no guarantee you will be around for long.

Andre Reese, Taylor High?

Loss of population due to changing a agricultural situation is a big part of the reason for the decline. Lots of talent still there, but not in the same numbers as in the past.

I am glad he landed on his feet even though his football career did not pan out.

X Lee vs New Smyrna Beach.

I am actually surprised that someone paid $15 million after being terminated would see the need to seek a high school coaching job. Guilty or not, I would be too embarassed to do this. And, you can't help but think that he does not need the money.

And that would be Bad Bird!

Yeah. Sometimes these things happen. If you ever saw this kid play, you would feel for him. One of the smoothest natural runners I have every seen. He glides across the field without seeming to put any effort into it. But don't let that fool you, he is almost impossible to run down in the open field.

After last night's big disappointment, I got to see 4.5 quarters of good, competitive football. The Jamboree was played among Boone (the host), Bishop Moore and Wekiva. In the first half I saw, Bishop Moore, which started slowly, beat Boone 14-0. The score was about right. Boone had the better of the first 8 minutes of the first quarter. After that Bishop Moore had the better of play. Their second touchdown was set up by a bobbled one handed grab by their tight end, number 14, who after securing the ball took it down to the Boone five. No 14, 1 and 11 for Bishop Moore are really good football players. I think number 1 will play college ball at a big time program. The second game ended when Wekiva's QB over threw the end zone on fourth and goal from the Bishop Moore 12. Two plays earlier he had been sacked for a loss and on the next to last play, the BM corner made a big play to tip the ball out of the hands of the Wekiva receiver. In the only score of this game, BM's touchdown came on a long, grinding 85 yard drive in the second quarter. Wekiva is a good team and its offense has a shot at being better than last year's offense. However, the defense is young and way behind last year's defense at this stage. From what I saw of Edgewater in video against Osceola, and my knowledge of who they return, at this stage I am going with Edgewater to be the best 7A team in the Orlando area. In the final half of football, Boone, after picking up a nice fist down to get up to midfield, gave up a pick six and on the next Wekiva drive, the QB Preston, found a wide open receiver for a long touchdown pass. I figured at that stage that Boone was not coming back, so I left before the end of the quarter. Thoughts on the three teams. Bishop Moore is very solid. They and Jones should be in a battle royal for 5A, District 7. At this stage I am agnostic as to which one wins the district, as Jones literally had no competition last evening while BM was in four hard fought quarters. So, it is difficult for me to assess just how good Jones is at this stage. Wekiva is still a strong, likely playoff team. But the defense is not as good as it was the prior two seasons and without transfers in, I don't think it will improve enough this year to get to that level. Their QB Preston continues to develop nicely and he, too, should play college ball at a solid program, though I am not sure what his position will be. Boone is not a bad team. They used two QB running back combinations and to be honest, I preferred the fist featuring numbers 18 and 27. However, they were removed late in the first quarter against BM and had not returned when I left midway though the first quarter against Wekiva. I see BM having a shot at going deep in 5A if they can get past Jones which is a big hurdle. Wekiva should make the playoffs and it will come down to draw as to how far they progress. Regarding Boone, I think they will be better than last year. At this stage, I am not sure about their playoff chances.

My best guess is that if Apopka is doing okay, he may be back late in the season or for the playoffs. I don't think he has progressed as well as hoped. It is really sad, the play that did him in in the BT game seemed so routine. It was after he got up I realized that the injury was serious. You never know ...

He may be done for his high school career. But yes, he is surely missed. The O Line needs to develop very quickly if the offense is to have a spark to it.

That is true. But I have watched Orlando area football for 21 seasons now. Believe me, this was bad ... very bad ... just saying

How did that one go?

I don't normally do this, and if Josh decides to remove it I totally understand. But I have to make it. So, tonight I went to what I thought was a Jamboree among Jones, Oak Ridge and Gainesville. The primary reason for going was to assess Jones as they are Apopka's first opponent in the regular season and they came within a whisker of beating last year's eventual 5A state champions on their field in the playoffs. Well, Gainesville did not make the trip so it was converted to a Jones/Oak Ridge game. What I saw was the worst performance I have ever seen in any high school game. Now I realize it was a spring game. I also realize Oak Ridge is young with mostly rising sophomores on the field. But the lack of preparation by the coaching staff blew me away. Yes, I know it's a lowly compensated, largely thankless job unless you are a perennial playoff team. But given they had several weeks to prepare for this game the performance was not excusable. The O Line did not understand the fundamentals of blocking, the defense could not tackle, there were no adjustments even though Jones's offense ran two basic plays, the punters looked like they had never kicked a ball before, I could go on and on ... At the end of the first half, it was Jones 69 Oak Ridge 0. It could actually have been worse as Jones was first and goal with 40+ seconds remaining in the half but chose to take a delay of game penalty and take their time running one play before the clock expired. I personally feel that this coaching staff did a huge injustice to the Oak Ridge kids and I would not be surprised if a number of them quit the game or transfer. My take is, that if you are not going to make an effort, don't accept the responsibility. The kids deserve better than that ...

I know, right. The Apopka scores look more like soccer scores, but they are real.

Orlando area, yes: Edgewater 10 Osceola 7 Dr. Phillips 28 Winter Park 21 Timber Creek 16 Lake Nona 14 Apopka 2 Atlantic Coast 0, Raines 6 Apopka 0 Spruce Creek 28 Atlantic Coast 7 Spruce Creek 17 Raines 7 Those are the games I saw except for Edgewater.

I realize Dillard is good. I am looking forward to seeing how the playoffs go this year. For the first time in several years, your team may have a shot. We will see how it plays out. The talent was always there. It was just a matter of finding the right staff and keeping the kids at Dillard.

I last spoke to him in early April. I told him we would speak again after Memorial Day when I had a chance to see the spring games. He is okay. Yeah, it would be good to catch up. I will keep you posted.

Was not calling Dillard a scrub team. Scrub teams don't score 50+ points. But Taravella has been pretty bad historically. Never seen them make a run. I may be in South Florida in September. I will be sure to take in a Dillard game with my man, BH.

Congrats on the win. No doubt Dillard is good. However, keep in mind that you played a scrub team tonight. I look forward to the regular season. It should be interesting to see if Dillard can make a deep playoff run.