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Nulli Secundus

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Posts posted by Nulli Secundus

  5. JONES 28 - KOWBOYS 20

    in The Huddle

    Posted

    28 minutes ago, Longtime Observer said:

    It's wild to consider that Lakeland and Osceola will enter their game with a combined 1-5 record. Of course,  both teams have played brutal schedules and Osceola has the injury issues. I'm not sure about the psychological state of either team. But, if one is really fired up and angry while the other is deflated, that could have a big impact on the outcome.

    Crazier, Lakeland can finally reach .500 with a win or both teams can emerge 1-3 if the Kowboys are victorious.

  6. Blue Darter Football

    in The Huddle

    Posted

    3 hours ago, PinellasFB said:

    Where did you go?  You must really still be connected to this state if you're on a Florida HS football forum.  I'm 4th generation FL and I just can't picture myself anywhere it gets cold.  Dealing with these hurricanes every year though might just finally chase me out of this state once my kids graduate.

    I went to Atlanta after leaving Tallahassee.  Believe me, Atlanta was nowhere on my radar but the job opportunities and income potential particularly in I.T. blew Florida out of the water. 

    Temperature wise, it may be a 10-15 difference compared to  parts of N. Florida.  I also had a short stint in Chicago while doing a winter co-op with All-State during my senior year back in '98.  Worst cold of my life.  It's a cold that's no longer cold but it just hurts.  NOTHING in the south comes close.  It was unseasonably warm by Chicago standards that year and oddly enough, didn't snow.  The eve before my flight back to Tally in '99, me and my roommate went to a club (now defunct) called The Convent just outside DT Chicago.  I guess the sacrilege of going to a club of sin that use to be a church reared it's head because we left at 3am, the skies opened up and we were snowed in for the next 3 days.  It was fun as first as I had never experienced snow except on TV.  However, the reality set in that we didn't have any food, couldn't drive as the roads were closed.  Thankfully there was a bar that we had to layer up for and walk half a mile just to eat.  It was then I knew I was over the snow and understood why everyone flocked to Florida, lol.  All this happened around the time that the late Gov. Lawton Chiles passed away before leaving office for those that remember. 

    Florida will always be my home.  However, Florida is conquered territory.  America, even the world is bigger than Florida.  Don't knock it until you try it.  Yes, I have plenty of family in Tally along with St. Pete, Lakeland, W. Palm Beach and Miami so I will always be connected to the Sunshine State.  

  7. Blue Darter Football

    in The Huddle

    Posted

    18 hours ago, DarterBlue2 said:

    After three games that count in the 2023 season, and two that don't, I feel I am in a reasonable position to post comments on my long time favorite high school team. 

    Strengths: 1. The 2023 Darters have begun the season in a fashion consistent with how the team has performed under Head Coach, Jeff Rolson. The defense remains very strong, while the offense is a work in progress. Defensively, I believe that the current one is playing better as a unit than any of the Apopka defenses have since the 2019 season when the Rolson era began. For while there are no Jalen Carters, Nikai  Martinizes or Kaven Calls on this team, at least none that I can discern at this juncture, overall, I feel the unit is deeper, more experienced and more cohesive at this stage of the season.  The front 7 has recorded multiple sacks, and as many quarterback hurries and has just been generally very disruptive against opposing teams. In total, it has given up 5 touchdowns in five games against five solid teams (Jones, Osceola, Ocoee, West Orange and Dr. Phillips). And the secondary spearheaded by Davey and Grant has been very very good by Apopka standards.  If the old adage, "defense wins championships" holds, this team certainly has a shot. 2. The 2023 Darters has, overall, its best special teams unit in several years, including those preceding the Rolson era. The kicking and punting game are much improved under the leadership of two seniors in their third season; the team has blocked two punts which have resulted in points and, against Dp., created sufficient agitation to contributed to a bad snap which contributed to a terrible, hurried punt that set up more Apopka points.  

    Weaknesses: 1. While there is adequate talent on the offensive side of the ball, the offense has yet to develop an identity. This, too, has been a characteristic of Rolson coached teams. They have tended to start slowly on offense, and, to date, have peaked around playoff time. None, so far, has been outstanding; however, they have been good enough to get Apopka to to three state title games and a losing semi-final in four seasons. If recent past is prolog, then one expects that this offense will follow that trajectory. At spring practice, there was a second QB on the squad who had recently attended high school in a small, rural Georgia county. In the spring inter-squad scrimmage, this kid showed very good pocket presence, a strong arm and decent mobility. I believe he's returned to Georgia having concluding that Florida "big boy" football may have not been for him. Not having a viable alternative of his caliber hurt us against Dp., as our starter was out injured and his absence or the lack of a viable alternative hurt the team a lot during the first half of the Dp. game. 2. Despite being reasonably experienced, the Offensive Line has yet to fully play up to its potential. This has affected both the passing and running game. I believe this can be easily fixed.

    Prognosis: If the Darters can remain relatively healthy and follow their recent trajectory under Coach Rolson, another deep playoff run is highly likely. However, Apopka is in a very competitive district that has no scrub teams this year. As such, securing the District title with critical district wins will be a priority, as securing a couple home playoff games to begin the run to state would help the cause a lot. If Apopka gets back to the title game, and the opponent is Miami Columbus, I believe that the Darters will win a hard fought title game this time, securing for Coach Rolson his first state title in Florida. 

