North Florida sleeper teams

[DisabledAccount]

What potential sleeper teams are in the north going into this year?

 

I say Ribault, they are generally a consistent north team in the 5A but lately have had issues getting past Suwannee but with Suwannee having to break in a new coach this could be ribault's best chance to win that district, thoughts?

[Proseteye]

IMHO, there are two teams in Marion County that may be crawling out of hibernation. 

 

The 6A Vanguard Knights. 9-3 last season and went to the 2nd round of the playoffs losing a close one to Gainesville. With one of the best D-1 QB's in the state (2307 passing yds), a bunch of Senior RBs, and, as always, 2 or 3 speedy WR's, I believe they can break through, defeat Gainesville, and work hard through the rest of the playoffs.

 

The 3A Trinity Catholic Celtics. 4-8 last season. The first losing season in their history. However, still won their district and went to the 2nd round of the playoffs. This was the result of a new head coach and assistant coaches coming on board, the only two D-1 players transferring to a public school, very few Seniors on the team, and a starting QB who went down with a season ending injury in mid season. In 2016 the team will have adjusted to new coaching, the team will be Senior laden, and the Senior starting QB is now healthy. If the Celtics play like the Celtics of old, watch out. 

[DisabledAccount]

Nice, I agree with vanguard and hopefully Will add some life into the 6A north which has been boring confrence lately, what your thoughts on mine? ðŸ˜

[BrowardHandicapper]

What potential sleeper teams are in the north going into this year?

 

I say Ribault, they are generally a consistent north team in the 5A but lately have had issues getting past Suwannee but with Suwannee having to break in a new coach this could be ribault's best chance to win that district, thoughts?

Pineforest, Sandalwood and Vanguard could be sleeper teams up north from what I am gathering.

 

Ribault played a harder schedule last year and they will definitely play a harder schedule in 2016 as well.  Surely this could be an opportunity for Ribault to finally break through but Suwannee seems to bring back a little more talent.  3* QB Senior  Steven Anderson for starters.

[DisabledAccount]

But they lose their coach and what I seen with Suwannee is they have talent to beat teams below them in talent but when someone matches them in athleticism, talent and coaching they lose, ex wakulla and Godby in past 2 playoffs and Columbia in the rivary games past few years, even Leon this past year, I think fact they have to replace their coach gives ribault a slight edge

[BrowardHandicapper]

IMHO, there are two teams in Marion County that may be crawling out of hibernation. 

 

The 6A Vanguard Knights. 9-3 last season and went to the 2nd round of the playoffs losing a close one to Gainesville. With one of the best D-1 QB's in the state (2307 passing yds), a bunch of Senior RBs, and, as always, 2 or 3 speedy WR's, I believe they can break through, defeat Gainesville, and work hard through the rest of the playoffs.

 

The 3A Trinity Catholic Celtics. 4-8 last season. The first losing season in their history. However, still won their district and went to the 2nd round of the playoffs. This was the result of a new head coach and assistant coaches coming on board, the only two D-1 players transferring to a public school, very few Seniors on the team, and a starting QB who went down with a season ending injury in mid season. In 2016 the team will have adjusted to new coaching, the team will be Senior laden, and the Senior starting QB is now healthy. If the Celtics play like the Celtics of old, watch out. 

 

Agree with both of these as sleepers.  I sympathize and respect Trinity Catholic .  They played an extremely hard 2015 schedule for a 3A team (probably got beat up a little) and ran into a very good Tampa Catholic team in the second round.  Even if they beat another very good 2016 Tampa Catholic team  this year - they will have to face National powerhouse TCA.

 

Trinity Catholic picked a tough time to be a very good 3A team.  This year Trinity Catholic has another solid schedule but it does not appear as hard as last year.  If they get back most of those kids that got toughened up from last year's schedule and they go strong and stay injury free through 2016 - I think there is a slight chance at an upset in the 2nd round for them versus Tampa Catholic (assuming they get to the 2nd round).  

