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I think that’s why this one hit Vero folks so bad, it was obviously for the state championship and it took Vero 44 years to get back there. Lenny is a great coach, has built Vero into what it is, but definitely had a pattern of panicking and over thinking things when the pressure gets the worst.    Anyone who has watched Vero during these situations has seen it repeatedly - we’ve all commented on it to ourselves and each other, but Lenny is definitely a “my way or the highway” type of guy when it comes to the offense. His refusal to listen to his staff hurt them at the worst possible time in the worst possible way. Hopefully this experience will allow him to finally listen to reason when people are trying to talk him out of making it more difficult than it needs to be.  Was the coaching decisions the only thing that cost them the game? Absolutely not, but it most certainly led to Lake Mary having the opportunity to win.  I’m with you though, teams like this don’t come around here but once in a lifetime, so I personally feel Vero squandered their best shot to win it all again. 

I saw your post earlier, and had to thunk on it a tad. Against Palmetto we are up by 14 and on the 50 yard line.We had just recovered a fumble.Time to run and run the clock out...No, we run a double reverse and loose 15 yards.. Once again failed to put a team away. I like Coach J, but he is not a championship style coach. This one sticks in my craw a tad. Watched Billy Graham crusade repeats on the long drive home, to seek forgiveness for some of my dadgum language. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!  

If the open division doesn't contain AHP, Lakeland, Armwood, STA, Chaminade, MNW, Venice, West Boca and Miami Central then it is utterly useless.  Basically, all of the NIL/recruiting teams need their own division. I'm still stunned that almost the entire West Boca team doesn't even attend the school.  How are people okay with this?  I can't blame the kids for doing what's best for them, but those schools should be playing each other since it is utterly unfair for a paid all-star team to play any team that does things the above-board way.  One or two recruits can be difference makers so a team full of transfers is just stupid.

Now that the dust has settled on the 2025 playoffs, we can look at the 8 teams that would have been placed in the Open Division had it been in effect this year, and how they fared in this year’s playoffs: #1 DeLand – lost in regional finals #2 Cardinal Mooney – won 2A championship #3 Vero Beach – lost in state finals #4 Buchholz – lost in state semifinals #5 Miami NW – lost in state finals #6 Mandarin – lost in regional finals #7 Carrollwood Day – lost in state semifinals #8 Bolles – lost in state finals The net effect is that only the 2A bracket would have had a different champion (although granted that Vero and MNW could have gone the other way).  But as it stands, the 7 other classifications would have been largely unaffected by the presence of an Open Division under the current selection criteria.  Obviously, using the FHSAA rankings seriously undermines the intent of the Open Division (i.e. placing the 8 “best” teams in one bracket).  And if many, if not all of us, can see that the FHSAA rankings are a problem, why can’t the FHSAA figure it out?  (Never mind, I answered my own question)

I see more schools leaving FHSAA for SSAA.  FHSAA might have some one team districts.