HornetFan

I don't know anything about Marietta, but I did see Edgewater tonight and they have some impressive athletes, especially at the skill positions. Four of their five TD's came on big plays. BM played them tough for a half before running out of gas late in 3rd quarter. Edgewater was bigger and faster and substituted to keep players fresh; they have depth, but didn't put BM away until midway through 4th quarter. I expect Edgewater will continue to get better as the season progresses. They are loaded with transfers which will make it difficult for most of their opponents, especially those that are home grown. Their kicker put all 5 kickoffs out the back of the end zone; impressive leg.

I just got home from the Edgewater - Bishop Moore game, For a half, it was very interesting tied at 14-14. Halfway through 3rd quarter, BM starters were gassed, but coach did very little substituting on defense. It became more telling in the 4th quarter as most of Edgewater's scores came on big plays. The game was still in question in the 4th quarter until Edgewater scored the last TD late in the game. I thought the BM kids were out-manned, but put in a tremendous effort. A friend at the game advised that most of Edgewater's starters are transfers from last year and this year. That's going to make it difficult for teams like BM where tuition is $15k/year and kid's don't get football scholarships; if I were AD, I would revisit future scheduling. Staying competitive with schools actively recruiting transfers will be next to impossible. BM has two more games on this year's schedule against schools that recruit (Archbishop Spaulding and Jones). Barring any serious injuries, BM should be favored in games other than those two and should still have a good chance at playoffs.

You are probably on to something. DP draws the weakest 8A district in Central Florida, so they may find a way into playoffs. I look forward to seeing the rsults of their game with Seminole tonight. Seminole blew out a decent Oviedo team last week.

It's hard to say Edgewater is better than last year because they graduated their highly recruited QB. They return most of their other starters and recruited very well last year. They will be tough; first test is tomorrow night at Bishop Moore, their crosstown rival in the Battle of College Hills. Edgewater won a close game last year by 2 points, their first win in the annual series since 1991. Emotions will be running high.

I have to agree. After seeing them in Spring game, I wasn't impressed. Bishop Moore shut them out for a half and they didn't look great against a down Boone team. I don't think they'll make playoffs. Same goes for Apopka with new coach and offensive scheme; their ranking is probably based on past years performance.

It's been 25 years since I lived in Tampa Bay area, but back then Bradenton Manatee was always a force in HS football. Teams change from year to year and unless you have a easy transfer rule in place, it's possible for schools to hit dry spells. Here in Orlando, you can't keep track of who's going where. It's like the NCAA transfer portal. Free agency will result in several super teams while others will become non-competitive. It kind of loses the home town appeal.

It probably has something to do with playing another Catholic school. Only problem with that is that most of those out of state Catholic schools recruit heavily in urban areas and are usually loaded with talent. Bishop Moore doesn't recruit the Orlando area; they rely upon kids wanting to go to BM. It's a great school and the players love their team

8A - Winter Park - may be the 2nd best team in Central Florida to Lakeland. Edgewater (7A) embarassed Dr Phillips last week (DP won't come close to winning district). DP will get more than they can handle this week with Seminole (Sanford), and Osceola will be good but are playing in shadow of Lakeland. 5A - Bishop Moore - has toughest schedule in the 1st four weeks of any team in Central Florida (Edgewater, Gainesville Eastside, Bishop Spaulding, and Jones). They should make the playoffs, but won't be ranked unless they win three of those first four which would be a miracle.

St. Frances, Md. De La Salle, Calif. Miami Carol City IMG Academy Trinity Christian Armwood Jones American Heritage Cardinal Gibbons Lakeland

Bishop Moore may surprise you this year. They're not flashy, no big superstars, but they handled Boone and Wekiva in their Spring games. They also should have beaten West Orange by a couple of touchdowns in their pre-season game last week. Five turnovers and a terrible call by coach at end of game cost them a victory, settling for a tie. The idea behind the Archbishop Spaulding game is to give kids a chance to play out of state every other year. AP beat BM handily last year, but every year is a new year. BM doesn't duck any team, regardless of which division they play in. BM did make the playoffs last year, so they weren't bad; losses were to Edgewater, Jones, and Archbishop Spaulding.

You left out: Friday, September 6th Archbishop Spaulding HS, Baltimore , MD vs Bishop Moore HS 7:00pm Varsity at Bishop Moore HS Archbishop Spaulding is one of the top HS teams in Maryland.

Jones is loaded with talent; they won't catch anyone by surprise, but should be a favorite in 5A this year. Jones and Bishop Moore should make playoffs in 5A. Both teams play tough schedules including games against much larger opponents. The two teams meet in week 4 this season; it should be a good game. BM opens this week with rival Edgewater (7A), another of the top teams in Orlando area.

Winter Park is loaded at the skill positions. Ethan Pouncey has committed to Texas where his brother is playng WR. Starting QB Casey Case has a big arm and has committed to play for Buffalo. One of their WR's is committed to Miami. Another top prospect, Dakota Mitchell, had a pair of 70 yard TD's against Lyman last weekend. Winter Park has a half dozen D1 prospects with tons of speed at all the skill positions. They play Wekiva this Friday in their opener,. After seeing Wekiva in Spring game against Bishop Moore and watching several WP practices and scrimmages, I expect WP to win by at least 20 points over Wekiva. Maybe then, they'll get some recognition in the 8A polls.

Bishop Moore 34, West Orange 34 Bishop Moore led game with 1:30 left and a 1st and 10 on West Orange 20 yard line; West Orange had one timeout left. Instead of taking knee three times and securing victory, BM QB throws an interception at WO goal line that is returned deep into BM territory. WO ties score with :05 left and BM then blocks PAT to preserve tie. Nothing like "snatching a tie from the jaws of victory". BM gave WO three TDs on turnovers (5 turnovers total). BM can't be making sloppy mistakes and bad decisions like this if they hope to beat Edgewater next Friday. Edgewater was a 41-7 winner over Dr Phillips.

I'll be at the West Orange vs Bishop Moore game; it should be interesting even if it's a pre-season game. Bishop Moore (5A) defense shut down Boone (8A) 14-0 and Wekiva (7A) 7-0 in their Spring game. This may be Bishop Moore's best team since state championship team a few years ago. They have a rough schedule to open season with Edgewater (7A), #7 in Central Florida, followed by Gainesville Eastside (5A), Archbishop Spaulding (#2 in state of Maryland) then visits Orlando , and then comes Jones (5A) ranked #1 in Central Florida. If BM can come out of that start with 2 or 3 wins, they should be well on their way to playoffs in 5A.