11-5   

I don't care what we call the classifications, but the goal (at least in this thread) is to create competitive games. I don't think they're loser divisions. They are competitively balanced classifications. Call them 2A Champions, Silver, or Platinum, but the goal remains that classifications based purely on size don't work.  Coaches currently don't love an OPEN division because it happens after the regular season. In other words, you have a great season, have high hopes of making it the final four for the first time in 25+ seasons, and now you are playing Chaminade Madonna and St Thomas Aquinas in Round 1 when you're championship-bound. If you know from the beginning that you will be in the 7A grouping, you have the ability to have realistic expectations of what your season might be.  Yes, districts will be bigger and travel will increase (for 5A and 4A). For 3A and 2A classifications, district travel would decrease because we no longer have to worry about size. A 600-student school and a 2400-student school could both play in the same district, even though they wouldn't have in the past. And last year's 1-9 team could be 8-2. Schedules change, coaches change. The purpose of using a 4-year average (with reclassifications every 2 years) would be to allow teams to move up or down slowly. The idea that one bad season drops you several classes doesn't sit well. Maybe it was a fluke, perhaps the schedule was more demanding, or maybe it was injuries or graduation. So yeah, if everyone around you is doing well, you might have to drop to become more competitive. Or maybe you are a 5-5 team but have a magical run for 1 season —you wouldn't automatically move. It is a sustained imbalance that would move you up or down, not just one bad season.    The problem with classifying based on transfers is that our wonderful state government doesn't care about transfers; they think transfers are perfectly fine and are great, as they believe in "school choice" at all costs. A system that would punish schools for getting transfers would probably not fly with them. Additionally, not all transfers are equal. If you get the 3rd string sophomore QB from the cross-town rival, he now counts towards that number.  ______________  Promotion/Relegation allows schools and communities to choose how committed they are to a sport or how they want to build their team. If a school consistently has net transfers out, that sucks. But at least they play other schools that would also be net negatives. If you are a school that doesn't get transfers, that needs to be ok as well. If a school wants to get 22 transfers in so that they could move up classifications, let them. 

No doubt, we made plays and ran the ball at will but hurt ourselves like we have all year on the offensive side of the ball.  Uncharacteristically, our defense normally can limit even top tier teams to only 2 or 3 scores gave up 35 which was completely out of character.  I agreed with your opinion on being competitive in the playoffs if we could clean those mistakes up, but it is awful late in the year to think that will change.  Regardless, in our region we should win the first round game and have a good chance even in the second.  Just don't see much hope after that going to Armwood.  Last year and in 2022, regardless of the rankings, pundits, naysayers, etc..,  I felt we had an even chance to beat the very best teams like Armwood, Buchholz, Vero and even Lakeland.  We ain't those teams this year.  Always pulling for them and hope so much they prove me wrong. 

That was a hard game to watch, they did everything to lose that game. It was similar to the Melbourne and Viera game, every time they got something going, penalty, dropped ball or fumbled snap.  They need to just get out of their own way and clean those mistakes up. I did see the long list of injuries but, if they get some kids back healthy and clean that up, I still see them making a deep run. As for the penalty you mentioned, that was just a bad decision by the Kowboy player trying to get a hit on the QB, the Qb was already being tackled by another defender for a stop on 3&6. He led with the crown and made contact, which gave Lake Whales a first down and the very next play took a shot and Purdy scored.  The Kowboy's defense has been better than I expected but every game i have watched they can't get out of their own way with unnecessary penalties.       

I like my idea the best. Lol.    5 classes, 100 teams give or take per class. That averages 6-7 teams per district.    if you acquire 7 football transfers, or net 5 whichever is least, you move to an open playoff bracket. Assuming you make the playoffs.    Problem with just picking a transfer number is teams lose players too. So just because you gain 7, if you lose 5 it’s not the same as someone else gaining 7 and losing none obviously.