Trinity Catholic @ Melbourne Central Catholic

[Proseteye]

Oh mercy me.  Dare I predict anything for this game. Here's a team, the Hustlers, who have never defeated the Celtics, as we met up with them more than a couple of times in the playoffs. Well, I don't see us keeping that perfect record. What was the old saying from quite a few years ago. " This is not your Father's Oldsmobile". Well, this is not your older brother's Hustler team.

 

This is one solid Melbourne Central Catholic squad. I watched a lot of You Tube on these guys and here is what I see and from their stats:

 

Record: 6-0

PPG Average: 50

PPG Allowed:   8

Jr QB Joaquin Collazo. 1,810 yards passing, 300 yds per game, 25 TDs, .719 % completion rate

475 team total ypg

Two big fast RBs in Gray and Valentine

Three big fast WR's in Hardy, Wilson, and Flemming. Gray also has 250 yards receiving.

These guy's will kill you every which way.

 

The only possible advantage the Celtics may have is in the size of the OL and DL. Also, the Celtics have to drive 3 hours to jolly old Melbourne where I'm sure they will be met by thousands of hysterical Hustler fans.

 

If we can somehow beat this team, once again, we can get some credibility back in 3A and could end the regular season, and go into the playoffs, with a respectable 5-3 record if we beat Trinity Prep and Westminster. But, it "ain't" gonna be easy. 

[BrowardHandicapper]

Trinity Catholic definitely has their hands full in this one....  I would say Melbourne Central Catholic is in the 3-6 range in 3A right now.... From what I see,  3 of MCC's wins are against weak foes ( @ Father Lopez, Satellite, Cocoa Beach) and 3 wins are against teams ( John Carroll Catholic, @ Union County, Holy Trinity Episcopal) that are probably  approaching the  vicinity/level of Trinity Catholic.   Truth be told...it appears they were all dismantled pretty bad.  As you stated, Trinity Catholic may have an advantage in size on the OL and DL.  Another advantage TC may have is playing a little bit harder schedule, two of those games being on the road ( @ Wakulla, @ The First Academy) .  Game could very well be closer then many expect.

[DisabledAccount]

I'll call a trinity 3 point upset

[SPCjessica2004]

MCC is a very strong team this year. I would say, right now, they're a top 5 team in class 3A.  There game against Lakeland Christian was cancelled due to Hurricane Matthew. I think MCC would of won that one, but we'll never know.  MCC doesn't have a signature win this year. By signature, I mean- that one win where you go "That's a good win over a good playoff team".

The question about MCC is, can they beat a top 5 3A team. The teams they play aren't very good.  Holy Trinity fields a roster of less than 20 and John Carroll is the definition of an average 3A team, isn't going to finish in the top 10 of 3A this year.  Now, MCC has won every game by a convincing margin which tells me that they're probably capable of beating and/or competing with better teams.

To me, OTC is a respected team that's still trying to find themselves- but the talent is there. MCC is in search of a big win to prove their mettle.  Should be a great game and one I will be keeping an eye on.
 

[Proseteye]

I will post the LIve Stream of this game tomorrow for anyone who is interested. I don't go physically to out of town games anymore due to a variety of reasons, among them late night driving home from unfamiliar territory even though I carry my 38 special in my car.    

[SPCjessica2004]

I've been to Melbourne a few times. MCC is right across the street from FIT and is located a half mile north of Palm Bay High School. I actually did an internship for a summer in West Melbourne. It's a nice area- but it's a hike from Ocala. If there's a stream, save the gas (and your legs).

[Proseteye]

MCC is a very strong team this year. I would say, right now, they're a top 5 team in class 3A.  There game against Lakeland Christian was cancelled due to Hurricane Matthew. I think MCC would of won that one, but we'll never know.  MCC doesn't have a signature win this year. By signature, I mean- that one win where you go "That's a good win over a good playoff team".

 

The question about MCC is, can they beat a top 5 3A team. The teams they play aren't very good.  Holy Trinity fields a roster of less than 20 and John Carroll is the definition of an average 3A team, isn't going to finish in the top 10 of 3A this year.  Now, MCC has won every game by a convincing margin which tells me that they're probably capable of beating and/or competing with better teams.

