PinellasFB

CCC should share this 10-0 season with Lakewood since they have half of Lakewood's players

This is brutal.   As a booster of a long-struggling school, I know first hand how hard it is to turn around a program.  There is no quick fix and it takes years of building to reverse the bleeding.  Based upon your progress, you clearly had the program going in the right direction so if I were to blindly guess, I would assume you were the victim of politics.  Unfortunately, running a program also requires a great deal of politicking skills in addition to Xs and Os.  Sometimes you can be a great politician but still be on the wrong end of politics.  I would take this as an opportunity to reflect and see if there were any opportunities to bridge gaps in opinions with administration and take your considerable coaching skills and lessons learned onto the next program.  Sorry to hear the news!

This is brutal.   As a booster of a long-struggling school, I know first hand how hard it is to turn around a program.  There is no quick fix and it takes years of building to reverse the bleeding.  Based upon your progress, you clearly had the program going in the right direction so if I were to blindly guess, I would assume you were the victim of politics.  Unfortunately, running a program also requires a great deal of politicking skills in addition to Xs and Os.  Sometimes you can be a great politician but still be on the wrong end of politics.  I would take this as an opportunity to reflect and see if there were any opportunities to bridge gaps in opinions with administration and take your considerable coaching skills and lessons learned onto the next program.  Sorry to hear the news!

Interesting challenge!  Historically Hillsborough dominates these games.  Pinellas County ball is definitely ranked 8th in the 8 metro areas.  Just too many schools spreading the talent thin IMO.  Anyway, here's my predictions:
Durant over PHU (heart says PHU, head says Durant)
Jesuit over PPark
Hillsborough over Northeast
Largo over East Bay
SPHS over Gaither (SP QB is a monster and leads the state in rushing and TDs!)
Clearwater over Blake
Carrollwood Day over Northside
The closest matchup is Durant vs PHU.  I would lean PHU but we lost our heart and soul on defense and county player of the year two games ago in the win over hated East Lake.  It's tough to lose a player like that.
 

Interesting challenge!  Historically Hillsborough dominates these games.  Pinellas County ball is definitely ranked 8th in the 8 metro areas.  Just too many schools spreading the talent thin IMO.  Anyway, here's my predictions:
Durant over PHU (heart says PHU, head says Durant)
Jesuit over PPark
Hillsborough over Northeast
Largo over East Bay
SPHS over Gaither (SP QB is a monster and leads the state in rushing and TDs!)
Clearwater over Blake
Carrollwood Day over Northside
The closest matchup is Durant vs PHU.  I would lean PHU but we lost our heart and soul on defense and county player of the year two games ago in the win over hated East Lake.  It's tough to lose a player like that.
 

CCC should share this 10-0 season with Lakewood since they have half of Lakewood's players

There are some weird home/away results games due to this new format.  #1 seed Berkeley for 2M region 2 has to play at @8 seed Middleton since Middleton is a district winner while Berkeley was not.  Weird to see a #1 seed who is not a district winner.  Also, 8-2 Pace HS got left out of the playoffs because of too many non-top 8 ranked district winners in it's region.

CCC should share this 10-0 season with Lakewood since they have half of Lakewood's players

Bruh getting close to crossing the political line.  Please keep your personal politics on the sideline.  Obviously he doesn't like unlimited transfers because it becomes a free-for-all where students are no longer students but rent-a-players where funny business runs unabated.  It's now not uncommon where a kid transfers in the fall semester for football and then transfers elsewhere in the spring for a different sport.  School choice has always been about academics, not athletics.  These "school choices" are clearly for athletics, not academics.
I personally also don't like unlimited transfers but maybe a compromise is unlimited transfers to an equal or higher rated school so that it is still about academics?  Poorly rated schools who want transfers will then have to put all of their money into improving the academics of their school.

At 10 am it will become official, barring any unexpected formula quirks, that Palm Harbor University wins it's first ever district championship in the school's 27 year history.  I predicted this four years ago on this board when I saw the group of kids moving into the PHU system that had played youth ball together for years.  They are a very close knit team and have been friends and teammates for years so there was no possibility of East Lake, Clearwater or anyone else poaching from the team this year.  Keeping the team together was the key to finally breaking through and winning a title.  I'm so happy for these kids.  Also, PHU could be good for a while because they return a lot of key players next year and the JV team moving up was 7-0 and destroyed every opponent.  It's nice to see a have-not team finally get to feel success. 

At 10 am it will become official, barring any unexpected formula quirks, that Palm Harbor University wins it's first ever district championship in the school's 27 year history.  I predicted this four years ago on this board when I saw the group of kids moving into the PHU system that had played youth ball together for years.  They are a very close knit team and have been friends and teammates for years so there was no possibility of East Lake, Clearwater or anyone else poaching from the team this year.  Keeping the team together was the key to finally breaking through and winning a title.  I'm so happy for these kids.  Also, PHU could be good for a while because they return a lot of key players next year and the JV team moving up was 7-0 and destroyed every opponent.  It's nice to see a have-not team finally get to feel success. 

At 10 am it will become official, barring any unexpected formula quirks, that Palm Harbor University wins it's first ever district championship in the school's 27 year history.  I predicted this four years ago on this board when I saw the group of kids moving into the PHU system that had played youth ball together for years.  They are a very close knit team and have been friends and teammates for years so there was no possibility of East Lake, Clearwater or anyone else poaching from the team this year.  Keeping the team together was the key to finally breaking through and winning a title.  I'm so happy for these kids.  Also, PHU could be good for a while because they return a lot of key players next year and the JV team moving up was 7-0 and destroyed every opponent.  It's nice to see a have-not team finally get to feel success. 

