VeniceIndianFan

Pahokee Lafayette Dunnelon Titusville Auburndale Dunbar Wiregrass Ponte TC Bishop Moore Gaither Ely Gulf Coast PHU Southridge Estero Boca Raton PBC

Nothing worth doing in life is easy! Go Kowboys! Get the upset!

Doesn’t matter. The winner of that game earns the right to get smashed by STA.

Lakewood Ranch edged Charlotte for the 8th seed seemingly overnight. I was almost certain Charlotte was going to make it, smh. Lakewood Ranch @ Venice next week instead.

Well, good thing we dodged that bullet! I think Charlotte wins by 65 or more.

Charlotte @ Venice next week confirmed.

I'm in.

I thought for sure that @Jullian was going to win!

STA clearly has built-in advantages as a private school, but they are also pulling talent from arguably the most fertile recruiting ground in the country in South Florida. That isn't something that can be taken lightly. The Metro/Suburban split was so close to solving this imbalance. Without a transfer rule, put all of the "cheaters" in one or 2 classifications and let them duke it out amongst themselves. Then build a system around the rest that would foster competitive matchups in the postseason. The FHSAA still needs to: Take Chaminade out of 1M, where they will slaughter perpetually. Maybe have Cocoa and Naples swap classifications. Cocoa will slaughter 2S while Naples will have a lot of trouble, even in a strong year, winning 3S against Mainland, Lake City Columbia, Lake Wales, and Rockledge. 4m and 4S are pretty balanced classifications. 3M is hard to say. Homestead, Dillard, and perhaps even Blanche Ely could compete with STA in strong years, but the north side of the bracket is really good. It's just tough that one of those teams have to go through STA to win a championship. Madison County has no business being in 1R. So, there's still some work to do. But metro/suburban was a step in the right direction.

Bolles Umatilla Gibbons Ely Lincoln Gulf Bartram Trail South Walton Venice Cardinal Newman Robinson Creekside Frost Proof Lake Mary Bell

Dillard needs rest after that brutal stretch. Did they have off practice today?

Wanted to see Vero win and thought they would have enough offense to do it after watching them play Martin County. Having 2 losses to two tough opponents, (might?) help them in the playoffs, but I think Deland would have to be favored over them on merit if that is their round 1 opponent.

I fully expect Vero to win this game and maybe even by 14 or more. Said it on Scorestream too. TC is heading in the wrong direction.

Don’t pack your bags just yet. You have to take one game at a time. Yes, it was terrible, but it’s in the past now. Here’s the deal: You’re probably going to see STA again. Have the past 10 days been miserable, yes. 3 games in 8 days is not sustainable. Your coach needs to give the team the weekend plus Monday off of practice to try to recover from this brutal stretch. Dillard will eventually see better days.

GO PANTHERS!!

Don't dip your toe in the forbidden waters, Jambun! Sharks everywhere... Sharks everywhere you turn.

The goal of the Metro/Suburban split was to break up schools like Madison County, STA, Miami Central, CMD, etc. Who were monopolizing state championships by playing schools that just couldn't compete with them without getting 10+ high level athletic transfers per year. 2M is almost a perfect representation of this. If the state doesn't want to do something about nonstop athletic transfers, then this is the next best thing, though it certainly isn't perfect. The problem is that there still isn't enough parity because of how the classes are set up. Cocoa will steamroll 2S without any trouble at all. Daytona Mainland probably steamrolls 3S this year. Chaminade will break scoring records in 1M. Madison County will crush 1R with that stupid enrollment loophole. 1S isn't so good either. So, the FHSAA has some things to sort out. It's at least good that they acknowledge that there is a problem; that's the first step in coming up with a solution. We will see how the open classification works if that's what the FHSAA decides to do next year.

A-Town, great to hear from you!

But who's to say that Dillard won't start getting transfers again next year? Dillard is having a winning season in spite of all the tumult. Kids in neighboring schools will surely look at these results and say, "hey, I want to be a part of that!" Especially if Dillard wins a couple of playoff games and keeps the STA game respectable? Gosh. And just like that, Dillard will be a destination school once again.

Ok, thank you for letting me know. My education continues once again and hopefully never ends.

Dillard could not possibly have a worse scenario in front of them. They just played 2 games in 4 days and it's about to be 3 in 8. We talked about it on Scorestream. With the district championship on the line, playing STA @ Brian Piccolo on a short week of rest is just a recipe for disaster. And beyond that, it's clear from what happened in the Cocoa game that you won't get a fair shake with STA's officiating crew anyhow. STA by 17 or more. Just focus on trying to get healthy for the playoffs and seeing these guys again in a potential rematch with (hopefully) more rest.

They will eventually rejoin. Need a few more years to continue building but it's clear that the players are finally buying in to what North Port football is selling. This is by far the best team they have ever fielded in their collective school history. Coach Belser should be immensely proud of what he has done.

Keep an eye on North Port. They just achieved their first winning season in school history and now have a chance to win 6 games in a season for the first time ever. First-year head coach Garon Belser has them moving full steam ahead in the right direction. A few years from now they could be in conversations to win a district championship, and maybe even a playoff game!

Lake Mary Armwood Eau Gallie Zephyrhills OU Spruce Creek North Port Godby Northside First Baptist

I'm sorry to hear that happened. Sore losers. At least people didn't bring guns this time.