Ray Icaza

Probably will have a tough outing vs Haines City this weekend and if they lose will end up 5-5, so not sure they would be interested in traveling there for a bowl game with that record but stranger things have happened.

You are entitled to your opinion, like I am entitled to mine. None of the players you mentioned that Poinciana has lost has a STAR next to their name though they were important and some of their better players. Almost the entire year we have been without 2 4* in Taevion and Elijah along with several other injured players that are important to our team. Both teams at any point in the season being at full strength, the game would be a blowout similar to the TOHO game as well as both teams currently not being at full strength would be a blowout. I have no inside knowledge regarding scheduling, but based on our weak district I would be shocked if our coaching staff decided to schedule an additional game against Poinciana or any other opponent on their level next year. Like I said at the beginning of the season, time will prove who was right. Now we will wait till the schedule is announced for next year to again see who is right.

But those publics could possibly have a STA in their path or a Columbus or a Tampa Jesuit or .......... on the way to a state championship. Myopic view.

Have to agree more on your take that the recruiting/transfer issue route taken by the few publics wanting to remain relevant for a championships (Central, Lakeland, Venice, Lee HS and others) was triggered by Bolles and STA getting what they needed to win around 2000. Lakeland was punished and then the push to allow the publics by politicians to level the playing field which is where we are today. Thus Bolles isn't going to dominate anymore or TCA and even STA when confronted by a stacked Lakeland team loses more than wins. I also have no hatred for privates but also am not blind to not see their distinct advantages thus have always believed they should have a league of their own.

Our county was horrible in football this year, though I was pulling for all the schools to do better and for Poinciana to continue their upward trend. I have great respect for their coach and what he is trying to do but these outrageous pronouncements by what I guess is a supporter had no basis in reality. I am certain their expectations based on the schedule was to have another good season, but "S--T HAPPENS" and things went sidewise on them. Hope Coach Beek continues the fight to raise his program as setbacks like this year can make you stronger going forward. As far as the quality of the DB's in our county this other individual trashed ours because they had little varsity experience, most were undersized and young. Against the schedule they have done a good job, getting better week in and week out considering the nucleus was mostly sophomores: JaMario Bradford, LaRenz Walker, Jakyri Watson, Tre Warren, Ryan Duval, Janari Lofton receiving significant playing time along with the other starters. They will certainly be a strength going forward as the jump in production usually happens during the junior year. We have not had the year we all wanted and expected this year but rest assured, we are not going anywhere as our coach says year in and year out. PLAYERS CHANGE, EXPECTATIONS DON'T!!

THAT S--T IS FUNNY.

Wow, maybe something we don't agree on. School Choice as well as it's earlier iterations by not only the current legislature but those from a decade ago did this for ACADEMIC reasons which I wholeheartedly support, not ATHLETICS. Therein lie the rub.

Agree with you on Coach AirDiso wanting to pad his stats thru his QB aerial statistics, as I have previously stated. Also feel they would have helped themselves by scheduling a bit more aggressively. Do find it strange that though he has taken the same path as the Poinciana program when it comes to scheduling, TOHO IS A FRAUD while Poinciana is a program on the rise in your book. TOHO has some very good pieces and needs to continue to build in the trenches, but against Poinciana they would probably fair well and if they didn't win it would certainly be competitive. Just wondering if you still stand by your early season prediction that Poinciana would give Osceola a run for their money now that the season is winding down? Seemed like lunacy then and more so now.

I have previously described the extent of transfers into our program over the past few years in pretty good detail and don't want to rehash it as we have about the same number transfer out, all for varying reasons. Will state that it is mostly driven by parents and not the player himself at least from what I see in our program. Rather go back to the policy of sitting a year if it isn't accompanied by a move into the zoned district with the exception of incoming freshmen, but that has been deemed out of the question citing potential legal challenges?? But thanks again for the kind words.

Guess those who know me could categorize me as one, but the values I was raised with would never stoop to what you just described. Plus, I suppose in today's environment a Kelli Stargell could "IDENTIFY" as one also.

Not sure why, but that thought actually popped into my head also.

Agree, probably none of the top 3 with Treasure Coast, Deland, Heritage being in those spots. Also would give us home field another plus with the lucky marbles although we would definitely be road warriors going forward if we do advance.

