Central Florida Top Teams 2022

[Nolestrong]

Seminole

Dr. Phillips

Edgewater

BMC

West Orange

Osceola

[HornetFan]

12 hours ago, Nolestrong said:

Seminole

Dr. Phillips

Edgewater

BMC

West Orange

Osceola

I would add Jones, Apopka, and Winter Park to that list. Maybe drop DP and WO.

[DarterBlue2]

3 hours ago, HornetFan said:

I would add Jones, Apopka, and Winter Park to that list. Maybe drop DP and WO.

Dr. Phillips should be in the mix but I agree with the additions. Also, I don't know the ages and grade levels of most of the Boone offensive players, but if they return most of them, and can strengthen their defensive unit, they could make some noise next season, too. 

[DarterBlue2]

Finally, Lake Mary may also be in the mix. I know they are not a traditional football power, but they return a D1 QB, and gave Apopka fits twice this past season. 

[KeemD321]

What about any Brevard teams?

[DarterBlue2]

2 hours ago, KeemD321 said:

What about any Brevard teams?

Cocoa will for the foreseeable future be good. Rockledge seems to be back to its old self. What's the situation with Viera? I did not expect them to beat Edgewater, but thought they could have at least kept the game respectable. 

[HornetFan]

On 1/3/2021 at 5:12 PM, DarterBlue2 said:

Finally, Lake Mary may also be in the mix. I know they are not a traditional football power, but they return a D1 QB, and gave Apopka fits twice this past season. 

Lake Mary usually fields a good team, plus their feeder system from youth football is very good. They're never an easy win for any opponent.

[DarterBlue2]

1 minute ago, HornetFan said:

Lake Mary usually fields a good team, plus their feeder system from youth football is very good. They're never an easy win for any opponent.

They are always well coached and disciplined. What they have lacked in the past is team speed. This, more than anything else, has prevented them from making a deep run. This year was their best, getting to the Regional final. And, they could easily have won the rematch with Apopka. But for a blocked field goal and blocked extra point, and an interception in the end zone, LM would have likely won. 

[HornetFan]

7 minutes ago, DarterBlue2 said:

They are always well coached and disciplined. What they have lacked in the past is team speed. This, more than anything else, has prevented them from making a deep run. This year was their best, getting to the Regional final. And, they could easily have won the rematch with Apopka. But for a blocked field goal and blocked extra point, and an interception in the end zone, LM would have likely won. 

My youngest grandson (QB) plays on a very competitive 18 and under 7v7 team during the Winter and Spring with two of Lake Mary's best players from this past season, a WR and a DB. He says they are both very talented. The team also has 8 of Seminole HS' top skill position players. After practicing with the Seminole kids for the past three weeks, he said it's no surprise they won the 8A state championship. 

[DarterBlue2]

2 minutes ago, HornetFan said:

My youngest grandson (QB) plays on a very competitive 18 and under 7v7 team during the Winter and Spring with two of Lake Mary's best players from this past season, a WR and a DB. He says they are both very talented. The team also has 8 of Seminole HS' top skill position players. After practicing with the Seminole kids for the past three weeks, he said it's no surprise they won the 8A state championship. 

Agree. Even if Columbus, Deerfield Beach and Western had played in the playoffs (two could not and one chose not to), I think Seminole would have still won 8a. 

[HornetFan]

5 minutes ago, DarterBlue2 said:

Agree. Even if Columbus, Deerfield Beach and Western had played in the playoffs (two could not and one chose not to), I think Seminole would have still won 8a. 

I saw something on their Twitter page that Seminole's varsity, JV, and Freshmen teams all were undefeated last year; that's impressive, even with limited schedules.

[KeemD321]

On 1/4/2021 at 9:07 PM, DarterBlue2 said:

Cocoa will for the foreseeable future be good. Rockledge seems to be back to its old self. What's the situation with Viera? I did not expect them to beat Edgewater, but thought they could have at least kept the game respectable. 

I see Viera being on the same level they were on this past season. They didn't have the fire power they had in seasons past but a lot of players did step out of the shadows that were supporting players to the stars that left. 

[HornetFan]

Luke Rucker, highly rated sophomore QB at Oviedo, has transferred to Seminole HS starting this semester. It looks like they found a replacement for Timmy McClain, who has committed to USF for college.

[DarterBlue2]

12 hours ago, HornetFan said:

Luke Rucker, highly rated sophomore QB at Oviedo, has transferred to Seminole HS starting this semester. It looks like they found a replacement for Timmy McClain, who has committed to USF for college.

Oh boy, the rich get richer. Oviedo is not even close to Seminole. If he had transferred to Orange County school, Timber Creek, that would have made more sense. Clearly a sports move on the part of Luke. 

[DarterBlue2]

12 hours ago, HornetFan said:

Luke Rucker, highly rated sophomore QB at Oviedo, has transferred to Seminole HS starting this semester. It looks like they found a replacement for Timmy McClain, who has committed to USF for college.

