HornetFan

They're a juggernaut in the 1A Pop Warner circuit; just ask Jesse.

Not that interested!

I don't know how accurate the schedule in the Orlando Sentinel article is. With BM in their new Citrus League, they may not be able to schedule traditional rivals, Jones and Edgewater. Also, if you look at "original" schedules, WP was to play Edgewater w/o September 17-18. Until each school announces their schedule, I'd be prepared for changes. I heard on Sunday that WP would allow only two tickets per player for their games. I'm sure there will be plenty of volunteers for gate, down marker, first down sticks, and ushers to enforce social distancing and masks, but I think most of those would be students. May have to rely on watching videos of the games.

Jesse, don't you realize that by trashing teams that Madison has beaten in the past that you diminish your team's accomplishments. When did Madison beat Apopka in football?

Jesse, I don't know if you're delusional or just the biggest Madison fan in Florida. You'll probably pick the second reason (big fan), but I think the second definitely makes you the first (delusional). The Edgewater team of several years ago was an average Central Florida team. About three years ago, quite a few of the best young football players in Orlando made the decision to play together at Edgewater. The team they assembled was big, very fast, and very talented. They added a young talented coach and the result was they took St Thomas Aquinas to the final whistle in the state championship game in 7A. They will have some of those players back this year, but they lost a lot of talent to graduation. They'll be a very good team again this year, but maybe not even the best in Orlando.

A lot of people are being forced to make hard decisions around Covid-19. You have to put your family's safety first, I commend the coach.

Orange County sets high school sports start dates, including football openers The Orange County Public Schools district announced Monday night that it will allow its high school fall sports teams to start preseason practice Monday and play season openers two weeks later, beginning Sept. 14. The start of a football season delayed by the coronarivus pandemic will be either Thursday or Friday night, Sept. 17-18, for Metro Conference teams. School is in that Friday, but most OPCS squads will avoid Sept. 18 home games in observance of the Jewish Rosh Hashanah holiday, which begins at sunset. The OCPS decision, made after weeks of consternation and conversation among school administrators, coaches and families, puts the district in line with the football season opening dates for Seminole and Volusia County public schools. It allows up to eight regular season games (down from 10) prior to the scheduled Nov. 13 start of the Florida High School Athletic Association state playoffs. Other fall sports teams will also have shortened regular seasons. The plan leaves just four regular season weeks for girls volleyball and golf before FHSAA postseason play begins. Swimming and diving teams have five weeks to compete before district meets. Bowling and cross country have six regular season weeks. The plan also spells out spectator limits for competitions hosted by OCPS schools. There will be no charge for admission, but teams will be limited to two tickets per athlete. Harold Border, chief of high schools for OCPS, said the district’s spectator policy is based on a 25% capacity benchmark. That he said has become “a sweet spot” for COVID-era attendance for leagues across the country. “We want to keep contained the number of people in the stands for this start,” Border said. “We want to start with success and safety.” The limits mean cheerleaders, bands, color guards and other student groups will not be allowed to perform. Several school board members argued for sideline cheer and halftime shows to somehow be included. “When we successfully launch the season there may opportunities to revisit this,” Border said. The OCPS plan includes specific coronavirus considerations, such as a limit on bowling participants, and widening courses for cross country meets. Football teams will not go to locker rooms for halftime. Instead they will move to opposite end zones or other open ground for the break. Sideline boxes for teams will be extended to the 20-yard line which allows 60 yards instead of 40 for social distancing. OCPS was the last Orlando area school district to announce sports starts. Orange County school superintendent Barbara Jenkins said the district will continue to watch conditions closely and will be ready to react to problems. She warned that if COVID-19 infects a football program, it could quickly spread across a high school. “I want to be clear, there are no guarantees,” Jenkins said. “I have to tell you, I’m worried. I will tell you in advance, because we feel responsible for these young athletes, we will continue to monitor.” Opening week for Metro teams, if all goes well, will include a short road trip for 2019 Class 5A state runner-up Jones High to play at Bishop Moore, Orlando’s Catholic high school, in a clash of familiar Orlando rivals. That game is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 18, the first day area Catholic schools can play. Other likely OCPS openers include these games that were tentatively set for Thursday, Sept. 17, ahead of Monday’s board meeting: — Dr. Phillips at Boone — Hagerty at Timber Creek — Oviedo at Colonial — West Orange at Evans — Winter Park at Orlando University — East River at Wekiva — Lake Nona at Cypress Creek — Olympia at Windermere Openers for Freedom and Oak Ridge were up in the air. Playing each other is a possibility. Florida high school football teams were originally scheduled to play preseason Kickoff Classic games last week and season openers this week had COVID-19 not changed everything. The virus forced the Florida High School Athletic Association to scratch Classics and postpone the first allowed day for fall sports practices one month to Monday, Aug. 31. The first play date for regular seasons was shifted three weeks back, to Friday, Sept. 4. None of Central Florida’s public school districts are allowing teams to practice next week and play in the FHSAA’s new Week 1. But some of the area’s private schools will do so. News from Orange County had been long awaited not only by its fall coaches, but also by athletic departments from surrounding districts. “I’m waiting on what Orange County is going to do before I adjust my schedule,” Kissimmee Osceola football coach Doug Nichols said last this week.The Kowboys originally had games scheduled against Metro members Cypress Creek, Freedom and Lake Nona. The FHSAA has done away with districts in its revamped 2020 state series format, but it has also stipulated to member schools that any contests that were contracted to be played on or after Sept. 4 should be played unless both schools mutually agree to cancel a game. How well that mandate holds up in a year where coronavirus conditions and scheduling plans vary across the state remains to be seen. The OCPS plan for student participation requires parents of athletes to sign a set of documents that includes a new waiver form titled “Assumption of the risk and liability relating to coronavirus/COVID-19.” That portion states that by signing parents “voluntarily assume all risks that I and/or my child(ren) may be exposed to or infected by COVID-19 as a result of participation.” The letter asks parents to perform daily temperature checks and look for COVID-19 symptoms such as coughing or difficulty breathing; and to keep their students home for 72 hours if they see any signs of infection. It asks parents to report if students in their family have been in contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 during the past 14 days or is awaiting tests results. Quarantines of at least 14 days are required in those instances. This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Buddy Collings can be reached by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.

