Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

Now here's a game I'm gonna keep an eye on only 2 Hillsborough county teams are left standing tech and armwood tech has a tough task here going to Bryant stadium for a W I'm pulling for them 100% it'll be tough techs oline needs to hold up so tech can get the ball to their 3 4 star wrs


Posted

I live in Auburndale.  My pastor wants to go to a Lakeland game so I’ve invited him and waiting for his reply.  Saw TBT easily handle Edgewater Friday night.  It didn’t take long to figure out the Titans were the better team.  Will be very interested to see how TBT matches up with the Dreadnaughts.  Maybe Nulli will be there.  That would clinch it for me. 

Have to admit I wouldn’t mind driving a little further down I-4 to see Armwood play the Kowboys.  2 great games to choose from.  Yes!  I love the playoffs!

Posted

It'll be a tough game. TBT lost week one to Venice, but Venice is an odd team that has a knack for relentlessly punishing defenses who take the wrong approach schematically. So, that game comes with a bit of an asterisk to me. The only other loss was 31-27 @ Armwood, where TBT had the lead and the ball with about three minutes to play before fumbling back to the Hawks who got the winning score with under a minute to play. TBT has dominated the last nearly three months.

TBT has ELITE skill talent, and a ton of size to go with it. They look imposing across the board. The potential question marks for them are the accuracy of the QB and maybe the defense. But, the question of the defense is really a result of the single result with Venice, as mentioned above. The QB is a great athlete who can sling it, but just sometimes is a bit inaccurate. If he's ON, it's lights out for the opponent.

For Lakeland, the key is that they play with an edge. If they play flat, or are timid, TBT will advance to the Final Four. Also, Lakeland must be crisp with the new QB, completing the passes that are there, avoiding turnovers, and keeping the defense off-balance with the play-calling.

Posted
5 hours ago, Longtime Observer said:

It'll be a tough game. TBT lost week one to Venice, but Venice is an odd team that has a knack for relentlessly punishing defenses who take the wrong approach schematically. So, that game comes with a bit of an asterisk to me. The only other loss was 31-27 @ Armwood, where TBT had the lead and the ball with about three minutes to play before fumbling back to the Hawks who got the winning score with under a minute to play. TBT has dominated the last nearly three months.

 
 

 

TBT has ELITE skill talent, and a ton of size to go with it. They look imposing across the board. The potential question marks for them are the accuracy of the QB and maybe the defense. But, the question of the defense is really a result of the single result with Venice, as mentioned above. The QB is a great athlete who can sling it, but just sometimes is a bit inaccurate. If he's ON, it's lights out for the opponent.

 
 

 

For Lakeland, the key is that they play with an edge. If they play flat, or are timid, TBT will advance to the Final Four. Also, Lakeland must be crisp with the new QB, completing the passes that are there, avoiding turnovers, and keeping the defense off-balance with the play-calling.

Tech benched Jones they started trevon Moore against edgewater and he brought a different element cause not only does he have a strong arm he can scramble and he's been able to get it to those tech wrs tech also might be getting their 4 star rb back he's been out since the armwood game

Posted
On 11/25/2024 at 2:56 PM, MarkECannon said:

I live in Auburndale.  My pastor wants to go to a Lakeland game so I’ve invited him and waiting for his reply.  Saw TBT easily handle Edgewater Friday night.  It didn’t take long to figure out the Titans were the better team.  Will be very interested to see how TBT matches up with the Dreadnaughts.  Maybe Nulli will be there.  That would clinch it for me. 

Have to admit I wouldn’t mind driving a little further down I-4 to see Armwood play the Kowboys.  2 great games to choose from.  Yes!  I love the playoffs!

Maybe for the Finals if Lakeland makes it.  The family came to Atlanta for the holidays so that's a no go, lol.

