Perspective

Hey thanks for that insider info.  Very interesting.  Yeah I was going from memory and probably got some details wrong so it was nice to have the correct information out there.  I knew the QBs dad so I got some insider info on the 2019 OL injuries/problems where they were starting JV players on the OL by the end of the season.  

Apparently, someone was able to snap a picture of the S.S. Hallandale out in the Atlantic Ocean over the summer. 
 

 
 
 

Some of this is true; some is not.  Allow me to provide some context (WARNING:  Long Post alert):
Prior to the 2019 season, Plant had a 14-year span (from 2005 to 2018) in which they won four state championships, never won less than 9 games (and won ten or more games 12 times), and went 58-0 in district games.  Yep, 58 wins and zero losses. 
2019 broke several streaks, including their district winning streak, their playoff streak and their season winning record streak.  They finished the season 4-6.  Plant's six losses came against their first six opponents:  (1) Armwood, who finished the season 12-2 (only losses were a 2OT loss to North Gwinnett (GA) and a 4th round playoff loss to Edgewater); (2) Gaither, who also finished 12-2 (only losses were to Armwood in the regular season and a 4th round playoff loss on the road against Escambia); (3) Steinbrenner, another team that finished 12-2 (4th round playoff loss to Apopka); (4) Bloomingdale, who finished 9-3 (only losses were to Lakeland and Armwood, once in the regular season and again in the playoffs); (5)Tampa Bay Tech, who finished 8-4 (with losses to Armwood, Gaither, Bloomingdale and Lakeland in the playoffs); and (6) Gonzaga (MD) (nationally ranked at the time, but finished their season 8-3).  If you take away the out-of-state schools and losses to each other, this group of teams had a combined record of 53-6 in 2019.
Plant finished the 2019 season with four straight wins, including three district wins, to finish second in the district.   In those four wins, Plant outscored their opponents by a combined 164-20.  In any one of the prior 15 plus years (when Plant won their district), their runner-up district status would have gained them a playoff spot.  However, 2019 was the first year that the FHSAA relied on a power rankings point system to determine the four non-district winner playoff spots and Plant lost out on the final playoff spot by the narrowest of margins when Steinbrenner lost their season finale to Chamberlain 26-20 (thus, slightly lowering Plant's "opponents record").    To my knowledge, they were the only team in the state not to win a state championship, but nevertheless finish their season with four straight wins.   In all likelihood, they wouldn't have made a lot of noise in the playoffs, but they did have some momentum and had figured out how to play to their strengths.  They would not have been an easy win for any team at that point. 
Head coach Robert Weiner did serve a three-game suspension in the middle of the 2019 season for an alleged FHSAA rules violation.  He was accused with providing benefits to a player when he asked his director of operations to see if she could help a kid who was new to the football program, but nevertheless registered at Plant, find a place to spend the night when it became apparent late one afternoon that the kid was otherwise not going to have anywhere to sleep that night.  Ultimately, through the FHSAA appeals process, the "conviction" was overturned, the fine was rescinded and Coach Weiner's clean record was restored.   However, unlike professional sports (where you can continue to play or manage while an appeal is pending), Coach Weiner was forced to serve his 3-game suspension before the appeal could be heard.  When your head coach is also your offensive coordinator/QB coach and play-caller, this can be a problem. 
