Class 3A- The Finals

[mbhs69]

What a game is right.  Great recap Broward.  This may have been the best chip game this year.  Back-n-forth scores early on,  refs let em play,  no on-field antics,  shutdowns followed by big plays on both sides,  tension,  longshot play-calling on 3rd's and 4th downs,  comebacks,  and that late, final CM creeping drive that sealed it with just seconds left.  They were so well-matched that it's hard to put a razor between them.  They both brought the best out of each other,  and neither deserved to lose.

Any idea if this game video will be on youtube or elsewhere?

Lane's been out for at least the last 3 games.  Smith hadn't played since the Palm Beach Lakes game in early November.  Also out was the Ox junior punter #19 and senior center #70.   CM had a couple players hurt and out during the game - #11 WR, and #51 RG, not to mention that Shivers is said to be banged up in the 2nd half - though you''d never know it from how well he continued to carry the rock.

On that Ox drive to the CM 11 yard line to start the 3rd qtr with the score 21-14,  - the call to go for it on 4th and 7 is likely a regrettable decision now,   although Ox had been showing success on 4th downs.  The Ox sophomore kicker is 26-36 on PAT's  and 3-4 on FG's this season,  his longest being a 24 yarder.   He's not an automatic like CM's Longman,  then there's woulda, coulda, shoulda, - but it is what it is.   

Ox's junior 6'1", 195 lb QB Gio Richardson rose to the occasion, played the best game of his life putting the team on his back and executed against a relentless, in-his-face CM D line,  slinging it against a formidable CM secondary stocked with numerous D1's.  This young man turned a corner yesterday and is now at the next level.  His post-game interview video shows alot about his character and will. > http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/highschool/football/palm-beach/fl-sp-oxbridge-3a-final-20171209-story.html

Richardson's gonna be worth watching next season.  CM's Menard is another talented kid who's gonna make a difference next year.  It will be interesting to see how this level of team competitiveness and quality affect both programs next season.

Congrats to a superb Lions team .... State Champions.

[BrowardHandicapper]

11 hours ago, OldSchoolLion said:

 

I had the same question about OA not attempting a field goal.  I thought kicking/special teams game made a huge difference in this game, beyond the winning field goal.  OA gave CM the ball on CM's 40 yard line or better on the opening kickoff and after each of OA's first two scores.  CM's kicker made OA start four of their drives on the 20, and OA only scored on one of those drives.  Give CM's offense an opportunity like that and make your offense drive 80 yards against a defense like CM's, and you are putting yourself behind the eight ball.  I just read CM's kicker made 19/20 field goals this season-quite a season.      

Along with OA's secondary challenges due to injury, Chaminade's qb played the game with a torn muscle in the shoulder of his throwing arm.  Heard he injured it this week during practice and had trouble raising the arm yesterday.  With the cold weather, that arm must have been hurtin' come the fourth quarter.  

Very good point with the special teams difference.  CM's QB still had some money deep balls with that shoulder.  Hopefully he has a speedy recovery and can rest up for the spring after a grueling schedule and season.

[BrowardHandicapper]

Here are some highlights:

 

 

[SPCjessica2004]

I can easily see Gio Richardson and Menard being 2 of the top 5 QB's in the state next year.  Oxbridge has a slightly better group on offense coming back, while Chaminade has IMHO, one of the best secondaries in America in 2018 with Keontra, Deidrick Stanley II, Tecory Couch and Mayo moving to CB.

The question is going to be scheduling. I don't think Chaminade can schedule the teams they have the past 2 years without taking some serious bruises, or some significant transfers. Chaminade already had a difficult time getting games last year and those games were 1 year agreements, not contracts. So, they maybe on the hook for scheduling up to 7 games this year. I imagine they'll need to look toward the Apopka/Dr, Phillips, Cocoa, Northwestern, Jax Trinity's to fill out their 10 games.

Oxbridge will need to keep their schedule light as well, but the question everybody is waiting to see is how the team approaches the offseason. Is the school going to let guys transfer in that maybe aren't the highest IQ guys. The base is there for the team to be successful, but if you take away the Senior class things start looking thin. Still good enough to get to Orlando, but the north will be very competitive in 3A next year, while the south will still come down to the same 3 teams it has for years.

This off season will be very interesting.




 

[OldSchoolLion]

 

 

1 hour ago, SPCjessica2004 said:

I can easily see Gio Richardson and Menard being 2 of the top 5 QB's in the state next year.  Oxbridge has a slightly better group on offense coming back, while Chaminade has IMHO, one of the best secondaries in America in 2018 with Keontra, Deidrick Stanley II, Tecory Couch and Mayo moving to CB.