Hard work and good coaches will give you an edge against some schools, but it doesn't replace talent and experience. The best teams have all four going for them.

As a brand new school, they may need all their kids, including juniors, to play JV and varsity just to have enough kids to field teams. It would be kind of difficult to limit your juniors to only the 4 varsity games; not much of a season, and they'll need the experience to build on for next year. I would suspect that all players will be JV and varsity for this year.

Does Lakewood lower themselves to play in 1A for the playoffs so they can beat up on small rural schools? No!

That schedule only is more proof that they should be playing in a higher classification during the playoffs.

I won't be following BM as closely this season; my oldest grandson transferred to another school here in Orlando area. He wanted the chance to play on the same team as his brother. After 9 years of playing football, youth and high school, they have never played on the same team together. He's a senior and wanted that opportunity; his brother is a sophomore. I couldn't be happier.

Bishop Moore has joined the newly formed Citrus League, comprised of 7 private schools in the Orlando area. They won't be playing the Lake County schools in 5A this year. BM lost quite a few key starters to graduation and transfer, so the new league should be good for them as they rebuild. I don't know if BM will be playing traditional cross-town rivals Edgewater and Jones this season; schedules have not yet been announced. Jones will also be effected by the same Lake County schools not playing teams from Orlando.

Very average is still a long way from a start up team.

At this point, it's probably wise to opt in if you think your team has even a remote chance of winning a few playoff games. Being realistic, there are only a few teams in each classification that have a decent chance of winning a state championship, even if those chances are greater this year because of the absence of South Florida teams. I think the kids who get to start in September are thankful for the possibility of a season right now without knowing if that will last two weeks or two months. If we're fortunate to get that two months, the playoffs will re-energize the kids with a chance to shoot for something more. If I were a coach of a team with less or no playoff potential, I think I would opt out and look to put together a schedule against teams similar to mine. I think that would add excitement for my team giving them the chance to be more competitive against teams of equal talent, while trying to complete a ten game schedule. We have seen two new private school conferences emerge this past week here in Central Florida; whether or not that will be a permanent change has yet to be determined, but it may be the creation of new rivalries that are beneficial to all involved, and I think most teams in both conferences have remained in the FHSAA.