In short, Plant lost to six quality opponents, but finished the year strong, just missing out on the final playoff spot in the region.  PinellasFB is correct that Plant's offensive line was not on par with previous seasons, in part because of early-season injuries and lack of depth. 
After the season ended, Coach Weiner accepted a college coaching job with the University of Toledo.  Plant's QB signed with Georgia Tech (but has since transferred to Toledo).  The Plant administration went through a laborious process to find a new head coach.   In an effort to do everything the right way, and perhaps not understanding the new wild, wild west of high school football, the school took its time accepting applications, interviewing prospective candidates, narrowing down the field, etc.  They eventually settled on a man who had played and coached at the college level and who had previously been the Plant JV coach.  In hindsight, it was not the right hire.  However, in both Plant's defense and the coach's defense, no one could have anticipated the chain of events that would transpire for this person, professionally and personally. 
In the meantime, after Coach Weiner announced his departure and before the new coach could be named, a number of Plant's top players, unsure of what the future would bring, decided to do the 'Hallendale Bail,' two years before Hallendale did it.    Some did it on their own; others were, to use polite terms, 'encouraged' by 'representatives of other school's athletic interests' to transfer.    Area coaches smelled blood in the water and used every opportunity and resource they could to reach out to top Plant players and their parents.   Before the school year ended, Plant lost at least eight players who had played significant time in the 2019 season and/or who were expected to contribute significantly the following season, including two top receivers, the expected QB1 and the expected QB2, a starting RB/LB, a starting DB and two OL/DL starters.  At the time, four of them had D1 offers and another has since picked up at least one D1 offer. 
2020 was a disastrous year for Plant.  First year without their old head coach, first year with a new coach who was not on campus, Covid restrictions, no returning varsity QB (and very little chance for anyone to earn the spot with limited 7 on 7 games/tournaments), etc.   There were a number of additional factors that led to the downfall, but a lack of incoming new talent over the past couple of years definitely was a major contributor.  Plant finished 2-6 last season, but did make the playoffs (yeah, only because every team 'made the playoffs.'  ). 
Once again, Plant has a new head coach:  former assistant coach Hank Brown.  Coach Brown will surround himself with others that have been around the program in hopes of restoring its glory days.  It won't surprise me if Plant has a better record this year than last, but in large part, that will be because of the way that Hillsborough County does its scheduling.   For non-district games, Plant won't be playing the 'top tier' teams like Armwood, Gaither, Steinbrenner and Bloomingdale.  But, they'll still have a number of tough games and will be lucky to finish the season with a .500 record. 
In short, Plant's success cycle likely is over, at least for a while.  So, in short answer to the original question, Plant will not be a factor this season (or anytime soon) in the playoffs.   It's possible they could make the playoffs and it's possible they could win their first playoff game, but that's as far as I see them going unless and until more talent shows up.  Oh, and here's the catch:  Plant is an A-rated school that has been over-capacity for years.  So, unlike some of the other 'football-oriented schools' in the county (or across the state), a kid cannot choose to attend Plant unless they live in the Plant district.  That will make it even harder to regain their status as one of the top programs in the county, if not the state. 
But, it was a helluva run while it lasted. 
 

