DarterBlue2

They are on the right track, but most likely will be one and done in the playoffs.

This week, the two most competitive games which have the most implications for the coming playoffs are: 1. Winter Park vs Boone; and, 2. OC University vs Lake Mary. Both games should be competitive. Winter Park and Orange City can wrap up a birth via District Championship with wins. I believe the Winter Park game will be a defensive battle while the Orange City game will see somewhere in the region of 50 or more total points on the board. I am leaning towards going to the OC University vs Lake Mary game, but have not made up my mind as of yet. My take on Central Florida 8A teams are that in aggregate they are somewhat down this year in relation to the past five or six seasons. Of the teams I have seen, Osceola looks like it could make a run at the State Title. Aside from them, unless Wekiva gets more explosive on offense, or one of the other contenders (WP, Apopka, DP, Seminole, OC University) kicks it up a notch in the playoffs, I suspect that the south representative or for that matter Vero Beach or Riverview will end up with the championship.

Picks in boldface.

Ok. So I finally figured out what you were all talking about. Central losing to South Ridge would be a shocker based on how both teams have played so far. Glad this did not happen. It would have left me totally perplexed!

I totally get what you are saying. I am not sure how any computer driven model could spit out some of these results this late in the season.

I did make the game. Here is my take. Seminole started slow, both offensively (a lot of dropped catches) and defensively (University's receivers were able to get behind the Seminole secondary and pick up huge yardage). At the end of the first quarter, OC University led 14-0, and Seminole's only first down was called back due to a holding penalty. Seminole came into its own in the second and third quarters and reeled off 21 unanswered points to take a 21-14 lead at the end of three. At this stage University looked tired and momentum had swung back to Seminole. Alas, for their fans victory was not to be. University took advantage of a Seminole miscue to tie the game and after Seminole went three and out, OC University marched downfield and scored again. With a little over five minutes left on the clock, Seminole got the ball back, picked up an impressive first down, and seemed to be back in business. At their own 40 and on second and 10, for reasons that elude me, they took out the freshman QB and brought in their big running back (No 32). I figured they were going to direct snap to him (earlier in the game they had picked up a couple first downs that way, including one of their touchdowns). Instead, the ball was snapped to No 7 (a wide out); he proceeded to throw an awkward lateral behind his receiver which was dropped and rolled out of bounds. The freshman QB was brought back in for third and long and OC University proceeded to sack him. This probably ended Seminole's chances of coming back. In terms of the two teams, I believe Seminole has more talent on its roster. However, OC University deserved the win and I would argue had a better game plan. This district is wide open as I believe Seminole is capable of beating Lake Mary. Whether they will or not, though, is an open question. Perhaps, it's as Bad Bird suggested. Seminole may be just a little too young and 2018 may end up being their year.

I agree 100%. To let the cancellation stand undermines the new system.

Pretty sure Cocoa beats them. I give them a better than 50/50 against Glades Central. I think the Seminole Ridge game is a 50/50 proposition. So, yes, Pahokee could be a casualty. My best guess is they squeak in!

I excluded Boone, because while they got through Central Florida three years in a row (two semis and a final), when they made the title game, unlike Lake Brantley, they did not demonstrate that they belonged on the same field. I think it was a combination of being overawed by the situation and not having an unusual offense like LB's triple option which gave MNW trouble. BTW, I have tremendous respect for Coach Ziegler and the staff he had at Boone back then. I thought they were able to maximize what they got out of the talent they had.

And yet, I saw a Lake Brantley team (which more closely aligns athletically with the Panhandle) make the state title game in 2006. And, while they lost, if they had done it in a more normal year (not one with a National caliber Northwestern team), would have had a decent shot (say if it had been 2001 to 2005 or any of the years since 2010 when the big three: Central, Carol City, Northwestern left the top classification). And, there are some teams in other states (Texas and California in particular), that seem to overcome this issue even at the public school level.

Advent of the widespread (not to pun) spread offensive schemes?

While they did not win a state title, the Rutherford Rams did have some pretty strong teams in the late 1990s. I am pretty sure at least one got to the title game and another lost in the semis. You are right, it has been long since the Panhandle has had consistent, dominant teams. But recently, things seem to have mostly gotten worse. Is this based on population, coaching or other factors?

Good ranking. I would probably flip Mainland and Spruce Creek and add West Orange to the others in no order category. They are better than their record. I feel that Wekiva would probably beat Winter Park if they play again. However, as WP won the head to head, I can't make an argument for flipping them at this stage. I will probably take in the Seminole/OC game on Tuesday. I will share my thoughts on it.

True that a loss to Wekiva under this system would not automatically put them out of the playoffs. However, their fate would depend on a number of other teams in other Region 1 Districts and what they do between now and the end of the season. And, even if they made it, it would mean playing each of their playoff game on the road (assuming they got in as an 8th seed). I believe the semi finals still follow the prior format, so if they got that far, I am not sure which region would host this year.

Those team play at Gene Cox, I believe. Or at least they used to back in the mid 2000s.

West Orange 31 Apopka 27. Sloppy game played in sloppy second half conditions. West Orange deserved the win. Athlete for athlete, they match-up well against Apopka. Not shocked by the result. However, Apopka shot itself in the foot on a few plays and paid the price. Trap game. If Apopka is to make the playoffs, the team will have to be healthy and win the Wekiva game. Otherwise, for the first time since 2000 they will probably miss the playoffs.

Yes, I give credit where credit is due ...

The first three teams for sure. At the bottom, not so much. North Port is a never was and Sarasota, a has been.

That is a part of it for sure. But they have had good coaches: Pettis and Thomson from Gainesville. They failed to keep them. So there are probably other factors.

For both teams this is a big game. Apopka needs to win to control its own destiny; if West Orange does not win, it is literally out of the playoffs. At first glance, it would appear to be a relatively easy game for Apopka. However, there are some things to consider. 1. This could be a trap game in the sense that Apopka comes off a big emotional win over Dr. Phillips. 2. West Orange is better than its record. Three of its losses have been to really good teams: Wekiva, Jones and Dr. Phillips; and all of its losses have been relatively close. 3. Coach Bob Head has given Darlington's Darters trouble from his days at Olympia and has continued to do so at West Orange. 4. It is Homecoming week with the related distractions. 5. Apopka is a bit banged up. 6. For the superstitious, it is Friday 13th. Despite all of the above, Apopka should still win this game. My line is around 21 points. However, if it ends up being a lot closer, I would not be surprised.

There is enough talent to do that. Not sure why things are the way they are.

Very nice off campus stadium, though. I have been there a couple times. Crowd support is still pretty good considering the program has fallen on hard times. I believe they share it with Stetson University now.

Tally and Bay County don't. Bay is the Panama City area. Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville, at least for the most part, have home stadiums for each high school. In the Orlando area among public schools, only Jones, whose stadium is across the street and just North, and Winter Park, whose stadium is about a mile from campus, don't have stadiums that are actually on campus.

Broward and the Orlando area. On campus stadiums make Friday nights special!

Land is too expensive. So they go with centralized stadiums. In parts of the Panhandle and the Big Bend areas, schools don't have campus stadiums either.