OldSchoolLion

And this is why society is starting to question the game. Put a bunch of big dudes with higher than average aggression rates in a room and get them to start ramming into each other, and what is going to happen? It's simply human nature. Studies have shown that when you hit people it makes you even more aggressive. The design of the game fosters a "killer" mindset. It's goal is to knock people to the ground-big, fast, strong people who are moving at you. You are not going to be very successful if you don't come after the guys of today with a major attitude. A skilled wrestler can easily take an opponent to the ground without hurting him. The movements are somewhat controlled. Now tell that wrestler to take a guy to the ground who is coming at him full bore with a very mean look in his eyes. ...totally different ball game. There is a good chance someone is going to get hurt. Some of the great players have been described as having an "on-off" switch. There is no second gear. We have to accept that these personality types are playing football today. Look at Mike Tyson. ...quiet guy who talks to the pigeons outside the ring, but put gloves on him and he wants to eat your children(look it up if you do not know).

Old school CANES were definitely VERY misguided.

Whaddup with the girls at about 12:05? For a minute there I thought I was going to see some Lake City twerkin'

You ain't one of them there male cheerleaders for softball is you? If so, I guess you was just protecting your harem.

Take the kid from Deland/Mainland. According to one site, he has offers from the schools below. If he was at a high profile program like Mainland during his junior year and was good enough to be playing at the elite colleges, I think he would already have more offers. If the kid is moving schools in hopes of getting yet more offers (don't know)...how many offers do you need? He has a couple of local choices and a few out of state if the kid wants to see the world. Goes back to earlier post in this thread....is all of the hopping around really making a difference in terms of future success, ie making the pros. Bowling GreenCool Visit:-Offer:YesRoster Outlook:3 On Roster, 0 Commits Florida AtlanticCool Visit:-Offer:YesRoster Outlook:8 On Roster, 0 Commits SyracuseCool Visit:-Offer:YesRoster Outlook:9 On Roster, 2 Commits ToledoCool Visit:-Offer:YesRoster Outlook:5 On Roster, 2 Commits UCFCool Visit:-Offer:YesRoster Outlook:6 On Roster, 2 Commits

I also heard they serve iced cappucinos and have social media breaks at the game-sign of the times. Ya'll have gotten way too soft up there.

Is it true that all players in the game get participation trophies now?

What caused the program to drop over the past few seasons? They were clicking for a while.

That's a first for me. He has transferred out of the same school TWICE. Just curious. Say a kid wanted to go to one school for football and another for academics, social reasons, etc. Would there be anything stopping him from transferring back and forth all four years(ie transfer out as soon as football season ends and transfer back in before the next year's season starts) as long as he only played football at the one school each of the four years?

I followed wrestling very closely back then. I don't recall Piper ever being strong. The 1980's were a heyday for wrestling in Broward. Am not sure there has ever been a time when there were so many good/very squads in the county at one period in time. The big powers were STA, McArthur, Chaminade and Deerfield Beach. Some of their squads won state championships, and even when they did not, they were contenders. The next level down I would put Miramar, Plantation, Western and Stranahan. All of these teams mentioned above produced state champions in the 80's. There were even a few multi-title winners. McArthur produced some phenomenal athletes. Errict Rhett, who played for the Gators and in the NFL was a great wrestler. Oddibe McDowell played in the Major Leagues and was a great wrestler, too. Anthony Brown won multiple state titles and I believe he became an all-american in college. I remember watching all of those guys. It's a shame, but with the exception of STA, those programs have fallen off.

Yep-long time ago Palatka baseball titles 1929, 1963 (A), 1965 (A), 1966 (A), 1975 (3A) Key West Baseball is an amazing story. My guess is that they have a lot of community support to pull off what they done. ...yet another example of a successful sports program with a coach who has been around 20+ years.

