HornetFan

If they refused to participate in a "privates only league" and insisted on remaining in the FHSAA, what would happen if no public school outside their assigned District would schedule them during the season? Would they be content with only being able to schedule their four District games each season? Sometimes compliance has to be obtained grudgingly.

I'm an old, retired grandpa who grew up on Long Island, in the NYC metropolitan area in the '50s and '60s. I base my suggested model on high school football from back then. High school football thrived in the area with primarily two organizations. The public schools operated much like we have now in Florida, with classifications based upon student enrollment, with districts based upon classification and locality. Most of the private schools back then were Catholic high schools and they played in the Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) that encompassed NYC and Long Island. The CHSAA had no restrictions on attendance, location, or recruiting, and the CHSAA was and still is, a powerhouse HS football league. The public schools couldn't recruit so you had hometown teams. The private schools had little impact on the public schools because they didn't poach that many players from the publics. You even had some strong public school teams that would look forward to challenging heir local CHSAA team; some won, most didn't. They have co-existed for over 70 years using the separate league format.

I don't think you can legally stop private schools from poaching local public schools. You can possibly deny them participation in the FHSAA forcing them to form their own league or play the IMG's of the world, but unless they voluntarily agree to abide by the FHSAA transfer rules regarding recruiting, I don't think you can legally prevent them from recruiting athletes. The plus side is that they will only take so many per year and you won't have to play against them if they have their own league. Playing them would be your decision.

I realize that there are far fewer large private schools than there are small schools. When I look at the current existing Districts, most appear to have 4 to 5 schools in each District. From there, it goes up to Regions. If you look at the Orlando metro area, the metro area that I am most familiar with, It would be possible to include Bishop Moore, Lake Highland Prep, Trinity Prep, Orangewood Christian, and/or Orangewood Christian in one district. You probably have similar possibilities in Tampa, Miami, and Jacksonville. It would be up to the private schools to create their own organization. If they elected to stay in the FHSAA and participate in FHSAA districts, they would have to elect to abide by transfer policies of the FHSAA, including academic requirements and possibly sitting out a year.

It makes about as much sense as paying school taxes based upon the value of my home so kids that live in my county can attend our public schools, and then a kid that doesn't live in my town or county transfers in to our school system to which his parents pay no taxes and I and my neighbors have to pay to educate this kid so he can play football. it places the financial burden of educating this kid on taxpayers in my County. As I understand the voucher system, it is state run so all taxpayers in the state share in paying for those vouchers. I'm bothered more by the fact that kids are left behind in schools that are underperforming academically.

He knows how to coach & motivate! Sounds like he has other talents, like the power of persuasion.

1. Though I don't like schools poaching star players from neighboring schools, I am a realist and I know it happens today. I have seen kids bounce back and forth from public to private and then back to public, usually for athletic reasons. If the private schools have their own classifications and separate state championships, they could form a governing entity of their own, say the FPHSAA. I don't think you can legally prevent a kid from transferring to or from a private school and participating in extracurricular activities, including sports. To deny a private school, which is a private business, the opportunity to grow their enrollment by soliciting new students would probably be illegal. We may not like it, but yes, private schools could recruit. The saving grace is that there are not that many private schools that hundreds of players would be poached each year. 2. The state is currently giving vouchers to students that want to attend private schools. Partial scholarships are already being utilized at private schools to make a private school education available to most kids. In many cases where parents are financially able to pay tuition, scholarships would not be an issue. You can't apply the same regulations to private schools as you do to taxpayer funded public schools. This is why I say 'Give them their own leagues".

That’s why I don’t like having 8 or 9 home games, it makes a team look like they never travel to play good competition and have to stay home to keep unfair advantages within arms’ reach. I don't know the coach, but it sounds like he may fit the description. That's a shame for the kids because if they are that good, his propensity to try and gain unfair advantage, taints the teams achievements in the eyes of many people that are knowledgeable of how the coach operates. It also makes one wonder if the QB transferring in had an overwhelming desire to play for Venice or if he may have been enticed to transfer by someone trying to gain an unfair advantage, the dreaded "R" word.

And any public to private move should be a year without extracurriculars. I don't think you could legally enforce that provision. If a parent is unhappy with the academics or other conditions in their local zoned school, they have the right to place their child in private school without restrictions. That is why you should have two separate classifications for interscholastic sports at private schools; one for large private schools and one for small private schools. If a public school wants to play them and both coaches agree to a game, that should be counted as a non-District game for both schools. There are no prescribed school zones for private schools; you can attend as long as you have the means to meet their entrance and tuition requirements. Let them play each other.

I mean Venice didn’t even want to return the trip to Cocoa this season after Cocoa made the trip two years ago. It just seems unfair to other teams, especially when so many of Venice’s opponents have to travel 90+ minutes to play them. I didn't know that Venice was refusing to travel to opponents, especially to reciprocate on the Cocoa game. I think this stance may work against them over the span of the season. If a team insists upon an unfair advantage such as hometown referees and hometown fans in the stands, it speaks to their credibility; Venice will be lacking come the end of the season.

Just wish some of those games were away, Venice I think really has too many home games this season I never heard of a team having "too many home games", especially if they expect to make a run at a state championship. Don't you consider Venice's hometown fans in the stands to be an advantage?

