OldSchoolLion

The final score in this game was Apopka 38 Dr. Phillips 7. It could have been worse. Dr. Phillips has talent, of that there is no doubt. But the team is relatively young and is currently playing uninspiring football. Apopka did not play mistake free football turning the ball over, I believe twice, as well as recovering a couple fumbles. The team also had its fair share of penalties several of which were uncalled for. However, with that said,  the Darters played well enough to have the game well in hand by the middle of the third quarter and pulled away to win very comfortably.  
For the second week in a row, Apopka also had success passing the ball as Jackson Darlington had three touchdown passes, two of them to Fred Young, who is an athletic, reliable target. I was also impressed with the fact that Jackson in the space of the few short months since spring, has gone from an intermediate passer to a QB that now has a legitimate deep ball. He is not the athlete that his brother Zack was; however, he is a decent runner in his own right and is less injury prone. 
Observation: If this Apopka team could put a complete game together and does not suffer anymore devastating injuries, even with Davis-Hamilton done for the season, this team would beat all but a handful of teams in the state and would hold its own against many a national power. As I said last week, Lakeland did not beat Apopka in so much as Apopka beat itself. 
The entire Wekiva team was in attendance, as well as at least some of its coaching staff. That game in October may well be a prelude to the team that represents the North Bracket in the state title game. But there are many weeks of the regular season left, so we will see how it plays out. 
Next week Apopka takes on Boone at Boone. In the spring, I was impressed by the way Boone handled Olympia. But my confidence in them may have been unwarranted due to the fact that Olympia is proving to be a really bad team. Still Boone did have a blowout win against University tonight so beating them is not a certainty. 

Piper to their credit has done decent this year.   It will be interesting when they play Chaminade this year. 

You people are so wrong.
I can't wait to see US beat CM by at least 2 TDs (baring major injuries to US)
Wish I could make some money off of this one!!
 

According to 3A guru Jessica, Chaminade-Madonna has 34 players on their varsity roster.  Does anyone see a potential problem coming down the pike based on the information below?   Transferred in this year Sr RB Willie Davis-transferred from Miami Central Sr WR John Dunmore-transferred from AH Delray Sr WR Jordan Cash-transferred from Oxbridge Sr WR Grantis Poole-transferred from Ely Sr OL Justin George-transferred from Flanagan Sr OL Yousef Abu-transferred from West Broward Jr OL Joseph Habinowski-transferred from McArthur Jr Multi-role Rony Bordeau-transferred from Champagnat  Jr LB Marc Christie-transferred from West Broward Jr DE Kijuan Reid-Jacques-transferred from Everglades Sr DE Thomas Armstrong-transferred from West Broward Jr K Gabriel Gomez-transferred from Lake Mary Prep So P Carter Davis-transferred from South Plantation   Transferred in last year Sr LB Keyshawn Fede-transferred from Miramar junior season Sr S Ahmaud Jordan-transferred from Nova junior season Sr OL Timothy Butler-transferred from S Plantation junior season  Sr OL Lynden Washington-transferred from Plantation junior season Sr DE Cameron Williams-transferred from Nova junior season Jr CB Benjamin Onwuzo-transferred from Flanagan sophomore season Jr DT/OL William Moise-transferred from Georgia sophomore season Jr Deidrick Stanley-transferred from St Thomas Aquinas sophomore season   3 or more years at Chaminade-Madonna  Sr QB Daelen Menard Sr CB James Williams Sr S Keontra Smith Sr CB Tecory Couch Sr DT Andrew Iulianelli Sr LB Jake Hoffman

Thanks, Jessica.  With these smaller squads, I get concerned about injuries.  I saw a scant sideline in Chaminade's game against Muscle Shoals.  And they have their star WR running back punts against Ely.  In 2016, Chaminade was not firing at the end of the regular season.  Hopefully both teams stay healthy until their matchup.    