 

To me, OTC is a respected team that's still trying to find themselves- but the talent is there. MCC is in search of a big win to prove their mettle.  Should be a great game and one I will be keeping an eye on.

 

Jessica.............Having watched every move that the Celtics have done, for the last 12 years, and having watched them in person and on live stream this season, my thoughts are the following: Coach Sturdivant has implemented an entirely different strategy with this team than what Coach Brantley had. He has changed the offense from a Proset I 60-40 pass/run formation to a 70/30 run/pass formation that employs some aspects of the Wing T or Single Wing. His playbook is a lot more complicated than what Brantley had. Due to this the players seem many times unsure of their specific duties on each play. Although the team has some exceptional athletes they seem to be struggling with uncertainty and confidence at times. Our QB came up through the Proset I formation facilitaton. He is a pocket passer and is not very good at getting out of trouble with his feet. IMO, He is not doing well with the versions of Wing T. etc. Our OL is currently devoted to opening holes for the RB's. I don't think they do as well protecting the passer. As big as that OL is, they should be giving our QB at least 4 to 5 seconds to set up and throw. They are failing in this respect. This is one of the main reasons that the Celtics came up very short against Wakulla, The First Academy, and Buchholz in the KO Classic. Each of these games our offensive output was was below what it should have been given an experienced Sr QB and three Sr WR's. Our OL is just not getting the job done to allow for effective passing.  Miller is missing his receivers by inches due to being rushed all of the time. I am hoping that Coach Sturdivant realizes this and is doing some corrective action. I am never the one to tell a coach how to run his team as it's not in my DNA. These are just my humble opinions. I just hope that he sees what is needed and is able to implement.   

 

[Cat_Scratch]

MCC has been to the party but never sat the throne. Could this be another 2 win playoff year and then lose to one of the powerbuilt teams in the 3rd round?

MCC could pick up some decent recruits if they tried. They're in a talent rich area, but seem to care more about academics, which I like more than having a great football program. Get them in college with grades first. That said, I've always liked MCC as Jess can attest to, but kept silent this year because of the let down every year... lol. I hope they can make it to the regional final and make it a great game this year but I really don't expect them to win their regional's.

There is just to much talent in 3A as of the last 3 or 4 years and they are getting stronger every year. I could see them giving top 6 and 7A teams trouble in the future. Heck, TCA ran Cocoa into OT, and Cocoa is no slouch. Crazy maybe but TCA may not be the 3A champion this year.

[SPCjessica2004]

Cat Scratch, I agree totally.

To me, this is an important game for MCC. Ocala Trinity has played a very competitive schedule and is healthy coming off a unscheduled bye week. I think if MCC wins this game, they'll go undefeated in the regular season and win round 1, putting them at 11-0 and playing for a regional championship. Unfortunately for MCC, they just happen to be in the same region as CCC who is a 4x defending regional champion that boasts 16 players with at least 1 college offer and the just-announced Scout #1 athlete in all of Florida for 2018, Amari Burney-  MCC will do everything they can, but that's going to be a tough match-up for the Hustlers in round 2.

Still, It's clear Stacy Sizemore has this program on the up and up and quickly approaching the top 5. Is there any correlation between Sizemore leaving American Heritage and the fall of AHD and the rise of MCC?  He's a winner wherever he goes.

[Proseteye]

 

Here is the link for tonight's game in Melbourne for any that are interested. I believe it should be a very competitive game if the Celtic's defense can slow down or stop the Hustler's excellent QB Collazo, who by the way is a left hander. If not, it's going to be a long night for my guys. 

[SPCjessica2004]

My gut says MCC by 7, but I'll take OTC by 3 in a small upset.

[Cat_Scratch]

Strong win for MCC... Maybe they have something this year.

 

TCA did better than Oxy against IMG... Maybe TCA will win another championship this year.

[SPCjessica2004]

Very strong win for MCC. Still think CCC is 2-3 TD's better, but if CCC keeps rolling their helmets on the field and expecting to win like they did tonight, MCC could pull off a huge upset against them.

Chaminade still plays IMG, don't forget about them. They maybe the most individually talented team from top to bottom in all of 3A.