Some of this is true; some is not.  Allow me to provide some context (WARNING:  Long Post alert):
Prior to the 2019 season, Plant had a 14-year span (from 2005 to 2018) in which they won four state championships, never won less than 9 games (and won ten or more games 12 times), and went 58-0 in district games.  Yep, 58 wins and zero losses. 
2019 broke several streaks, including their district winning streak, their playoff streak and their season winning record streak.  They finished the season 4-6.  Plant's six losses came against their first six opponents:  (1) Armwood, who finished the season 12-2 (only losses were a 2OT loss to North Gwinnett (GA) and a 4th round playoff loss to Edgewater); (2) Gaither, who also finished 12-2 (only losses were to Armwood in the regular season and a 4th round playoff loss on the road against Escambia); (3) Steinbrenner, another team that finished 12-2 (4th round playoff loss to Apopka); (4) Bloomingdale, who finished 9-3 (only losses were to Lakeland and Armwood, once in the regular season and again in the playoffs); (5)Tampa Bay Tech, who finished 8-4 (with losses to Armwood, Gaither, Bloomingdale and Lakeland in the playoffs); and (6) Gonzaga (MD) (nationally ranked at the time, but finished their season 8-3).  If you take away the out-of-state schools and losses to each other, this group of teams had a combined record of 53-6 in 2019.
Plant finished the 2019 season with four straight wins, including three district wins, to finish second in the district.   In those four wins, Plant outscored their opponents by a combined 164-20.  In any one of the prior 15 plus years (when Plant won their district), their runner-up district status would have gained them a playoff spot.  However, 2019 was the first year that the FHSAA relied on a power rankings point system to determine the four non-district winner playoff spots and Plant lost out on the final playoff spot by the narrowest of margins when Steinbrenner lost their season finale to Chamberlain 26-20 (thus, slightly lowering Plant's "opponents record").    To my knowledge, they were the only team in the state not to win a state championship, but nevertheless finish their season with four straight wins.   In all likelihood, they wouldn't have made a lot of noise in the playoffs, but they did have some momentum and had figured out how to play to their strengths.  They would not have been an easy win for any team at that point. 
Head coach Robert Weiner did serve a three-game suspension in the middle of the 2019 season for an alleged FHSAA rules violation.  He was accused with providing benefits to a player when he asked his director of operations to see if she could help a kid who was new to the football program, but nevertheless registered at Plant, find a place to spend the night when it became apparent late one afternoon that the kid was otherwise not going to have anywhere to sleep that night.  Ultimately, through the FHSAA appeals process, the "conviction" was overturned, the fine was rescinded and Coach Weiner's clean record was restored.   However, unlike professional sports (where you can continue to play or manage while an appeal is pending), Coach Weiner was forced to serve his 3-game suspension before the appeal could be heard.  When your head coach is also your offensive coordinator/QB coach and play-caller, this can be a problem. 
In short, Plant lost to six quality opponents, but finished the year strong, just missing out on the final playoff spot in the region.  PinellasFB is correct that Plant's offensive line was not on par with previous seasons, in part because of early-season injuries and lack of depth. 
After the season ended, Coach Weiner accepted a college coaching job with the University of Toledo.  Plant's QB signed with Georgia Tech (but has since transferred to Toledo).  The Plant administration went through a laborious process to find a new head coach.   In an effort to do everything the right way, and perhaps not understanding the new wild, wild west of high school football, the school took its time accepting applications, interviewing prospective candidates, narrowing down the field, etc.  They eventually settled on a man who had played and coached at the college level and who had previously been the Plant JV coach.  In hindsight, it was not the right hire.  However, in both Plant's defense and the coach's defense, no one could have anticipated the chain of events that would transpire for this person, professionally and personally. 
In the meantime, after Coach Weiner announced his departure and before the new coach could be named, a number of Plant's top players, unsure of what the future would bring, decided to do the 'Hallendale Bail,' two years before Hallendale did it.    Some did it on their own; others were, to use polite terms, 'encouraged' by 'representatives of other school's athletic interests' to transfer.    Area coaches smelled blood in the water and used every opportunity and resource they could to reach out to top Plant players and their parents.   Before the school year ended, Plant lost at least eight players who had played significant time in the 2019 season and/or who were expected to contribute significantly the following season, including two top receivers, the expected QB1 and the expected QB2, a starting RB/LB, a starting DB and two OL/DL starters.  At the time, four of them had D1 offers and another has since picked up at least one D1 offer. 
2020 was a disastrous year for Plant.  First year without their old head coach, first year with a new coach who was not on campus, Covid restrictions, no returning varsity QB (and very little chance for anyone to earn the spot with limited 7 on 7 games/tournaments), etc.   There were a number of additional factors that led to the downfall, but a lack of incoming new talent over the past couple of years definitely was a major contributor.  Plant finished 2-6 last season, but did make the playoffs (yeah, only because every team 'made the playoffs.'  ). 
Once again, Plant has a new head coach:  former assistant coach Hank Brown.  Coach Brown will surround himself with others that have been around the program in hopes of restoring its glory days.  It won't surprise me if Plant has a better record this year than last, but in large part, that will be because of the way that Hillsborough County does its scheduling.   For non-district games, Plant won't be playing the 'top tier' teams like Armwood, Gaither, Steinbrenner and Bloomingdale.  But, they'll still have a number of tough games and will be lucky to finish the season with a .500 record. 
In short, Plant's success cycle likely is over, at least for a while.  So, in short answer to the original question, Plant will not be a factor this season (or anytime soon) in the playoffs.   It's possible they could make the playoffs and it's possible they could win their first playoff game, but that's as far as I see them going unless and until more talent shows up.  Oh, and here's the catch:  Plant is an A-rated school that has been over-capacity for years.  So, unlike some of the other 'football-oriented schools' in the county (or across the state), a kid cannot choose to attend Plant unless they live in the Plant district.  That will make it even harder to regain their status as one of the top programs in the county, if not the state. 
But, it was a helluva run while it lasted. 
 