Pine Forest 

Came across this. Nova High in Broward went 0-10 in 1998 and scored a total of zero points!! That's crazy. 
Western 0-42
South Plantation 0-60
Hallandale 0-34
Ft Lauderdale 0-23
South Dade 0-60
Hollywood Hills 0-30
McArthur 0-39
Cooper City 0-28
South Broward 0-39
Flanagan 0-40

Anyone who has seen IMG play has likely noticed their giant 6'8" lineman, Evan Neal.  Here's an article about him that demonstrates the difference that IMG has made in preparing him for college.  I would think it would be easier to lose that weight in a disciplined environment like IMG than at home in Okeechobee.  This is exciting for college coaches because the work they would have had to do in the past is already done for them.  Such a kid will be good to go when he arrives at the doorstep.      
https://www.diehards.com/miami/evan-neal-miami-recruiting-spring

Cardinal Gibbons (1-2) vs Miami Jackson (3-0) 
Gibbons comes in with new life and confidence after getting a much needed victory last week over my panthers while Jackson comes in red hot at 3-0 not giving up a single point in either game.
Gibbons will still be favored and rightfully so but don’t be surprised if this is the Jackson of 2012 and 2013 and they pull off the victory. 
PREDICTION: GIBBONS 24 JACKSON 14
DILLARD (1-2) AT BOYD ANDERSON (1-2)
So the 3 game juggernaut is over with dillard coming out 1-2 with most predicting Dillard would come out 0-3 like last year. Under first head coach toriano Morgan Dillard has shown major strides and improvements even tho there is still a lot of work to do I believe Dillard has hit the breather of their schedule. This week we have 1-2 boyd Anderson who looked like anything but impressive over their first 3 games getting blasted 35-7 by Piper last week and only scoring 6 points in a 6-0 win over lowly Boynton Beach. It’s a rival game so we can’t take them lightly but I believe this is the game where Dillard hits their stride and take off the rest of the season. 
PREDICTION: DILLARD 38 BOYD ANDERSON 12
MIRAMAR (0-2) AT PLANTATION (2-0) 
whooaaa!! The amount of significance in this game Miramar come in after two tough opponents at 0-2 desperately looking for their first win while plantation comes in soaring after two dominant victories. 
And to add more fire to the mix this is a district game the winner would be that much closer to being district champs which was won by Miramar last year. If Miramar has any chance of making the playoffs they can’t start 0-3 0-1 in district play. Plantation on the other hand would love nothing more then to get pay back. 
PREDICTION: MIRAMAR 20 PLANTATION 14 I can’t see the patriots dropping 0-3

RB Kenny McIntosh of University School is a big back and he is already running over the competition.  In 3 games, he has rushed for 388 yards on 36 carries.  He is averaging over 10 yards per carry and has 5 rushing TD's. No wonder so many of the big colleges are after him.  
https://www.hudl.com/profile/1747656/Kenny-McIntosh
QB Nick Vattiato already has 7 TD passes.  WR's Christian Wells  and Zay Flowers are both 3-star players.   So, University has a balanced, potent attack.  And they have a sophomore OL, Marcus Tate, who is already being courted by the big names, including Alabama.  
Josh Sanguinetti and Tyler Scott are both 4-star safeties.
While everybody has been oohing and aahing over Cardinal Gibbons and Chaminade, some may have been overlooking this team.  We'll see when University faces off with Chaminade later this year.
 
 

So, what happened?  As you can see, UF/UM/FSU all had a history of getting their qb's from Florida high schools.  Since 2000, they seem to be looking elsewhere.  Is it purely coincidental that their programs started to experience some instability in the early 2000's?   

I love this everyone! Such a TRUE HERO!
 

Cocoa was 2 points shy of going 3 years undefeated: 14-1, 14-0, 14-0.

A decade is 10 years tho but if that’s the case then aye that’s accurate but again it was against our heated rival if anybody else don’t know that records are thrown out in that game u do. The hate runs deep and u win some and u lose some. Most important thing they lost last year on their field with the game being played on a school campus for the first time in over 40 years and they most likely gonna lose this year and I’ll be down to see it.

FSU QB's Give Noles 2 Firsts.
Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke both Graduated HS in 1989. Both led the Noles to a National Championship. In 1993 Ward led the noles to their first National Championship, while Weinke led the Noles to their first undefeated season and National Championship in 1999.
    