    Final Comment: Rolson coached Apopka teams remind me a lot of Carol City teams under the legendary Walt Frazier from the 1990s through the first four years of the new century. Like Apopka, those teams leaned heavily on the defense to set up the offense. And, unlike many inner city teams of his era, Coach Frazier teams had strong special teams units. The year they beat Edgewater 13-0 in the final, they had a kicker who was good for field goals from 50 yards, and who routinely boomed his kickoffs into the back of the end zone.  

    Epilogue: This may well be my final season in the state of Florida which has been my home for 33 years. I would love to see the Darters and Coach Rolson end it with a well deserved state title. 

    As much as I love and miss Florida, there are better opportunities outside the state whether it's for employment or retirement.  There's no shame in that.  I left nine years ago and haven't looked back.  Good luck in your future endeavors.  There's always streaming and this board.:lol:

  9. JONES 28 - KOWBOYS 20

    in The Huddle

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Ray Icaza said:

    Another tough loss and again, no moral victories with Kowboys again giving their all.  Offense did run the ball better despite missing several key RB's from the injury bug and props to the coaches utilizing a couple of the WR in spots to help the running game.  Unfortunately, early in the game we had a couple of opportunities to score and miscues of our own had us come up empty; even a short field goal attempt went haywire.  This seemed to ignite Jones as they had struggled early to move the ball well against us, but eventually got a TD before halftime for a 7-0 lead.   The 3rd quarter opened up with a Kick-off return for a TD giving them a 14-0 lead which forced us to start throwing the ball more and the quarter ended with them scoring on a short run for a commanding 21-0 lead going into the 4th quarter.  We also played the game with only the 1 QB as the other was out sick which may have turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  The more this young man threw and the more reps he was getting seemed to boost his confidence which led to him start making plays with the WR group.  At one point in the 4th it looked like they may score again which would have increased the lead to 28-0 but our defense (Jalen Bell) got a pick to give us a momentum boost.  From that point on our little QB was on fire making plays all over the place getting chunk play after chunk play to get a quick score (21-6).  They did get another long TD run to push the lead to 28-6 to seemingly get the momentum back.  However, on the ensuing kickoff we got an electric return from the electric Alijah (Flash) Jenkins for about 90 yards down to their 4 yard line before punching it in for another TD; the 2 pt. conversion was good for a 28-14 score.  With the clock against us everyone knew an onside kick was coming and despite that we executed it perfectly and got the recovery.  Now strictly in passing mode we shredded their defense and got another quick score but failed the 2 pt. conversion (28-20).  Again, we tried another onside kick and almost came up with it a second time but they got possession about midfield.  With time running out we got a stop, the ball back and started moving the ball again before time simply ran out.  As I said previously, despite being 0-3 kids showed no quit fighting the injury bug that has plagued our early season success. Think we may have strong case on who should be the starter at the QB position. GO KOWBOYS. 

    Shameless plug, but I hope the Kowboys go to 0-4:lol:.

  20. Specialty Fit Academy

    in The Huddle

    Posted

    5 minutes ago, KeemD321 said:

    Word from the players and coaches in twitter spaces is that there were a Lotta points left on the field by Seminole. Both squads were undisciplined. With Seminole getting a player ejected at the coin toss. They were also down 5 defensive starters 

    Ejection at coin toss:lol:.  I'm not a coach but his tail would be running today.

  21. Wellness check: VeniceIndianFan

    in The Huddle

    Posted

    6 hours ago, VeniceIndianFan said:

    I’m ok. I watched the game at home last night because I am still fighting a bad cold (thankfully not COVID,) and didn’t want to infect anyone.

    I said on here that Venice has never beaten Armwood before and that was on full display last night. They scored on the first drive of the night and we could not stop their rushing attack at all. We didn’t help ourselves with false starts, holdings, and illegal motions, but the amount of penalties being called on Venice last night just made me feel uneasy. There was at least one occasion where Armwood had 12 players on the field but got away with it. Also saw more than a few times where Ryan Daly was being held but it was never called.  It was clear who the better team was but my god the penalties were out of control , and seemingly very one-sided. Absolutely pitiful. At any rate, good game to Armwood. Venice has a lot to address and needs to regroup quickly for Cocoa. 

    Feel better bruh!

  23. Norland 48 Lakeland 34

    in The Huddle

    Posted

    1 minute ago, Longtime Observer said:

    Hell of a game. Yapoor is a magician. Excellent win for the Vikings. Maybe-hopefully-the first of 15 for Norland. And it may well be the only loss for Lakeland, though they are a clear underdog vs. St. Joseph's Prep. The Lakeland passing game is excellent, and like none they've ever had. The defense isn't that bad; Norland is just that good. I do think any reasonable fan of either team who watched the game has healthy respect for both teams. 

    Lakeland certainly had some missed opportunities that could've changed the outcome of the game.  However, I'm not gonna say that Lakeland beat themselves.  They were clearly beaten.  

  24. Norland 48 Lakeland 34

    in The Huddle

    Posted

    7 minutes ago, DarterBlue2 said:

    You know what: friends and co-parents works. It is a good thing when relationships end without a lot of bitterness.

    Man, I've witnessed the opposite of what I endured so I'm thankful that we are where we are.  Unfortunately, there are some around me that weren't so fortunate.  The phrase "Jail will accommodate anyone" immediately comes to mind.  :lol:

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