Some of this is true; some is not.  Allow me to provide some context (WARNING:  Long Post alert):
Prior to the 2019 season, Plant had a 14-year span (from 2005 to 2018) in which they won four state championships, never won less than 9 games (and won ten or more games 12 times), and went 58-0 in district games.  Yep, 58 wins and zero losses. 
2019 broke several streaks, including their district winning streak, their playoff streak and their season winning record streak.  They finished the season 4-6.  Plant's six losses came against their first six opponents:  (1) Armwood, who finished the season 12-2 (only losses were a 2OT loss to North Gwinnett (GA) and a 4th round playoff loss to Edgewater); (2) Gaither, who also finished 12-2 (only losses were to Armwood in the regular season and a 4th round playoff loss on the road against Escambia); (3) Steinbrenner, another team that finished 12-2 (4th round playoff loss to Apopka); (4) Bloomingdale, who finished 9-3 (only losses were to Lakeland and Armwood, once in the regular season and again in the playoffs); (5)Tampa Bay Tech, who finished 8-4 (with losses to Armwood, Gaither, Bloomingdale and Lakeland in the playoffs); and (6) Gonzaga (MD) (nationally ranked at the time, but finished their season 8-3).  If you take away the out-of-state schools and losses to each other, this group of teams had a combined record of 53-6 in 2019.
Plant finished the 2019 season with four straight wins, including three district wins, to finish second in the district.   In those four wins, Plant outscored their opponents by a combined 164-20.  In any one of the prior 15 plus years (when Plant won their district), their runner-up district status would have gained them a playoff spot.  However, 2019 was the first year that the FHSAA relied on a power rankings point system to determine the four non-district winner playoff spots and Plant lost out on the final playoff spot by the narrowest of margins when Steinbrenner lost their season finale to Chamberlain 26-20 (thus, slightly lowering Plant's "opponents record").    To my knowledge, they were the only team in the state not to win a state championship, but nevertheless finish their season with four straight wins.   In all likelihood, they wouldn't have made a lot of noise in the playoffs, but they did have some momentum and had figured out how to play to their strengths.  They would not have been an easy win for any team at that point. 
Head coach Robert Weiner did serve a three-game suspension in the middle of the 2019 season for an alleged FHSAA rules violation.  He was accused with providing benefits to a player when he asked his director of operations to see if she could help a kid who was new to the football program, but nevertheless registered at Plant, find a place to spend the night when it became apparent late one afternoon that the kid was otherwise not going to have anywhere to sleep that night.  Ultimately, through the FHSAA appeals process, the "conviction" was overturned, the fine was rescinded and Coach Weiner's clean record was restored.   However, unlike professional sports (where you can continue to play or manage while an appeal is pending), Coach Weiner was forced to serve his 3-game suspension before the appeal could be heard.  When your head coach is also your offensive coordinator/QB coach and play-caller, this can be a problem. 
In short, Plant lost to six quality opponents, but finished the year strong, just missing out on the final playoff spot in the region.  PinellasFB is correct that Plant's offensive line was not on par with previous seasons, in part because of early-season injuries and lack of depth. 
After the season ended, Coach Weiner accepted a college coaching job with the University of Toledo.  Plant's QB signed with Georgia Tech (but has since transferred to Toledo).  The Plant administration went through a laborious process to find a new head coach.   In an effort to do everything the right way, and perhaps not understanding the new wild, wild west of high school football, the school took its time accepting applications, interviewing prospective candidates, narrowing down the field, etc.  They eventually settled on a man who had played and coached at the college level and who had previously been the Plant JV coach.  In hindsight, it was not the right hire.  However, in both Plant's defense and the coach's defense, no one could have anticipated the chain of events that would transpire for this person, professionally and personally. 
In the meantime, after Coach Weiner announced his departure and before the new coach could be named, a number of Plant's top players, unsure of what the future would bring, decided to do the 'Hallendale Bail,' two years before Hallendale did it.    Some did it on their own; others were, to use polite terms, 'encouraged' by 'representatives of other school's athletic interests' to transfer.    Area coaches smelled blood in the water and used every opportunity and resource they could to reach out to top Plant players and their parents.   Before the school year ended, Plant lost at least eight players who had played significant time in the 2019 season and/or who were expected to contribute significantly the following season, including two top receivers, the expected QB1 and the expected QB2, a starting RB/LB, a starting DB and two OL/DL starters.  At the time, four of them had D1 offers and another has since picked up at least one D1 offer. 
2020 was a disastrous year for Plant.  First year without their old head coach, first year with a new coach who was not on campus, Covid restrictions, no returning varsity QB (and very little chance for anyone to earn the spot with limited 7 on 7 games/tournaments), etc.   There were a number of additional factors that led to the downfall, but a lack of incoming new talent over the past couple of years definitely was a major contributor.  Plant finished 2-6 last season, but did make the playoffs (yeah, only because every team 'made the playoffs.'  ). 
Once again, Plant has a new head coach:  former assistant coach Hank Brown.  Coach Brown will surround himself with others that have been around the program in hopes of restoring its glory days.  It won't surprise me if Plant has a better record this year than last, but in large part, that will be because of the way that Hillsborough County does its scheduling.   For non-district games, Plant won't be playing the 'top tier' teams like Armwood, Gaither, Steinbrenner and Bloomingdale.  But, they'll still have a number of tough games and will be lucky to finish the season with a .500 record. 
In short, Plant's success cycle likely is over, at least for a while.  So, in short answer to the original question, Plant will not be a factor this season (or anytime soon) in the playoffs.   It's possible they could make the playoffs and it's possible they could win their first playoff game, but that's as far as I see them going unless and until more talent shows up.  Oh, and here's the catch:  Plant is an A-rated school that has been over-capacity for years.  So, unlike some of the other 'football-oriented schools' in the county (or across the state), a kid cannot choose to attend Plant unless they live in the Plant district.  That will make it even harder to regain their status as one of the top programs in the county, if not the state. 
But, it was a helluva run while it lasted. 
 

