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DarterBlue2

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  1. Former First Coast QB moving again

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    Oh boy. I started a minefield. Should have restricted my comment to his QB play.

    In year two he had a great night with several long touchdown passes as First Coast scored 48 points. Unfortunately, Apopka's offense was a buzz saw that night and scored 64. I remember speaking with a member of the First Coast staff after the game. I remember him saying that if anyone told him they were going to score 48 before the game he would have been ecstatic ... it's funny how these things work.  

  3. State Finals Attendance

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    4 minutes ago, gatorman-uf said:

    Da West is the most fun base to sit with, felt very knowledgeable as a whole. And even last year they were talking about an after party as well. Da West comes to celebrate 

    A certain Blue and White team not named Armwood spoiled that celebration one cool, foggy December night a long time ago!:lol:

  7. State Finals Attendance

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    8 minutes ago, ExplorerHomer2 said:

    Saw that. NW generally travels well - at least better than all the other 305 programs with the exception of Central. Generation upon generation of Bulls and alumni who used to pack the Orange Bowl for the Soul Bowl with 20k in the stands.

    I wondered what Armwood's excuse was - especially with such a strong tradition themselves.

    For whatever reason, Armwood has never traveled well. Lake Gibson traveled much better when they played Carol City a couple of years ago. And yes, the best scenario for the FHSAA was when the Northwestern Bulls played an Orlando area team. Of course that won't happen anymore unless Northwestern falls to 5A where it could face Bishop Moore or Jones if realignment moves those two to the North bracket. Orlando and surrounding areas don't have any strong 6A teams. In fact, I am not sure we have any unless you include Daytona Beach Mainland. BTW, Armwood will almost certainly be either 7A or 8A next year, so they will avoid the annual beat down from the Northern Miami area teams!

  8. So something i noticed with 7a and 8a champs

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    5 minutes ago, ColumbiaHighFan2017class said:

    Both Lakeland and Mandarin won state titles last night but if we look at regular season schedules these 2 were basically polar opposites 

     

    Lakeland schedule was deemed to be relevantly weak

     

    Mandarin schedule could be considered a dogfight 

     

     

    Both won state

     

     

     

    So does the schedule really matter?  Seems to me that a team could schedule easy or tough and still have success because there is no right Schedule for a team

     

    It's all situational with the players and coaches on the staff 

    Personally I prefer a strong schedule, but with at least three or four relatively easy games in there, too. I would not want my kids to get beat up every week, but would want them to have faced some tough competition before the playoffs. 

  9. Class 8A title game Mandarin vs Columbus

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    1 minute ago, ExplorerHomer2 said:

    Unfortunately, so is Mandarin, no?

    Yes and no. Numbers wise yes. But many of the impact players graduate. However, Carson Beck should be back for his senior year. So, they will be good again. At least on offense. 

    Of course, there is always the unknown such as new, underclass talent and more senior potential transfers, as now they have a title the school's program becomes a lot more attractive. 

    Having seen them three times this season, I will say I was very impressed with the quality of the coaching staff as well. You can have all the talent in the world but you have to make it work. 

  10. Mandarin Situation Is Disappointing

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    8 hours ago, OldSchoolLion said:

    Not since Champagnat did it in 2013 has a 2-win team turned things around and won a state title the following season.  And I remember the whispers of skepticism that accompanied that accomplishment, ie private school recruiting.  Well, now Mandarin has now done the same.  I was aware that one of the top qb's in the state, Carson Beck,  had transferred in this season, but just today learned that 3 of their wide receivers all did the same this season or last.  Senior Darien Oxendine came over from Menendez this season.  Senior Demario Douglas did the same last season, and senior Kris Mitchell transferred from Bolles (isn't that ironic) last season. 

    After watching them this evening, it's pretty obvious that Mandarin's offense would likely be nowhere close to their current level of performance without those 4 players.  I poked fun at Chaminade for having an "instant wide receiver corps" this year due to transfers, but at least their qb has been there the past 3 seasons.  This situation at Mandarin takes it to another level with Beck coming over. 

    Is it Mandarin's "fault" these fellows wanted to come to school there?  Not necessarily.  Should this situation take away from their state title?  Not necessarily.  If this was a private school, would some folks be jumping up and down about the situation and pointing fingers?  You bet. 

    Ironically, the public school had the edge tonight due to transfers.  Columbus is a team that has paid their dues over the years and never won a title in over 50 years.  Mandarin is an upstart program that has historically had little playoff success. How many times has the shoe been on the other foot with a private school skyrocketing to prominence and denying a public school that has paid its dues? 