It would interesting to see some data that reflects what factors do/do not influence a player's ability to make the pros. There are plenty of players from small colleges playing in the pros now. 160 former FCS football players were on NFL rosters in Week 1 of the 2017 season. That makes up about 13% of the league. If you are good, it seems the NFL scouts will find you, no matter where you play. I wonder if some of these kids would be better off going to smaller schools where they can get more attention (smaller student/professor ratios), feel more a part of the college than at a gigantic institution, and possibly be more apt to keep their nose clean. Many of the guys who make it to the NFL are like men amongst boys in high school, and I would think they would be "found" no matter what high school they play at. With all of the combines out there, if a hs player is a freak of nature, his name should be known. If I am having to rely upon going to STA to get a scholarship, maybe I am not that good...at least not so good that I have a high percentage of starting on one of the elite college teams and/or making it to the pros. I can see where a kid gets a bunch of offers and suddenly thinks he is better than he actually is.

Below is Maxpreps' latest list of the top 50 high school athletic programs in the U.S. 34 public schools and 16 private schools are represented. http://www.maxpreps.com/news/VUEgQ1kR3UmZ5zrbEMejcg/final-2016-17-maxpreps-cup-standings--st-thomas-aquinas-wins-the-title.htm States with 2 or more public schools on the list-Georgia(2), Alabama(3), North Carolina(3), Mississippi(2), Virginia(2), New Jersey(2) States with 2 or more private schools-Kansas(2), Tennessee(2), Georgia(3), Florida(3) Isn't it interesting that Alabama has 3 public schools on the list(tied for highest number with NC) versus 1 private school, yet they are the state that is leading the charge on this issue of public vs private inequity. Only 2 southern states do not have a public school on the list-FLORIDA and Louisiana. As I have mentioned in other posts, we tend to throw all private schools in one bucket, but not all privates are equal. Aquinas, Bolles and American Heritage are the 800-pound gorillas. Outside of them, I am not aware of any other Florida private school which routinely wins state championships in multiple sports-at least boys sports. Private schools as a whole are not dominating. THOSE schools and IMG are dominating. As examples...Tampa Catholic has won multiple baseball championships, but only one basketball championship and no football championships in over 50 years. Chaminade-Madonna has won a few football championships, but has never won a baseball or basketball championship in over 50 years. ...not exactly knocking 'em dead. Below are Florida's top 12-20 winners of state championships in 8 major sports-boys and girls. I have bolded the private schools. It demonstrates that public schools can excel or even dominate a sport. I agree that it is not common for a Florida public school to dominate in multiple sports, but the same can be said for most private schools. I think the problem is that our public school athletic programs, as a whole, are potentially lagging (as evidenced by no representation on the Maxpreps top 50 list) and then we have these 3 private schools which are constantly in our face winning titles. Aquinas, AHP and Bolles combined to win the following last year: State Titles: Boys lacrosse, boys cross country, football(2), baseball, boys golf, boys swimming, girls swimming, girls track, girls soccer, girls volleyball, girls tennis State Runner-up: Boys track, boys cross country, football, girls cross country, girls golf, girls track, softball, girls lacrosse Georgia had 3 private schools on the Maxpreps top 50 list, but none of those schools won a title or runner-up in football. One could argue that Florida is the most extreme example of a state with a few private schools who dominate the athletic landscape. If those 3 schools disappeared today, I doubt anyone in Florida would be complaining much about private school advantage. I know some have suggested putting the