Ray Icaza

Not quite sure why Deland seems to getting the love in this matchup. Can they win the game? Absolutely!! Is it likely? That is a whole other question as TC has the better SOS, the higher MaxPrep rankings and finally HOME FIELD advantage. It will be a 2 hour + road trip for Deland and that usually isn't a plus in your column when you have to get off that bus to play a physical team in their backyard. All I am saying is it will be no easy task.

Based on the Orlando Sentinel reporting, it appears that RB Isaiah Thomas (1000+ yds) was a very important missing piece in their offensive attack. He was their homerun hitter all year on the ground and got injured in the Boone game the previous week. Combine that with the fact Mandarin was known for an excellent secondary all year and they forced two INT's, one which was returned for a TD. Turns out Noah Grubbs was not enough by himself to carry them to victory simply relying on the aerial attack. Losing "SPECIAL" players against top-flight teams is hard to overcome. Did not watch the game, so hopefully someone that was there can provide you some additional insight.

Seems like Vero was having some success running the ball with Osby and probably should have leaned on that a little more to relieve pressure on the QB when he was dropping back to throw. Sacks, negative plays, penalties, etc... derailed several offensive possessions. I do agree with you that it appeared Vero actually had more athletic talent than TC, but all for naught as they are tough to beat, particularly at home.

Seems like a powerful reason for Vero to schedule more than the usual 2-3 road games each and every year if they want more success in the playoffs. They very seldom beat teams of equal caliber/talent away from home. If the goal is to collect extra revenue each and every year, it sounds like the HC has decided which road to take.

Vero has been the standard bearer in that region for decades with FP Central challenging them some moons ago. However, over the past 5-6 years TC has built an excellent program like Vero has with work ethic, toughness, discipline and execution. Should be a great matchup with the fact that Vero won't be the shoo-in like in years past. They will have to earn it on the road. Good Luck to your Indians.

Skyway boasted before the official start of last season since Lakeland easily handled Venice in the spring game and then got over a dozen quality transfers from Lake Gibson, Kathleen, Bartow, Auburndale and others the outcome for that state championship was predetermined and they would running clock everyone, except CAI. The only team that would even put up a decent fight. I disputed that then, like I dispute your theories now and guess what? You were wrong as CAI got blasted and we did not. As far as the kid from N. FL, I have spoken to his father dozens of times and he told me exactly why they transferred here and the scheduled had nothing to do with it. In any event, that turned out to be so beneficial and probably a reason for our slow start out of the gate this season. So, if you are Skyway, you were full of BS last year and it appears that you haven't changed except for the name.

GOT IT! It really isn't about the schedule, rather home field advantage. Now why didn't I think of that?

Unless you are admitting that Longtime Observer went by the pseudo-name of Skyway last year on this forum, I never accused you of the level of Lakeland dominance last year. Thanks for admitting, most coaches disagree with your scheduling theory and the fact your criticism includes the Lakeland HC does nothing to support your theory. You conveniently ignored the "FACT" that last year we potentially could have won every game on that so-called gaunlet while still holding the belief that we would have benefited by having a "MORE SENSIBLE" schedule whatever the hell that means. Or the reason we chose to schedule some of the best teams in the state........because we knew we were one of the best teams in the state. As far as attracting talent from this schedule, I guess your reasoning is after all these years of being in the playoffs we finally figured out just last year we needed to schedule a gaunlet to get players. What a genius idea. I have no cynical filter, simply don't agree with your theory and tried to simply convey that no amount of your Mumbo jumbo will change my mind.

By the way, isn't it ironic that TC had that "GAUNLET" schedule last year that everyone was second guessing them on as they ended the season 4-7, identical to us this year. Now with a heavy senior class returning against that "GAUNLET" schedule they are sitting at 8-2 poised to challenge for a state championship. Congrats TITANS!!

This whole discussion about scheduling began because of our record this year. The so-called "GAUNLET SCHEDULE" we signed up for last year, to get these teams we had to make a 2 year commitment which I have previously alluded to. We knew last year we could compete with anybody and felt we had a chance to win "EVERY GAME" on that schedule. As it turned out, we lost to a total of 3 teams on that schedule of 10 games; a loss to Seminole by 1 in OT which we should have won in regulation had it not been for a missed extra point. Then a 3 point loss at Lakeland, mind you a ghost from our past known as Skyway claimed they would beat everyone by 40, including us. I laughed at him knowing we could win and they not only wouldn't win by 40, but they wouldn't get 40. This was all posted on this site last year for everyone to see, so it should be obvious to anyone with a functioning brain those 2 games were winnable. Lastly, we committed 6 or 7 turnovers at Jones uncharacteristically and lost another game we clearly were the better team. It happens. Thinking ahead to this year when that scheduling was decided, we felt we were blessed with a great incoming freshmen class of 2026 (which happens to be correct) and knew it would be tougher to navigate but the talent would be there to compete although not as confident we could win them "ALL" like the previous year. For a myriad of reasons without boring you with them all, we lost more games than we would have liked. Our HC does participate on this forum at times and I know he would echo my sentiments that he has no regrets regarding the scheduling which will only serve these sophomores that carried a monster load to be better next year. The other missing element in all this was the "SUPPOSED" added incentive called STRENGTH of SCHEDULE", which didn't play as big a role as we thought it would. With FHSAA discussions underway for next year, the mindset just as always is to do what we feel benefits us the most and best prepares us for a championship which is always our goal. Each HC for FL schools decides how the scheduling can help achieve that goal depending on the level of talent, ability to compete, etc... and thus choose different routes to their desired goal. Someone that knows little about our team wanting to criticize our HC for his decisions because you know better is asinine for the simple fact you know little. Final Point to address your concerns Perspective. We have never considered devising a schedule to help you "RECRUIT"! More idiocy.

