DarterBlue2
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Posts posted by DarterBlue2
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48 minutes ago, 181pl said:
Of course not set in stone or anything, but the favorites for the 8A Final are Wekiva v. Columbus. Who would be the favorite?
But 8A still has some very quality teams left in Deerfield, Sar. Riverview, Mandarin (blowing out WP), etc.
If the final is between Wekiva and Columbus, Wekiva will likely be the favorite. However, overall, I think Columbus is the more disciplined team. If Columbus managed to open a two score lead (ten points or more) against Wekiva, I feel the Mustangs would have a hard time coming back from that deficit.
The two biggest achilles heels I see on the Wekiva team are: 1. A very average kicking game (last year they had a much better kicker); 2. They give up too many avoidable penalties on both sides of the ball.
The game, if it occurs (I could see both teams exiting next week under certain circumstances), will come down to whether Columbus can move the ball consistently against Wekiva's defense, which no team as of yet, has. If they find way to do so, I would take Columbus to win a fairly close game.
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39 minutes ago, muckboy561 said:
0-14 now lol
It's actually 0-15. In 2003, VB lost to Deerfield Beach in the third round. DB got waxed by Edgewater the following week who lost to Carol City in the title game.
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14 hours ago, OldSchoolLion said:
10 of 16(63%) games tonight in 7A-8A were decided by 21 or more points. Only 4 of 16 games were decided by 10 points or less. Even in the competitive larger classes, just trying to find 4 teams in a region who can give each other a close game can be challenging. With 8 teams competing in each region(in a system with 8 classifications), I believe there are going to be a substantial number of blowouts regardless of the system used to determine playoff teams.
As a comparison, in 1998, the 16 second round games in the 2 largest classes(5A and 6A) at the time resulted in the following: 4 of 16 games were decided by 21 or more points and 8 of 16 games were decided by 10 points or less.
My point is not to disparage the current system, but simply to point out that expecting it to fix the "problem" of blowouts is probably unrealistic. Even if the points system succeeds in decreasing average margins of victory, from a fan perspective, does it really make a difference whether a team loses by 21 or 35 points? Many fans would probably rather stay home in either case.
First, there are, as you imply, too many classes and probably too many teams making the playoffs. But this is only part of the problem with respect to competitiveness. Equally important, is the rise of the "super team." This had already been a serious trend over the past decade where, in addition to a few select private schools, some of the public schools in larger metro areas had begun to assemble talent within a ten to twenty mile radius, "borrowing" heavily from other, less successful programs.
With the relaxing of student transfer rules by the State's legislature, this trend will only continue. If the goal is to put together a few teams that can compete effectively on a National Stage in out of state match ups, then this works. However, if the goal is to have competitive playoffs in state, it defeats it, and, to a degree this has impacted attendance at the playoffs all the way through the title games. Fans don't want to pay their hard earned money (which has not grown in real terms in decades) to watch their local team get blown out in Orlando or elsewhere.
In a sense, high school football is just a microcosm of what has, and continues to happen, in wider American society. For the successful, I am sure this is a great thing. For the rest, probably not so much.
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2 minutes ago, Floridatech said:
I told y'all but I was the bad guy again
Vero seems to have trouble with really physical teams. You can't win an 8A title or even go deep if that is the case.
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1 minute ago, Bocefous70 said:
Trust me darter. I’ve been saying for years football on the treasure coast has been lacking
Fort Pierce Central was state caliber when the staff you were a part of was there. But for a play here or there, over a two (or was it three) year period, FPC could have made it to the state title game.
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Apopka came up short losing 28-7. Despite the score, the defense played a lot better but got worn down in the second half. Unfortunately, the offense did not have enough spark to move the ball consistently against the strong Wekiva defense. This put the defense in bad positions most of the night.
Good win by Wekiva. If they can get by Mandarin the day after Thanksgiving, and this is by no means a certainty, they should make the State Title game.
We will see what happens.
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23 minutes ago, Bocefous70 said:
Color me surprised
The truth is that Vero Beach was probably just a decent 8A school. It seems Treasure Coast and Centennial just seemed better than they were because VB was not as good as it seemed on paper.
Vero's only really good win this year was against Venice. Perhaps Venice started the season slow, or the match up just suited VB. While DP has probably improved going into the playoffs, I have a hard time believing that they are state caliber this year. Too many losses against teams that were not state caliber.
That Vero lost to them, bad officiating or not, is strong evidence that Vero was probably overrated going into the playoffs.