The question is going to be scheduling. I don't think Chaminade can schedule the teams they have the past 2 years without taking some serious bruises, or some significant transfers. Chaminade already had a difficult time getting games last year and those games were 1 year agreements, not contracts. So, they maybe on the hook for scheduling up to 7 games this year. I imagine they'll need to look toward the Apopka/Dr, Phillips, Cocoa, Northwestern, Jax Trinity's to fill out their 10 games.

Oxbridge will need to keep their schedule light as well, but the question everybody is waiting to see is how the team approaches the offseason. Is the school going to let guys transfer in that maybe aren't the highest IQ guys. The base is there for the team to be successful, but if you take away the Senior class things start looking thin. Still good enough to get to Orlando, but the north will be very competitive in 3A next year, while the south will still come down to the same 3 teams it has for years.

This off season will be very interesting.



 

 

Chaminade's defense will be reloading, and should feature a lot of talented seniors.   Concerning the secondary, the four named above all have D1 offers.  As if that is not enough, they also have Ahmaud Jordan and James Williams, both seniors-to-be with D1 offers who could play as defensive backs.   Florida commit Cameron Williams will be a beast next year at DE, and junior-to-be DT  William Moise, who already has multiple D1 offers, can replace some of the beef Chaminade is losing on the D-line.

On offense, Menard is ranked in the top 15 qb's in the state by qbhitlist.  The O-line should be solid, with four seniors and anchored by 6'3" 320 lb Jimmy Nixon.  There should be at least two others in the 300-pound or greater range.  Thad Franklin, a freshman who already has D1 offers, can serve as running back.  He is already listed at 6' 190 as a sophomore, so it will be a very different look compared to Shivers.  He got playing time at qb this year whan Menard was injured.  Chaminade has three talented sophomores at WR who all saw playing time.  One is 6'3 and am guessing he will be getting a lot of attention next year from scouts. 

And, of course, who knows what transfers they might pick up now that they are state champs.  I don't see any glaring holes next year and could definitely see them back in the state championship game with a host of D1 recruits.  The biggest challenge will likely be replacing Shivers and what had to be one of the most talented receiving corps in the state.    

  

 

[SPCjessica2004]

1 hour ago, OldSchoolLion said:

 

 

Chaminade's defense will be reloading, and should feature a lot of talented seniors.   Concerning the secondary, the four named above all have D1 offers.  As if that is not enough, they also have Ahmaud Jordan and James Williams, both seniors-to-be with D1 offers who could play as defensive backs.   Florida commit Cameron Williams will be a beast next year at DE, and junior-to-be DT  William Moise, who already has multiple D1 offers, can replace some of the beef Chaminade is losing on the D-line.

On offense, Menard is ranked in the top 15 qb's in the state by qbhitlist.  The O-line should be solid, with four seniors and anchored by 6'3" 320 lb Jimmy Nixon.  There should be at least two others in the 300-pound or greater range.  Thad Franklin, a freshman who already has D1 offers, can serve as running back.  He is already listed at 6' 190 as a sophomore, so it will be a very different look compared to Shivers.  He got playing time at qb this year whan Menard was injured.  Chaminade has three talented sophomores at WR who all saw playing time.  One is 6'3 and am guessing he will be getting a lot of attention next year from scouts. 

And, of course, who knows what transfers they might pick up now that they are state champs.  I don't see any glaring holes next year and could definitely see them back in the state championship game with a host of D1 recruits.  The biggest challenge will likely be replacing Shivers and what had to be one of the most talented receiving corps in the state.    

  

 

You're correct, that's a lot of talent returning.  But, my point isn't about Chaminade's talent which we're in agreement with- as long as the Step-Up Scholarship and McKay Scholarship's are available- Chaminade will use it to get guys in, like all private school do. My point is, who is Chaminade going to play?  The Lions are about 1 year away from being forced into 5A the way that JaxTCA was. I've already spoken to multiple coaches in the Miami/Broward area and none of them are willing to play Chaminade again unless they're a national powerhouse (AH-P, Miami Northwestern). My point is also, Chaminade is talented- but I can see some blowouts if they have to play a national schedule, the 2017 could handle it- the 2018 team, remains to be seen.

The key to Chaminade's success from what I've seen and spoken to their coaches about is that the team isn't completely built from transfers. They have a core group of guys that rose together through the tough times and put Chaminade on their back and ended their career's with a well deserved championship. I don't see nearly the same desire in the underclassmen that I did the seniors, even Shivers called them out publicly for being selfish on twitter midway through the season.