Some of this is true; some is not.  Allow me to provide some context (WARNING:  Long Post alert):
Prior to the 2019 season, Plant had a 14-year span (from 2005 to 2018) in which they won four state championships, never won less than 9 games (and won ten or more games 12 times), and went 58-0 in district games.  Yep, 58 wins and zero losses. 
2019 broke several streaks, including their district winning streak, their playoff streak and their season winning record streak.  They finished the season 4-6.  Plant's six losses came against their first six opponents:  (1) Armwood, who finished the season 12-2 (only losses were a 2OT loss to North Gwinnett (GA) and a 4th round playoff loss to Edgewater); (2) Gaither, who also finished 12-2 (only losses were to Armwood in the regular season and a 4th round playoff loss on the road against Escambia); (3) Steinbrenner, another team that finished 12-2 (4th round playoff loss to Apopka); (4) Bloomingdale, who finished 9-3 (only losses were to Lakeland and Armwood, once in the regular season and again in the playoffs); (5)Tampa Bay Tech, who finished 8-4 (with losses to Armwood, Gaither, Bloomingdale and Lakeland in the playoffs); and (6) Gonzaga (MD) (nationally ranked at the time, but finished their season 8-3).  If you take away the out-of-state schools and losses to each other, this group of teams had a combined record of 53-6 in 2019.
Plant finished the 2019 season with four straight wins, including three district wins, to finish second in the district.   In those four wins, Plant outscored their opponents by a combined 164-20.  In any one of the prior 15 plus years (when Plant won their district), their runner-up district status would have gained them a playoff spot.  However, 2019 was the first year that the FHSAA relied on a power rankings point system to determine the four non-district winner playoff spots and Plant lost out on the final playoff spot by the narrowest of margins when Steinbrenner lost their season finale to Chamberlain 26-20 (thus, slightly lowering Plant's "opponents record").    To my knowledge, they were the only team in the state not to win a state championship, but nevertheless finish their season with four straight wins.   In all likelihood, they wouldn't have made a lot of noise in the playoffs, but they did have some momentum and had figured out how to play to their strengths.  They would not have been an easy win for any team at that point. 
Head coach Robert Weiner did serve a three-game suspension in the middle of the 2019 season for an alleged FHSAA rules violation.  He was accused with providing benefits to a player when he asked his director of operations to see if she could help a kid who was new to the football program, but nevertheless registered at Plant, find a place to spend the night when it became apparent late one afternoon that the kid was otherwise not going to have anywhere to sleep that night.  Ultimately, through the FHSAA appeals process, the "conviction" was overturned, the fine was rescinded and Coach Weiner's clean record was restored.   However, unlike professional sports (where you can continue to play or manage while an appeal is pending), Coach Weiner was forced to serve his 3-game suspension before the appeal could be heard.  When your head coach is also your offensive coordinator/QB coach and play-caller, this can be a problem. 
In short, Plant lost to six quality opponents, but finished the year strong, just missing out on the final playoff spot in the region.  PinellasFB is correct that Plant's offensive line was not on par with previous seasons, in part because of early-season injuries and lack of depth. 
After the season ended, Coach Weiner accepted a college coaching job with the University of Toledo.  Plant's QB signed with Georgia Tech (but has since transferred to Toledo).  The Plant administration went through a laborious process to find a new head coach.   In an effort to do everything the right way, and perhaps not understanding the new wild, wild west of high school football, the school took its time accepting applications, interviewing prospective candidates, narrowing down the field, etc.  They eventually settled on a man who had played and coached at the college level and who had previously been the Plant JV coach.  In hindsight, it was not the right hire.  However, in both Plant's defense and the coach's defense, no one could have anticipated the chain of events that would transpire for this person, professionally and personally. 
In the meantime, after Coach Weiner announced his departure and before the new coach could be named, a number of Plant's top players, unsure of what the future would bring, decided to do the 'Hallendale Bail,' two years before Hallendale did it.    Some did it on their own; others were, to use polite terms, 'encouraged' by 'representatives of other school's athletic interests' to transfer.    Area coaches smelled blood in the water and used every opportunity and resource they could to reach out to top Plant players and their parents.   Before the school year ended, Plant lost at least eight players who had played significant time in the 2019 season and/or who were expected to contribute significantly the following season, including two top receivers, the expected QB1 and the expected QB2, a starting RB/LB, a starting DB and two OL/DL starters.  At the time, four of them had D1 offers and another has since picked up at least one D1 offer. 
2020 was a disastrous year for Plant.  First year without their old head coach, first year with a new coach who was not on campus, Covid restrictions, no returning varsity QB (and very little chance for anyone to earn the spot with limited 7 on 7 games/tournaments), etc.   There were a number of additional factors that led to the downfall, but a lack of incoming new talent over the past couple of years definitely was a major contributor.  Plant finished 2-6 last season, but did make the playoffs (yeah, only because every team 'made the playoffs.'  ). 
Once again, Plant has a new head coach:  former assistant coach Hank Brown.  Coach Brown will surround himself with others that have been around the program in hopes of restoring its glory days.  It won't surprise me if Plant has a better record this year than last, but in large part, that will be because of the way that Hillsborough County does its scheduling.   For non-district games, Plant won't be playing the 'top tier' teams like Armwood, Gaither, Steinbrenner and Bloomingdale.  But, they'll still have a number of tough games and will be lucky to finish the season with a .500 record. 
In short, Plant's success cycle likely is over, at least for a while.  So, in short answer to the original question, Plant will not be a factor this season (or anytime soon) in the playoffs.   It's possible they could make the playoffs and it's possible they could win their first playoff game, but that's as far as I see them going unless and until more talent shows up.  Oh, and here's the catch:  Plant is an A-rated school that has been over-capacity for years.  So, unlike some of the other 'football-oriented schools' in the county (or across the state), a kid cannot choose to attend Plant unless they live in the Plant district.  That will make it even harder to regain their status as one of the top programs in the county, if not the state. 
But, it was a helluva run while it lasted. 
 