It's not that simple that "one size fits all" because students whose families/legal guardians establish residence in the new school zone and actually live in that new residence cannot be restricted from participating in all activities available to current students. Also, a student transferring from a private school into their zoned high school or into a private high school, should not be restricted. Private high schools should play similar schools in their own classification. It works in other states and it would work in Florida.

The positives are that maybe some of those players, parents, and coaches will read this forum and get some perspective on how their actions affect others and high school football in general. Your assumption that these kids and their parents actually care about the kids and team they left behind and will get some perspective on how their actions affect their previous teammates will never happen. Most make their decision to transfer solely based upon benefitting themselves.

How many of these kids would transfer if it meant sitting out one year and required them to achieve and maintain certain academic standards during that period? My guess is that would solve most of the transfer problem and that transfers would be because a kid's family actually physically moved from their existing residence and relocated to the new school zone, or if the new school had an IB or similar program that didn't exist at their previous school. In the case of the aforementioned legal change of residence, the "sit out year" would be waived and the kid could participate immediately. I seriously doubt that most Floridians believe the open transfer rule was established so kids could play on a better football team. It most likely was intended to improve a student's academics, not their football standing.

Hudl has Rockledge schedule: vs Cocoa High School Wednesday, 3 Nov. at 7:00 p.m.

Hudl has Central Florida Christian Academy schedule for 2021 as: @ Northside Christian School Friday, 20 Aug. at 7:00 p.m. vs Mount Dora Christian Academy Friday, 27 Aug. at 7:00 p.m. vs St. Petersburg Catholic High School Friday, 3 Sept. at 7:00 p.m. @ Trinity Prep Friday, 10 Sept. at 7:00 p.m @ Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School Friday, 24 Sept. at 7:00 p.m vs St Edwards Friday, 1 Oct. at 7:00 p.m vs Cedar Creek Friday, 8 Oct. at 7:00 p.m vs GDS Christian Friday, 15 Oct. at 7:00 p.m @ Bell Creek Academy Friday, 22 Oct. at 7:00 p.m.

Sounds like you have an independent son and apparently he was academically advanced for his age. I was also 16 as a senior; it wasn't always a good thing to be the youngest boy in my class, both physically and socially. It has to be tough for you as a grandparent having your son's family living on the other side of the world.

They also catch a break with Jones HS moving up to 6A.

I have to agree with Perspective, Columbia, Lake City doesn't sound like a place that is good for your mental health. Take it from someone who has moved more than a dozen times during my life, there are good people out there; you don't need to feel trapped in Lake City.

I don't think it's just a physical advantage that comes with age, even though that is often times true. Emotionally, girls seem to mature earlier than guys, and if you're one of the youngest guys, it can be a disadvantage socially in high school. I'm not a believer in rushing a kid through their high school years. Let them grow emotionally and physically during those years; adulthood with its responsibilities will come soon enough.

I was a 16 year old senior in high school and I didn't like being the youngest kid all the time, so I find it hard to agree with pushing a kid through school at too young an age. There's more to school than how quick can I get to college and a career thereafter. There are socialization skills that you acquire as you grow older. Each year of age is a big deal in high school. I think we should allow kids to experience and enjoy their high school years; they can never get them back once they have moved on.

That's a sad commentary for your area. It's not a healthy environment and if you feel that way, there has to be a powerful reason for you to stay there. Small towns can be wonderful places to raise a family, but not if the environment is toxic. During my working years, I moved my family many times to improve my career. We've lived in small towns and middle to large cities, all across the eastern half of this country. We never sacrificed our home environment for a job; for one position, I commuted over 50 miles each way for over 12 years to make sure my family lived in a nice town with good schools. Family first! I hope things improve for you or at the very least, you find a more accepting area nearby your present location. Life is too short to let others make you feel miserable.

It could be that simple if we could just get people to stop playing people off one another and spreading hate and discontent. Kids are great if we just give them a chance.

"My 3 grandsons were all honor roll students and all recently enlisted in the military, while they figure out their best path forward" Your grandsons appear to have their heads on straight. I'll thank you for their service; you should be proud. Back in the dark ages (late '60s) during the Vietnam War, I was drafted into the US Army and spent two years in the Infantry; it helped make a man out of an immature boy. I took advantage of the GI Bill to be the first in my family to graduate college. It created an expectation in our family that if you want to succeed, you must have an education or a trade. That expectation has carried over to my grandsons. That is the same expectation that I would like to see instilled in all kids in high school. Play football if you're able, but more important, get an education. Girls always seem to be easier to raise than boys.

Yes, his Mom and Dad have a very successful legal practice here in Central Florida and education has always come first. If the grades weren't there, you were not going to play football. He and his younger brother have played football at the youth and high school level for over ten years, and because of their age differences, they never played on the same team. The older guy was playing at Bishop Moore (thus the "Hornet Fan" label). When his younger brother decided to attend their local HS, the older brother gave up a starting DE spot at BM to transfer in the middle of his junior year to his younger brother's public school because he wanted a chance to play on the same team as his brother. My daughter approved on one condition, he take Honors courses at the public school and maintain at least a B+ academic average. He graduated with a 3.73 and will be a freshman at UF this Fall. I'm a proud Grandpa.