Jones at Edgewater

[DarterBlue2]

Edgewater scored an impressive 28-14 win over Jones at home. Jones scored first (I did not see this as I thought the game started at 7 and not 6), so I missed the first eight minutes of play. Edgewater then scored three in a row, two coming in the first half and the the third in the third quarter. Jones then scored just before the end of the third quarter to cut the lead to 7. Alas for them, a comeback was not in the cards as Edgewater scored in the fourth to take a 28-14 lead. 

The margin of victory was within a point of their victory over Bishop Moore. The only difference is that while BM was in the game till midway through the 4th, this game was essentially over when Edgewater took the 21-7 lead. The difference between Edgewater and Jones was largely in the line play and the quality (or lack thereof) of Jones's punting.

This sets up a very intriguing game between Jones and Bishop Moore this Friday. Based on both teams' performance against Edgewater, this would seem to be a very close game. However, I think Edgewater has improved since the BM game, while I am not sure BM has improved (even after tossing the Archbishop Spalding game out the window). The offsetting factor is that Jones plays this game on only three days rest and tonight's game was very physical with both teams getting banged up some.

The winner of this game will almost certainly win the district and a playoff spot. Given that this is the north bracket of 5A this team could go far though I would not expect either to beat the south's representative.  

On the Edgewater side, that district will be decided between them and Wekiva. I am inclined to favor Edgewater at this juncture as the current team is ahead of last year's and reminds me of some of the Bill Gierke coached teams from 2001 through 2006, three of which got to the large class finals only to lose to Miami based teams. Alas, either Edgewater or Wekiva would face a very formidable opponent in Lakeland if they want to make the title game. At this stage I don't see that happening. However, the season is still young and things may seem different by the time the playoffs roll around. 

[HornetFan]

I have to agree that the Jones - BM game has become more interesting. I wasn't at the Edgewater - Jones game, but I understand Jones changed QB's during the game trying to spark some offense. Edgewater was able to exploit BM's weak secondary play, something that has plagued BM in every game this season. If Jones has questions at QB, it could help BM. Of the three teams BM has faced so far, Edgewater's QB is the #1 rated junior in Central Florida, Gainesville Eastside has Anthony Richardson at QB, a UF commit rated #1 QB in state of Florida. Archbishop Spalding QB is nationally ranked and committed to Virginia Tech. Yes, our secondary has been shredded, but it does say something when you look at the QB's they have faced. BM's lines have been strong this season. The running game has been productive against very tough defenses; the passing game has produced also. BM has been burned by long passes and sweeps. If they play a Jones team coming off three days of playing a big game and Jones has questions at QB, this could be an opportunity for BM to pull an upset. One thing, BM doesn't quit, even when they were in a beatdown by AS, they still played hard. I expect a good game.

[DarterBlue2]

2 hours ago, HornetFan said:

I have to agree that the Jones - BM game has become more interesting. I wasn't at the Edgewater - Jones game, but I understand Jones changed QB's during the game trying to spark some offense. Edgewater was able to exploit BM's weak secondary play, something that has plagued BM in every game this season. If Jones has questions at QB, it could help BM. Of the three teams BM has faced so far, Edgewater's QB is the #1 rated junior in Central Florida, Gainesville Eastside has Anthony Richardson at QB, a UF commit rated #1 QB in state of Florida. Archbishop Spalding QB is nationally ranked and committed to Virginia Tech. Yes, our secondary has been shredded, but it does say something when you look at the QB's they have faced. BM's lines have been strong this season. The running game has been productive against very tough defenses; the passing game has produced also. BM has been burned by long passes and sweeps. If they play a Jones team coming off three days of playing a big game and Jones has questions at QB, this could be an opportunity for BM to pull an upset. One thing, BM doesn't quit, even when they were in a beatdown by AS, they still played hard. I expect a good game.

The QB Jones played is okay, but he is not as nearly as good as the three you mentioned. While I favor Jones, I do believe this could be a close game, and I would not be terribly surprised if Bishop Moore won it. It may well be a good game to watch.