[DisabledAccount]

Sandalwood Will be good, but they not really a sleeper but Pine Forrest might be a big sleeper in the panhandle

[BrowardHandicapper]

But they lose their coach and what I seen with Suwannee is they have talent to beat teams below them in talent but when someone matches them in athleticism, talent and coaching they lose, ex wakulla and Godby in past 2 playoffs and Columbia in the rivary games past few years, even Leon this past year, I think fact they have to replace their coach gives ribault a slight edge

Let's just start with the talent.  Wakulla and Godby both had  more talent the last couple years than Suwannee from what I see.  Columbia as well.  Leon was probably on a similar level to Suwannee - talent speaking.  I do think now is a chance for Ribault to beat Suwannee though with the coaching change and all but I still would lean Suwannee at this point.  Heck with Wakulla way down 5A North is a crap-shoot-  Wide open.  The winner of 5A North will have the luxury of being a 50 point underdog to AHP!

[BrowardHandicapper]

Sandalwood Will be good, but they not really a sleeper but Pine Forrest might be a big sleeper in the panhandle

Agree.  Now matter how good Sandalwood/Pine Forest are,  they will both likely get blasted by the Orlando/Armwood area teams in the 3rd or 4th round.

[DisabledAccount]

Let's just start with the talent. Wakulla and Godby both had more talent the last couple years than Suwannee from what I see. Columbia as well. Leon was probably on a similar level to Suwannee - talent speaking. I do think now is a chance for Ribault to beat Suwannee though with the coaching change and all but I still would lean Suwannee at this point. Heck with Wakulla way down 5A North is a crap-shoot- Wide open. The winner of 5A North will have the luxury of being a 50 point underdog to AHP!

I think Wakulla still good enough to win 5A north and I do think.Suwannee is good but I feel them breaking in a new coach gives ribault a slight edge but could go either way

[DisabledAccount]

50 points? Is that the same for 7A STA favorite and BTW in 4A and TCA in 3A?

[DisabledAccount]

Suwannee honestly I don't think are getting any less talent then when they won4 straight titles in the late 80s but they won in the 3a which was a smaller class that didn't have the teams to match their talent but teams in 5A even if they not as good as other classes they still have enough to match Suwannee and Suwannee has not been able to hit that level because of it

[BrowardHandicapper]

50 points? Is that the same for 7A STA favorite and BTW in 4A and TCA in 3A?

Not TCA. 3A states could be a hell of a game. 

 

 BTW has a better chance of getting beat in their road to States through the South Region (Glades Central, Cocoa) than what they will see from 4A North.  If BTW does reach states ...sure they will likely hammer the North region - again.

 

50 points might be a stretch but I am just saying that AHP and STA will do as they please versus the North. Perhaps it will only be 24 points after they put their back-ups in...

[BrowardHandicapper]

Suwannee honestly I don't think are getting any less talent then when they won4 straight titles in the late 80s but they won in the 3a which was a smaller class that didn't have the teams to match their talent but teams in 5A even if they not as good as other classes they still have enough to match Suwannee and Suwannee has not been able to hit that level because of it

Sounds like they are a candidate for  5A North's tallest midget. Unless you feel AHP has a chance to get beat by 5A north since they have a coaching change (new coach) and "* - star" players  do not mean anything... 

[DisabledAccount]

Sounds like they are a candidate for 5A North's tallest midget. Unless you feel AHP has a chance to get beat by 5A north since they have a coaching change (new coach) and "* - star" players do not mean anything...

When I said stars don't matter I ment that a team can be a great team without having high star rankings and what you mean by tallest midget?

[BrowardHandicapper]

When I said stars don't matter I ment that a team can be a great team without having high star rankings and what you mean by tallest midget?

A team can be a great team without having high player ratings but when it comes down to States those "great" teams are generally beat greater teams.  

 

"Tallest midget" is another way of saying prettiest ugly girl....lipstick on a pig, big fish in small pond...  Sorry if I offended you or anyone as it was not meant personal towards anyone.  I just think the analogy is fair when looking at what 5A States could be like this year...

[DisabledAccount]

Well you call Columbia that too and I want to know what that means when you say it? Does that mean that you think we beat nobodies or just we better then our competition level and things come easily or that we bully area teams? What it mean?

[BrowardHandicapper]

Well you call Columbia that too and I want to know what that means when you say it? Does that mean that you think we beat nobodies or just we better then our competition level and things come easily or that we bully area teams? What it mean?

Basically....Both...you are definitely better than your competition level  (in your own region) and I would not say "nobodies" but I could argue that your region (North Central FL) Columbia, Trenton and Madison County are on another level ahead of EVERYONE regardless of classification - until you get into the Orlando, Tampa, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Tallahassee , PCola, and now MELBOURNE area!  As far as backing up my words, I can simply reference how every year ends for Columbia when they have to play teams when it counts outside of North Central FL.  I know you say it's luck but I say it is the Lake City Bully getting humbled.