At 10 am it will become official, barring any unexpected formula quirks, that Palm Harbor University wins it's first ever district championship in the school's 27 year history.  I predicted this four years ago on this board when I saw the group of kids moving into the PHU system that had played youth ball together for years.  They are a very close knit team and have been friends and teammates for years so there was no possibility of East Lake, Clearwater or anyone else poaching from the team this year.  Keeping the team together was the key to finally breaking through and winning a title.  I'm so happy for these kids.  Also, PHU could be good for a while because they return a lot of key players next year and the JV team moving up was 7-0 and destroyed every opponent.  It's nice to see a have-not team finally get to feel success. 

At 10 am it will become official, barring any unexpected formula quirks, that Palm Harbor University wins it's first ever district championship in the school's 27 year history.  I predicted this four years ago on this board when I saw the group of kids moving into the PHU system that had played youth ball together for years.  They are a very close knit team and have been friends and teammates for years so there was no possibility of East Lake, Clearwater or anyone else poaching from the team this year.  Keeping the team together was the key to finally breaking through and winning a title.  I'm so happy for these kids.  Also, PHU could be good for a while because they return a lot of key players next year and the JV team moving up was 7-0 and destroyed every opponent.  It's nice to see a have-not team finally get to feel success. 

So did the reigning home coming king for that matter.  
https://fanbuzz.com/high-school/esther-breitling-florida-hs-touchdown-palm-harbor/

So did the reigning home coming king for that matter.  
https://fanbuzz.com/high-school/esther-breitling-florida-hs-touchdown-palm-harbor/

I've quietly lurked for sometime enjoying the site. So this year I decided to try give the weekly Pick-ems a try. I'm an average FLHS football fan, stuck living in Knoxville, TN. Cocoa alumni from way back, so you know which way I lean. I kinda keep up with the better teams in Brevard and around the state, so that's how deep my knowledge goes. Looking at my current standings, in the Pick-ems, I'd say I'm meeting my expectations. I enjoy the shared info and insight shared here, as well as the opportunity to do so on the site. Thanks to all that contribute and to Josh for the site.

I could definitely agree on larger districts.  I'm sure the FHSAA would like larger districts too but there must be a logistical challenge that forces the three and four team districts.  As far as your comment about Columbus, please.  I know exactly how this works because I am closely affiliated with youth football in my area.  The privates scout the 13U and 14U teams and when they see talent, they offer scholarships to attend their school.  There's a certain youth program locally (who also recruits its players from outside of it's pop warner zone) that feeds directly into Jesuit HS.  Offering a scholarship to attend your school is recruiting no matter what you might call it.  Lakewood losing a bunch of players to CCC is recruiting.  I don't know what you call it but I call it for what it is.  It's a dead horse topic on this board and we all have our opinions on it so it's not really worth debating.  We will just agree to disagree on the subject.

It's that way in 50 out of 50 states my friend.  Even the most competitive of all leagues, the NFL, has teams who made the playoffs but have zero percent chance of winning it.  Do you think it matters to the fans or the players?  Team goals were met and a successful season was had.  My son's team, Palm Harbor, just won it's first ever district title in school history.  Do you think it matters to these kids that they will never beat a recruited and loaded Columbus team?  Hell no, they are on cloud nine, just happy to be there and they earned it and this is the beauty of a tournament where you can play your way in as an underdog.

I could definitely agree on larger districts.  I'm sure the FHSAA would like larger districts too but there must be a logistical challenge that forces the three and four team districts.  As far as your comment about Columbus, please.  I know exactly how this works because I am closely affiliated with youth football in my area.  The privates scout the 13U and 14U teams and when they see talent, they offer scholarships to attend their school.  There's a certain youth program locally (who also recruits its players from outside of it's pop warner zone) that feeds directly into Jesuit HS.  Offering a scholarship to attend your school is recruiting no matter what you might call it.  Lakewood losing a bunch of players to CCC is recruiting.  I don't know what you call it but I call it for what it is.  It's a dead horse topic on this board and we all have our opinions on it so it's not really worth debating.  We will just agree to disagree on the subject.

With DP as your first playoff opponent, your son's team has a shot at getting to the second round. From there, who knows? 

It's that way in 50 out of 50 states my friend.  Even the most competitive of all leagues, the NFL, has teams who made the playoffs but have zero percent chance of winning it.  Do you think it matters to the fans or the players?  Team goals were met and a successful season was had.  My son's team, Palm Harbor, just won it's first ever district title in school history.  Do you think it matters to these kids that they will never beat a recruited and loaded Columbus team?  Hell no, they are on cloud nine, just happy to be there and they earned it and this is the beauty of a tournament where you can play your way in as an underdog.

It's that way in 50 out of 50 states my friend.  Even the most competitive of all leagues, the NFL, has teams who made the playoffs but have zero percent chance of winning it.  Do you think it matters to the fans or the players?  Team goals were met and a successful season was had.  My son's team, Palm Harbor, just won it's first ever district title in school history.  Do you think it matters to these kids that they will never beat a recruited and loaded Columbus team?  Hell no, they are on cloud nine, just happy to be there and they earned it and this is the beauty of a tournament where you can play your way in as an underdog.

What a boring world your HSAA would be with only the all star teams making the playoffs and the same teams in it year after year.

Super teams are the worst thing to happen to FL football.