private schools together in a league. If we put STA, AHP and Bolles together with all of the other private schools, it would be a blood bath. I don't think that is a viable answer to the "problem." It might be interesting to evaluate the common thread(s) of the public school programs who have had great, long-term success...in that sense, maybe we could help bolster our public school programs and make them more competitive. ...one final point....when we look at domination in certain Florida sports, I think we need to consider demographics. Sports that cost substantial money to play, ie golf, or sports played mostly by Caucasians, ie lacrosse, are never going to be a strong suit in the inner cities. Kids in the inner cities get exposed to less sports than affluent kids in the suburbs. In that sense, private schools are at a natural advantage in certain sports and are likely to win more championships regardless of any interventions we make. Florida State Titles Won in Major Sports Football Bolles (Jacksonville) 11, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) 9, University Christian (Jacksonville) 8, Glades Day (Belle Glade) 7, North Florida Christian (Tallahassee) 7, Glades Central (Belle Glade) 6, Jefferson County (Monticello) 6, Lakeland 6, Pahokee 6, Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) 6, Manatee (Bradenton) 5, Miami Central 5, Washington (Miami) 5, Miami Northwestern 5 Basketball-Boys Miami 18, Malone 14, Port St. Joe 8, Seabreeze (Daytona Beach) 7, FAMU (Tallahassee) 6, Havana 6, Miami Norland 6, Andrew Jackson (Jacksonville) 5, Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville) 5, Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach) 5, Dillard (Fort Lauderdale) 5, Florida Air (Melbourne) 5, Gainesville 5, Monsignor Pace (Miami) 5, Orlando Christian Prep 5 Basketball-Girls Ribault (Jacksonville) 10, Dillard (Fort Lauderdale) 9, Laurel Hill 7, South Broward (Hollywood) 6, Paxton 5, Benjamin (North Palm Beach) 4, Clearwater Central Catholic 4, Dr. Phillips (Orlando) 4, Edgewater (Orlando) 4, FAMU (Tallahassee) 4, First Academy (Orlando) 4, Pensacola Catholic 4, P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) 4, Southeast (Bradenton) 4, Washington (Pensacola) 4 Baseball Key West 11, Westminster Christian (Miami) 11, Tampa Catholic 9 , Avon Park 8, Sarasota 8, Bolles (Jacksonville) 7, Brito Miami Private 7, Tate (Cantonment) 7, Archbishop McCarthy (Southwest Ranches) 6, Monsignor Pace (Miami) 6, Escambia (Pensacola) 5, Loyola (Miami) 5, Lakeland 5, Palatka 5 Softball Naples 10, Bartow 8, American Heritage (Plantation) 6, Gulliver Prep (Miami) 6, Hollywood Christian 5, Barron Collier (Naples) 4, Palm Beach Gardens 4, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) 4, American Heritage (Delray Beach) 3, Canterbury (St. Petersburg) 3, Eagle's View (Jacksonville) 3, Miami Palmetto* 3, Palm Harbor University 3, Pine Castle Christian (Orlando) 3, Trinity Prep (Winter Park) 3, Westminster Christian (Miami) 3, Wrestling Brandon 27, South Dade (Homestead) 11, Miami Southridge 7, Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale) 5, Oviedo 5, Fort Myers 4, McArthur (Hollywood) 4, Flagler Palm Coast 3, Miami Norland 3, Miami Palmetto 3, Springstead (Spring Hill) 3, Stranahan (Fort Lauderdale) 3, Suwannee (Live Oak) 3 Track & Field-Boys FAMU (Tallahassee) 13, St. Petersburg 10, Glades Central (Belle Glade) 8, Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) 7, Miami 7, Port St. Joe 7, Seminole (Sanford) 7, Duval (Jacksonville) 6, Haines City 6, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) 6, Clewiston 5, Fletcher (Neptune Beach) 5, Godby (Tallahassee) 5, Maclay (Tallahassee) 5, Miami Northwestern 5, Oak Ridge (Orlando) 5, Track & Field -Girls Miami Northwestern 12, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) 11, Glades Central (Belle Glade) 10, Oak Ridge (Orlando) 9, Palm Beach Lakes 8, Lakeland Christian 6, Miami Southridge 6, Seminole (Sanford) 6, Trinity Prep (Winter Park) 6, Maclay (Tallahassee) 5, Ribault (Jacksonville) 5, Suncoast (Riviera Beach) 5, American Heritage (Plantation) 4, Holy Trinity (Melbourne) 4

