Silver King

Damn... we just got delayed to return to school Aug 31 in Charlotte County Sarasota too. From Manny Navvaro Tweet: "Sports Medicine Advisory Committee Chair Dr. Jennifer Maynard is giving the organization’s recommendation to the FHSAA about a return to fall sports and says these are their recommendations: “Delay the start of football and girls volleyball until further notice.” Sorry didn't see the earlier post! 5:25 PM · Jul 20, 2020"

Somebody needed to stop those guys posting the Troll accounts. I think somebody hacked Choctaw_fan

Now I can catch back up on Lakeland Football again!!

He's been a few other morphs - thats what they told me anyway; that he was over here doing his same scorched earth thing for a new audience. He might be out to pasture by now.

Neut contributed football wise, knew his stuff, but he was more of an editorial page guy and this time of year we'd all get a little too far off topic. The regulars who came back during the season were some pretty astute/connected football guys (Like the Manatee crowd). Then it started getting barraged by the scam/trolls. FlA Va will always hold a special place for me - I met some good guys there like the late-great Blue-2 (Who even went and watched my youngest play at a game I couldnt make up in St Pete, and introduced himself afterwards), some true characters, and a few of us even got together before games, on the sidelines or at Wave's retreat in Ruskin. I wrote my first of 11,700+ posts after Charlotte beat St Thomas Aquinas right after Oracle, their famous baiter, said they were coming over for their "Annual playoff tune -up on the West Coast." Plus it was a great Friday night get-home-from-the-game and check the first hand views of a few important, or even not so important games.

Good luck, let's just hope we get to watch this season. 0-0 is much worse than 5-5.

Not sure what they have coming back, but they have played well; 2 of their 3 losses were by a TD or less (South FM and Payoff loss) and they threw up some offensive scores. I listened to the end of their game with Ft Myers last year coming home from one of our games in Lee. They gave Ft Myers all they could handle. Hows Wachula going to be this season, HWY17?.

Well, they lost to all the teams I mentioned and they'll have to crack into that group first, to make a deep run, but they got to the playoffs. We didn't play them last season so I'm not that familiar with who they return. Overall from a few years ago, they were a team that played hard. Again, a new coach has to make waves quick without Top Shelf players in Lee County, because once they develop them there has been tendency to leave, and that has been a trait before the so called Free Agency era. Island Coast is a great example, 10 years ago they were a very competitive program - where the kids were going, but since have been through a bunch of head coaches. They develop athletes to a certain point then they go free agent.

Namesakes for their county's in SW FL are always competitive. After that, in Lee County it varies from year to year based on transfers. What the athletes feel (or are presented) to be the team with the best shot at a deep run. Dunbar is always loaded and has been competitive, North has made a few runs. In Charlotte County, The Tarpons are in a tough district- last year the district produced four playoff teams and the Tarpons just made it in the 4th spot. They got on a hot streak to get a rematch with District Champ, Palmetto in the Regional Final, but got thumped. The other two teams that made it, Port Charlotte and Bradon River will be competitive. Charlotte has a new HC, new DC, new OC, new QB Coach. Think they will likely update their offense, so this will be a year for the team to gain experience as players and coaches. I have confidence in the system, and the coaches who stayed and took over the key vacancies, all home grown Tarps, my sons played with two of them. We have a very good QB returning and some skills, need some O-line help. But my expectations are realistic.

That's Awesome, Congrats Coach Sammy! Ft Myers is a great program and the pair of them built it. Charlotte's oldest and most respected rival since 1926. Ironic that Sammy and Binky played over each other for their respectve schools and ended up in a long coaching career against each other. Such great legendary games, and I can't imagine another rivalry in the state that has had as many last minute turnarounds (or double OT in a Regional Final) as this series. And you got to see a half dozen as the Ball Boy!

Will you still be in stirpes this season?

Thanks JB82, look forward to a different perspective when we get the chance to start watching again

Thanks Peezy, my brother! Columbia, Venice and Palmetto are always tough, lots of athletes and good coaching. Think both graduated QBs last year. But Venice is really good in getting transfers to key positions they need to make a run.

We got to watch one of those together. Thanks for pointing me this way.

Binky Waldrop Charlotte High School 1999-2019. HC for 21 seasons, 168-72. Had a great staff including our OC and DC who were former head coaches that had a hell of a run together. His first coaching job was at cross town rival, Port Charlotte. Bink was Twice Coach of the year, 17 Playoff appearances made it to 7 Regional finals in some of the toughest classifications with teams like St Thomas, Venice, Booker T, Armwood, Carol City. Tough to win a title in that company with kids from a retirement community. Believe his was the first West Coast Team to beat St Thomas Aquinas in the playoffs (2002 Regional Title Game) 28-21. Great Home Grown Coach that got the most out of teams that almost always lost the eye-test with the others on the field. I played at Charlotte and had three sons play for him and couldn't have asked for a better experience for them. Replaced by Wade Taylor, another home grown Tarpon.

That would be refreshing. New guy here. Who follows SW / Suncoast FL? I pull for the Tarpons at Charlotte High.