Hard to compare team A to team B because they both lost to team C...but team A looked better.   Many 3 way tiebreakers have occured because of that logic. Oxbridge is much better than the 38-0 score indicated. Plus, it was mentioned that IMG may of had some dudes out that played against Oxbridge.

TCA is in the drivers seat for the simple fact they'll walk into Orlando, while Oxbridge (if they get there) will have a war against Chaminade and a war against CCC.

[SPCjessica2004]

As for Ocala Trinity, I can't get over how they don't have a passing attack. Now, MCC is a good team, on the verge of becoming very good (Big one next week for the Hustlers)- but, OTC has played better teams than MCC this year and done better.  I'm not sure what's wrong. Robert Rivers played strong, but where's the rest of the offense? The defense played well in spurts, but MCC was much faster than I gave them credit for. 

Still think OTC makes the playoffs as the runner-up.

[Proseteye]

I'm sorry to say that OTC is Just a shell of it's former self, I'm afraid. We're pretty much through for this season. Forget about the playoffs even if we back into the first round. Of course, there's always next year. 

[james ricks]

TC will blow away Trinity Prep for the runner up spot next week on senior night, then likely get Tampa Catholic on the road in the 1st round of the playoffs, assuming Tampa Catholic wins at Lakeland Christian next week, which I think they will

[james ricks]

For the record I wouldn't be surprised to see a coaching change with Trinity Catholic in the offseason, nothing against this team or the coach at all as I got a nephew that starts on the celtics offensive line, but AD tommy bond doesn't like to lose and the celtics are losing more right know then they have in quite some time, it's disappointing to see my nephew having to go out with his senior year ending like this to be honest

[Proseteye]

James.....................After watching last night's game I am convinced that my observations were on the mark. Your Nephew can probably tell you that the OL is just not doing its job. They do not protect Miller, who is certainly not an exceptional QB to begin with, and he has no time to set up his throws. Always seems to be trying to scramble out of trouble. If the Celtics can't complete passes they are never going to score much. They are just not a particularly good rushing team, at least not the last couple of seasons. I would hate to see Coach Sturdivant go, as I think he is a really dedicated coach. But, as you say, the AD and the entire school body have been used to winning for many years. This team's lack of performance, considering that they have a pretty good compliment of players, is hard to take. As you know, in the past we would have had running clocks on teams like First Academy and Melbourne Central. We even blew away Wakulla and South Sumter in the past, and we routinely defeated Vanguard and Forest.

 

As I said, next season has begun already.   

[james ricks]

My nephew has told me that the offensive line isn't holding up like they should when I talked to him earlier this morning and has said when minor things are going wrong the entire team is giving up on the game, the locker room is a mess after games as a fight almost broke out between 2 players after last night's game getting onto the bus leaving the stadium

[james ricks]

Definately not the Trinity Catholic of old that's for sure, I remember those days of beating Vanguard, Forest, And North Marion routinely, their is something missing since coach Brantley left and it hasn't been the same since that 2014 season

[Floridatech]

Is TCA expected to be loaded next year????

[SPCjessica2004]

Trinity Christian Academy?  Assume they'll be loaded as long as Coach Dorminey is there. As for next year, nobody knows who is staying in 3A and/or moving up to 5A. Classes will look all together different next year.

[Floridatech]

Trinity Christian Academy? Assume they'll be loaded as long as Coach Dorminey is there. As for next year, nobody knows who is staying in 3A and/or moving up to 5A. Classes will look all together different next year.

Yes i was talking about TCA

[Dan in Daytona]

Definately not the Trinity Catholic of old that's for sure, I remember those days of beating Vanguard, Forest, And North Marion routinely, their is something missing since coach Brantley left and it hasn't been the same since that 2014 season

Any correlation in the downward trend of OTC and the rise of Vanguard and Forest ? I might be a hater, but was just wondering. Have they cut back in recru..ah.. enticing athl..ah.. students to enroll ?

[james ricks]

Any correlation in the downward trend of OTC and the rise of Vanguard and Forest ? I might be a hater, but was just wondering. Have they cut back in recru..ah.. enticing athl..ah.. students to enroll ?

to be quite honest I'm not sure what the downward trend for this team is but it's definately not the same OTC of old