Sept. 4 set as opener but most won’t play that soon By Buddy Collings (Orlando Sentinel) After months of deliberation and debate wrapped around the coronavirus pandemic the FHSAA approved Friday, Sept. 4, as opening day for Florida high school football games last week. But only a handful of Orlando area teams, all from private schools, plan to play that soon. Central Florida’s public school districts will not start football seasons until the week of Friday, Sept. 18, when Seminole County and Volusia County teams are permitted to open. Osceola and Lake County football will kick off the following week. Multiple sources have told the Sentinel the Orange County Public Schools district is also strongly considering allowing football games on Sept. 17-18. But that decision may not be made official before the OCPS school board meets again Tuesday. Sept. 4 games in the revised 2020 schedule include Orangewood Christian at Foundation Academy and Faith Christian at Mount Dora Christian. Those are matchups of schools in the newly-formed Pac-8 coalition. “The kids are really looking forward to playing,” Orangewood coach Bill Gierke said Thursday. “Two weeks ago, they thought we weren’t going to be able to play. They thought the season was going to be called off.” Gierke, the area’s all-time wins leader with a 302-122-1 career record during 37 seasons, said he has never seen anything like the impact COVID-19 has had. “At this point, I’m just glad the kids are getting an opportunity to play,” he said. “If they get to play eight games, I think that would be awesome. You can’t predict what’s going to happen. None of us can.” The FHSAA approved Monday as the start date for official practices. That means teams that play Sept. 4 will have a maximum of 10 practice days if they use a Saturday. No live contact is allowed until Day 6 of practice. “It’s a quick turnaround. But from a physical standpoint, a strength standpoint, I think we’ll be OK,” said first-year Mount Dora Christian coach Mike Kintz. Seminole Athletic Conference openers include the Lake Brantley at Lake Mary rivalry game on Thursday, Sept. 17. Reigning conference champ Seminole is tentatively set to also open that night at home against ancient rival DeLand. The Seminole County Public Schools District requested no athletic competition be held on Friday, Sept. 18, in observance of the Rosh Hashana Jewish holiday. If Orange County mimics the SCPS football start date, its first week slate will include a short road trip for 2019 Class 5A state runner-up Jones High to play at Bishop Moore, Orlando’s Catholic high school, in a clash of familiar district rivals. That game is tentatively set for Thursday, Sept. 17, or Friday, Sept. 18, pending the OCPS decision. Other openers that week for Metro Conference schools, if approved, could include Dr. Phillips at Boone, Hagerty at Timber Creek, Winter Park at Orlando University, East River at Wekiva, Lake Nona at Cypress Creek and Olympia at Windermere. Edgewater, last season’s 7A state runner-up, was scheduled to travel to play Louisiana power John Curtis Christian on the weekend of Sept. 18 at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La. But Louisiana is not starting its season until Oct. 8 or later. A number of football coaches told the Sentinel on Thursday they are still working to lock down an opening game. DeLand coach Steve Allen said his team’s cross-country rivalry game against Daytona Beach Mainland, which was originally set as an August season opener at home, was rescheduled to Oct. 16. Mount Dora, Tavares and Eustis dropped games against Bishop Moore since district games are not mandatory this year. That leaves Leesburg as the only Lake County team the Hornets will play. Bishop Moore has six of its eight available game dates filled. The Jones schedule is also likely to be impacted if the same Lake County schools have dropped the Tigers. The revised FHSAA playoff system, forced by the coronavirus outbreak, will for the first time allow every team that opts in to participate in the football state playoffs, which are scheduled to be contested during a span of six weeks, from Nov. 13 through state finals on Dec. 10-12 and 17-19. Umatilla coach Charlie Cerney said his team, like Tohopekaliga, is opting out of the state series. The Bulldogs have eight games lined up and may add a ninth. Most of the public school districts that are permitting Sept. 4 football games are in smaller counties, mostly in North Florida, where coronavirus numbers have been relatively low. But the list also includes several Southwest Florida counties, including Sarasota and Charlotte. Season openers for some Orlando area teams: Friday, Sept. 4: Orangewood Christian at Foundation Academy Faith Christian at Mount Dora Christian Clearwater American Collegiate at West Oaks Central Florida Christian at Zephyrhills Christian Seven Rivers Christian at Deltona Trinity Christian Friday, Sept. 11 First Academy-Leesburg at Deltona Trinity Christian Orlando Christian Prep at Orangewood Christian Faith Christian at the Master’s Academy Thursday, Sept. 17 Lake Brantley at Lake Mary DeLand at Seminole (Thursday or Friday) Friday, Sept. 18 Deltona at Daytona Beach Seabreeze Winter Springs at Orange City University Lake Howell at Lakeland Tenoroc Friday, Sept. 25 Kissimmee Osceola at Liberty Celebration at St. Cloud Poinciana at Lakeland Tenoroc Leesburg at South Lake East Ridge at Tavares Umatilla at Keystone Heights Mount Dora at Hawthorne

