Vero is a well run team, but has had trouble with penalties, and the 18 they received in the championship certainly helped towards the loss. As far as the coaching miscues, yes, in my opinion, they were part of a trend of over thinking and panicked clock watching decision making. Vero has tended to play not to lose instead of keeping their foot on the gas to win the game, it almost cost them in the semi’s and obviously everyone saw what happened in the final. 

You are right, teams can get better (coaching, graduation, and 8th graders becoming 9th graders). I am not saying teams shouldn't try to get better, I just think the system doesn't allow incremental growth without gaming the system. Some coaches realize that they need to schedule down, so they do. I just want the FHSAA to help coaches to do that. They might be winners, but are they winners against similar competition? For years, there would be a team from the Pasco County area that would go 9-1 and make the regional finals only to be running clocked when they faced a team from way outside their area. They were winners, but not against quality competition. But again, teams that are consistently regional finalists would be playing against teams that are also consistently regional finalists. That would be a better comparison for their level than winning against a bunch of teams that are not competitive. 

The sad part is that the FHSAA could compete. These schools are clamoring for competitive play more than anything else, and the FHSAA system does not foster that. Look at the teams that are moving to the SSAA; most of them have not been competitive in the FHSAA system. I believe that kids, communities, parents, coaches, and administrators want to play in competitive games, not blowouts. I don't think MegaElite High School intends to play a non-Elite high school in a district game any more than the non-Elite high school does. I think the program and the sport grow when games are competitive — even if both teams are not very good — rather than playing running clock games. Sometimes running clock games happen, and there is nothing you can do about it. But when they happen because they are forced during the regular season by a system that continually creates running clocks, it becomes frustrating for everyone involved. The FHSAA needs to be willing to rip the band-aid and create a promotion/relegation system. I would bet most of the teams in the SSAA would be in 1A or 2A, where they would face similar schools. At the top of the pyramid, we would have 32 genuinely competitive teams, with no guarantee that school X, Y, or Z will win the state championship. While I haven't done the research yet, I imagine all the teams that played at FIU would probably be in Class 6A (top level) in my promotion/relegation league. Even if that was the Elite 8 of a playoff, would anybody be willing to guarantee a victory for one of the teams? 

Here's what I don't understand about people who say we need bigger classes. They often point to Georgia, Georgia's classes range from 79 (for the smallest schools) to 58 (for the largest schools).    Actually, I am willing to bet that most states don't have classifications with 100 team classes. I think some of the answers are a little simpler, decrease the number of classes per region to 3 (especially if we are using a rating system instead of district champs/runner-ups). This accomplishes the goal of larger districts, ensures the best teams get in, and doesn't water it down. This is where I make my promotion/relegation pitch, but I will save it for next week once the classifications/MaxPreps rankings are done for the year. 

I’m glad I’m not the only one who didn’t have a  “neutral observation” reading their comments lol