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5 hours ago, FL_HS_football said:
I would have thought the playoff losses to Manatee, when Jerrimie Rudolph was at QB, would rank right up there as bitter losses? I was at 2 of the 3 games. I know I went into the 1st of those 3 classics thinking Apopka was going to kill Manatee in 1992. Apopka had made Sarasota look like a JV team the week before for the 1st round of the playoffs, while Manatee won what I deemed a comfortable victory over Dixie Hollins in its 1st round playoff game. As I remember Apopka was winning games by an average of 30+ points, so yeah I wasn't looking favorably for a Manatee win. Manatee however jumped on Apopka early and stymied Rudolph for much of the game and won comfortably that evening, Manatee went on to win the state title.
I was not a high school football fan back then. I started watching the game in 1998, the year before my older son began high school. Not debating your argument though. I am sure those were bitter losses for Apopka fans.
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49 minutes ago, LAZ said:
A review of game scoring margins (In state contests only) over the past ten (10) regular seasons clearly indicates an increase in margin of victory for each game played, especially in 2017 and 2018. This is somewhat puzzling because one would think the trend should reflect the opposite because of the new point system. ie. Better Competition = More FHSAA Power Points = More Competitive Games.
My initial thinking was that an increase in the amount of teams caused the increase. However, this is not the case because 10 years ago we actually had more schools playing 11 man football than we do today. Anyway, here are the regular season average game scoring margins from 2009-2018:
2009 23.27 2010 22.78 2011 22.93 2012 23.65 2013 24.07 2014 23.60 2015 22.52 2016 24.05 2017 24.76 2018 25.27 Curious data. But is the data really indicative of a trend, though? Yes, 25.27 is a new high. However, we were at 24.07 back in 2013, and reverted to points well within the range over the next two years. Indeed, the 24.76 does not appear aberrant. However, I will agree that the 25.27 does seem like at least an expansion of the range.
Perhaps, some team, particularly the ones with tough districts, have "gambled" on the conservative side in their scheduling rather than scheduling tougher competition. Sometimes new regimes produce unanticipated results.
On another note, LAZ, sure hope you can make some of the State Title games this year. I feel it would not be the same without your presence.
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6 hours ago, badbird said:
Now if you get this guy involved you might get something done
David Hogg is a dude you need to pay attention to. Will probably be running for President before I croak! Mark my word.
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10 hours ago, ColumbiaHighFan2017class said:
Any chance we can start a petition to have spectrum removed as the broadcast provider of the state championships for future years
It would be nice for a network that is available statewide to carry it because it sucks you have to basically live in Orlando just to watch the game
Kind of does not even make sense, either, as if you live in Orlando and are really interested you can go to the game.
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1 minute ago, ColumbiaHighFan2017class said:
Trinity probably wins by 24 next week
Or maybe more. If you assume the LM/Godby game was not a fluke. I personally believe Columbia would put a running clock on Lake Mary if they played at their best.
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39 minutes ago, ColumbiaHighFan2017class said:
They played on Thursday because Lincoln plays at Gene Cox tomorrow night
And i was surprised as well, after watching us against Bolles i didn't expect them to go far tbh
Bolles didn't strike me as a serious threat but maybe appearances can be deceiving
Looks like round 2 of Trinity vs Bolles next Friday
I think Godby was probably overrated. Exhibit A was their 15-12 (or something like that) win over Lake Mary. Well either the week after or two weeks after, I forget and am too lazy to look it up, Lake Mary struggled mightily to beat an average Lyman team 21-14 (I was at that game and aside from the LM freshman QB, I though the team was very average). Right there, despite Godby's impressive other wins on paper, I had this burning question in the back of my head: how good is Godby, really?
My guess is not as good as most thought, and they got exposed for what they were. Look for TC to beat Bolles easily next week.
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5 minutes ago, OldSchoolLion said:
Columbus 35-0 1 minute into second quarter.
Palmetto 3 and out and punt is blocked and run back for TD by DE Rudy Puig, who had 2 INT's last week and nice coverage to disrupt pass play on this drive. This kid is not even rated and is a senior.
This game is over. If the score hold up to half time, the running clock will put Palmetto out of its misery early. The great start by Columbus was obviously too much to overcome.
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Peter Hayes-Patrick is playing his senior season at Winter Park High.
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For one of the first times in recent memory Apopka goes into a game an overwhelming underdog. No we are not always the favorite, but even when not favored, we are usually a live underdog. Well in this game, Apopka is not given much of a chance by those knowledgeable of Florida High School Football. I wish I could say, that they were all wrong, but must admit they are right, at least based on recent form over the latter half of the season, and on the dominant way Wekiva won the first outing a few weeks ago, Wekiva deserves to be the big favorite.
