flabuck

You raise some points that are worth discussion but the problem goes to a much deeper, fundamental problems. Far too many kids are not involved in any form of sports today, especially team based sports. Today it seems as if everything has to be organized in some manner. When I was in my youth, weather permitting we could easily get a group of 8-20 similar aged kids together and play pick up games. It could be playground basketball, baseball, football. We might play in somebodies yard, a vacant lot or driveway it really didn't matter, we were outdoors playing by ourselves, no parental supervision needed. The concept of travel teams and pay for play has driven many families out of the game as well, they simply can't afford it, especially with multiple kids in multiple sports. If we had a disagreement we worked it out among ourselves. Now everything has to be planned out, organized and supervised. Many kids they have no desire to go out and play, many are content staying home and playing a video game alone or maybe bringing over a friend or two. Add into the equation many parents are afraid to have the kids out of house, at some park. Depending upon the location those fears could be warranted. The concept of consolidating teams would be a logistical nightmare. How many kids are going to want to attend class in one school, get transported after school to a practice four days a week, transported again on game day and then go home after a very long day. Coaches would only only interact in person with the players when they are on site. You don't develop that coach/ teacher relationship that many kids need. Community support has always been an issue especially when the kids don't live close to the school or they are school hopping. The alumni, especially the locals are the ones who need to step it up, the local small business owners need to be more involved. The AD and the coaches have to have a good relationship with sponsors and donors, current and potential. Build out the base instead of constantly reaching out to current donors for more money. Many will simply stop donating when under constant soliciting. Like many of the high population states, the high schools are competing with pro sports and high profile college sports. From Miami to the panhandle you will find a pro or large college nearby. Lakeland is surrounded by a team in all four major pro sports and two large colleges with UF not that far away. This is all the more reason to recruit the local alums and businesses. The big dollars are going to those teams. On the issue of fan support, Florida does not have the multi generational history of families staying in one area. The state is built on growth from the outside, not internal growth. Very few schools have long standing traditions that get passed from generation to generation. The state is also growing so fast that many schools with have some sense of tradition get split up. Add into the mix the every growing number of kids who are home schooled or in a private school. The FHSAA needs to do a better job as well, I don't think they do a very good job with what they are tasked to do, they need to be more than some administrative arm.

How do they fill the open playoff spot when a team gets moved up to the open division, assuming they take the top two in a district for the playoffs, does the team with the third best record in the district slotted in by default? If the top two are not automatic qualifier system is not used, then is it based on rankings? Take a look at the new district 4A-15, it is completely possible that both Miami Norland and American Heritage Plantation both make the top eight, do the other two teams make it by default even though one of teams may have not won a single district game. This could push them toward a ranking system for selection.They have a few years to work through the details but will be something to watch.

Hopefully they won't play these open division games in Tally. Let's face it in most years seven or all eight teams are going to come from near or south of the I-4 corridor and most will be from south Florida. If one of the goals is to generate revenue via admissions and tv rights to fill FHSAA's coffers then keep the games close to where the teams are coming from. My first choices would be Drive Pink in FLL, FAU in Boca, UCF in Orlando or the new USF stadium when it is ready. Play it the week after the other final games and let the media focus on just that game.

Right now some of the more elite teams will schedule each other during the regular season in another class knowing that a loss will not eliminate them or cost them a high seed in the state playoff. What incentive is there now for the elite teams to schedule each other if they may be playing later in the playoffs in the open division. Why would a Miami Central schedule a Chaminade, St. Thomas schedule a Cocoa when they could face each other again with the season on the line? I personally look forward to watching some of these higher level match ups during the regular season. I think the delay in the new open division allows existing contracts to continue without the schools backing out because a later season rematch could be possible.

Broward has a lot of under utilized public school space right now, they are talking about actually closing some schools at various levels. I think the charters and private schools are taking many of the kids these days.

Pahokee is about as rural as it gets yet they were able to compete with anybody in the state for years in the first decade of the 2000's. People weren't sending their kids from the metro areas to attend that school.

