VeniceIndianFan

With FSU High graduating 8 offensive starters, it looks like Cocoa is set to coast through 2S with minimal strife. Will Cocoa see any competition in the playoffs? Or will the Tigers coast and claim yet another championship fairly easily?

Just saw that. Thank you. Week 3 is a bit too early for the bye. Have to see how it plays out, but going into the playoffs on little rest does not bode well for state championship hopes when you have to play teams such as Melbourne, Osceola, Treasure Coast, etc. Best of luck to your Fighting Indians and hope Vero can make it to an Osceola rematch in round 3.

With Apopka's defense returning 8 starters, it looks like the Darters are once again headed toward a clash with Miami Columbus for the state championship. Is this the season where the Darters finally find a victory against the Explorers? Or will Columbus once again win a low-scoring slugfest to claim the crown?

This is a great schedule for Vero and will definitely help them prepare for teams like Kissimee Osceola, Treasure Coast, Venice, Lakeland, Manatee, etc. down the line in the playoffs. But one thing I do not like is the placement of the bye week. Week 3 is just too early.

Do you now have two bye weeks?

Sounds like that house needed to be cleaned out. Good for Dillard. This should spark change in the right direction.

Which is exactly my point. These self-inflicted wounds have to stop. The penalties, special team miscues, missed blocking assignments, and blocked kicks will kill you against a team as good as STA.

In 2021 Dillard lost to STA 23-13 in a game that featured a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown. That's a 10-point-swing and also a massive momentum shift. You can't tell me that Dillard doesn't win, or at very least come much closer to winning the game, if the left tackle makes his assignment and stops that kick from being blocked. Dillard would have been up 10-0 instead of falling back down to 7-7 and giving STA insane momentum. Dillard has the defense to beat STA and they will do it this season if they get better performance from their special teams and do a better job of taking care of the football.

This is great! Thank you! Can't wait to see them play Gorman, The West, Norland, and CMD!

Not pumping them up for the KOC. Just see that they have a lot of talent on paper and look primed to meet STA in the 3M finals. They have the talent to win 3M, or failing that, to lose to STA in the finals again. But of course, Jones, Armwood, and Edgewater all look powerful on paper as well so we will have to see how things shake out. But 3M is one of the more interesting classes this year for sure and I would love to see STA somehow get knocked off (hopefully at the hands of Dillard!)

What looked like a weakness for Venice in the spring may now be a strength. The coaching staff has been playing around with different players on the defensive line and may have found a combination that works. Ke'Shawn Reid is converting from a left tackle to a NT and will play next to Ryan Daly this year. Asharri Charles is converting from a running back to a defensive end and will play on the right side. Elijah Jones will play on the left side next to Daly. This is exciting news for Venice, because: Ke'Shawn Reid is only an upcoming junior and is already benching 390 and squatting 585. Insane. We expect that he will be at a 410 bench and a 600 lb squat by the time the preseason game against TBT rolls around. He has the potential to be even better than Trenton Kintigh at that spot. Ryan Daly playing next to him will take potential double teams off of Asharri Charles and Elijah Jones and allow Coaches Hyer and Shannon to find potential mismatches for a free rusher to get into the backfield. Add on the fact that Venice is fielding their most experienced linebacking corps in school history and a very strong backfield, and it looks like Venice is just about set to avenge last season's state championship loss to Lakeland! GO INDIANS!!!

You have the talent to beat STA! But special teams have to be a LOT better.

TCA was young defensively last season. They have 7 starters returning on the defensive side of the ball from last year, so assuming that they suffer no major injuries, they should see immense improvement on that side of the ball. But @JaxTCA2010stateCHAMP should be more knowledgeable than myself on this matter and able to provide more information on TCA than me. What I can say, though, is that their defense cost them the victory against University Christian last season. I don't foresee TCA having a defensive meltdown like that in the playoffs again until they inevitably run into CMD, where they will undoubtedly need "A LOT,'' to go their way to contain one of CMD's best offensive units in their collective school history.