Some of this is true; some is not.  Allow me to provide some context (WARNING:  Long Post alert):
Prior to the 2019 season, Plant had a 14-year span (from 2005 to 2018) in which they won four state championships, never won less than 9 games (and won ten or more games 12 times), and went 58-0 in district games.  Yep, 58 wins and zero losses. 
2019 broke several streaks, including their district winning streak, their playoff streak and their season winning record streak.  They finished the season 4-6.  Plant's six losses came against their first six opponents:  (1) Armwood, who finished the season 12-2 (only losses were a 2OT loss to North Gwinnett (GA) and a 4th round playoff loss to Edgewater); (2) Gaither, who also finished 12-2 (only losses were to Armwood in the regular season and a 4th round playoff loss on the road against Escambia); (3) Steinbrenner, another team that finished 12-2 (4th round playoff loss to Apopka); (4) Bloomingdale, who finished 9-3 (only losses were to Lakeland and Armwood, once in the regular season and again in the playoffs); (5)Tampa Bay Tech, who finished 8-4 (with losses to Armwood, Gaither, Bloomingdale and Lakeland in the playoffs); and (6) Gonzaga (MD) (nationally ranked at the time, but finished their season 8-3).  If you take away the out-of-state schools and losses to each other, this group of teams had a combined record of 53-6 in 2019.
Plant finished the 2019 season with four straight wins, including three district wins, to finish second in the district.   In those four wins, Plant outscored their opponents by a combined 164-20.  In any one of the prior 15 plus years (when Plant won their district), their runner-up district status would have gained them a playoff spot.  However, 2019 was the first year that the FHSAA relied on a power rankings point system to determine the four non-district winner playoff spots and Plant lost out on the final playoff spot by the narrowest of margins when Steinbrenner lost their season finale to Chamberlain 26-20 (thus, slightly lowering Plant's "opponents record").    To my knowledge, they were the only team in the state not to win a state championship, but nevertheless finish their season with four straight wins.   In all likelihood, they wouldn't have made a lot of noise in the playoffs, but they did have some momentum and had figured out how to play to their strengths.  They would not have been an easy win for any team at that point. 
Head coach Robert Weiner did serve a three-game suspension in the middle of the 2019 season for an alleged FHSAA rules violation.  He was accused with providing benefits to a player when he asked his director of operations to see if she could help a kid who was new to the football program, but nevertheless registered at Plant, find a place to spend the night when it became apparent late one afternoon that the kid was otherwise not going to have anywhere to sleep that night.  Ultimately, through the FHSAA appeals process, the "conviction" was overturned, the fine was rescinded and Coach Weiner's clean record was restored.   However, unlike professional sports (where you can continue to play or manage while an appeal is pending), Coach Weiner was forced to serve his 3-game suspension before the appeal could be heard.  When your head coach is also your offensive coordinator/QB coach and play-caller, this can be a problem. 
In short, Plant lost to six quality opponents, but finished the year strong, just missing out on the final playoff spot in the region.  PinellasFB is correct that Plant's offensive line was not on par with previous seasons, in part because of early-season injuries and lack of depth. 
After the season ended, Coach Weiner accepted a college coaching job with the University of Toledo.  Plant's QB signed with Georgia Tech (but has since transferred to Toledo).  The Plant administration went through a laborious process to find a new head coach.   In an effort to do everything the right way, and perhaps not understanding the new wild, wild west of high school football, the school took its time accepting applications, interviewing prospective candidates, narrowing down the field, etc.  They eventually settled on a man who had played and coached at the college level and who had previously been the Plant JV coach.  In hindsight, it was not the right hire.  However, in both Plant's defense and the coach's defense, no one could have anticipated the chain of events that would transpire for this person, professionally and personally. 
In the meantime, after Coach Weiner announced his departure and before the new coach could be named, a number of Plant's top players, unsure of what the future would bring, decided to do the 'Hallendale Bail,' two years before Hallendale did it.    Some did it on their own; others were, to use polite terms, 'encouraged' by 'representatives of other school's athletic interests' to transfer.    Area coaches smelled blood in the water and used every opportunity and resource they could to reach out to top Plant players and their parents.   Before the school year ended, Plant lost at least eight players who had played significant time in the 2019 season and/or who were expected to contribute significantly the following season, including two top receivers, the expected QB1 and the expected QB2, a starting RB/LB, a starting DB and two OL/DL starters.  At the time, four of them had D1 offers and another has since picked up at least one D1 offer. 
2020 was a disastrous year for Plant.  First year without their old head coach, first year with a new coach who was not on campus, Covid restrictions, no returning varsity QB (and very little chance for anyone to earn the spot with limited 7 on 7 games/tournaments), etc.   There were a number of additional factors that led to the downfall, but a lack of incoming new talent over the past couple of years definitely was a major contributor.  Plant finished 2-6 last season, but did make the playoffs (yeah, only because every team 'made the playoffs.'  ). 
Once again, Plant has a new head coach:  former assistant coach Hank Brown.  Coach Brown will surround himself with others that have been around the program in hopes of restoring its glory days.  It won't surprise me if Plant has a better record this year than last, but in large part, that will be because of the way that Hillsborough County does its scheduling.   For non-district games, Plant won't be playing the 'top tier' teams like Armwood, Gaither, Steinbrenner and Bloomingdale.  But, they'll still have a number of tough games and will be lucky to finish the season with a .500 record. 
In short, Plant's success cycle likely is over, at least for a while.  So, in short answer to the original question, Plant will not be a factor this season (or anytime soon) in the playoffs.   It's possible they could make the playoffs and it's possible they could win their first playoff game, but that's as far as I see them going unless and until more talent shows up.  Oh, and here's the catch:  Plant is an A-rated school that has been over-capacity for years.  So, unlike some of the other 'football-oriented schools' in the county (or across the state), a kid cannot choose to attend Plant unless they live in the Plant district.  That will make it even harder to regain their status as one of the top programs in the county, if not the state. 
But, it was a helluva run while it lasted. 
 