...thanks for sharing. The comments after the article are very enlightening. What's interesting is that Alabama does not have near the "problem" with private schools as do some other states. In football, private schools have not dominated the state championships. It's pretty ironic. Alabama is one of the most conservative states in the country. I know folks from there who love to ridicule social justice warriors who complain about and overdramatize societal injustices, yet Alabama is leading the charge to try to "balance" high school football. One of the commenters spoke of kids in rural areas having "their hopes ripped away from them." ...talk about overdramatic!...as if the kids will be scarred for life if they do not win a state championship. We love to bash the kids for being too "soft" today, but look at how we are trying to protect them from, "gulp," life's unfairness. And then we wonder why some kids today are quick to cry foul when things do not go their way. I think the challenge is that things are just so fluid now with transfers, changing demographics, etc, trying to balance things is like trying to capture lightning in a bottle. It's one thing if teams are routinely getting destroyed in competition and/or kids are getting hurt. It's another to whine because things did not go your way for a season or two. Even ST Aquinas, as dominant a program as you'll find,, does not absolutely destroy every public school in its path. One of the commenters had an interesting point. Certain public schools in Alabama have dominated the hs football scene, but folks do not seem to be as outraged by this.

Found one site where he has offer from Texas. Sounds like the young man has a lot of talent. Maybe the kids get nervous if they don't already have a bunch of offers in hand by their junior year and feel a need to go to a big name program like STA.

I am curious as to how the bolded line from the FHSAA is being interpreted. If the transfer occurs during the school year, the student may seek to immediately join an existing team if: A roster spot is available The student has the requisite skill and ability to participate in the sport according to the coach of the team The student has not participated in the same sport at another school during the same school year – unless the student meets one of the following exceptions: Dependent child of active duty military personnel whose move resulted from military orders Relocation due to a foster care placement in a different school zone Move due to court-ordered change in custody due to separation or divorce, or the serious illness or death of a custodial parent Authorized for good cause in the district or charter school policy

A player whose team was defeated in the first round of the Virginia Class 6A playoffs extended his season by transferring to Oscar Smith, who advanced to the 6A finals. Oscar Smith is the team Vero Beach defeated earlier in the season. The article below discusses the controversy. https://pilotonline.com/sports/columnist/harry-minium/oscar-smith-sending-the-wrong-message-by-allowing-transfer-to/article_e00ba990-36c0-5b53-ba04-4e2bcf6a3f8c.html

You know things have gone too far when kids are announcing they are STAYING at a school. Somebody please tell me that this is not going to become the norm. If so, maybe next we will have an annual ESPN show where kids announce their intent to stay or transfer at their present high school. I see this kid listed at Ely, Boyd Anderson and American Heritage as well. With that track record, I guess it is big news if he is actually staying somewhere for any period of time.

When I played organized baseball many years ago, our new coach had his twin sons playing for him. My buddy and I were the two best players on the team and we got stuck in the outfield while his boys, who were terrible, played the infield. Everyone in the whole league noticed what was happening. I had coaches from other teams consoling me. My parents never said anything to the coach and told me I better learn how to deal with it constructively. I guess their mindset was, "Son, you better get used to how things sometimes work in the real world and learn to make the best of it." In retrospect, it was a good lesson. My guess is that many parents today would feel obligated to "defend" their child and guilty if they did not. I believe that "guilt" drives some parental behavior. They spend less time with the kids and have less confidence in the kid's ability to adapt, so they end up going overboard with teachers and coaches and even employers. They are afraid to let the kids fail and experience "pain." As a result, some kids really struggle adapting when things do not go their way.

...a common theme is great coaches leave/retire and a program falls apart. ...a couple of examples I can think of... Hollywood McArthur, under coach John Lyzott, was a wrestling powerhouse of the 1970's and 1980's. Largo's cross country teams, under coach Brent Haley, were amongst the best Florida has ever seen. There are some success stories where a good coach laid a foundation and then another coach came in afterward and built upon it. Fort Lauderdale Dillard and Ely's basketball programs are a couple of examples I can think of. In today's age of coaching musical chairs, it will be interesting to see how well programs will be able to sustain success. Maybe kids today look more closely at effort/reward when picking a sport. Wrestling and cross country are physically very demanding sports but do not get much press relative to football and basketball and do not offer as many chances at college scholarships.

I know wrestling is a winter sport, and not a spring sport, but had a question for you Columbia. For decades, Suwanee had a great wrestling program, consistently placing well at the state tournament and actually winning a few. This decade, it seems like the program has fallen off the radar. Was just curious what happened.