Posted
2 hours ago, Zachk1003 said:

Tech benched Jones they started trevon Moore against edgewater and he brought a different element cause not only does he have a strong arm he can scramble and he's been able to get it to those tech wrs tech also might be getting their 4 star rb back he's been out since the armwood game

Interesting. I saw they had two guys playing QB, but didn't know the story. Jones looked plenty mobile to me, and I think Moore is a WR. So, it seems like opponents would prefer to have Moore in at QB. But, I may regret saying that :lol:

Posted
18 minutes ago, Longtime Observer said:

Interesting. I saw they had two guys playing QB, but didn't know the story. Jones looked plenty mobile to me, and I think Moore is a WR. So, it seems like opponents would prefer to have Moore in at QB. But, I may regret saying that :lol:

Moore gave Edgewater hell the first half. They probably had not seen him on film playing QB and he gashed them for first down after first down on the ground and also made some good passes. In the second half they contained Tech some, but by then it was too late to stage a meaningful comeback. All they could do was keep the final score somewhat respectable 

Posted
2 hours ago, DarterBlue2 said:

Moore gave Edgewater hell the first half. They probably had not seen him on film playing QB and he gashed them for first down after first down on the ground and also made some good passes. In the second half they contained Tech some, but by then it was too late to stage a meaningful comeback. All they could do was keep the final score somewhat respectable 

Sounds like you are describing what Orlando Jones did to Edgewater in the first half in their game also.  It was 21-0 at halftime which a mobile QB like DeReon Coleman can easily do to most teams as he has a couple of 4-Star WR's to throw to.  Edgewater's defense was suspect as they gave up nearly 300 yards to Jones on the ground as well.  You attended the game between Jones and OHS that went to OT where you watched despite sacking him 4 times, this kid continued to make plays with his arm and his legs despite not getting hardly anything on the ground against our front.  On any level, that combination in a QB is extremely difficult to defend and if TBT has a guy like that Lakeland will have to score points to win as they were fortunate to escape at Lake Mary.

Posted
17 minutes ago, Ray Icaza said:

Sounds like you are describing what Orlando Jones did to Edgewater in the first half in their game also.  It was 21-0 at halftime which a mobile QB like DeReon Coleman can easily do to most teams as he has a couple of 4-Star WR's to throw to.  Edgewater's defense was suspect as they gave up nearly 300 yards to Jones on the ground as well.  You attended the game between Jones and OHS that went to OT where you watched despite sacking him 4 times, this kid continued to make plays with his arm and his legs despite not getting hardly anything on the ground against our front.  On any level, that combination in a QB is extremely difficult to defend and if TBT has a guy like that Lakeland will have to score points to win as they were fortunate to escape at Lake Mary.

Bingo! That's exactly what I was saying. But in addition, they had no idea what they were going to face. At least against Coleman, they knew what to expect. They just had a hard time stopping him. 

Coleman has some of the best pocket presence I have ever seen in a high school QB. Grubbs has a stronger arm and has the kind of size that D1 teams look for. But at the high school level, at least, Coleman is one of the best I have ever seen as he's extremely calm under pressure. And while he's not a classic dual threat, he has enough speed to give opposing teams a lot of trouble with his legs. Time will tell whether he will continue to perform at the next level. But I am glad he will be getting the opportunity to do so. 

Good luck to your Kowboys at Armwood. It is a daunting task, but I know that Osceola's players will give it their all, and if you get by that hurdle, 6A is wide open and you will have as good a shot as any at going all the way. 

Posted
5 minutes ago, DarterBlue2 said:

Bingo! That's exactly what I was saying. But in addition, they had no idea what they were going to face. At least against Coleman, they knew what to expect. They just had a hard time stopping him. 

Coleman has some of the best pocket presence I have ever seen in a high school QB. Grubbs has a stronger arm and has the kind of size that D1 teams look for. But at the high school level, at least, Coleman is one of the best I have ever seen as he's extremely calm under pressure. And while he's not a classic dual threat, he has enough speed to give opposing teams a lot of trouble with his legs. Time will tell whether he will continue to perform at the next level. But I am glad he will be getting the opportunity to do so. 

Good luck to your Kowboys at Armwood. It is a daunting task, but I know that Osceola's players will give it their all, and if you get by that hurdle, 6A is wide open and you will have as good a shot as any at going all the way. 

It will be just as daunting for them as it is for us, so I view it as a 50/50 game regardless of these rankings so I like our chances.  Outside of Tampa Bay Tech and Tampa Plant, their schedule hasn't been that challenging as reflected in their SOS on both the FHSAA calculation as well as the MaxPrep one.    We'll see. 

Posted
33 minutes ago, Ray Icaza said:

It will be just as daunting for them as it is for us, so I view it as a 50/50 game regardless of these rankings so I like our chances.  Outside of Tampa Bay Tech and Tampa Plant, their schedule hasn't been that challenging as reflected in their SOS on both the FHSAA calculation as well as the MaxPrep one.    We'll see. 

