Proseteye

No one is forcing any Florida team to play IMG. They are independent which means they have no district and teams that are forced to play them. They already are not eligible for any playoffs. So, I don't understand the conflict. If a school wants to play them would you bar that school from playing them? They are a school that has a mission of producing professional athletes for which the students pay a bundle. IMG makes no bones about their operation. IMG mostly plays out of state powers. Four Florida teams have chosen to test their skills against IMG this season, Boyd Anderson, Oxbridge Academy, TCA, and Chaminade. Maybe these teams feel that they should challenge a very good team and also challenge themselves to see where they are in the mix. I think that's an excellent idea and should not be hampered by some bureaucrat in the FHSAA or in Tallahassee.

Hey Columbia...................read it and smile. I don't know a huge amount about Gainesville. Just watched them play a few times against us at Trinity and against Vanguard. My thoughts are that Gainesville will revert to the "worst case" scenario. There is no way, with what they lost to graduation and transfers, including a Sophomore QB who has little experience, that they are going to challenge this season. IMHO, they will not defeat Columbia nor will they defeat Vanguard. May not even have a 5-5 season. http://www.gainesville.com/sports/20160813/high-school-football-spotlight-gainesville-hurricanes

Just passing along some info for those that are interested. http://www.ocala.com/sports/20160813/ground-attack-focal-point-of-celtics-game-plan................................

North Marion has a new HC and lost a bundle D-1 talent to graduation along with their up and coming Sophomore QB transferring to Belleview. The game will be somewhat close only because Ely has to drive from south Florida to China to play the Colts. I just hope that the Colts don't get blown out as I really have a lot of respect for them.

I believe, as one poster stated, GC and Pahokee ran PBC until bad times hit the Muck. I don't think that anyone was stating that they run PBC today or in the last few years. And yes, Glades Day was a power in their classification and did defeat higher classification teams on a regular basis. These teams can't be responsible for the sugar plants departing from Belle Glade and taking many familes with them.

Actually, since they're a private school with private tuition, they can admit anyone from anywhere in the world as long as they have the coins to shell out. Have no fear. Next year anyone from anywhere in the world will be able to attend Columbia High School for free (well, not exactly free as the taxpayers pay for it). This will tend to level the playing field only if the players for non producing teams don't transfer to the producing teams. We have to realize that most of the players go to school where they live. I would venture to say that very few parents or guardians have the means or wherewithal to leave their home and/or employment just so their kid can play football at another school. However, I may may be wrong.

North Marion lost out big time by Wilsher transferring to Belleview. He looks very poised beyond his years. And, is only a Sophomore this year. As you stated, Belleview has nearly double the roster of last year. Also, they had only 2 Seniors on the 2015 team. So, they are now a Senior laden team and I see them with a breakout season.

You beat me to it James. I forgot that John Brantley is now HC at Belleview. Expect Belleview to be a totally different team this season. Belleview always had the players and desire, but not the coaching. They haven't had a decent team since 2004 when they went 11-1 and literally blew out North Marion, Chiles, Gainesville, Forest, Vanguard, and us at Trinity Catholic. Most games weren't even close. They lost in the playoffs to a very good Springstead team. I see them going 8-2 this year, with possible losses to Dunnellon and North Marion. However, neither Dunnellon nor North Marion are going to be as good as last year. So, who knows.

Pretty sad state of affairs, isn't it?

By the way, Columbia, Buchholz is spelled as such. The school was named after an esteemed Gainsville educator Frederick William Buchholz. Not finding fault, just a reminder. Many people spell and pronounce the name of the school incorrectly.

James..............in a sense it did have to do with Brantley's departure. Coach Sturdivant has a totally different coaching style than Brantley had. There is no place for super stars (in their mind only) on his team. He employs a team first strategy not a me first strategy. I know him and he is truly a decent and respected fellow. He is building character and confidence along with strict fundamentals. Last year the team suffered from too many upsets including a complete change of coaching, transfers out, and a starting QB who went down with a season ending injury. This will be a whole new season with a Senior laden team that has a few experienced D-1 players and a huge OL. Also, Senior QB Ryan Miller is good to go. I don't expect miracles. But, this team is now good enough to hang with every team on their schedule and probably will surprise a few.

I hope you're right Columbia. Funny. Back in 2005 we met Union County in the playoffs. UC had the great RB CJ Spiller. We had QB John Brantley. Although a very tough game, we did win and went on to win the championship that year. To think that both of us are relegated to sleeper teams surely shows how times have changed. However, I think that OTC may surprise a lot of the pundants this coming season. Hold on to your hat.

Forgive him for he knows not what he says, Muck. Both Glades Central and Pahokee ruled Palm Beach for years and competed with teams in the south on a regular basis.

Two different concepts, Darter. IMG is a private high school that specializes in turning out professional athletes, not just in football, but in all sports. That's what they do and they don't make any bones about it. If you play against them you know what to expect. Like it or not. They do not really have any district and are not allowed to participate in the playoffs. STA is a private high school just like all of the other private and parochial high schools all over the country. They are in a district and participate in the playoffs in their classification. Although they claim not to recruit, of course they do. Since they're a very successful football program every decent player wants to go there so recruiting is simply choosing the best players out of the hundreds that apply. I, myself don't think they are all that great, considering what they have to pick from. They were beaten last year by Deerfield, and had very close wins against 3 other teams. They are far from invincible. In fact there are two or three teams or maybe more in 3A that could possibly defeat them on any given Friday. STA is never going to change its mission. My take is that It is up to the other schools to just get better so that they can not only compete but defeat STA on a regular basis.