It wasn't so much they bottled up Swint as it may as well been Dalvin Cook they bottled up when the OL stunk the place up. But you are spot on regarding crowds at most FL schools anymore, even with 2800 students they get pitiful support. We got more fans 40 years ago with a fraction of the population as we do today. Very sad.

Gotta give it to you, keep trying to promote a losing cause and repeating the same arguments expecting a different outcome is the definition of .............!!

You may feel it is a personal attack when it is not, just your comments indicate "YOU and ONLY YOU KNOW BEST" and benefits derived from challenging your teams is a "MYTH", a "LIE". Coaches that adhere to my way of thinking would consider your comments a personal attack as they are stupid for believing in that policy. Sorry that your efforts to convince us to think like you do are futile. That really is the bottom line.

Our problems had nothing to do with the difficult schedule, as I told you before it was the same as last year and though you claim we aren't as good as last year neither is Lakeland or Seminole or Jones or Rockledge, not even TC. Our OL returned almost intact, but for a variety of reasons underperformed instead of being a strength we could lean on. That complicated matters with an unsettled QB situation for the opening 3 games and as time proved neither was really equipped to run the offense we had implemented. Thus the ineptness against the high level teams on that side of the field ONLY!!! As far as the other benefits of a tough schedule, my view is polar opposite of the nonsense you spout. Probably half of our key starters/contributors where sophomores and I watched them continue to improve against that high level competition as the season progressed which will pay dividends next year. Most freshmen don't get to start at the varsity level, but talented sophomores are much more common and the biggest jump in their development is between their sophomore year and their junior year. In addition, talented teams/players can get too full of themselves for a variety of reasons (mostly listening to the press and others) and that level of competition really tells them where they are. I supposed if I listened to your BS, we could have been 10-0 like Winter Park ended their season and what did that do for them against a middle of the road team like Mandarin last night. Seems to me your LONGTIME OBSERVATIONS are a single year of learning continually repeated over many years. PERIOD!!

Still don't see them as a state championship caliber team and expect them to struggle with Vero next week and even more so with Deland. They do execute well and play tough defense so you have to go out and beat them as they won't beat themselves.

Feel bad for the few seniors we do have on the roster, particularly Jalen Bell who has been outstanding all year at LB, DE, DB or whatever they needed him to do. Don't know what to make of the senior heavy OL that played below expectations all year long and were pitiful tonight. Our kids are always tough minded, but I certainly didn't see that with the offensive line particularly tonight knowing you lose and you're done. Very disappointing, but now coaching staff can clearly see where our deficiencies lie and take appropriate steps to remedy them for next season. I was truly surprised by the hapless performance as talent wise we should not have been dominated in this fashion.

Have to be honest that deep down inside I was positive we would win this game. How wrong I was!! Props to TC for a well played game, no turnovers, maybe only 2-3 penalties, stayed on schedule on offense and blanked us on defense. Quite the opposite on our side of the ledger as we committed numerous penalties on both sides of the ball, dropped at least 3 short passes, played with little emotion and most of all our offensive line simply stunk the place up. I can't recall the last time the Kowboys have looked and played this poorly, It was truly embarrassing and feel for our fans as well as theirs for having to endure this kind of performance in a playoff game. Time to SHUT UP!!

As in previous years, I see plenty of blowouts in the first round with a few competitive games with some evenly matched teams. Regardless, time for talking is over and now it's only put up or shut up. PLAYOFFS ARE HERE!!

Glad you managed to clear that up.

Here is something else to consider. Wasn't it you that initiated this thread and speculated a 4 game suspension in your original post, then a season ending suspension in the following one for the players involved. Hey, I don't know what the right punishment should be as I bet there are varying opinions on this. Just odd how you now seem to be defending the one game suspension and I am having a hard time trying to figure out why the change of heart.

Thanks for the reporting on these bowl games. As "BAD" as these Osceola county HS teams were this year, obviously there are many schools that are much worse.

Still Fishy!!

Sad in that it is an irrefutable fact you made true progress in a program that needed stability, leadership and true commitment. During your tenure you can take solace knowing you gave the program all that and more. We truly live in an upside-down world and this decision by the school administration is a head scratcher to say the least. Things happen for a reason and I truly hope it leads to better things for you going forward. Good Luck Coach, wishing you the best.

Happy for Cocoa and just to be clear, I don't have a dog in the hunt. But how they did it on the FHSAA site only is clear as mud. Every other ranking system nationally has CMD ranked higher than Cocoa and yes, on any given day........... Again, not a betting man but my money would be on Chaminade. So NO, the explanation didn't help me.

That is ONE factor we have gotten an admission to, but are there more?? If so, is that why so many on this forum have more credence in the MaxPrep rating than the FHSAA one.