Just took a look at some of his highlights. Kid has a stronger arm than Timmy did as as Sophomore. Also, although he is listed as a prostyle QB, he is quite mobile. If Seminole has a comparable set of receivers to this past season, the offense will not miss a beat. 

[HornetFan]

On 1/9/2021 at 8:02 AM, DarterBlue2 said:

Just took a look at some of his highlights. Kid has a stronger arm than Timmy did as as Sophomore. Also, although he is listed as a prostyle QB, he is quite mobile. If Seminole has a comparable set of receivers to this past season, the offense will not miss a beat. 

I went to the Oviedo - Winter Park game this season and WP totally ate Luke's lunch. Luke does well if he has time to set up and look downfield. If he's hurried, he has problems. My oldest grandson, the DE at WP (11 sacks this past season), had about 8-10 good pressures on Luke, including a sack for a 15 yard loss. Three of the pressures led to off balance throws and three interceptions by WP. Luke will have better pass blocking at Seminole as once again, they will be loaded at just about every position. He's a good kid; I hope it turns out to be a good move for him. His transfer totally devastates Oviedo's offense[ I think their next QB in line is about a 5'8" freshman. 

[HornetFan]

On 1/9/2021 at 8:02 AM, DarterBlue2 said:

Just took a look at some of his highlights. Kid has a stronger arm than Timmy did as as Sophomore. Also, although he is listed as a prostyle QB, he is quite mobile. If Seminole has a comparable set of receivers to this past season, the offense will not miss a beat. 

I think Luke is more accurate than Timmy, but Timmy has a cannon for an arm. Timmy was always a threat to run where Luke is more a pro style QB. No doubt he'll be better off football wise at Seminole; his receivers will be very good. My youngest grandson has 10 of Seminoles skill position players on his 18 and under 7v7 team this winter and he says throwing to them makes the game easy; they're that good. And, their DB's, including the Henderson twins, are amazing. 

[DarterBlue2]

6 minutes ago, HornetFan said:

I went to the Oviedo - Winter Park game this season and WP totally ate Luke's lunch. Luke does well if he has time to set up and look downfield. If he's hurried, he has problems. My oldest grandson, the DE at WP (11 sacks this past season), had about 8-10 good pressures on Luke, including a sack for a 15 yard loss. Three of the pressures led to off balance throws and three interceptions by WP. Luke will have better pass blocking at Seminole as once again, they will be loaded at just about every position. He's a good kid; I hope it turns out to be a good move for him. His transfer totally devastates Oviedo's offense[ I think their next QB in line is about a 5'8" freshman. 

I think the bolded words say it all. When he has some time to survey the field, he's accurate and a strong arm. He also moves around well in the pocket. With normal development, he will be at least a three star and will play at the next level. Of that I am pretty sure, having seen many quarterbacks over the years in the area. He reminds me of a kid that played at Olympia over a decade ago. I believe his name was Trevor Seimian (sp). He ended up at Northwestern in Illinois and was a mid round draft pick in the NFL draft his senior year. 

[HornetFan]

1 minute ago, DarterBlue2 said:

I think the bolded words say it all. When he has some time to survey the field, he's accurate and a strong arm. He also moves around well in the pocket. With normal development, he will be at least a three star and will play at the next level. Of that I am pretty sure, having seen many quarterbacks over the years in the area. He reminds me of a kid that played at Olympia over a decade ago. I believe his name was Trevor Seimian (sp). He ended up at Northwestern in Illinois and was a mid round draft pick in the NFL draft his senior year. 

Luke has an offer from FAU already, and I'm sure more will come, especially playing at Seminole. At 6'3", he has good size and an accurate arm. He should have a better pocket at Seminole than he did at Oviedo, but if he gets flushed out like he did at WP, and a team like Apopka will have the talent to apply that pressure, he throws some wayward passes.

[DarterBlue2]

6 minutes ago, HornetFan said:

Luke has an offer from FAU already, and I'm sure more will come, especially playing at Seminole. At 6'3", he has good size and an accurate arm. He should have a better pocket at Seminole than he did at Oviedo, but if he gets flushed out like he did at WP, and a team like Apopka will have the talent to apply that pressure, he throws some wayward passes.

No doubt, but he will only be a junior next year. In other words, he is still a work in progress. But, as of now, he is a very good work in progress. At Seminole, assuming he is the starter, I look for him to have a banner year and pick up a bunch of offers. I honestly think this kid has a lot of upside potential. I am surprised Edgewater did not make a play for him, as their starting QB graduated. They (Edge) have a lot going for them in the market right now, as they went toe to toe with St. Thomas two years in a row.  

