....a good week of football. Thursday - Fort Pierce Central @ St Lucie West in a HIGHLY entertaining game won 34-32 by FPC. I thought FPC overlooked them, but SLW has a decent QB with a live arm and 3-4 guys who are tiny, but can fly and are had to tackle in space. Key play (IMO) came early in the 2nd when FPC was leading 14-0 and driving again, when they completed a pass across the middle for a 1st down, but the WR was stripped and it was scooped by a SLW DB for a 70 yard TD and two point PAT to make it 14-8. Central led 28-16 at half, and was set to receive the 2nd half kickoff. Everyone in the stands thought SLW would try another onside kick, but evidently not FPC, as they kicked a little looper about ten yards to the side, and a kid from FPC looked at the football like it was some alien animal with claws and fangs that just dropped out of the sky, and SLW recovered, scored and cut it to 28-24. FPC finally secured the win after stopping SLW around midfield with 3 minutes to go and picking up three first downs to take a knee. Great effort by SLW, who lost their starting QB to what appeared to be a serious injury late in the 4th, as he had to be loaded into an ambulance. His mom posted the next day that he was fine and at home. FPC lost standout WR AJ Hill early in the 2nd with what appeared to be a knee injury.  Friday - Eau Gallie @ Atlantic with Mr. Cannon sitting with us. Eau Gallie has some really good, young athletes, but very little depth and a lot of kids playing both ways. After trading scores in an entertaining first half that saw EG cut it to 27-18 with 4 seconds to go on an electrifying 61 yard TD run by QB Xavier Lherisse, Atlantic's speed and athleticism took over and sophomore QB Pedro Martinez led them on multiple scoring drives in the 48-18 win. Martinez is cat quick and deadly throwing on the run. I don't know if they will beat West Boca this week, but they are capable of it. That's a dangerous offense when things are clicking.  Saturday - East St Louis, Illinois @ IMG. It was our first trip to IMG. Fantastic facilities and campus, including a luxury hotel. These were (obviously) two big, fast and physical teams. IMG won 38-14, but it was a far more competitive game than that. ESL threw a pick six, lost a fumble at the IMG 5 on 1st and goal, gave up a 97 yard kickoff return to open the 2nd half, and had a 1st and 10 at the IMG 13 and came away with nothing. The moved the ball fairly consistently, but IMG had too many fresh bodies for them on a day that hit close to 90 degrees by the time the third quarter was over. I'd give them an A+ on facilities, but an F on game atmosphere. No band, no cheerleaders, piped in music and sound effects all led to a sterile atmosphere. Throw in a small crowd and a day game, it really didn't have that feel of a high school game. BTW, it should be against the law to start a football game before 6 PM in the state of Florida. Speaking of the crowd, hats off to the 200+ fans from ESL who made the trip. They were REALLY loud from start to finish, and reminded me a lot of Miami NW fans with their support. It was a pleasure sitting with them. Gotta mention the drive over and back. We had originally planned to go out to the beach, then spend the night, but after sitting out in the heat, we were zapped, so we came back to The Fort. The drive (we went to Venice last year as well) is mind numbing with cattle ranches, prairie grass and utility poles lining the road. My wife kept dozing off on the way back and I cut the air way down and in my face to help me stay  awake.    If nothing changes, we're going to hit the Martin Bowl on Thursday for Jensen Beach @ Martin Co and of course, the Muck Bowl on Friday and tailgate with Mr. Cannon and whoever else wants to join us as we dine off the food trucks. 

What the hell has happed to Apoopka and Wekiva this year? West Boca vs Atlantic Delray  Lake Mary vs Bishop Moore Edgewater vs Boone Sanford Seminole vs Booker Bolles vs Columbia  St Augustine vs Mandarin Lakewood vs Kissimmee Osceola Port Charlotte vs Zephyrhills  Berkeley Prep vs Alonso Bishop Verot vs Miami Palmetto Mosley vs Florida High Fletcher vs Jax TC Wiregrass Ranch vs River Ridge Wekiva vs Apopka

Lol I had a rough week

Chaminade 55   Atlantic Delray    Bishop Moore   Boone   Booker   Columbia    St Augustine   Lakewood   Zephyrhills    Alonso   Miami Palmetto   Mosley   Jax TC   Wiregrass Ranch   Apopka