Proseteye

IMG makes no bones that they are an athletic academy that prepares students for professional sports. They also are a high school that prepares students academically. There is only one IMG academy in the state and probably one of a very few throughout the country. IMG may possibly be the only one of its type in the country. Really don't see how this affects the character of high school football either in Florida or the country as a whole. I'm quite sure that the students at IMG put their professional future ahead of having fun on the field of competition. While other high school players are having fun IMG players are working their backsides off to become the best in their field of endeavor. I do agree with your concern about high school sports as a whole getting too overly serious to where it tends to do more harm than good. When a team allows "recruits" (that's what I call them) to join the team it's usually at the expense of the players that are already on the team and may have been for 2 or 3 years. Can't imagine the potential damage that does. I liked the previous FHSAA ruling that if you transferred from one school to another to play a sport you had to wait until the next season to play.

Only two teams have scored over 10 points against Mainland. Gainesville scored 21 in losing and Seminole score 24 in winning. Bolles only scored 3 points against Mainland in a 7-3 loss. Makes me think that Mainland has a lights out defense and a lights dim offense. It seems that Columbia has played the much more difficult schedule and has righted itself over the last 4 games after a disastrous start to the season. Playing at home should give Columbia an edge. If everything plays out the way it should then Columbia wins this one IMO. The only drawback that I see is that apparently Columbia's offense can't seem to make up its mind who's on first. No preferred QB, no preferred RBs, no preferred WRs. Hopefully the defense is not as convoluted.

The same holds true for most public schools whereby the school population is 75 to 80 percent non minority and the football team is 75 to 80 per cent minority. Minorities excel in football and basketball. Doesn't make any difference if it is a public or private school. We all know that recruiting goes on and it's mostly word to mouth as coaches don't risk it for obvious reasons. You can never stop word to mouth recruiting especially with all the social media there is. By the way I believe that any student in the state of Florida can transfer to any other school in the state of Florida no matter the distance if the recipient school has room.

Well Said. It seems a lot of folks in Florida have a hard on for IMG. But, what about the other Florida teams that recruit from all over the place. Bolles, Jesuit, St. Thomas, etc. TCA is virtually a plethora of recruits. I'm quite sure that Miami Central and Northwestern don't have the same faces around the neighborhood as they had the winter before. How about some of the top players that move en-masse to play for the best teams in Florida, either public or private. What about teams like DeMatha, De La Salle, Mater Dei, Centennial, etc. I don't think theses powerhouses play only with local talent. People that complain that St. Thomas shouldn't play IMG because IMG recruits and is a football factory need to learn how to spell oxymoron. I have no problem with IMG and have never had. I do have a problem with people that say that Florida high school teams should not play IMG and that IMG doesn't belong in the FHSAA. If that is the case then why are Florida teams lining up to play IMG? To sharpen their skills and for the opportunity to play one of the best teams in the country to see how they compare.

Well, I was just responding by stating facts that some people may not know about IMG. Remember, these opposing teams agreed to play IMG knowing all of the facts. Thus, no excuses if and when they lose.

My mistake. I didn't read carefully. Buchholz is definitely not down this season. Gainesville is but not Buchholz. Looks like it's going to be one heck of a game and yes, that long trek from the Panhandle may be the difference especially in the 4th quarter.

Gainesville is down this year. But, as of late, they seem to be putting it together. Still a dangerous team in my estimation especially at home. If I were Niceville I would not take my foot off the accelerator for a moment. Also, that long trip is the death knell for many teams over the years.

South Sumter is now in 4A and is still a contender. Maybe not as prolific as they were in 2A.

In 2010 Trinity Catholic traveled to Pensacola Catholic and won. But it was a difficult game 21-14. Went undefeated and won the state championship.

The problem with most opponents of IMG is that, no matter how good they are (Duncanville is an example) most of the opposing team players have to play both offense and defense. IMG players only play either offense or defense just like college or the NFL. By the end of the 3rd quarter the opposing team, especially their line, is dragging while IMG is continuing what they do best. Also, IMO, many of the IMG players are D-1 commits and thus can break the game open at any given time on their own.

Blue the National team.

I thought that Bolles was an all male school like Jesuit. Was it an all male school at one time as I read it somewhere a while back?