Another Orlando Sentinel Article (8/20/20) Players vote to opt out of state playoffs Tohopekaliga High football coach Marc Deas let his 11 seniors make the call on opting out. High school football teams, like other fall sports squads, have until Sept. 18 to decide if they want to be in or out of the Florida High School Athletic Association’s revamped 2020 playoff system. At least one Orlando area football team already has made that decision. Tohopekaliga is opting out of the FHSAA state series in hopes that it will make it easier to provide its players a full 10-game regular season. Second-year Tigers head coach Marc Deas said he left the final call up to his 11 senior players. They discussed the issue and cast their votes individually on Tuesday when the team gathered for a summer workout. “I feel like I’m going to be coaching for years to come,” Deas said. “But you only get one senior year as a player. We wanted them to have a say in the decision.” Like so many elements of a 2020 season ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, it wasn’t an easy discussion. Deas said the coaching staff left the seniors to themselves to talk it over. But when five minutes turned to 15 without a firm decision being made they asked the players to come in one-by-one to share their thoughts and vote. “As a competitor you want the chance to opt in and play for a chance to win a state championship. We all understand that,” Deas said. “But the other side of it this year is you don’t want to put yourself in a situation where nothing is guaranteed as far as games. I did tell the guys that I can pretty much guarantee 10 games, or 11 games with a bowl game, if we opt out.” Myles Winslow, a senior defensive end and tight end, said it was an honest discussion with varied opinions. “Some of the other guys wanted to be able to go to states and try to get a ring,” Winslow said. “I chose opting out. I think we should be able to play 10 games and have a good season. I think that’s better than playing to Week 7 and then not knowing what you’re going to get after that.” Winslow said not being able to be seen by college coaches in spring practice followed by a long summer of uncertainty factored into his vote. His team was fired up about playing a spring game against powerhouse Apopka before the coronavirus outbreak shut down school and sports in mid-March. “Not having spring for the [college] coaches hurt a lot of us,” Winslow said. “And Apopka would have been the toughest opponent we played the whole year. That would have showed what kind of players we really are. “That’s why I said, ’Let’s opt out,’ so our seniors can still have the chance to get a lot of [game] film this year and be seen by colleges.” The revised calendar, approved by the FHSAA’s board of directors last Friday, calls for regular seasons to end Nov. 6. Because Osceola County is not allowing its football teams to play until the week of Friday, Sept. 25, it limits them to a seven-week regular season. For the first time in FHSAA football history, every team that signs up for the state series will advance to the playoffs and be assured of at least one postseason game. They will be placed via a blind draw into tournament brackets that will be aligned by school enrollment size for Class 2A through 8A. The Class 1A rural division will stay as is. There will be no district champions because it is highly unlikely that all district games will be played. “With a blind draw you don’t know who you’re going to get,” Deas said. “We could be heading up to Tallahassee in Round 1. That might not be in your favor financially. Long road trips like that are going to be costly.” Doug Nichols, coach of Kissimmee Osceola, the perennial football power on the other side of Osceola County, took time to explain last week’s FHSAA decision to his players when they met for a Monday workout. But he saw no reason to poll them on their preference. “I explained everything to our kids and I could see it in their eyes,” Nichols said. “My players would never let me opt out. We’re going to opt in without a doubt. Everybody has their own reasons and I respect that. They’re doing what’s best for their program.” Osceola has qualified for the playoffs for 13 consecutive years. Nichols acknowledged that scheduling is a mess with a number of school districts, including Orange County, having not yet announced when it will permit teams to play. “Who says any of us are going to get 10 games?” Nichols said. “You almost have to be in a lottery to schedule right now.” Teams that opt out now have permission to go beyond the regular-season end date and schedule games through the date of the last FHSAA state championship games, Dec. 19. “It’s still a waiting game to see what the other counties around us are going to do,” said Deas, a former Osceola High standout who played college ball at Georgia. “But I honestly feel more confident about scheduling games now. This gives us more flexibility to move games around. There’s no guarantee about who would even be available to play if you lose a playoff game.” Teams opting into the state series also are permitted to add regular-season games if they are eliminated from the playoffs. No team can exceed the regular-season game limit, which is 10 games for football. Dating games: The makeup of football schedules remains uncertain, but we know now that none of Central Florida’s public school districts are going to allow teams to play on the first date allowed by the FHSAA, Friday, Sept. 4. There are some area private schools planning to play football that day. Seminole County Public Schools announced Wednesday that its fall teams can practice Aug. 31. Competition can start Tuesday, Sept 8, for girls volleyball, bowling, cross country, golf and swimming. Football teams can’t start play until Friday, Sept 18. That would allow eight football game dates through the FHSAA’s regular-season end date of Nov. 6. Orange County Public Schools, which has students coming back to campus on Friday, has not yet announced a plan. Some have said OCPS could match Seminole’s timeline while others have said it could be awhile before Metro Conference teams are allowed to play. Volusia County’s newest schedule, announced Wednesday, delays the start of practices to Monday, Sept. 7. Games would begin Friday, Sept. 18. Lake County teams are set to practice Sept. 8 and have the same play date as Osceola (Sept. 25), according to published reports. Buddy Collings can be reached by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com .

