Proseteye

Also, Forest HS - Ocala, used to be in 7A District 1 back in 2012. They opted to drop into 6A although I believe they have just about the same amount of students as West Port. I just don't think that either of them can compete at the 7A level.

Boy, that's a tough question. District 4 seems to be a very weak one. It seems, on any given Friday, any team can beat any other team in District 4. I don't know a whole lot about this district. But, if I were a betting person. I would probably pick Hagerty to take the district and then lose in the first round. Actually, if West Port gets it's act together, they could make some noise as they seem to have the athletes year in and year out but just never put it all together.

7A District 4: East Ridge, Edgewater, Hagerty, Lake Howell, Lake Minneola, Ocoee, West Port. Marion County (Ocala) only has one team above Class 6A and that's West Port. Although West Port is one of the newest public high schools in Marion County, and a really nice looking one with multi-million dollar sports facilities, They have never had a winning season since they opened 13 years ago, in spite of having decent coaching and a large roster of players. And, they're certainly not in a very tough district. Can't figure out what the problem is.

If we think that the Head Coaches are underpaid how about the thousands of assistant coaches who are probably not paid at all. I might add that most private schools don't budget much for coaches, either. Outside of STA, Bolles, and a few others, I would not be surprised if a regular teacher coaches the football team for a few extra dollars.

The Trinity Catholic Celtics, after years of being one of the top teams in 3A, slipped last season due to a combination of a new head coach and assistants, a young team with few Seniors, 2 or 3 D-1 players that transferred to public schools before the start of the season, and our starting QB going down with a season ending injury a little more than half way through the season. Hopefully this coming season will be a whole lot different than 2015. A large portion of the roster will be Seniors and they have now had a year to get used to a different style of coaching under Joe Sturdivant and company. I believe it will be more of a rushing team as opposed to a passing team like in years past. The Celtics have 4 excellent backs and a big experienced OL. Ryan Miller, at QB, is a Senior and is healthy again. I've attached a video of Senior RB Cameron Thompson during his Junior year. Coach Sturdivent started to utilize him a little later than I would have liked. However, this young man is a barn burner. I have nicknamed him "Crazy Legs" for his style of running. Not quite 4.4 speed. But, close enough to get the job done. http://www.hudl.com/video/3/3282692/5721d45f0dcb0d12f87838f4

It always amazes me that a team like Columbia, being from the small city of Lake City and being in 7A, can be a truly quality team that they are. Does Columbia HS pull from all of Columbia County or is there another HS there? I somehow believe that, over the course of Trinity's seasons, we played Columbia either in a Spring game or a KO Classic. I kind of remember it may have happened. There is no way, on Maxpreps or the FHSAA site, to research Spring Games and KO Classics through their database as far as I know.

I'm another one who has come over from that "other" board and will never go back. Nothing more needs to be said. I have represented the Trinity Catholic Celtics from Ocala, Florida since they were started in 2003. A 3A team that has won 2 championships and has been in a total of 4. Always a very good 3A team, last year with a change of the head coach and new assistants, the transfer of probably the only two D-1 players to public school, and the lack of a large Senior roster, we didn't do very well although we did manage to go to the 2nd round of the playoffs. As far as I know I am the only one who is covering the Celtics on this board, or for that matter, on the previous board. I also try to cover all of the Marion County teams; North Marion, Vanguard, Forest, Dunnellon, Lake Weir, Westport, St. John Lutheran, and Ocala Christian Academy. However, I defer to SPC Jessica as she is so much more knowledgeable, especially with 3A teams, than I am. I try my best to post regular updates on Trinity and the other county teams. I am a fan only and not a coach nor do I have a son who is on any football team. I just enjoy high school football as it has not yet been corrupted by politics and money. Chris Martin, the coach of St. John Lutheran, is a friend. Joe Sturdivant, Trinity's new coach, is an acquaintance. Outside of that I have little actual insider information. Just try my best to analyze things that are happening, both positive and negative, and give my opinion. I think that this is what a HS football forum should be all about. People giving as much information on the team or teams they support so that others can have an insight that they normally would not have about these teams since they probably do have have the ability to attend the games

I second the motion . Good job by Joshua.