[HornetFan]

1 minute ago, DarterBlue2 said:

No doubt, but he will only be a junior next year. In other words, he is still a work in progress. But, as of now, he is a very good work in progress. At Seminole, assuming he is the starter, I look for him to have a banner year and pick up a bunch of offers. I honestly think this kid has a lot of upside potential. I am surprised Edgewater did not make a play for him, as their starting QB graduated. They (Edge) has a lot going for them in the market right now, as they went toe to toe with St. Thomas two years in a row.  

Luke and my youngest grandson , both QB's and juniors next year, are friends and spoke a few weeks ago about the Seminole opening. Aidan asked Luke if he was transferring and Luke was a little evasive, but it was obvious he was going that way. They were both trying out for QB of a 7v7 team loaded with Seminole kids and Luke was asking those kids a bunch of questions about the Seminole team. I don't think he would have been as good a fit at Edgewater. I think Seminole will be more accepting of him coming in. His competition will be Andrew McClain, a senior and Timmy's younger brother. They also have a very good freshman QB at Seminole.

[DarterBlue2]

4 minutes ago, HornetFan said:

Luke and my youngest grandson , both QB's and juniors next year, are friends and spoke a few weeks ago about the Seminole opening. Aidan asked Luke if he was transferring and Luke was a little evasive, but it was obvious he was going that way. They were both trying out for QB of a 7v7 team loaded with Seminole kids and Luke was asking those kids a bunch of questions about the Seminole team. I don't think he would have been as good a fit at Edgewater. I think Seminole will be more accepting of him coming in. His competition will be Andrew McClain, a senior and Timmy's younger brother. They also have a very good freshman QB at Seminole.

Although it is just as long a drive, Seminole would be an easier commute due to 417. For even if he took the 408, he would have to deal with the downtown Orlando traffic to get to College Park (all this assumes that he will actually choose to attend class and not virtual, but given he will be on the team, that is likely). With that said, I think Edgewater would be accepting of him. And, they have some good receivers both coming back and others waiting in the wings.

Regardless, it leaves Oviedo with big holes to fill. Before Haggerty, Oviedo used to be a solid team year in and year out, and probably the second best team in the county. Since the opening of Haggerty, they have usually not been the same.  

[HornetFan]

1 minute ago, DarterBlue2 said:

Although it is just as long a drive, Seminole would be an easier commute due to 417. For even if he took the 408, he would have to deal with the downtown Orlando traffic to get to College Park (all this assumes that he will actually choose to attend class and not virtual, but given he will be on the team, that is likely). With that said, I think Edgewater would be accepting of him. And, they have some good receivers both coming back and others waiting in the wings.

Regardless, it leaves Oviedo with big holes to fill. Before Haggerty, Oviedo used to be a solid team year in and year out, and probably the second best team in the county. Since the opening of Haggerty, they have usually not been the same.  

Edgewater loses several of their best skill players to graduation this year. Orange County is not like Seminole County. Kids tend to move between teams more frequently in Orange. With Boone making a move towards being a good team, and with Jones, WP, DP, and Bishop Moore being relatively close neighbors of Edgewater, it's easy for kids to transition. Also, Evans has just hired a popular new HC. Competition for players in Orange can be intense. Seminole doesn't really face that in Seminole County where they are usually the elite team, and the kids in Sanford are very loyal to Seminole HS. Both schools, Edgewater and Seminole, have great coaching staffs, but I think Seminole is the best fit for Luke if he gets the starting QB position, which I think he will..

[DarterBlue2]

47 minutes ago, HornetFan said:

Edgewater loses several of their best skill players to graduation this year. Orange County is not like Seminole County. Kids tend to move between teams more frequently in Orange. With Boone making a move towards being a good team, and with Jones, WP, DP, and Bishop Moore being relatively close neighbors of Edgewater, it's easy for kids to transition. Also, Evans has just hired a popular new HC. Competition for players in Orange can be intense. Seminole doesn't really face that in Seminole County where they are usually the elite team, and the kids in Sanford are very loyal to Seminole HS. Both schools, Edgewater and Seminole, have great coaching staffs, but I think Seminole is the best fit for Luke if he gets the starting QB position, which I think he will..

Evans has hired an alum of the school who played on the team that shared the large class 5a title with Miami Southridge in 1991 when Bill G coached there. He has had some success coaching at Jones and then Wekiva, before coaching at the college level for a few years at FIU. KL spent over a decade in the NFL, so he has the credentials both as a player and coach. No doubt there is a lot of talent living in Pine Hills. So, if Lang can assemble a solid staff and is given enough time, he has an opportunity to resurrect his Alma Mata. But it is not an easy task. He must first get buy in from the administration, and then convince kids zoned for Evans that a new day is dawning at the school. For years, they lost many of their better footballers to a variety of high schools (principally west of I-4) in Orange County. 

I certainly think Coach Lang has a chance to restore some punch to the Evans' program, but it won't be easy and the results of his efforts may take at least three years to be manifested in performance.  

[Pipe Dreams]

Drop Dr. Phillips?

Their 2022 class has powered the team the past two years.