Coach J has built an excellent program at Vero over the past 13 years and transfers certainly help but it is better to get them as incoming freshmen. Then you have time to mold them to your culture, discipline, character and tradition as they grow with the program with upperclassmen leading the way and setting the example. Getting a bunch of seniors that are extremely talented but may have come from programs that lack these traits, if that is the case will lead to lack of discipline resulting in penalties, lack of effort, lack of focus on assignment football, etc. It can even extend to loafing at practice and even sometimes skipping practice or being late. None is good for team chemistry generally though I am not suggesting this is the case at VB as I know little just a distinct possibility.

Based on my understanding of your example, PERFECTION does not exist.

Win gets us in, but without a doubt using the current rankings by FHSAA as an 8th seed in 4S - R3. We aren't squawking about it though because our record is what it is regardless of SOS and look forward to whomever is our opponent in the first round. I am not very good at deciphering how the brackets will play out but using todays rankings University HS in Deltona looks to be the #1 seed in our Region but not a district champ. That would be Deland the #3 seed with Treasure Coast the #2 seed. With one game remaining it doesn't appear that will change and if so I think we may get University at home in the first round. Hopefully someone that understands how this works better than I can give their opinion.

I was hesitant to start this thread as this rout was to be expected and certainly not beating our chest over the win to clinch our 17th consecutive year earning a playoff berth by winning the district championship. Rather it is to pile on to the FHSAA flawed ranking system as they had Toho HS at kickoff ranked 10 spots ahead of us. Our All-State RB Taevion Swint played sparingly during the first part of the game as he got dinged up a bit last week at Mainland and sat the majority of the game allowing our backup RB's to inflict this beating at their place. The TOHO all world QB (Sabby Meassick) who compiled over 3000 yards passing last year as a Freshman and has exceeded that number thus far this year as a Sophomore maybe threw for 100 yds and ZERO TD's which exposes the level of competition they have chosen to play to simply pad his stats which does him a tremendous disservice in growing as a player. I am not throwing shade at the kid, rather his coach for his decision to play mostly cupcakes. Especially focused on how extremely flawed these FHSAA rankings are for a lesser ranked team to put a beating on a higher ranked team at their place missing several key starters. Truly is a joke.

If we can find a way to manufacture 3 TD's in most cases against playoff teams it would spell a win. Looking at the games we lost thus far, that would have been enough to win over half of those. Because regardless of our inability to do that we don't give up 40 points to any of those teams including this latest outing with Mainland who hangs 40 or more against almost every opponent other than Raines that held them to 26. Regardless, something has to change to get this type of production. Coaching staff surely realizes that this late into the season and I have confidence they will adapt as needed.

Thanks for that and hope whomever we meet if we do win our district is a home game as we need all the help we can get. Got to find some consistent offense not so much next week against Toho, but versus those top playoff teams being we most likely would be seeded #8. Wondering if our coaching staff is considering returning to a power running game, using another RB or WR in the QB role to share that load. Interesting idea particularly in matchups where we clearly have an advantage in the trenches to run it straight at them.

Your right about Perspective as I don't hold that against him either, although he seemed to think at one time that I shared his profession. Don't know what could have ever given him that idea.

Hope it was the latter.

Thanks, as interpreting the language in the FHSAA site for a simpleton like myself is daunting.

With Deland winning on Friday night over University, they seem to be in the driver's seat for that district title. Plus I didn't think you automatically were a first round host just by being a district champ.

He muffed the punt, never got control.

Thanks for the rule clarification.

Congrats to Mainland, their defense was better than I expected and the difference offensively was QB play. The scoring for Mainland all on 3 big plays directly due to the great QB play, passing, running and as a decoy. Our young QB was unable to add any offense and created more problems for us than any positives. Depending on where you sit, opinions regarding the refs go both ways. When our QB fumbled, Mainland recovered and advanced the ball. When your punt returner fumbled on our side of the field, there was a wild scramble for the ball as different players tried to gain control and Jalen Bell scooped it up on the dead run and returned it for the TD. However, the refs ruled that it was Osceola ball at the spot he scooped it up and denied the TD. Neither team was able to mount SUSTAINED drives due to the opposing defense and their own miscues all game long. Good luck to Mainland the remainder of the year and we need to figure out what we can do to create offense vs top teams or we won't go far.