 
 
               O  
           o       
        o          
      \ /         
      /\           
    /     \         
  /__n__\       
 
 

UCF still the undefeated champs! 

The Gators have done it!  While the Noles have their "Secure the Bag" motivation, the Gators now have their "Protect the Purse" mantra.    I cannot wait for the Noles to meet the Gators this year.  Imagine when the Gator players enter Doak Campbell, each flaunting a designer Gucci football handbag and taunting the Noles' for their lame backpacks.  This all fits so beautifully with the softer, gentler image of the game.    

The Gators have done it!  While the Noles have their "Secure the Bag" motivation, the Gators now have their "Protect the Purse" mantra.    I cannot wait for the Noles to meet the Gators this year.  Imagine when the Gator players enter Doak Campbell, each flaunting a designer Gucci football handbag and taunting the Noles' for their lame backpacks.  This all fits so beautifully with the softer, gentler image of the game.    

Wayne Peace - Lakeland - UF
Rick Stockstill - Fernandina - FSU
Kelly Lowrey - Columbia High School - FSU

Kerwin Bell-Lafayette- Florida
Danny Wuerffel- Ft. Walton Beach- Florida 
Doug Johnson- Buchholz- Florida 
Casey Weldon-North Florida Christian- FSU
Danny Kannell- Westminster- FSU
Thad Busby-Pace- FSU
Danny McManus-South Broward - FSU
Craig Erickson- Cardinal Newman- Miami 
 
Thats all I got. 

Pinellas, Hillsborogh, Polk, Manatee, Sarasota, Hardee, DeSoto, Highlands.
 

Tim Tebow- Nease -Florida 
John Brantley- Trinity Catholic- Florida 
Jacory Harris- Northwestern - Miami 
Stephen Morris- Miami Pace- Miami 
 

Lots to cover going into week 4, so let's get to it!!!

Class 3A, top 5 going into week 4

1) Chaminade Madonna (2-1) Remains #1 after dominating performance. C-M started off slow in 2017 before ramping it up after week 5. This C-M team is following a similar path. C-M still has highly interesting games against AHP, Booker T, Uschool on the schedule. I'm also being told not to overlook Piper as they've improved from 2017.  Still, that loss to Deerfield Beach by 3 points is looking more and more impressive as Deerfield has gone on to defeat Buford and Westlake Georgia by wider margins.

2) Clearwater Central Catholic (3-0) The computers had CCC as a 10-13 point favorite over rival Tampa Catholic, but the human element had TC as a 3-10 point favorite since TC was playing at home. It turns out, the computers were correct as CCC dominated the 3rd and 4th quarter en route to a 34-14 win. I know I'm a broken record saying this, but the Marauders are already really, really good and star JR Running Back Jerzhan Newton hasn't seen time at running back due to a leg injury.  Marauders have a few weeks of easier opponents in Tarpon Springs, Northeast and St. Pete Catholic, but Calvary Christian, Jesuit and Cardinal Mooney (combined 8-1) finish their season off. In particular, that CCC at Jesuit game is looking like must see TV.

3) American Heritage Delray (2-0)  Stallions move up a spot by not playing a game. The defense has been lights out and the offense is moving the ball. Quality win over 8A Belen Jesuit in week 1. Really interesting game this week against Monsignor Pace.  I knew the Stallions would return to form in 2018, but I'm impressed with what they've done.  AHD has a couple of marquee games coming up besides this week's game vs Pace. Uschool and Glades Central loom down the road.

4) King's Academy (3-0) While the Lions haven't played the most competitive of schedules, they've performed well enough and have some late season challenges that I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. I'll keep and eye on them and move them up and down as necessary based on other teams strength of schedule going forward, but for now- the Lions are strong enough that I think they can punch harder than the teams they're playing.

5) Florida High (1-1) I dropped the Seminoles 2 spots, but not out of my top 5. Madison County is a truck load, but I also haven't seen a northern 3A team with an overly competitive schedule to replace them with. Seminoles depth could be an issue as MadCo was able to wear them down and dominate the 2nd half. Seminoles have to move forward, Chiles is up next.