Apparently, someone was able to snap a picture of the S.S. Hallandale out in the Atlantic Ocean over the summer. 
 

 
 
 

Apparently, someone was able to snap a picture of the S.S. Hallandale out in the Atlantic Ocean over the summer. 
 

 
 
 

Are they upset with the program or are they just opportunists that will transfer to any school as long as they are the center of attention? Self gratification these days trumps everything else. I'm really surprised, or maybe not surprised at all, that parents are knowingly approving of this behavior. When I was in high school during the Napoleon campaign, the only transferring there was if and when the family moved to a new city or state, which was usually rare. The teams in those days had such comradery and esprit de corps. When a team was good it was good because of local coaching and hard work by the players. Not because of groups of mercenaries that acquired the school's gridiron in the dead of night.  I know that there are fans, even on this forum, and supporters of schools that accept an unprecedented amount of transferring and even recruiting to make their football team winners. You cheer when your team runs the gamut every Friday night and when they go undefeated and deep into the playoffs or even to the championship. Stop for a minute to contemplate what would your team be like if they did not accept predatory players. What would they be like if the team consisted of players local only to the school district? Then decide whether your current team, with its group of transfers, truly deserves the praise it gets from mowing down every opponent on the way to the finals. This analysis does not pertain to all schools that happen to be exceptional in football. Only the schools that find it expedient to load up their teams with the best players they can find in order to win most if not all of the time. High school football is not College or NFL football where this stuff goes on routinely and has a purpose to it. 14-17 year old's are not college or NFL landscapes. Their main purpose is to educate and formulate young minds in academics and physical attributes and not to teach how to manipulate the system primarily for self gain only.

Breaking news:
Hallandale's 4-star athletic trainer, Will "Tape" Williams announced he will be transferring to another school sometime before the new school year starts.   When questioned about his decision, Tape quietly replied:  "Everyone's gone.  I need ankles to tape and there's no one left here."  As to where Tape might land, he indicated that he would leave that up to his handlers. 

Breaking news:
Hallandale's 4-star athletic trainer, Will "Tape" Williams announced he will be transferring to another school sometime before the new school year starts.   When questioned about his decision, Tape quietly replied:  "Everyone's gone.  I need ankles to tape and there's no one left here."  As to where Tape might land, he indicated that he would leave that up to his handlers. 

Breaking news:
Hallandale's 4-star athletic trainer, Will "Tape" Williams announced he will be transferring to another school sometime before the new school year starts.   When questioned about his decision, Tape quietly replied:  "Everyone's gone.  I need ankles to tape and there's no one left here."  As to where Tape might land, he indicated that he would leave that up to his handlers. 

Breaking news:
Hallandale's 4-star athletic trainer, Will "Tape" Williams announced he will be transferring to another school sometime before the new school year starts.   When questioned about his decision, Tape quietly replied:  "Everyone's gone.  I need ankles to tape and there's no one left here."  As to where Tape might land, he indicated that he would leave that up to his handlers. 

Does the average fan need to know more than when some rivalry games are, some big name match-ups, their alma mater, and maybe a local team? Probably not, but it just seems so unprofessional and disorganized (on the part of FHSAA).
I would also think that since the FHSAA independently does their RPI ranking system that having the schedule/games in place would make life easier for them. Of course, the games might all be submitted to the FHSAA already, but we just don't know it because they don't share it. 
 
 
 

The way that I look at things, if the game schedules for all high school football teams are posted more than a month or so before the season begins, that provides me one more subject to talk about with my good friend Perspective.  Of course this also provides Perspective with the honor and privilege of yet another subject to discuss with one of his favorite people in the whole World. yours truly, Jambun82! That seems like a very good reason to me. 

In all seriousness. This is how the scheduling process “appears” to be set up with Maxpreps. It appears that each school has designated individual(s) that have access to MaxPreps scheduling web pages. That means over 550 people can input Florida schedules and schedule changes. It doesn’t take Einstein to figure out that this can lead to nothing but disaster and inaccuracies. There needs to be a single source of input who has the capability to audit for accuracy before schedules are entered. This will ensure errors and conflicts are identified and resolved prior to entering the schedules into the site. Again….only 1 input source.
And yes, I want the job. 
 


 

 

In the end, who's responsible for bringing the heat and making this happen?  
I'd like to get them one at a time in the batter's box without a helmet and unload some serious chin music on 'em.
Heck, I might even don my imitation Ryne Duren goggles just to see how they like not knowing what's coming their way.  

Quinn Ewers announced today that he would not be playing his senior year of high school and, instead, would be enrolling at Ohio State (although, because he has one class to complete, he won't be eligible to play for OSU this year, but he'll be able to practice, learn the system, train, etc.).  Most importantly for Ewers (allegedly) is that he'll be able to take advantage of the college version of NLI (where it's allowed) as opposed to the Texas version (i.e., where it's prohibited). 
Now, the interesting thing will be to see if "something comes up" for ESPN for August 26th.   While they could go ahead and air the game, it certainly won't surprise me if a scheduling conflict develops (the TV production equivalent of "I have to wash my hair Friday night").   The primary reason for selecting that game no doubt was to be able to showcase the number one recruit in the nation.   Now, he won't be there (or if he is, he certainly won't be playing).  I think that if I were an ESPN exec, I'd be tempted to fill that spot with an special report on NLI and use Ewers as an example of a possible trend in the making. 