From reports I have received and news around social media, it looks like this could be Tampa Bay Tech's best team ever. With the return of Dallas Wilson, Santoyo Isaac, Javon Mckiney, Rodney Gainey, Cyler Ward, and Logan Rogers, it looks like Tampa Bay Tech is primed to meet STA in the 3M finals with a chance to win it all for the first time in their school history. Will TBT win their first state championship in school history? Or will they fall short one again at the hands of a team like Homestead, Jones, STA, Armwood, Edgewater, etc?

TCA was loaded before the transfers. Now their team just looks ludicrous on paper. I feel sorry for any team that gets in your way. Can't wait to see your Conquerors take on CMD in the finals. The Lions are fielding one of the top offensive units in the country in 2023. That state championship showdown will be epic!

KeemD321 made a great point as he so often does that whenever a kid earns a 3, 4, or even 5-star rating, it's always done so by merit. Talent doesn't just grow on trees. This means that their reputation alone will change the way that opposing offensive coordinators prepare for their game. You always have to account for the presence of such a player, and if that means you're not throwing the ball their way, then of course their production is going to be lower. A good college recruiter will take this into consideration and realize that if opposing teams aren't attacking him, that he must be doing something right.

Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately, however you look at it,) your analysis is right on the money. Kids who are ranked 4 and 5 stars at the cornerback or safety position often don't get the credit they deserve for being ranked so highly because nobody wants to throw at 4 and 5 star corners or safeties. It hurts their film for college recruitment because sometimes reputation alone isn't enough to get the job done.

What does Dillard’s defense look like atm?

The person you are responding to has demonstrated several times already that they are unwilling to listen to logic or reason of any kind. No matter how many times you lead this horse to water, it will never drink. You’re a smart man. Don’t fall for his tricks.

Recent history shows that your argument is, unfortunately, well-made. If Central runs the table once again, Mater Dei ends with one loss on the season, SFA loses a game, SJB loses at least one game, and Central still isn't consensus #1, you know the system is rigged in favor of California.

Your argument is coming from a good place and is true on the surface, but the ranking systems and so-called “experts” don’t see it that way. The “super” teams that you mentioned are all basically colleges at the high school football level. And how do I know this? It’s because they are all private schools. And they’re not just ordinary schools at that. They have built-in advantages and resources FAR beyond what Miami Central has. Central doesn’t even have their own practice field. Yet somehow, Central is in the mix for a national championship every year and even beat IMG last season, a team that has NO business whatsoever losing a game at the high school level. But they still did, and the fact that they are even considered to be in the same echelon as MD, Bosco, SFA, Servite, etc. Should tell you all you need to know about the individual talent in Miami. I just wish the ranking system would give Florida more credence instead of clinging to their West Coast bias.

Which is why you can NEVER overlook ANY playoff opponent, no matter how “inferior” they may look on paper. One bad night in the playoffs means that your dreams of a state championship are 88 and out the gate!

That’s terrific news sir, and agree even more with your assessment that having a coach with fire is important to moving forward. Slow progress is always better than no progress and you will never beat a team like STA while staying in neutral. Looking forward to your collision with STA and fingers crossed for a round 2, preferably with the Panthers smashing STA’s 20 year home playoff winning streak to pieces!! Go Panthers!

Agree with you. We have had MORE than our fair share of transfers this year. Something like 9 or 10 already. Insane. If there was ever a Venice team that could have beaten STA in a playoff game, either this upcoming 2023 squad or 2021 would have been the candidates to do it. Hope Dillard beats them but it’s going to be tough. Your offense has to do a better job of helping your defense stay off the field. No more silly turnovers or going 3-and-out in under a minute of game time. Protect the ball and score every time you have the opportunity to do so. Your defense is more than capable of keeping you in it and have proven this in 2 meetings already. But it’s almost impossible to stop STA’s offense IF Dillard barely even has time to get a drink before they have to run back to the field. Have to do a better job protecting the ball to have a chance.

If SJB loses their first game to Mater Dei but comes back to beat them in a playoff game, or vice-versa, both MD and SJB would end their season with one loss. Assuming both IMG and SFA lose a game somewhere, Central beats Gorman, runs the table, and finishes perfect, Central would be the only team in the running without a loss. Now, of course, those are a whole heap of assumptions, but Central could theoretically hurdle MD if this scenario plays out.