[DisabledAccount]

Well we put a lot tallhassee and Gainesville and Jacksonville teams on schedule and all 3 are bigger cities then us and have more talent to pull through so I don't think we are bullies, and we schedule teams that supposed to be good, we got Lincoln on scehdule in 2013-2015 first one was just 2 years after they went to states so how we supposed to know they wouldn't be the same Lincoln who have us problems 10 years earlier when they were in hey day, and we schedule Bolles who is one of areas top teams and went to states for 5 straight years but yet had we lost to them the word would be we bit off more then we could chew but we beat them all a sudden everyone says they no good anymore, like are teams bad just because we beat them or do they just say they bad to diminish our wins?

[DisabledAccount]

And to be fair we do have good success over teams in big cites lol so we beat more then just a bunch of small schools

[09mrslick]

In the Jacksonville area who would you all say are the best. Obviously Bolles with Corky Rogers speaks for itself. I'll throw in Raines and Mandarin. I don't know what's going on with First Coast but they were most definitely a shocker for me last year. Well and I'm sure we're all in aggrence that First Coast wasn'the beating Central didn't expect blowout though.

[DisabledAccount]

As public schools go it's Raines, Ribault, sandalwood, Mandrian, and TCA, UC, and Bolles when it comes to private schools, as for first coast they had some talented players transfer to TCA before season and combined with mass graduation they weren't the same team

[BrowardHandicapper]

Well we put a lot tallhassee and Gainesville and Jacksonville teams on schedule and all 3 are bigger cities then us and have more talent to pull through so I don't think we are bullies, and we schedule teams that supposed to be good, we got Lincoln on scehdule in 2013-2015 first one was just 2 years after they went to states so how we supposed to know they wouldn't be the same Lincoln who have us problems 10 years earlier when they were in hey day, and we schedule Bolles who is one of areas top teams and went to states for 5 straight years but yet had we lost to them the word would be we bit off more then we could chew but we beat them all a sudden everyone says they no good anymore, like are teams bad just because we beat them or do they just say they bad to diminish our wins?

I'll put it to you really simple.  If you can't win in the playoffs beating Bolles is irrelevant at that point for that season.  I would rather my team lose to a ZERO win team during the regular season and WIN states, than beat a very good team or two and get spanked on my own field in the playoffs.  Numbers speaking, I would bet Columbia has possibly the most unbalanced regular season win/playoff record to have not won states - post the leather helmet era!

 

Look at the history of Columbia that you post on your signature.  Case in point.  How do you have all of that history but cannot win states in 50 years????

 

Columbia has been to the Regional Finals 9 TIMES in the last 20 years and NEVER WON STATES?!?!  How is that possible?? Only got to States 1 time in those 9? What does that tell you? 

 

 That is proof that Columbia can't play with the big dogs when it counts!  

[DisabledAccount]

I love how you flew by my question in that and went back to something we went over like 20 times in past month

 

I was pointing out that had Bolles beaten us it would have been we bit off more then we can chew, BUT we beat them and suddenly they no good anymore, explain to me how a team is suddenly bad after losing to us but they supposed to be big and bad before the game?

[BrowardHandicapper]

I love how you flew by my question in that and went back to something we went over like 20 times in past month

 

I was pointing out that had Bolles beaten us it would have been we bit off more then we can chew, BUT we beat them and suddenly they no good anymore, explain to me how a team is suddenly bad after losing to us but they supposed to be big and bad before the game?

I never said "they no good anymore" and never said Bolles was "bad" .  I just question why you dwell on beating 2015 Bolles or any Bolles team for that matter.  It is a great regular season win.  I don't know what else to tell you....Do you want a freakin parade or something?

 

Fleming Island beat a better Bolles team in the regular season in 2012.  

 

I also never would have said "Columbia bit off more than they can chew" if they lost to Bolles in the regular season.

 

My question to you why Columbia FAILS in the playoffs so frequently?  

 

The only person that made 2015 Bolles  "big and bad' before the regular season game was you!   I personally thought Bolles would have won that game but I never thought Bolles was big and bad.....Bolles was a good team last year and their season came short to a Raines team that seems to have their number of late.  Championship teams do not get on their "High Horse " when they beat Bolles and pound their chest.  I guess you and Columbia do so.