DarterBlue2

Hawaii is pretty expensive, too! But I agree with the cultural change comment. Perhaps his dad can get a job as a lobbyist!

Individuals should seek training in the areas where their prior preparation and innate ability best suit them. For some that is college. For others it is something else. At the end of the day, it's about being able to support oneself and dependents and being able to contribute to society when your playing days are over. College is fine for athletes that have a decent shot at the pros or come in prepared to take advantage of the academic opportunities it provides. For others, it literally ends up being a wasted four years. It all depends on the kid's circumstances, aptitude and attitude.

But can't we go back in time and alter the past via transfers? That would be neat! JK.

Ah, did not realize he had been benched. That explains it. With DP's starter gone, it's a chance for a new beginning.

I am surprised. He had big targets to throw to at West Orange.

In terms of recognized talent, they are the best team on paper. There are two or three teams I think will be as good or better on the field.

A couple will match up okay.

In general, not that good. The Apopka/Wekiva game usually draws well, as Wekiva, as well as Apopka fans turn out for that. Last season, when Wekiva made a run, support increased as the season went on. The problem Wekiva has, is that it does not have a natural support base. The community around Wekiva has changed quite a bit over the last 15 -20 years. About half their kids went to Piedmont Lakes Middle School. When my kids went to Piedmont Lakes, it was a predominantly white school. However, now Piedmont Lakes is predominantly minority. And, the demographics there are now poorer. Unlike Apopka which draws a lot of kids from "Old Apopka," people who are not going anywhere regardless of race, Piedmont's population was made up of lower middle income New Apopka. Thus that community was less stable. The above said, if Wekiva continues to do well, and this season should be a good one for them, I am sure their fan support will continue to improve. Their coaching staff is good and experienced. So, I would expect them to continue to attract good athletic talent.

Which team has the coaching advantage? I know you read the football section on the national board more than I do.

At some positions, yes. At others, no. Don't get me wrong, Osceola will probably be as good as they have been the past three years. But I think a couple of teams in the area are going to be better. I will confirm as the Spring games unfold and update my thoughts then.

There are a couple Central Florida teams that will probably be better than Osceola this year. More to come on this later.

That's one of the reasons I wouldn't let him get that big. Don't want him flattening his old pops!

Lion, this kid will be lucky to see 40. If he were my son, even at 7 feet, I would not have allowed him to get anywhere near that large. After he left home, he could always do what he wanted. But while living with me, no way. No hate for the kid; just assessing reasonable probabilities!

A young man I worked with on a project in 2004 had been the kicker at Suwannee back in the late 1990s. He was a smart, nice young man and had a very pleasant fiancee. I tried to convince him to come work for my employer, but he declined as he did not want to leave the Sarasota area. It may have had to do with his fiancee being from Sarasota and not wanting to relocate to Tampa or Orlando.

It's sad, really. Suwannee was a real good team when I moved to Florida in the early 1990s. I don't know what happened. Did the County lose population or something?

On paper, any of the last four games may qualify. There was once a time that Suwannee would too. But that was a long time ago.

Good as in competitive. I have a general idea what Columbia will have. Even when you don't perform up to expectations, your team still has some good athletes. If you are playing a team that's off to a good start (say 3-0, 4-1 or such), then that would probably be a good match-up for Columbia assuming that team had played decent competition.

From Downtown Orlando to downtown Apopka is about 18 miles. It is Northwest of Orlando and borders both Seminole County and Lake County (if you count Plymouth and Zellwood as part of Apopka).

You have old Apopka and you have new Apopka. Old Apopka is part rural, part small town and part inner city. New Apopka is mostly suburban and ranges from lower middle income to upper income. Old Apopka provides most of the talent on the football team, but not all. New Apopka has come about as the Metro Orlando area grew, and people working in the area had a need for more housing. The three main roads running near or through the heart of Apopka are 441, known as Main Street when it passes through Apopka; Park Avenue which started off as Apopka Vineland Road and then becomes Rock Springs Road later on; and a section of 436 which ends when it merges into 441. There is not a lot for young people to do in downtown Apopka. But stuff is near enough (either in an Apopka zip code or in adjoining sections of Orange and Seminole counties) so that if you have transportation you can do city type stuff. Oh, and the town loves Apopka's football team. The school probably has the best consistent attendance in the Metro Orlando area. Don't know if the above helps a bit. I would be glad to answer more specific questions.

Maybe sooner than you think. I have always wanted to check out the famed jungle. Now that I am retired, I have a little more time on my hands. When schedules for all Orlando area teams are posted, I will take a look at which weeks seems relatively bare in the area. If I find a bad week with no Apopka district game and no other big games in the greater Orlando area, I may make the trip up if Columbia has a good opponent.

SMH. Success has a 1000 fathers and failure is an orphan, I guess.

Columbia?

Yes, they would. And they would have won. But the margin would not have been 41 points and Apopka would have definitely scored.

It was in Orlando, 2007. Boone had upset Apopka by 3 in a semifinal the week before, in a game Apopka could have easily tied if we had a kicker (went for it on 4th down well within field goal range in the dying moments of the game). MNW had come back to beat Deerfield Beach inside the final two minutes on a Jacori Harris led drive, depriving the Bucs of an upset. The following week, in front of 21000 fans from Boone and Northwestern, the Bulls dominated in the final. Boone came into the game like a deer in the headlights of a vehicle. There was probably no way they could have won as that MNW team had about 7 future NFL players on the roster, but I do think they were overwhelmed by the event and could probably have done better had they been more positive.

Larry Gergley is one for sure.