From Orlando Sentinel (8/20/20) Orlando area private schools form ‘The Citrus League’ for fall sports scheduling By J.C. Carnahan A set of private schools from the Orlando area have announced an exclusive scheduling agreement for fall sports during the 2020-21 school year and maybe even beyond. The Citrus League was introduced through social media posts and emails to families late Wednesday afternoon. The group consists of Bishop Moore, Lake Highland Prep, The First Academy, Trinity Prep, Windermere Prep and Montverde Academy. Those schools will compete among each other in girls volleyball, bowling, cross country, golf, and swimming and diving. They will be paired in a weekly rotation under a return-to-play plan that includes shared safety protocols due the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The league is still working to determine scheduling for the football season. Montverde Academy does not field a football team. “What started as a temporary ‘pod’ concept [for a group of schools] to provide the safest and best competitive opportunities for our student-athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed into a coalition of six local independent schools,” according to an email sent to parents by Lake Highland president Alfred Harms Jr. Among the group’s goals as stated in the email were to “prevent our schools from being at the mercy of what other areas, counties and school boards decide” and to reduce the amount of travel and number of facilities athletes visit. The Citrus League group agreement requires masks for middle and high school students throughout the entire school day. Athletes must then have their temperature checked each day before the start of practices and games. Member schools are currently working on schedules and a start date for fall sports. All programs will maintain status within the Florida High School Athletic Association and remain eligible for state series play. Eight other local private schools announced a similar scheduling agreement for fall sports on Friday. Initially introduced as the Private Schools Athletic Conference and now officially named PAC-8 , that group includes Foundation Academy, Faith Christian, The Geneva School, Lake Mary Prep, Mount Dora Christian Academy, Orangewood Christian, Orlando Christian Prep and The Master’s Academy. “We firmly believe that the formation of The Citrus League gives us the best opportunity to start [and] maintain athletics for the fall season,” Harms wrote. “We also foresee this league potentially turning into a conference in future years that will benefit us in scheduling through established competition and healthy rivalries.” J.C. Carnahan can be reached by email at jcarnahan@orlandosentinel.com .

I haven't seen anything published for high school football schedules in the Orlando area. I'm assuming they'll pick up their existing schedule and just skip those first few games that would have been played before September 4th.

Didn't I see his picture on a "silver alert" on my phone the other day?

Jesse, is this a Pop Warner or Freshmen game? If he's your next great RB, you guys had better stay in 1A; not impressed at all.

I can't blame him one bit. We have kids at our local HS that were talking to college coaches in February, but once the virus hit and everyone shut down, the talks stopped. These kids had hope for Spring practice and Spring games; that also went away. A couple of the coaches take a group of prospects each Summer on a two week tour of Southeast and Midwest schools to allow kids to see campuses, participate in college camps, and play some 7v7; all to improve exposure; that too went away. For too many kids, this Fall is their last chance. If I had a kid with college level talent and we lived in South Florida, he'd be playing somewhere in Central Florida this Fall.

Very, very few 6A teams in the Orlando area. I think Lake Minneola may be the closest 6A team to Orlando.

I read an article today about top prospects transferring to Florida and Georgia high schools because their states weren't going to play. A 5A QB from either Arizona or California was transferring to a Valdosta high school. The fifth ranked QB in the country for 2022 has transferred from his Delaware HS to Lake Minneola HS. He's 6'6" and about 200 pounds; big kid. There may be other surprises coming as the season approaches and states shut athletics down. Will South Florida kids head for Central and North Florida to play this Fall?

We're just having fun with Jesse and his delusion that MC is a top team in the state. They're more like a bully in Pre-K.