If you are highly talented player at a skilled position with some family resources behind you the colleges will find you, Sure it helps to go to a super power but does not eliminate you from getting recruited by the big name college programs. With the ever expanding 7 on 7 teams, the off season on campus camps and more and more people scouting and reporting on games you will get noticed. What may hold you back is having a good team and good coaching around you, a school that is in the regular visitation cycle by college recruiters but in the end if you have the raw talent and fit the culture they will find you. I agree that in Dade County many players chase coaches, what were once dominant teams are no longer dominant, Northwestern had their run, Carol City had their run, Booker T had a run, Southridge , now it is Central's run along with Columbus.

What is often overlooked in the grand scheme of things, like it or not the FHSAA has to operate as a business. Without having access to the books and looking in from afar the football championship weekend does not look like a highly profitable weekend in its current form and location. This year the entire state could watch the games due to Bally's signing a rights deal, we have no idea how much money was exchanged. Bally's parent company is having deep financial issues and I doubt the contract was a huge payout to the FHSAA. In some respects it may have been a way to appease those Floridians that are not serviced by Spectrum or wanted to pay by the game. It did give Bally's three full days of programming for that day and replays to fill other schedule voids. Looking in from afar, I didn't see large numbers of people in the stands, you have very limited revenue when the teams involved are so far from the game site. This in some respect it ties into the tv deal, how many south Floridians are going to travel all the way to FAMU when they can stay home and watch it on Ballys. The stands often looked like a family and friends crowd. I know some schools set up charter busses for students, that is a cost that has to be paid somehow. Here is where the money comes in, there are a lot of costs per team involved with transportation / lodging being the main one. You not only have the expenses of 18 teams but you have the expenses for nine sets of game officials, Lowering the number from nine games to seven may be enough to make the balance sheet look much better. As a long term solution I have to wonder if the FHSAA has ever considered creating its own site to own and operate somewhere in the Gainesville area. They could contest many high school tournaments at such a site, rent it out for other events. They could build a 10-12,000 seat stadium . As a comparison the stadium where the finals where held in Ft. Lauderdale was 19,000 seats and even with local teams playing the stadium did not sell out. As a comparison Traz Powell in Miami holds 10,000 and it would be aboutthe right size. From what I have read they are having a difficult time finding sites to bid on hosting the event, your own facility eliminates those issues and the FSHAA has control of the event.

Having attended both Norland / Central games those two teams were evenly matched, the difference came down to the ability to convert field goals, Norland could Central couldn't. Both times they played the were significant momentum changes and blown leads. Central s defense wasn't as strong as we have seen in the past and they never settled on one qb to play the entire season.

I know they are not part of FSHAA but why leave IMG out of the conversation, this would be a way to get them into the the fold. If you want to find out the best of the best why leave them out.

Turf monster is CCC best defender

Tv announcers believe that it was acceptable for a CCC player to spike the ball after the referee correctly rules the pass incomplete

Since there are no replies available to Joshua's recap story on all the semi final games, I wanted to correct an error in the STA / Gaither game. The story notates that there was no running clock in the game. STA scored a touchdown early in the third quarter that resulted in a running clock for about the 10 minute mark of the third quarter. STA tried to convert a two point play after a TD late in the first half to get a 35 point lead but that try failed. They started the third quarter with the ball, scored a touchdown and the running clock runs went into effect.

First post here, lurker for several years. Watcher of Dade / Broward football for about 15 years or so. I saw the Chaminade game and both Norland games in person. The Central defense was just not as suffocating as it has been during the championship run. Over the past few years they were capable of shutting nearly everybody including the better teams. They gave up too many big plays. On the offensive side they never found an identity, swapping qb's constantly. I wasn't sure if Central could come back from down 28-7 but they did and were a blocked field goal on the last play of regulation to win it and todays story would be how Central revenged a regular season loss. That said they played those teams to a field goal game each time. With a better kicker maybe they win at least two if those games.