I don't concern myself with the governing bodies of anything unless it impacts me personally. I'll just be looking forward to watching this team and IMG to go at it Friday evening at IMG stadium as I think it will be competitive with the amount of talent that Tru-Prep has on their roster. Have to watch it on TV or my Roku. Will also be watching my team the Celtics on NFHS Network as they play an away game against Taylor. Stopped going to the games as soon as they required Hazmat equipment to watch in person. "Ain't" doing that for any reason.

You will notice that IMG is classified as Independent by FHSAA. But Maxpreps has them classified as Freelance. I would believe if Maxpreps has Tru-Prep classified as Freelance then the only place they could have gotten that information from is the FHSAA. I don't believe that Maxpreps classifies any HS football team that is not in the FHSAA organization. Just my thought as I am not an expert on the FHSAA. Also, I don't think that IMG would be playing a team from Florida that is not a member of the FHSAA and risk losing their status.

But, after further review, Tru-Prep is a member of the FHSAA. They are in the same classification as IMG which is Freelance. Freelance teams play a regular season schedule but are just are not eligible for the playoffs. Since they gave St. Thomas a run for their money and buried Monsignor Pace, Champagnat, and Atlantic, I am hoping for a competitive game against IMG.

True North is a Public Charter School whereas Tru-Prep is a private school. Both out of Miami. Not related. May be that this is the first year that Tru-Prep is playing football and has not yet made application to be in the FHSAA. IMG obviously plays non FHSAA schools most of the time as they play all over the country and teams from Canada.

By the way, Tru-Prep is an all boys school similar to Bolles and Jesuit and they are in their 2nd year of existence. The school is owned by the previous football coach of University School. However, I don't really think that the school was set up just to field a football team. If that was the case they would have done it last year when they first started. Just my opinion.

This should be a very interesting game to say the least. Tru Prep is an enigma. A small private school in Miami playing it's first season of football. Is 5-1 and has defeated some good teams like Champagnat Catholic, Monsignor Pace, and Atlantic. Played St. Thomas Aquinas close losing 25-13. Over 40 of their players and a few coaches are transfers from University School, Ft Lauderdale, after University School shut down football for the season due to the virus. A few University players had D-1 commits including their QB. This game will be shown live this Friday at 7:30 PM on ESPNU and will be streamed on You Tube.

This is not really a surprise. John Carroll is 8-1. Their only loss was to undefeated Treasure Coast (8-0) an 8A class team.

IMG has never won a National Championship but Northwestern did in 2007.

This Friday once again Northwestern goes against IMG. They have never defeated IMG and IMG has handled them every time they have played. I enjoy watching IMG play and to see whether any team can give them a game. This season IMG went to Texas to play the # 4 team in the nation Duncanville and IMG blew them away. Don't know how many watched the Miami Central/Northwestern game. If so, is Northwestern ready for IMG? Do they have the capability to pull an upset especially at IMG stadium?

I've often wondered why there have never been any comprehensive changes to the rules regarding kickoff returns from the end zones and kicks for extra points at least in college and high school football. Since many if not most of the kick offs now go into the end zone and extra point kicks are routinely made it would seem that kickoff returns should be similar to that of the NFL where a player can do a run back from the end zone. It certainly would make the game more exciting as run backs are one of the most interesting plays in football. As far as kicking extra points are concerned maybe they could be made more difficult or just do away with kicking for extra points and only allow rushing or passing for extra points. Would like to hear opinions and/or recommendations pro and con regarding this topic.

I don't know if a school has to contract with NFHS Network or not. But they have hundreds and possibly thousands of schools in all different sports where you can stream their content. You might want to get in touch with Columbia's admin to see what the deal is. Or you might just go on their website NFHSnetwork.com and look at the schools involved. You can do a search for the school to see if anything is scheduled. You don't have to pay to search or view their site.

I believe that NFHS Network streams all high school games throughout the country. I think I saw Columbia on their docket. You have to pay $10.99 per month. Very good streaming quality after a couple of weeks of major adjustments with their cameras and equipment. About the Celtic's expectations I will know better after the Sandalwood game on Friday.

You noticed that also. I can't attend Trinity's games physically because they are only allowing family members in the stands. So, I get to watch them on the NFHS Network via streaming. From what I could see against the Villages (a very very disciplined and well coached team) and Bolles was that the Celtic team was lackluster and uninspired at best. I have never seen a Celtic team that was just going through the motions as much as this team, especially the defense. That huge and experienced OL is also just not getting the job done. Maybe they will awaken from their slumber against Sandalwood. But they definitely have to play a lot harder and with a purpose. Thanks for your input which is appreciated.