As a fan, I wanted to root for Chaminade. A lot of those guys have lost family members in brutal ways- you wanted to root for them if you know their personal stories.  Those guys cared and put their heart into it- it wasn't a championship is was the fulfillment of a promise they made to each other.  Don't get me wrong- I still have Chaminade as #1 until a 3A team beats them and I hope they continue to win, it makes 3A look good.





 

[OldSchoolLion]

1 hour ago, SPCjessica2004 said:

You're correct, that's a lot of talent returning.  But, my point isn't about Chaminade's talent which we're in agreement with- as long as the Step-Up Scholarship and McKay Scholarship's are available- Chaminade will use it to get guys in, like all private school do. My point is, who is Chaminade going to play?  The Lions are about 1 year away from being forced into 5A the way that JaxTCA was. I've already spoken to multiple coaches in the Miami/Broward area and none of them are willing to play Chaminade again unless they're a national powerhouse (AH-P, Miami Northwestern). My point is also, Chaminade is talented- but I can see some blowouts if they have to play a national schedule, the 2017 could handle it- the 2018 team, remains to be seen.

The key to Chaminade's success from what I've seen and spoken to their coaches about is that the team isn't completely built from transfers. They have a core group of guys that rose together through the tough times and put Chaminade on their back and ended their career's with a well deserved championship. I don't see nearly the same desire in the underclassmen that I did the seniors, even Shivers called them out publicly for being selfish on twitter midway through the season.

As a fan, I wanted to root for Chaminade. A lot of those guys have lost family members in brutal ways- you wanted to root for them if you know their personal stories.  Those guys cared and put their heart into it- it wasn't a championship is was the fulfillment of a promise they made to each other.  Don't get me wrong- I still have Chaminade as #1 until a 3A team beats them and I hope they continue to win, it makes 3A look good.





 

Was sharing the talent outlook for next year just for kicks. 

I find it ironic that some of the bigger, public schools will not play some of the small privates now.  I share the following for some of the younger folks on the forum who may not have a limited historical perspective.  For MANY years, some private schools "played up" and got the snot beat out of them by the bigger public schools or had tremendous odds against them to ever win a state championship.  The existence of multiple, small, powerhouse private schools dominating in one season is a relatively new phenomenon.

As you'll see below, except for Bolles and Aquinas, no private schools ever got past the public schools in the larger classifications for many years.  

1969-1984, 4 classes, no private school won a state championship outside the lowest classification  

1985-1993, 5 classes(1A-5A), below are the state titles won by private schools in classes 2A-5A

1986 2A Bolles

1990 2A Bolles

1992 4A Aquinas

1993 3A Bolles

1994-2002, 5 classes(2A-6A), below are the state titles won by private schools in classes 3A-6A

1995 4A Bolles

1997 5A Aquinas

1998 3A Bolles

1999 4A Aquinas

For many years, some private schools were the doormats used to fill the schedule.  Between 1980-2000, Chaminade had poor-to-average teams for the most part.  I don't believe Cardinal Gibbons had a lot of success then either.  For years these teams sucked it up and got beat, and now that the tables have turned, it sounds as if some of those teams who pounded them in the past are saying "no thanks."

I can hear some saying, "But playing them nowadays has higher stakes with the playoff scheme."  Rest assured, there were big stakes back then.  There were some small, good private school teams playing in the big boy leagues whose choice to do so likely cost them a trip to the playoffs.    

So, some of the older private schools having success now paid their dues.  If it was OK to beat up on them for 20 years, it should be OK to give them a chance to exact some revenge for a while.   

We usually don't get to stack the deck in our favor in adulthood, so why not let the kids learn some good life lessons-the exhilaration of winning against the odds and the pride in knowing you chose to face the strongest foe, even when things don't work out.  Must be a bitter pill this year for those kids at Booker T, but bet they will look upon things with a different perspective when they get older.  Bravo to that coach for taking the high road.    

    

              

[BrowardHandicapper]

More highlights:

 

 

[SPCjessica2004]

Joe Pinkos final 3A Power Poll:

CLASS 3A POWER 5
1. Chaminade-Madonna (11-2) 201.5
2. Oxbridge Academy (10-2) 196.8
3. Clearwater Central Catholic (11-1) 183.8
4. Melbourne Central Catholic (8-4) 182.8
5. Tampa Catholic (7-4) 178.0

I'm going to be creating a new thread soon to wrap up 2017 and look to 2018 and then sign off until Spring of next year to focus on household stuff.

[BrowardHandicapper]

Anyone that missed this game might be worth a peak: