Holy Moly

Yo, still nursin' this bourbon from last night, still down a few bucks at the track, but hey, at least I'm not coachin' in one of them zero-title counties. We talkin' Florida high school football glory since '63, broken down by how many folks live there. No boring spreadsheets this time—just the juicy highlights, 'cause who got time for every county when the bottle's callin'? Start with the big dogs, them Super counties packin' over a million souls—think Miami traffic jams and Disney lines. Broward, Palm Beach, Duval, and Dade (that's Miami, y'all) hog all the raw trophies, stackin' 'em like I stack bad decisions. And let's keep it a buck: a big chunk of that bling comes from them private school superpowers recruitin' kids from everywhere, no boundaries, just open checkbooks and open arms. St. Thomas Aquinas down in Broward? Man, they out here assemblin' rosters like the Avengers—pullin' top talent nationwide, playin' national schedules, and hoistin' hardware like it's goin' outta style. Seventeen state titles overall, trophy case so full you need sunglasses just to look at it.Duval punches strong per person—tops the Supers in that—and yeah, a fat slice of their dominance comes from privates like Jacksonville Bolles, them Bulldogs with 11 state titles locked in (all from back in the day, '86 to 2011 under that legend Corky Rogers), recruitin' heavy and turnin' Skinner-Barco Stadium into a ring factory for years. Just last week they was chasin' number 12 in the Class 2A final but got lit up 52-28 by Cardinal Mooney—lost five straight title games now, ouch.But overall? These metros dominate the total count like a heavyweight bullyin' the ring.Then the X-Large and Large crews—half-million to a mil, places like Polk, Hillsborough, Orange. Polk sneaks in punchin' above its weight per capita, probably 'cause Lakeland been terrorizin' folks forever. Leon (Tallahassee, my Rattler stompin' grounds) straight ballin' per head—FAMU vibe rubbin' off, makin' 'em play mean.Now, the real fun starts with the smaller joints —Medium, Small, Miniature, all the way to Tiny. This where the little guys turn into giants. Them Panhandle and North Florida specks on the map? They eatin' per capita like it's an all-you-can-win buffet.Gilchrist, Bradford, Suwannee, Wakulla, Jackson—scrappy as hell. But the king of the ants? Madison County, population barely enough for one good block party, but they winnin' state rings like it's their birthright. Cowboys out there celebratin' titles while the whole town shuts down—no recruiters needed, just local boys with dirt on their cleats and fire in their bellies.Calhoun, Gulf (Port St. Joe with them Tiger Sharks), Jefferson right behind—rural beasts turnin' Friday nights into legends under them rickety lights.That's hood heart, baby—small crew, big fight, probably runnin' on sweet tea, church prayers, and straight spite for the big-city boys.Punchline? Big counties flex the most hardware 'cause they got the bodies (and them private recruiting machines like St. Thomas and Bolles loadin' up the wagons). But per person? The tinies are the real killers—provin' you don't need a million folks or a nationwide shopping spree to own the state, just heart, hustle, and maybe a little moonshine motivation. It's like me at the casino: odds stacked against the little guy, but when we hit... we hit big.   Now pass that glass—Madison County's got me feelin' nostalgic, Bolles got me laughin' at them title-game heartbreaks, and St. Thomas got me wonderin' if they even got room for one more trophy. Who's buyin' the next round to toast both sides—the stackers and the scrappers?

The sad part is that the FHSAA could compete. These schools are clamoring for competitive play more than anything else, and the FHSAA system does not foster that. Look at the teams that are moving to the SSAA; most of them have not been competitive in the FHSAA system. I believe that kids, communities, parents, coaches, and administrators want to play in competitive games, not blowouts.
I don't think MegaElite High School intends to play a non-Elite high school in a district game any more than the non-Elite high school does. I think the program and the sport grow when games are competitive — even if both teams are not very good — rather than playing running clock games. Sometimes running clock games happen, and there is nothing you can do about it. But when they happen because they are forced during the regular season by a system that continually creates running clocks, it becomes frustrating for everyone involved.
The FHSAA needs to be willing to rip the band-aid and create a promotion/relegation system. I would bet most of the teams in the SSAA would be in 1A or 2A, where they would face similar schools. At the top of the pyramid, we would have 32 genuinely competitive teams, with no guarantee that school X, Y, or Z will win the state championship.
While I haven't done the research yet, I imagine all the teams that played at FIU would probably be in Class 6A (top level) in my promotion/relegation league. Even if that was the Elite 8 of a playoff, would anybody be willing to guarantee a victory for one of the teams? 

You have single-handedly made an argument for performance based classes. 

No public schools made it past the second round in 1A.  It's completely unfair for a small public school to have to play in the same class as private schools.  This got me wondering why they couldn't drop to Rural class?  What's the difference/requirement for Rural classification?

They could have used metro suburban as a path towards that and went backwards 
And you hit the nail on the head with this one. 
the FHSAA Board of Directors has no interest in changing the status quo, regardless of input.   

It was interesting to watch the last FHSAA Board of Directors’ meeting and hear the Executive Director say that he would like to adopt some type of competitive equity model, if only the coaches would agree. 
He specifically referenced the California model (which I think has some merit), where playoff brackets are based solely on end-of-regular season rankings.  For example, the highest ranked 16 teams in the rankings are placed in the Open Division.  The next 64 highest ranked teams (#17-80) are placed in Class 1, then the next 64 (#81-144) are placed in Class 2, and so on.  School enrollment doesn’t matter, records in previous years don’t matter, the number of transfers doesn’t matter; the only thing that matters is how teams performed in that particular year so that teams are grouped with comparable teams for the playoffs.
Again, many possible ways to get there, and no system is perfect.  But my question is why wouldn’t the majority of coaches be in favor of a competitive equity model of some kind?  My suspicion is either the coaches don’t see the big picture, or the FHSAA Football Advisory Committee is not representing the interests of the coaches, or the FHSAA Board of Directors has no interest in changing the status quo, regardless of input.    

Following the lead of the state and handing out participation trophies, all us losers and non-winners from the real pick em will get a chance at the UNFIT championship!!

@TreyS 
@nolebull813 
@KeemD321
@columbiafan 
@DILLARDBOYZ954 
@ohs vargas 
@Sthatch11 
@Nulli Secundus 
@PinellasFB 
@Beek 

So absolutely dumb question here.  How are you allowed into the playoffs if you didn't play any district games?  Without being in a district, you aren't assigned a region so it seems like you should be ineligible since you don't have a region to qualify in?  
Excuse my language, but FUCK THE FIRST ACADEMY!  They cheat, break all the rules, and then wreck everyone else's playoff experience.  There are teams still in limbo as they sort this out.  FUCK THE FIRST ACADEMY!
I have never written a swear word in any post on this forum so for me to start posting language like this, it really means I truly hate that team.  They recruited, broke rules and then decided to be IMG and play a national schedule.  Great, a national team has a different mission than the rest of us who roll with our student body.  GTFO of our playoffs and go play with the other recruiters.  I personally know a kid who transferred into that school this year.  This kid has not played for the same team two years in a row since I first met him in youth ball.  He is home schooled (so no school essentially), has reclassified to develop more, and is the perfect fit for those no-school, sports only mercenaries who play for TFA.  He somehow transfers 100+ miles to another school too?  I guess that's legal... looking at you Lakeland and Venice lol.  
Anyway, did I mention FUCK THE FIRST ACADEMY yet?

This FIT thing is an embarrassment to competition. It’s the villain. It runs counter to what every coach in the country should be teaching their kids. 
 
I know the positives are extra games and practices for the younger kids to springboard into next year and giving the seniors one last ride before they hang it up forever, but this is not the way. 
 
Play a bowl game with a local team and then move on 

These are the official seeds. If there is a tie in games picked correctly, the tiebreaker goes to the higher seed, giving the regular season more relevance. 
 
1. @fishspinners
2. @MarkECannon
3. @THAT S--T WAS FUNNY
4. @imjustafan2
5. @Trelle 
6. @LAZ
7. @Joshua Wilson 
8. @muckboy561
9. @Holy Moly
10. @gbrown977

I'm in

Watching the FHSAA board meeting. These jokers are missing the entire point. Small private schools do not belong in any way shape or form with public small schools. If you are successful over a period of time, you play up, period. Even though this would make things more difficult on my favorite team they need to be moved up regardless of enrollment. Chaminade MNW Central, etc should be in the current 5A, at a minimum. STA should be in 7A, period. Lakeland should be in 7A period. Cocoa up, even this year.  

Here is a good read on all of this... and I am not a fan of this 
https://floridahsfootball.com/2025/10/29/fhsaa-proposal-would-overhaul-football-classifications-for-2026-28-drawing-concern-from-coaches-and-ads/
 

So on another florida high school football forum on Facebook me and few football bros was talking about the upcoming playoffs and the potential seedlings and matchups for each school if the playoffs were to start today.
and for example "4A REGION 4" if the playoffs started today 
#1 (4-3) American heritage Would Host #8 (3-5) Miami norland 
#3 (5-2) Archbishop McCarthy Would Host #6 (6-2) John Carroll Catholic 
#2 (7-0) Jensen Beach Would Host #7 (6-2)
#4 DILLARD (8-0) Would Host #5 (4-3) Plantation. 
Now what doesn't makes sense to us, is How in the world is a district winner not a automatic top 4 seed. And what's even crazier is how in the hell can a none district winner and dare I say a non district winner with a none winning district record be awarded a Top 4 seed.
for Example - Last year ALL 4 TEAMS from distrcit 4A-15 made it to the playoffs
American Heritage #1 seed (District champion (3-0) district play 
Plantation #3 Seed (1-2) District play 
Miami norland #2 Seed (2-1) District Play 
Archbishop McCarthy #6 Seed (1-2) Distrcit play. 
And before the point system and SOS warriors come out in full effect , this is rewarding bad football if ive ever seen it.
Number 1 there NEVER be 4 teams out of 1 distrcit making it to the playoffs, also if you did NOT win your district you should NOT be able to be a top 4 seed & host a round 1 playoff game when you didnt even have a winning record in your own division.
I get alot of folks were against terrible district champions making it in the playoffs and their were only 1 other team in the district, but in my opinion this new format is not the answer either. Its like the bad teams/none district champions are being rewarded for underachieving. 
So you lost your district, but because you scheduled tough outside of your district even tho you lost those games to youre rewarded a playoff birth, thats INSANITY.

That is the flaw of SOS, at least the way Max Preps **cough cough** does it.  That in itself is a contradiction to the entire strength of schedule argument because it appears to weigh that strength relative to the team.  It also raises the question of who is weighing these teams and how?  Whatever the formula is, they got it all wrong.  Just my opinion.

Lake Mary
Lakewood
Glades Central
Godby
River Ridge
Merritt Island
Coconut Creek
Northview
Hawthorne 
Mosley

I’m not knocking teams for playing bad schedules. They were obviously bad or they wouldn’t be discussed for this topic. You have to start somewhere. You have to build a culture of winning. Get players who have experienced little to no success, to believe they can win.
Because yeah most players and kids in general don’t know or care about high school rankings. They just see the team was 1-9 last year and they don’t want to play for a loser. But if that same team with a way easier schedule was 7-3, then it might attract some kids on the fence. Especially in the transfer craze. 

Because most HS coaches know most HS fans have zero clue about the quality of the opponents, so a good way to be a winner.  All in the eye of the beholder. 

We know a team’s fortune can sometimes swing wildly from year to year.  Here in NW Florida, the biggest turnaround at the mid-point of the season is 5A Milton, which was 0-10 last year and is off to a 5-0 start this year.  In the opposite direction, 4A Pensacola Escambia is 0-4, after a 9-3 season last year and eight straight winning seasons.  But there is still time for teams to turn their seasons around with the playoffs just down the road.  Are there any other surprise turnarounds (good or bad) out there to report?

12 this week. Diving straight into districts 
 
Columbia vs St Augustine 
South Dade vs Columbus 
Nease vs Buchholz 
Lake Brantley vs Seminole
Cardinal Mooney vs Bishop Verot 
South Lake vs Ocala Forest 
Godby vs Baker County 
Dunbar vs Naples 
Palm Beach Central vs Jupiter 
Carrollwood Day vs Lakeland Christian 
Mater Academy vs North Miami 

The pick ems isn’t only the 10-15 best games of the week. It can be a mixture of random teams and hard to pick games. The obscure games/teams was meant to be a challenge in pick em games 

15!!!!