Hmmmmm. Deerfield Beach defeated them last season. Held STA to 3 points. Both Hallandale and Flanagan came close. Even Braden River played them respectfully. I don't believe that they are as invincible as some people seem to think. I think that Bishop Gorman may give them a go this season, also.

Both Reaves and Elder are big athletic players with quite a bit of speed. QB Josh Mixon only played in two games last season. However, he did well passing for 372 yds against Newberry and 224 yds against Providence, both games in which Taylor won. However, Taylor is a 3A team so why are they playing six 1A teams? IMO, they should be playing more higher classification teams in order to get them used to better competition and ready to compete stronger against other 3A teams. From the videos I've watched of Taylor, there doesn't seem to be any reason why the team couldn't do just that.

Full pads go on tomorrow, guys. One can feel the gridiron in the air.

The Classic is a final evaluation of all players on the team before the regular season. Just about every player gets a chance, including the JV, to show what they can do and how they can help the team. Just as a pre-season Sping game, the outcome of a KO Classic is meaningless. If a HC is doing his job then he could care less what the score is at the end only that he got some valuable information under a real situation and that none of his players got hurt.

I am not privy to Bolles or TCA operating procedures. But, neither of them are like IMG which does give full scholarships to certain individuals. You have to remember that both Bolles and TCA are private enterprises just like any company. They have to pay their expenses and make a certain profit otherwise they go out of business like many private schools have done. So, I can't imagine these schools just giving away free stuff on a routine basis. I do know that, just like OTC, Bolles and TCA have booster clubs. They also have companies and individuals who donate their time and funds to the school. So, it is possible that there is some funding for tuition assistance.

I get where you are coming from. And yes, the parents of public school students will have the opportunity to move their kids from low performing schools to better performing schools. But, remember something. It all will depend on the ability of the better performing schools to handle the increased capacity. Most public schools are already over their capacity. Also, what happens if none of the schools are better performing. In Marion county, where I am, all of the public high schools have a C minus rating academically. Which poison do you pick? This is primarily the reason, along with bad behavior in public schools, why parents sacrifice and send their kids to private schools. I'll have to admit it that good football programs, in a few of the private schools, is another reason why parents send their kids there. However, those kids still havr to meet the academic and ethical standards of the school and be able to pay most of the tuition if not all. I would say that most parents cannot afford private school under any circumstances regardless of whether they are free to transfer at will. I think that this ruling, by the state of Florida, will definitely help the better football programs and further deplete the capability of the lesser programs.

Most private and parochial schools do offer some limited assistance. Most of the assistance is government programs for the disadvantaged. However, it is very limited and only pays a small percentage of the full tuition. There is some school funding for academic scholarships. However, all of this funding is very limited and does not approach the amount of the tuition which at Trinity Catholic is about $12,000 per year.

IMHO, instead of Parity (equaling the playing field, so to speak) why is it that 6A north is not able to compete, both with Armwood and 6A south? Is it the players or the coaching? Or possibly both? Don't understand how the players could be that much different in the south than in the north. Also, I don't think that coaches apply for HC position based specifically whether the position is in the south or north. A lot of coaches come out of the college and NFL ranks and apply for any position that they can handle no matter where in the country it is. So, why the difference? I would think, instead of some kind of equal playing field manipulation, that the north schools in 6A would understand the inequity and do what is necessary to bring their teams up to par. Whether it is more funding, better booster and administration support, more dedicated and experienced coaching, or more comprehensive choosing of incoming players, it should be up to the schools themselves to change the environment. If Armwood can do it then so can Vanguard, Pine Forest, Gainesville, Forest, Mainland, etc. This just my opinion and I am not trying to 2nd guess anyone or any organization.

I guess it would matter to the player and to the parents where he goes to school. Unless the teenage player is going to live on his own in Orlando with the parents still living in Tallahassee. Kind of a long commute unless they both are living in Orlando. Being able to attend a private school is mostly dependent on finances. You either have the finances or you don't. For this reason probably won't affect private schools measurably. But, it is going to affect public schools considerably, especially within the same town or city. It is not only going to allow football players to transfer to a school that has the best team, it will allow any student to transfer to the best academic public school. It will force underachieving schools, both in football and in academics, to start achieving or die on the vine.

We played Taylor a couple of times in either pre season games or KO Classics some years past. Always thought Taylor was a solid team. You did do pretty well last season getting to the 2nd round. The only problem I see is having trouble with 1A teams like Port St. Joe, Madison. and Dixie. But giving 7A Chiles and 4A Bradford fits. Unless you had some transfers in then losing your QB/RB, and top WR, to graduation is not going to help. Let us know who will be replacing QB/RB Rayshawn Hamilton, as he was 50% of your offense, and WR Ken Smith?

James................Unfortunately the Colts will probably be nowhere near what they were last season. They lost a bundle to graduation including their experienced QB and have a new HC. It would surprise me if they are even somewhat competitive with TCA. Although, as you stated, each team will use the Classic to assess their capabilities going forward. So, we may not be able to take this game as a true indicator of the upcoming season.