Do a search for "coach" and "parents" and one is overwhelmed how many articles there are. Just as the kids today are different, the parents are equally "different." And parents are sometimes making it more difficult for teachers and coaches to operate. Like it or not, parents are part of the equation now-much moreso than in the past. It's easy for us to bitch about the situation, but last year I challenged myself to do a better job of understanding my "customers." I learned a lot. ...including how my behavior was being misinterpreted in a negative way. What was "normal" 30 years can be looked upon as "strange" or even "hostile" today. I've had to adjust my style. The "sit down, shut up and listen" environment that some of us grew up in does not work today. The challenge is finding the sweet spot between that and the "it's my first day of practice and I want to be calling the shots" mindset that is so prevalent today. In a funny way, I think coaches may actually be better off then teachers or work supervisors. At least a coach can get away with a certain amount of "tough love." Try that in the classroom or workplace and you will get a complaint filed against you in a heartbeat. Recognizing that some parents today are sending the WRONG message to their kids about athletics, I think the role of the coach today is more important than ever.

...nice post. Just last night I met with about 25 youth struggling with addiction. I think kids who are struggling today are a bit more grounded. Maybe they don't have as much time to get so wrapped up in "fluff" because they are fighting for their lives. It's ironic that some folks in our country point to the poor as "entitled" and expecting a handout. I am convinced that many people who make such statements have never had to live it. I recently had two young college grads working for me who were the epitome of self-centered, entitled, "life owes me something" attitudes. They obviously were spoiled rotten by their parents growing up. And when I tried to push them they got an attitude and a half. I'll take the kids described in the post above any day, gold teeth and all.

...tragic news for the victim and accused. https://www.si.com/college-football/2018/01/11/jessie-altman-college-football-recruit-arrest-murder-alabama I used to think, "How stupid can you be, having such a bright future and blowing it like this?" I have changed my tune as I have gotten older and gotten involved with counseling. It's not that simple. The lifestyle these kids are used to runs very deep. The situation with troubled youth is much like drug addiction. The vast majority of people cannot simply stop without some major intervention. They need to have a new design for living, the tools to do so, and a support system. If not, relapse occurs almost invariably. That is why the prospect of a bright future alone is not enough to change behaviors. Look at how many pro players cannot keep their nose clean and/or end up blowing their fortunes. Although going to college may get them away from bad influences, it does not teach kids how to lead an emotionally sober lifestyle. That is why when you put them back in their element, they revert very quickly. Look at Aaron Hernandez. When we send these kids off to college, as coaches, we owe it to them to get them hooked up with the right people, who can give them the tools to lead a very different lifestyle. Sure, we can say it's the responsibility of the parents, but we know how that ends up much of the time. Professional counseling is becoming much more readily available through insurance. Some of our kids desperately need such help, much more than an English literature in college.

I am amazed at how some of our youth today lack certain basic etiquette. We really need to coach them. I saw this when I had young college grads working for me. If you are leaving an organization, you do not write a note stating how thankful you are then mention your excitement about going wherever you are going. It's a bit like breaking up with your girlfriend, telling her how much you have enjoyed your time together, and then telling her about your NEW girlfriend. How do you think that would go over guys? Do you REALLY think she wants to hear about your new girlfriend in the same breath you are telling her how wonderful she has been? Leaving an organization can be a very sensitive issue and should be handled as discretely as possible, and I am not sure kids today "get" that. Handling it the wrong way is a great way to offend and burn bridges. Maybe not as important in high school, but get things wrong in the working world and there can be serious consequences. ....going back to the kid's note. He puts ST Thomas Aquinas in bold letters-not ABM. What subtle message does that send? If he really wanted to be nice, he would have mentioned how humbled he was to have known such great people at ABM. I guess what I am trying to say is, when you are thanking someone, the discussion should be about THEM and nothing else. If you want to announce to the world you are going to a new team, employer, etc, do that elsewhere. Some of these "announcements" I see from kids come across as very self-serving, ie tooting their own horn as if they are so important that they need to announce to the world that they are changing high schools. It wasn't too long ago that the only time you would see announcements like these were very important people like executives and political figures. If we don't coach these kids, they can grow up with an inflated sense of self, which is a knock you here all the time about the millenials. It's not fair to knock them if we haven't coached them right.