It helps that their offensive strengths play into Osceola's defensive strengths. If I were not coming back from Atlanta Friday, I would make the trip down I-4. But I probably won't get home till around 5pm and I will be tired. So, I will probably make it to either Lake Mary or Dr. Phillips instead. 

Posted
On 11/26/2024 at 10:46 AM, Longtime Observer said:

It'll be a tough game. TBT lost week one to Venice, but Venice is an odd team that has a knack for relentlessly punishing defenses who take the wrong approach schematically. So, that game comes with a bit of an asterisk to me. The only other loss was 31-27 @ Armwood, where TBT had the lead and the ball with about three minutes to play before fumbling back to the Hawks who got the winning score with under a minute to play. TBT has dominated the last nearly three months.

 

TBT has ELITE skill talent, and a ton of size to go with it. They look imposing across the board. The potential question marks for them are the accuracy of the QB and maybe the defense. But, the question of the defense is really a result of the single result with Venice, as mentioned above. The QB is a great athlete who can sling it, but just sometimes is a bit inaccurate. If he's ON, it's lights out for the opponent.

 

For Lakeland, the key is that they play with an edge. If they play flat, or are timid, TBT will advance to the Final Four. Also, Lakeland must be crisp with the new QB, completing the passes that are there, avoiding turnovers, and keeping the defense off-balance with the play-calling.

Sound like flipping Lou Holtz at ND building up the opposition in case he lost!!!!! LOL…..give me a break…..

Posted
On 11/26/2024 at 10:46 AM, Longtime Observer said:

TBT has ELITE skill talent, and a ton of size to go with it. They look imposing across the board. 

I see these huge teams and I wonder how these schools always grow these big dudes?  My two son's school (Palm Harbor) literally can't find a single dude over 250 lbs at the school of 2000+ for the line yet other schools are loaded with big dudes.  For Armwood, I know they are in a talent rich area but they also recruit because a lot of those guys transferred in on their DL.  I guess you don't have to grow em if you can recruit em?  I don't know anything about TBT and if they home grew their big guys?  I do know they get the best skill talent in Tampa directly out of the youth football system.

Posted
30 minutes ago, PinellasFB said:

I see these huge teams and I wonder how these schools always grow these big dudes?  My two son's school (Palm Harbor) literally can't find a single dude over 250 lbs at the school of 2000+ for the line yet other schools are loaded with big dudes.  For Armwood, I know they are in a talent rich area but they also recruit because a lot of those guys transferred in on their DL.  I guess you don't have to grow em if you can recruit em?  I don't know anything about TBT and if they home grew their big guys?  I do know they get the best skill talent in Tampa directly out of the youth football system.

They have some major transfers as well. The QB for most of the year was Hillsborough's QB in 2023. The RB came from Carrolwood Day. There may be others as well.

Posted

Lakeland's defense dominated the 1st half, with a pick-six, a fumble recovery and I think zero passing yards allowed to go with a shutout. The second half saw TBT switch QBs. And I don't know if it was Darryon Jones (announced so by the PA) or Dallas Wilson. But the kid wearing #4 was an elite runner and capable passer and he made a huge difference. Us Lakeland fans had better hope the play-calling was really poor. Because the offense was putrid the second half and most of the game. They may not have gained a first down in the second half. They were up two TDs for most every possession, so that may have factored in to the conservative play calling. Their 2nd half points were produced exclusively by two Shanard Clower kick returns, one a TD and the other set Lakeland up at the TBT 25 with seconds to play. I think he got injured on that last return, but couldn't tell for sure.

By my unofficial stats, Lakeland's QB has NEVER thrown a pass on 1st down from under center when the starters were in...the entire season. They almost always run from that look and almost always get very little yardage. Defenses have to know this too. Which means they'd better be ready to mix in a healthy dose of PA passes on 1st down vs. STA, or they will be forced to try to beat STA with an offense that might not score any points on STA's weakest defense in years (decades?)

Posted

The Celtics had the leprechauns in the Boston Garden.  Lakeland must have some sort of ancient mariner on a ghost ship at Bryant Stadium.  When TBT tied the game at 21 with 49 seconds left we thought with how lifeless the Dreadnaughts offense had been this thing was going to OT.  Nope!  Shanard Clower pulls off a multiple reversing field kickoff return to put Lakeland in the winning field goal position.  Of course they make the field goal causing a mass rushing of the field chasing senior placekicker Calum Muldoon to  the end zone at the other end of the field for a massive dogpile.

