DarterBlue2

You are welcome!

It was either Apopkanewsguy or APKnewsguy.

John, could have probably worked at the Orlando Sentinel or he could have ventured into the Tampa market and perhaps worked for the TBT. But instead, he plied his trade at the local, community newspaper. I suspect that he loved his job. In that sense his life was a happy one. For when one loves what they do, they are among the richest among us.

@nolebull813, where are Josh's picks. Being late one week is fine, but for the integrity of the game, he can't be systematically late every week. If he can't get them to you on time, he should drop out.

John Peery, Former editor of the local weekly Apopka Chief, passed away today. John wrote all of the sports articles in the Chief, and was always on the sidelines of Apopka football games. And though he retired a year ago, he continued to write his articles and cover Apopka football from the sidelines. We last exchanged pleasantries at the Pancake Supper and Pep Rally before the Edgewater game three weeks ago. I ragged on him a bit for picking Edgewater to win by 7 points and suggested that the Darters could pull the game off. Little did either of us know the shellacking we were about to take. Last Friday John was on the sidelines when our kicker nailed a 43 yard field goal to win as time expired in dramatic fashion. John, who was am ample man, literally leapt for joy. Though I don't count myself as a personal friend, for the past 25 years, his weekly articles have been a staple in my life. I am sure all Apopka fans will agree with me that John was the epitome of what it meant to be a Blue Darter. John graduated in the class of 1974, and his daughter graduated from Apopka several years after my two boys did over a decade ago. I don't know if John ever posted on this message board, but he used to post on the old Florida Varsity Football Central board back in the day. In addition to Apopka football, John was an ardent fan of Tennessee football. He will be greatly missed.

It would put the team in a higher class. That's not the problem, as many lower classification teams routinely beat the pants off bigger schools. It's the quality of the talent that counts.

I am sorry to hear Mendoza got injured. He's a very good QB and a key element in the Explorers offense. I wish him a speed recovery and hope he's at or very close to full strength for the playoffs.

A couple of thoughts. First, the football program seems to be made up of mostly international students who comprise about 20% of total enrollment per the above. Second, international students, I am pretty sure, don't qualify for the kind of aid provided by vouchers and tax credits unless they have dual citizenship (US in addition to the country of origin). Third, assuming all students pay for or received governmental subsidies for their tuition, total tuition would be approximately $14,100 x 250 = $3,525,000. Would this cover the total costs of running an operation of this nature? For football, the team seems to travel up and down the state and often goes out of state. Where does this money come from? Fourth, for those international students that don't end up making it into college football and then the NFL, are they getting an education that is acceptable internationally such as an International Baccalaureate program so that if and when they return home, they can actually find employment or be accepted into a University of their home country? I am not saying that the school is bogus and does not provide an adequate education but it sure seems to be operating in the dark with respect to its finances and its educational programs.

That is an excellent question. Do these kids pay tuition and if they do, and the school is as small as has been posted here, how are the costs covered? It would take the kids of multimillionaires to cover the costs of maintaining such a school with such a small student base.

Booker T vs MNW (Thursday) - I am going with Coach Ice Harris in this one. But the Bulls are dangerous. Miami Central vs Norland - I sense an upset Pensacola Catholic vs Walton - Don't know much about either, but Catholic is usually a quality program. Deland vs Seminole - The Noles have more depth of talent, but can't afford to sleep on the younger Darlington's offense. Dunbar vs Lowndes - Lowndes has too many horses for Dunbar. Pahokee vs Benjamin - Public over private in a very close game. Spruce Creek vs OC University - University is flying under the radar. Dr Phillips vs Olympia - Hard to forecast this game as these kids played on the same Pop Warner team, but Olympia impressed me more than DP when we played them. Golden Gate vs Baron Collier - I like Golden Gate. Jax UC vs Jax TC - If TC can't win this game, they have their worst team in years. Dillard vs Plantation - I have faith that Dillard has turned the corner and look forward to seeing them the day after Thanksgiving after they put the Raiders out of their misery in a shocking upset the week before. Escambia vs Chcotawhatchee - I have fond memories of Pensacola. Picks are bold underscored.

The Reverend @nolebull813, now that has an interesting ring to it! LOL!!!

Precedent has been set, hard for him to say no. I sense a deep objection followed by an appeal coming here!

For real. It seems like it was only yesterday the Kickoff Classics were being played.

If it's one of the games @nolebull813 selects for the competition, I go on record here that I am selecting Dillard. I hope they don't let us down!

They will be underdogs probably against Seminole. Last year, they beat Mainland comfortably. We beat them twice. But it was a dogfight each time. And Grubbs is a year older and significantly better. I believe they will likely win against all three plus Evans this Friday. Hopefully, both you and @nolebull813 will see them for what they are this year despite not having a track record of deep playoff success. And to be clear, I am not rooting for them, but I respect what they have. If my Darters are to have a shot at beating them, we will need to score a minimum of 35 against them and be back at full strength defensively.

Dillard needs to win this game convincingly. That would be the perfect follow up to the game against Chaminade.

I am inclined to agree with you.

You are both sleeping on Lake Mary. While I will be rooting for Mainland both because Dan's a friend, and because, I side with blue collar teams, my eyes tell me that for the first time in the school's 40+ year history it's going to the state championship game with what will likely be a 14-0 record.

The only switch I would make to your list is to put BTW ahead of Columbus. I watched most of the Columbus vs Homestead game. Homestead exposed some real weaknesses in Columbus' game.

@cribboy305 I have a question for you: Does the name Travis Gabriel mean anything to you? He's the current Head Coach at Olympia High here in Orlando. I heard from a reliable source that he's a Miami Northwestern Alumnus and played for the Bulls sometime back in the 1990s. He may have been on their first or second state championship team. He's in his fifth season as Olympia's head coach and seems to have them on the right track. Before that, he coached at Boone and Freedom under Andy Johnson, serving as his defensive coordinator. I believe he played his college football at Bethune Cookman. Last Friday, they (Olympia) took us to the wire and my Darters needed a 43 yard field goal to beat them with less than 4 seconds on the clock. The kick had plenty leg but drifted left, and hit the left upright near its top but fortunately went right and not left to give us the win. The lead changed hands 4 times in a back and forth contest that ended with Apopka winning 25-23.

I think he's just trying to pull your leg.

At least Coconut Creek and CCC. Personally, I feel they will beat Mainland when they play, but I will let that game speak for itself. If and when the meet Columbus, I will also let that game speak for itself.

Okay, so you have CCC ranked too high and Seminole and Lake Mary ranked too low. Aside from that, your current rankings are fine based on performance to date. I know Seminole got beat relatively badly by Cocoa. But through almost 3 quarters the score was 7-3 Cocoa. Their wheels fell off in the final 5/16 of the game. It seems Cocoa got hot right after their HBC got ejected. Go figure. You are all greatly underestimating Lake Mary at your own peril. They have a state title caliber offense. Yes, their D could be better, but it's not like it's bad. It's just substandard for a potential state finalist.

As fate would have it, the winning TD was hauled in by Christian Leahy of Orlando Edgewater. In the 2019 State Title game against St. Thomas, he had too long touchdowns to give Edgewater the lead at half time. Edgewater went on to lose the game by 4 or 5 points (I don't remember) when St. Thomas intercepted the ball in their own end zone with seconds on the clock, after Edgewater had marched down field with less than 2 minutes left in the game.

I hope you are joking.