1958 Pensacola 27, Jesuit 7
1959 Pensacola 25, Jesuit 6
1960 Pensacola 19, Jesuit 7
1961 Pensacola 13, Jesuit 0
1962 Jesuit 21, Pensacola 0
1963 Pens Catholic 25, Ridgewood Prep 0
1963 Jesuit 7, Pensacola 0
1963 DLS 19, Escambia 14
1964 Pensacola 23, Lee,LA 0
1966 Pensacola 19, Jesuit 0
1966 Broadmoor 14, Pensacola 13
1966 DLS 27, Escambia 7
1967 BR Capital 30, Pens Wash 13
1967 Pensacola 16, St Aloysous 6
1970 Choctaw 20, Brother Martin 0
1977 Istrouma 23, Tate 20
1978 Istrouma 12, Tate 9
1979 Istrouma 30, Tate 28
1980 Tate 23, Baton Rouge Istrouma 7
1981 Tate 28, Perry Walker 6
1981 Tate 23, West Jefferson 20
1983 Gulf Breeze 46, Ganus 0
1983 Woodham 35, Warren Easton 7
1983 Choctaw 13, West Jefferson 6
1983 Woodham 59, Baton Rouge Bel Air 13
1984 West Jefferson 31, Choctaw 13
1984 Woodham 30, Bel Air 3
1985 Gulf Breeze 28, Slidell North Shore 14
1985 Gulf Breeze 14, Easton 0
1985 Niceville 37, East Jefferson 0
1986 Easton 27, Gulf Breeze 7
1989 Baton Rouge Parkview 27, Pace 14
1989 Easton 13, Gulf Breeze 11
1990 Pace 50, Parkview 0
1990 Easton 26, Gulf Breeze 9
1991 Curtis 41, Washington 7
1991 Milton 50, Clark 12 
1991 Easton 16, Woodham 14
1992 Curtis 41, Washington 21
1992 Milton 42, Clark 6
1993 Milton 55, Clark 14
1993 Edna Karr 35, Milton 7
1994 Milton 11, Karr 10
1994 Milton 56, Clark 6
1995 Milton 51, Clark 0
1995 Milton 37, Perry Walker 8
1995 Milton 35, New Orleans Lawless 22
1995 Crestview 34, Bogalusa 6
1996 Milton 44, Perry Walker 12
1996 Milton 49, Clark 0
1996 Milton 63, Lawless 0
1996 Crestview 28, Bogalusa 12
1997 Milton 56, Clark 0 
1997 Milton 51, Lawless 0
1998 Milton 44, Clark 0
1998 Milton 41, Lawless 20
1999 Pensacola 27, Lawless 22
1999 Pensacola 34, Carver 6
1999 Milton 26, West Jefferson 20
1999 Milton 44, Clark 6
2000 Milton 24, West Jefferson 7
2000 Pensacola 21, Lawless 7
2001 Pensacola 46, Lawless 0
2002 Rutherford 56, Cohen 0
2002 Crestview 56, Lawless 0
2003 Escambia 28, John Curtis 20
2003 Fort Walton Beach 47, Lawless 6
2003 Tate 52, Cohen 8
2004 Curtis 48, Escambia 6
2004 Ft Walton Beach 48, Lawless 8
2004 Tate 47, Cohen 0
2005 Curtis 27, Choctaw 21
2006 Curtis 41, Choctaw 3
2008 Ruston 27, Pace 7
2009 Pine Forest 28, Catholic 36
2010 Pine Forest 42, Catholic 30
2010 Brother Martin 42, Tate 30
2010 Amite 13, Pace 12
2011 St Charles 42, Tate 0
2013 Jesuit 28, Pensacola 7
2013 Pens Wash 51, Lake Area 18
2014 Pens Wash 48, Lake Area 7
2014 Jesuit 49, Pensacola 17
2015 Jesuit 28, Escambia 17
2016 Jesuit 34, Escambia 13
2016 Milton 26, Lake Area 25
2017 Escambia 34, Shaw 0
2017 Niceville 49, Lake Area 0
2018 Escambia 21, Rummel 8
2018 Escambia 42, Shaw 13
2019 West FL 6, DLS 24
2025 Pensacola Catholic ?, Delhi ?
 

Miami Northwestern vs Orange Lutheran
 

Starting week one obviously. Right after the preseason games, I will post the week one games for all who want to join.