OldSchoolLion

I had the same thought. It is a very hard call. In terms of overall consistency, Columbus is hard to beat by anyone. If one looks at seasonal records and head-to-head competition, Columbus may very well have the edge. If one weights playoff performance heavily in judging the two, Southridge gets the nod. State champions - SR 2+1tie vs Col 0 State finals appearances - SR 7 vs Col 3 Playoff records - SR (45-21) vs Col(28-23) Columbus had some good teams in the early 80's and then went about 30 years doing little in the playoffs. Southridge was the team to beat in the 80's and 90's. One could argue they were the strongest program in Dade County during that time frame. If one compares SR vs Col since 2000, it's definitely Col. If one looks at all of history, SR has arguably had more "great" teams than Columbus over the years.

Columbus, Edgewater, Hardee, Lake Gibson and Warner Christian are all 0-3 in state finals. The teams in the list above are all teams who have appeared in at least 5 state finals. Just pick from amongst the teams in the list, if you would like.

Which of the following teams has the worst record in state championship finals appearances(the lowest percentage of wins/ties vs losses)? Atlantic/Delray Clewiston Fort Meade Madison County Miami Southridge Osceola/Kissimmee Hint: the correct answer is NOT Columbia

I'm waiting for ESPN to start running shows with the kids picking the hat of the high school they will attend next year I'm sure most of you have seen the following. A lot of folks are being very critical of mom. If the kid told mom one thing and then surprised her at that moment, that was not very respectful on his part. I think any parent in her shoes would have been equally as shocked/disappointed, even if they did not react as she did. It really struck me when I saw the kid shaking like a scared puppy. At the end of the day, these are still kids, and the pressure they are being subjected to is unbelievable.

"Between 2000 and today" above should have read "Between 2000 and 2004." Sorry my bad

..using certain criteria, Plant certainly could displace Apopka on the list. Between 2000 and today though, Apopka made the playoffs each year and had 8 playoff wins. Plant did not even make the playoffs those years. The question is, how much should those "bad" years count against Plant in light of Apopka's consistency? Concerning Osceola, one could argue that they had a much tougher road in 7A and 8A than say Cocoa did in 4A. This year Osceola nearly beat the eventual 8A state champion and one year lost in the 7A finals to Aquinas. Plant and Cocoa's success is relatively recent, ie the past 10 years. There is no right or wrong. It is all subjective unless one defines very specific performance criteria to use for comparison.

One could probably use that same argument for most/all of the small schools, ie they have won their titles against much weaker competition than the schools in the larger classes. I struggled with Glades Day for that reason. It all comes down to exactly what criteria we use to define "success." The teams on the list will likely vary as we use different critieria. University Christian has been winning state titles for over 40 years. In that sense, they are one of the more consistent programs in the state, for sure. Below are the programs that have won state titles in 3 or more different decades: Bolles Aquinas University Chrisitan Glades Day North FL Christian Glades Central Lakeland Pahokee Jefferson County Manatee Godby Carol City Northwestern Bartow Lincoln Pt St Joe

Here is why I picked Apopka over Cocoa. Apopka won a state title in 2001 and made the state semis in 1993. They have playoff appearances going back 30+ years. Cocoa has only been a serious competitor over the past ten years or so. They had very limited success prior to that. So, one could argue Apopka has had better overall success historically.

"Concerning American Heritage/Plantation....prior to 2013, in decades of playing football, they only made it beyond the first round once." That statement I made above was wrong. It should have read "the second round," and not the first. And that trip to the finals you mentioned was the one and only year prior to 2013 they made it past the first round. Thanks

....considering a number of variables, ie # playoff wins, # playoff appearances, # of times in the state finals, # of years they have been a "winning" program Some teams not on this list may have more state championship trophies, but may not have not had the same level of overall success over the past 20 or more years South FL St Thomas Aquinas Belle Glades Central Carol City Northwestern Southridge Central FL Lakeland Manatee Armwood Osceola Apopka North FL Bolles Madison County Trinity Christian University Christian North Florida Christian

...top 5 teams historically or just this coming year?

You are right! North Marion got to the state semis in 2005, 2006 and 2007, but lost each time. Two of those losses were at the hands of St Augustine. They have won 21 playoff games over the years.