Others I'm looking at:  Sarasota Cardinal Mooney (3-0), Ocala Trinity Catholic (3-0), Melbourne Central Catholic (2-1), Tampa Catholic (2-1), Benjamin School (3-0), Orlando TFA (2-0).

GAMES I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO:
Chaminade and CCC have easier weeks this week, so the top 2 teams should be fine; however, after them- there's some really good, competitive games on tap. Here's what I'm looking forward to:

Tampa Berkeley Prep (1-2) vs Lakeland Christian(2-1)

The Berkeley Prep Buccaneers are a talented bunch and have played a competitive schedule, but a win against rival LCS would right the ship. Berkeley Prep lost 28-19 to Sarasota Cardinal Mooney last week which is a somewhat surprising result considering the Bucs talent level. LCS suffered their first loss to Bishop Verot. When Specturm Sports televised games, this game would always find its way onto their TV schedule and for good reason. This has been a highly entertaining and competitive matchup for years. 

In week 1 vs CCC, QB Joshua Youngblood broke his throwing hand late in the 4th quarter with the game already decided. The Bucs did knock off a potent Calvary Christian team in week 2 ad Youngblood moved to RB, but without Youngblood at QB- the offense has stagnated.  LCS on the otherhand got off to a hot start in weeks 1 and 2 against Teneroc and Auburndale.

My Pick:  Both teams are competing for playoff positioning. Berkeley Prep cannot afford a third loss this early in the season, especially with Tampa Catholic and Mitchell still on the schedule. LCS probably has a bit more wiggle room, but the loser of this game is going to be hurting for playoff positioning.

Berkeley Prep 28, LCS 25

Melbourne Central Catholic (2-1) vs Tampa Catholic (2-1)

After a tremendous 2 year run under new HC Stacy Sizemore, many felt the Hustlers of MCC would slip this year due to a huge graduating class and inexperience in big games. The Hustlers were smacked against Cornith, MS- but against Florida competition the Hustlers are 2-0. Lead by LaAnthony Valentine and strong play in the trenches the Hustlers were able to pound Archbishop McCarthy 30-0 last week.

Tampa Catholic started off 2-0 and outscoring their opponents 66-6 before running into Clearwater Central Catholic which accumulated just under 500 yards total offense against a very strong Crusader defense. In the loss, Sr. Rb Jalen Bussey was a bright spot- scoring both Crusader TD's.  TC Jr QB Dylan McCain has a rocket for an Arm.

My Pick:  MCC is a good team, very strong, athletic but young.  TC is loaded with D-1 prospects and goes 4 deep at running back. I can't see TC finishing anything less than 8-2 this year which means they'll win this week. I expect TC to get back on track with the defense leading the way late in the 4th.

Tampa Catholic 28, MCC 21

Other games of note:

Trinity Catholic over Mt. Dora by 17
Calvary Christian (Clearwater) over Zephyrhills Christian by 14
American Heritage Delray over Pace by 7
Chaminade over Northeast by 35
CCC over Tarpon Springs by 35
Ft. White over Taylor County by 10
NFC over Providence School by 10
Holy Trinity over West Oaks by 30
Pensacola Catholic over Milton by 3
First Academy over Tampa Bay Christian by 35

As always, these are just the thoughts of my hubby, myself, brother and pop. Feel free to add information about any of the teams listed!

 

This is so gay... I am sorry... it is... I hate it.... 1. We do we have to Bite UM... 2. Its horrible... 3. We are FSU plant the spear if you want to do something.. ."secure the bag" that is like drug dealer terminology... Absolutely hate it. 

Anthony Schwartz (American Heritage Plantation) and Shaun Shivers (Chaminade-Madonna), both true freshmen at Auburn, both scored their first career NCAA TD's tonight in a route of Alabama St.  Schwartz scored on a 57-yard passing route and also rushed for a score.  Shivers had a rushing TD and finished with over 100 yards rushing.
Pretty impressive for 2 true freshmen to be seeing reps on one of the top-ranked teams in the country. Neither is listed #1 on the depth chart, but clearly Auburn has plans to have them involved this season.