TBT has nobody to blame but themselves for losing this ballgame.  It’s not that Lakeland didn’t deserve the victory but the Titans 2 quick turnovers to start the game practically spotted the Dreadnaughts 14 points.  The TBT kickoff team gave up a TD as well as the aforementioned return leading to the winning field goal.  

We all know the greatness of the Lakeland Dreadnaughts program but the magic of Bryant Stadium should get some credit too.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...


  • Posts

    • I think the argument is this:  if 'free adults are allowed to give gifts to poor kids who happen to be good at sports,' we move from an amateur environment into a professional environment.   Historically, high school sports, college sports and even the Olympics were reserved solely for amateur athletes.  Within the last couple of decades, the barriers for professionals started to erode for the Olympics.   You may recall that Jim Thorpe won gold medals in track in the 1912 Olympics, but was stripped of those medals because he had played minor league (or "semipro") baseball prior to participating in the Olympics.   Ultimately, those medals were restored a few years ago.  The USA Olympic basketball team used to be comprised only of college players.  Now, it's all pros (with one or two college stars).  Within the last 5-10 years, NIL changes have permitted college athletes to receive compensation. Before then, the rules in place for decades allowed college student-athletes to receive room, board and tuition.  The $100 post-game handshakes from alums in the locker room and brown paper bags filled with money - although they happened everywhere - were illegal (and arguably still are; they just don't happen as much because the athletes can receive money legally through NIL). The NIL world is quickly filtering down to the high school level.  However, the rules in most all states, and certainly in Florida, are rooted in the concept that only amateur athletes can compete in high school sports.   And if you allow athletes to receive gifts, or otherwise compensate them or their families, such athletes are no longer considered amateurs.   Simply put, the rules has always been that if you get compensated to do play a sport, you are considered a professional.  And professionals cannot participate in amateur sports.  Again, the rules in place (FHSAA Rules) are rooted in a clear distinction between amateur sports and professional sports.  There was a clear line that is slowly becoming more and more blurred. If you want the argument as to why the rule makes sense, I think it is this:   there is a certain beauty in amateur sports, knowing that everyone who is playing is playing for the love of the game and not for money.  Everything changes once you start compensating athletes.  As I have stated before, the concept of compensation is a slippery slope.  What do you allow and what don't you?   FHSAA rules prohibiting impermissible benefits were written before Uber even existed. But the rule is pretty clear:  if you give something to football players that you don't give to all other students, that's an impermissible benefit - especially if the benefit is given to entice a kid to come to your school.   If you allow schools/coaches/alums to compensate kids to play sports, then you take away the somewhat-level playing field.  And, over time, certain schools will dominate high school sports because they will have the financial wherewithal to attract the most talented athletes.  While this might be good for the handful of select, talented athletes, everyone else suffers.   I guess the real question is whether we just want to eliminate the distinction between amateur athletics and professional athletics altogether and simply allow the free-market system to play out for all athletes and all schools?  If you're inclined to answer this question with a "yes," I have only six words for you:  be careful what you wish for.   
    • Yes of course big shot, how dare anyone try to help some young man out with a generous offer from his own pocket! Did the new pinstripe suits arrive yet from Brooks Brothers, F. Lee Bailey, Clarence Darrow Jr?!  
    • ESPN quotes Bridgewater's Facebook post as follows:  "The suspension came from MNW and it's impossible to suspend someone who doesn't work for you.  So if im suspended from MNW im free to go to another school of my choice but IM NOT GOING ANYWHERE. "And if it comes down to it, I will volunteer from the bleachers like I used to in 2018 and 2019 when no one had a problem." Honestly, it seems like the guy has a bit of 'the rules don't apply to me' or 'I don't have to follow the rules' mentality. 
    • Yeah, where is Darter Blue? I didn't scare and chase him off like I did other posters, did I?!   
    • Yes it's true and the alumni president stepped down. From what I read the alumni president went downtown or wherever and said something. I don't know if Teddy rubbed someone the wrong way but this is what I read. But see here's the thing about this situation. Northwestern has a strong alumni and community support. Half if not all the politicians in politics graduated from Northwestern and local pastors. If this was such a big issue something should have been said way before now and I think because Teddy asked for donations this all came about. Teddy has the money to take care of these things but why should he go broke doing it.
  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...