Your point is well taken. Sure, talent can make a big difference. The problem is when coaches/teams are relying upon the new batch of transfers to have a good team. I am hearing more and more comments such as , "Well, we'll have to wait and see who transfers in next year." These teams that become overly reliant on transfers will live and die by the sword, thriving when the school is in favor with the free agents and disappointing when it is not. I have to wonder how much it screws up line of progression when the new batch of superstars arrive and take playing time away from the underclassmen. Say I have a decent sophomore player. Joe and Johnny 4-star transfer in and start ahead of him this season. More big shots transfer in next year and once again he is displaced and gets limited playing time. The following year the big shots decide they are going to the "new" popular school and all of a sudden this kid who has gotten limited playing time is a senior, first-year starter(who probably has an inferiority complex after being passed over twice), instead of a 3-year starter. And say I have a bunch of players in this same situation. That is when I can see the performance of a team really dropping off. Concerning Broward County, with the exception of Aquinas, no school has had consistent, successful playoff experience since 2000. Chaminade, University , Flanagan, Cypress Bay, Dillard, Ely, Miramar have all made it to state finals and then had substantial dropoffs in their performances. Concerning American Heritage/Plantation....prior to 2013, in decades of playing football, they only made it beyond the first round once. So, their great success is a fairly recent phenomenon. All that said, until a program beyond Aquinas proves it can sustain a program for well beyond 5 years, I consider all of them a bit fragile. For me, true success has to be something that is sustainable and reliant upon talent built from within the program. If not, one is in danger of these big swings in performance.

...and the correct answer is... Deerfield Beach! ...who has won 35 playoff games, but has never won a state title. They have made the state semifinals 6 times(the last time was in 2007), but only won one of those games. They lost their one finals appearance to Palm Beach Gardens 49-29 in the 2005 6A state title game. ...an interesting note...over the past 25 years, Deerfield Beach has had 10 different coaches. Not one of those coaches has stayed more than 4 years. In second place is South Sumter, who has won 32 playoff games, but has never won a state title. Most of those wins came under legendary coach Inman Sherman, who coached there for 32 seasons. Talk about dedication! They made the state semifinals 4 times in the early 2000's, but only won one of those games. Those were the years when 2A was brutal, with Bolles, Madison County, Clewiston, Pahokee, Immokalee, Monsignor Pace, Chaminade and South Sumter all competing together. Sumter County lost its only state finals appearance to Mark Guandolo's Chaminade squad 50-15 in the 2005 2A state title game. Which one of the teams below has NEVER played in a state final? Atlantic (Delray) Columbus Edgewater Lake Wales Lake Gibson North Marion Plantation Tampa Catholic

Raw talent is one thing, but talent does not always equate to "character." I think it depends upon the experience level of the coach. Sometimes it's a lot easier to coach the "average" kid with great drive/determination than the 4-star kid who has developed bad habits and already has his bags packed for college. A younger coach needs to learn how to take a player and mold him over a period of a few years..in both physical skills and character . That will always be his bread and butter...not the all-star who shows up out of the blue for one season. I come from the angle of developing great coach's, something we desperately need as so many have/will retire.

..concerning Oxbridge. We put a lot of emphasis on "talent." In a young program like this, one of the most important factors is the head coach. Best thing that could happen is that he gets a stable group of average/above average players and hones his skills molding them. I believe this is his first head coaching job, so that process is very important for his development as a coach. Coach Smith at Aquinas, Coach Castle at Lakeland, and Coach Rogers at Bolles, the 3 most successful coaches in Florida history, all were head coaches for 10 or more years before winning their first state title. What does that tell us? ...slow, steady progression is the key to building a winning tradition ..no flash-in-the-pan stuff. Talent does not build or save programs. Coaches do.

Which one of the following teams has won the most playoff games without ever winning a state title? Atlantic (Delray) Columbus Deerfield Beach Edgewater Lake Wales Lake Gibson North Marion Plantation South Sumter Tampa Catholic

Columbus...15+ years with the same coach makes a huge difference. How many teams in Dade County have a coach today who has been there 15+ years? Cannot be many.

I luv da MUCK, but Booker T overrated?! I don't THINK so... 157-76 combined score in past 4 games

Did the ladies on the softball team make you a birthday cake? Better be careful, they may have different types of rings in mind.

Thanks S1nglewing By "Gadsden" I meant East Gadsden. Sorry for the confusion. Is it just coincidence that the area 1A schools are stronger (or so it seems)?

Whatever happened to Clewiston? About 10 years ago they just fell off the face of the earth. They had some really competitive teams back in the early 2000's and held their own with the privates in 2A. I remember Quorey Payne play...great athlete.

...often the case. Look at what happened to Rutherford after they lost Steve Hardin..or after Jim Scroggins left Bay. Rutherford was a powerhouse under Hardin and I don't think they have won a playoff game in the 15-or-so years since. There were a number of good coaches in the panhandle back in the day. In 2003, we started having years with no state champions in the upper classes from the Panhandle. It seems like that decline coincided with a lot of those good coaches having moved on.

They jumped from 1A to 4A this year. That at play too?

So ... both coaches won a state title this year both coach for a team that is the only public team in their county to ever win a state title What else do the coaches have in common?