    It's about time the shoe is on the other foot, right?  Well, maybe so.  But if we are going to take that position, we have to start admitting that the argument that private schools still have the edge is losing its ability to hold water.  If we are going to continue questioning private schools about transfers/recruiting when they win state titles under unusual circumstances, I think it is only fair to do the same for public schools.  I've called out Chaminade this year and now that I learn about Mandarin am doing the same. 

    Sorry, but it is highly suspect when a program goes from 1 playoff win in its first 25 years and numerous losing seasons to winning an 8A title in such short order.  You don't have that kind of success that quickly under "natural" circumstances.  If there is nothing unusual about it, what the private schools are doing today must be normal, too.  

    I am disappointed...not necessarily at the Mandarin football program, but the circumstances under which it won....with kids that spent a limited amount of their playing time there.  No way they win an 8A title without those 4.  And I would say the exact same of any program that won under such circumstances.  I think most of our powerhouse programs today are not winning titles simply because of transfers.  But occasionally we get situations like those at Chaminade and Mandarin where one questions if they could have won without them.        

     

     

     

     

     

    Old School, I am not going to comment on the rights and wrongs of the Mandarin situation. However, I will comment of the state of high school football in Florida (nationally is probably not much different though I don't know enough to know this with certainty). Regardless of whether you are a public school or a private school, the perceived way to win a state title in almost all of the divisions is the recruit the talent of other schools. In the past, private schools could do this much more effectively than public schools did. After all, they were never constrained by boundaries and financially as well as ethically were constrained only by their budgets and overall philosophy towards athletics vis a viz academics. 

    Today, with the state legislature changing Florida's statutes to accommodate open boundaries, public schools that so chose, particularly those in high density population areas (Dade, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach County, Greater Orlando, Tampa, and Greater Jacksonville),  can also build sports dynasties. This certainly has the effect of making the path to a state championship or a finals appearance easy. So, in a sense, I can't fault those that take this path. It is not as if Mandarin was the only public school to do this. For I would have to be a fool to believe that Lakeland, Miami Northwestern or if they had made it, Wekiva and Carol City, consisted of all home grown talent. 

    The problem is that by certain schools doing this, it takes the interest out of the game to some degree and almost certainly has contributed to the decline in attendance at the State Championships. If I am Baker High School what pleasure do I take from being second to an all star team? 

    In a sense, the trend in athletics mirrors where this country has gone as a nation. We are rapidly heading to third world status with respect to the gap between rich and poor. That this trend manifests itself in football is hardly surprising. 

  12. 48-6 Madison

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    Posted

    5 hours ago, OldSchoolLion said:

    C'mon, Darter.  You know very well that only private schools do things to give themselves an advantage.:rolleyes:

    Many public schools do to in their attempt to find an "edge". Some are able to do it more successfully than others. 

    And not all do, BTW. 

  13. 48-6 Madison

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    Posted

    8 hours ago, 181pl said:

    Final.

     

     

    Cowboys take home another title.

     

    Good season Baker. I was rooting for you.

     

    Baker kept it interesting for a half. In the end, their problem was a lack of speed in its secondary and linebackers. Their defensive front did a good job for 3/4 of the game in containing Madison's running game. But each time the runners got a good block or was able to evade the line, they were off to the races with little chance of being caught. Also, Baker should have used the QB that actually had an arm and used number 2 as a dual running back with 11.

    In the end, it probably would not have made much difference anyway. I hear Madison has Charter School kids on its team. If this is true, the Charter School attendance should be included in their numbers and they should be reclassified on that basis if warranted. 

  14. Class 8A title game Mandarin vs Columbus

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    36 minutes ago, OldSchoolLion said:

    Mandarin has a chance to become only the second team in FHSAA history to win a state title in the largest class with a record that includes four losses.  Mandarin(10-4) faces Columbus(14-0). 

    The first team to do it was Apopka in 2014.  Apopka entered that title game 10-4 and faced a 14-0 opponent, just like Mandarin is doing this year.  And who was Apopka's opponent in that 2014 title game?  Columbus  

    I think Columbus may have been 13-1. But in all other respects the matchup is the same. 

  25. CAN THIS DAM DEERFIELD HYPE TRAIN FINALLY BE BURIED.!!!

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    Posted

    6 minutes ago, DB4 said:

    Yeah but the issue is, Deerfield probably isn't one of the teams that is, or should be, happy with that fact. 

    I won't quite put them on the Vero Beach level of playoff fraud, but they're next up.

    My own point of view is that Deerfield has squandered a lot of opportunities over the years. How can you knock off Miami Northwestern in the semis and then get blown out by Palm Beach Gardens? This is not to say that PBG was not a very good team, but at the very least DB should have given them competition in 2005.

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