Circling back to the topic of this thread, I saw EPSN's schedule of high school games for the first weekend:
Aug. 26 8 p.m. – No. 7 Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) vs. Highland Park (Dallas)   Aug. 27 Noon – Milton (Ga.) at North Cobb (Kennesaw, Ga.)   Aug. 28 Noon – No. 10 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) at No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 3 p.m. – Oakland (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) at Madison-Ridgeland Academy (Madison, Miss.) 6 p.m. – Pace Academy (Atlanta, Ga.) at Rabun County (Tiger, Ga.) 9 p.m. – Bridgeland (Cypress, Texas) at Klein Cain (Houston)   Aug. 29 1:30 p.m. – No. 2 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) vs. Bishop Sycamore (Columbus, Ohio) Photo by Robbie Rakestraw Will Quinn Ewers be in action for Southlake Carroll on Aug. 26 against Highland Park? The biggest matchup will have major national rankings implications as No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) hosts No. 10 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore).   Perhaps the biggest storyline among the seven games will be the status of Southlake Carroll star quarterback Quinn Ewers. Regarded as the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2022, reports earlier this week indicate he is leaning toward graduating early and enrolling at Ohio State in August so he can take advantage of NIL opportunities.   The Southlake Carroll-Highland Park game will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.   The IMG Academy-Bishop Sycamore contest will also be played at a unique venue as the teams will hook it up at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.      

Circling back to the topic of this thread, I saw EPSN's schedule of high school games for the first weekend:
Aug. 26 8 p.m. – No. 7 Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) vs. Highland Park (Dallas)   Aug. 27 Noon – Milton (Ga.) at North Cobb (Kennesaw, Ga.)   Aug. 28 Noon – No. 10 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) at No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 3 p.m. – Oakland (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) at Madison-Ridgeland Academy (Madison, Miss.) 6 p.m. – Pace Academy (Atlanta, Ga.) at Rabun County (Tiger, Ga.) 9 p.m. – Bridgeland (Cypress, Texas) at Klein Cain (Houston)   Aug. 29 1:30 p.m. – No. 2 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) vs. Bishop Sycamore (Columbus, Ohio) Photo by Robbie Rakestraw Will Quinn Ewers be in action for Southlake Carroll on Aug. 26 against Highland Park? The biggest matchup will have major national rankings implications as No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) hosts No. 10 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore).   Perhaps the biggest storyline among the seven games will be the status of Southlake Carroll star quarterback Quinn Ewers. Regarded as the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2022, reports earlier this week indicate he is leaning toward graduating early and enrolling at Ohio State in August so he can take advantage of NIL opportunities.   The Southlake Carroll-Highland Park game will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.   The IMG Academy-Bishop Sycamore contest will also be played at a unique venue as the teams will hook it up at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.      

No doubt girls mature faster.    And I agree there's no reason to rush kids through high school.   But even back to when I was in high school, there was always a family or two in town that wanted to give their kids a better chance of succeeding in high school sports (and possibly getting a scholarship), so they made the decision to hold their kids back and have them start kindergarten a year later than all the other kids their age (and I'm not just talking 'summer birthday' kids).   So, by the time junior year of high school rolled around, most of the kids were 16 or 17 and their kids already had turned 18.  
From an athletics standpoint alone, it may have been smart thinking.  That extra year of physical development can make a big difference for a teenage boy.  But, that's also the age that boys, especially, start to spread their wings and want to fly on their own.  Discipline - at school and at home - can become an issue. 

Avon Park is in a rural area and like you said, they don't have a large number of kids in neighboring towns that are going to transfer to play football. The metro (urban) area (SF, Orlando, Tampa, and Jax) schools can draw from a multitude of neighboring schools. If a talented player, say a stud QB, is zoned to a "have not" school in a metro area, and a neighboring city needs only a stud QB to fill out their team for a run at state, there's a good chance that the stud QB will be enrolled at the neighboring school in the coming January in time for Spring football. Florida state law allows it now, and unless the FHSAA places some academic standards that are required for participation in sports upon a transfer, you have the "wild west" of transfers we're seeing now.

No doubt girls mature faster.    And I agree there's no reason to rush kids through high school.   But even back to when I was in high school, there was always a family or two in town that wanted to give their kids a better chance of succeeding in high school sports (and possibly getting a scholarship), so they made the decision to hold their kids back and have them start kindergarten a year later than all the other kids their age (and I'm not just talking 'summer birthday' kids).   So, by the time junior year of high school rolled around, most of the kids were 16 or 17 and their kids already had turned 18.  
From an athletics standpoint alone, it may have been smart thinking.  That extra year of physical development can make a big difference for a teenage boy.  But, that's also the age that boys, especially, start to spread their wings and want to fly on their own.  Discipline - at school and at home - can become an issue. 

Dude, for your own mental health, it sounds like you need to get the hell out of Lake City and start over somewhere else.  Seriously.