Even I must admit that Apopka's paths to victory are limited. However, they are not nonexistent. I believe there is a way.
To win this game, certain obvious things will need to happen. Paramount among them are the need to minimize mistakes, and get the running game in gear early. However, to win, I feel Apopka will have to do more. Unless we can find (on our bench) one of: Steve Baylark/Chandler Cox/ or perhaps, Tom Smith, as well as two of, Jeremy Gallon, Jacoryan Davis-Hamilton, Jeremy Wright, Tamaki Jackson, Alan Abrams, Jevric Blocker or Antwan Coley, the team will have to establish a consistent passing game in addition to running the football. For, we don't currently have the explosiveness nor an offensive line complete enough to do it on the ground alone.
With that said, I think Jackson Darlington will have to have the game of his career. He will have to find open men consistently whether via slants, pitches or deeper balls. He will have to show enough dexterity and fleetness of foot to keep drives alive when the line breaks down. Absent that, I really don't see Apopka being able to score at least the 21 points they will need to have a shot at winning.
On the defensive side of the ball, the front seven will need to have a West Orange equivalent game. They cannot allow the Wekiva QB to have a lot of time to find his receivers and they must stop the running backs at the line of scrimmage early and often.
Can this be done? Yes, but it is asking a lot.
All I can realistically ask of this Darters team is that the fight from the very beginning to the end of the game. In the fist effort against Wekiva, particularly in the second half, effort was missing. That loss stung mostly because it was right up there with the other two worst losses to my way of thinking in the 20 seasons I have been a fan, namely, a 2003 loss against East Ridge when the kids quit in the second half, and the 2011 playoff loss against Timber Creek.
A loss Friday is digestible if the Apopka team fights to the end. Another loss similar to the regular season one, is not reflective of what it is to be a Blue Darter.
Remember the team motto: Hoka Hey!!
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4 minutes ago, peezy28 said:
At home those South Tampa Socialites don't have to go far and out of their comfort zone to enjoy some ball... But travel to Orlando would be a process for them LOL.
181p travels, though. I have met him in Orlando and if I remember correctly, you and he were at the Apopka/Manatee semifinal in Apopka.
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1 minute ago, peezy28 said:
Armwood and Plant (for state title games ironically) never travel well..
True. Plant traveled well the first time they won. Not so well after. I find it surprising as I have been to Dad's twice and both times the stands were packed!
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3 minutes ago, ColumbiaHighFan2017class said:
Problem is no one besides Orlando has brought a serious bid to host football to the table
I am not complaining. I have no travel costs as the Stadium is about 15 miles from my home!
- DisabledAccount, 181pl and peezy28
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25 minutes ago, 181pl said:
The one school in Hillsborough County that actually fits the small town model where everybody should go 2 games is Plant City. All of Plant City only shares Plant City and Durant high school. And plant city High School has been around for over a hundred years. If they were consistently good, they would probably have a very strong following, almost like Lakeland.
Funny you say that about Plant City. They brought a "huge" crowd (for soccer in the USA), to Seminole High School for their third round match with the Noles last year. They ended up winning a very close game on their way to the State Title.
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1 hour ago, Floridatech said:
And that sounds about right, insert the data in from the Cen10 games that they both played and Vero second round loser status and you get a tight game.....
It should be interesting. This is the moment of truth for VB.
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4 hours ago, Proseteye said:
Public schools were always "recruiting". Everyone just looked the other way. At least Privates had an excuse, they have a business to run. If you don't fill your classrooms you're out of business.
What?? So the classrooms were filled with football players!?
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46 minutes ago, ColumbiaHighFan2017class said:
Well plant and armwood are both metro schools
Honestly it feels like rural areas do a lot better attendance wise which is why a school like MNW having a good crowd is impressive
The Bulls are the historically black high school, together with BTW in Miami Dade. I think this has something to do with the fan base as it goes back to the days of segregation when it was the only option. So, today, there is probably a certain pride in being a bull in Miami.
Regarding Armwood, though like Apopka, they are in a large Metro County, like Apopka they are kind of on the outskirts. So, my initial reaction is they should have a larger base, but they don't. Not sure why.
Margins of Victory Tonight in 7A-8A
in The Huddle
Posted
That would solve some of the problems. It would not address the deficit smaller town and rural public schools currently have when their enrollment puts them in one of the larger classes unless you factor some kind of population handicap into the equation.