SPCjessica2004's 2015 Class 3A Preview

[Landobound]

Looks like Oxbridge lost to a pretty good Carol City (Miami) team last night 28-14. Not sure if that necessarily says too much about their chances in the 3A picture.

-On a side note, I'm interested to see if it will be business as usual with TCJax taking care of the North.

 

[SPCjessica2004]

Cat-Scratch,

I actually went to the JaxTCA vs Ocala Trinity game. JaxTCA's defense took a hit, but, to me- there is no question they're still the best team in the North of 3A. Their offensive firepower is impressive and the defense still has the playmakers to frustrate other offenses.

Now, let's not mince words- this is NOT the same OTC from the past few seasons- this is a very young OTC team and they're going through some growing pains- I do think OTC will win their district; however, they're clearly laying the groundwork for the future right now.

Will JaxTCA walk to Orlando? Right now (Keep in mind, we're in week 2) my opinion is that JaxTCA should get through rounds 1 and 2 perfectly fine; however, they'll play either Berkeley Prep or Tampa Catholic in the Final 4. My preseason pick is Berkeley Prep to face JaxTCA, and I'm sticking with it- even though the Media in Tampa/Central Florida is banging the Tampa Catholic drum pretty hard due to Nate Craig-Myers and Devan Barrett. I think if Berkeley Prep is healthy, they can give JaxTCA a competitive game. That said, it's not a given that BP will get there; however, I'm giving them the nod based on experience, playmakers and coaching.

Oxbridge Academy, to me, will hit their stride in 2017. Yes- they beat Gulliver Prep; however, and again I'm being honest- I think there's about 6-7 teams in 3A that would beat Gulliver Prep. Now, I'm impressed they shut them out; however, again- not mincing words, Oxbridge has set their program to only be judged by how they do against American Heritage.

Make no mistake, American Heritage is the team to beat in the South in 2015; however, as I mentioned in my previous- I don't think they'll walk to Orlando either.

 

[TCMan]

Cat-Scratch,

I actually went to the JaxTCA vs Ocala Trinity game. JaxTCA's defense took a hit, but, to me- there is no question they're still the best team in the North of 3A. Their offensive firepower is impressive and the defense still has the playmakers to frustrate other offenses.

Now, let's not mince words- this is NOT the same OTC from the past few seasons- this is a very young OTC team and they're going through some growing pains- I do think OTC will win their district; however, they're clearly laying the groundwork for the future right now.

Will JaxTCA walk to Orlando? Right now (Keep in mind, we're in week 2) my opinion is that JaxTCA should get through rounds 1 and 2 perfectly fine; however, they'll play either Berkeley Prep or Tampa Catholic in the Final 4. My preseason pick is Berkeley Prep to face JaxTCA, and I'm sticking with it- even though the Media in Tampa/Central Florida is banging the Tampa Catholic drum pretty hard due to Nate Craig-Myers and Devan Barrett. I think if Berkeley Prep is healthy, they can give JaxTCA a competitive game. That said, it's not a given that BP will get there; however, I'm giving them the nod based on experience, playmakers and coaching.

Oxbridge Academy, to me, will hit their stride in 2017. Yes- they beat Gulliver Prep; however, and again I'm being honest- I think there's about 6-7 teams in 3A that would beat Gulliver Prep. Now, I'm impressed they shut them out; however, again- not mincing words, Oxbridge has set their program to only be judged by how they do against American Heritage.

Make no mistake, American Heritage is the team to beat in the South in 2015; however, as I mentioned in my previous- I don't think they'll walk to Orlando either.

Jess... I think you are accurate in your assessment. OTC is simply not a typical OTC team at this point in the season. I think the coaching change / transfer of players and loss to graduation hit them harder than many expected. Against TCJax, the game was basically over in the first 7 minutes. Against Jesuit, it appears they kept it close for a half but lost pretty badly in the end.
I have tremendous respect for OTC and trust that the new coach will get things going throughout the season. As for TCJax, this may be the most explosive offensive that TCJax has had in a number of years. There are playmakers at every skill position that can cause real problems for any 3A defense. If the O-line comes together throughout the year, it could be as dangerous an offense as any 3A team in the state. As for the D of TCJax, they definitely took a hit, but this might be the quickest defense that TCJax has had in a while (excluding last year). They run to the ball so well that long, multi-play drives are hard to sustain against them. Against a good 4A Ribault teams last week, TCJax held Ribault to under 60 yards of total offense for the game, while racking up over 400 yards on offense. We will know more tomorrow night in a Rivalry game against the #1 team in 2A - University Christian. It's at UC and they have yet to give up a point this season. Should be a good one.

 

[SPCjessica2004]

TCman,

Thanks for the input! I was treated very, very well my the JaxTCA fans, they even embraced my child, so as far as I'm concerned, class program! I live in Orlando and knew this was my only chance to see JaxTCA in person- I'm really glad I did!

JaxTCA to me is just as good as anytime I've seen them in recent years, it's just a different type of good this year. According to a few fans, they mentioned the U. Christian game is a rivalry and then there was talk about a team named West Orange- I've never heard of them myself.

This week I'll be traveling to American Heritage DelRay to watch AHD vs Glades Central and next week to CCC to watch them play Groveland South Lake.

I'll be posting some updated thoughts on 3A after these games.

 

[Cat_Scratch]

Good posts Jess and TCman. Starting to believe in Trinity Jax again this year. I was uncertain at the start of the year because of what they graduated and what I was hearing about AHD and Oxbridge,
Both Oxy and AHD have fallen from my high opinion of them. AHD understandably because Bergen Catholic is for real this year. Maybe the best team in the Northeastern part of the USA. Oxbridge just was not ready for Carol City when I would have thought they should have handled them. I was thinking Oxy would have developed more after playing Cocoa in the Spring game and getting the win. Not to take anything away from Oxbridge, but Cocoa didn't play any Seniors including the QB or Howard Stewart who is only a Sophomore and will be the next Cocoa phenom when he is a Senior.
Should be some decent regional games in 3A this year, and I agree with you on both North and South teams meeting in Orlando in Sept. with AHD and Trinity Jax for another interesting game.

 

[Cat_Scratch]

I normally blog the Cocoa games on the National board if anyone is interested, they will play IMG Academy in Bradenton. Will be a tough game for Cocoa.

 

[swett2victory]

Who's SPCJ

 

[SPCjessica2004]

Cat_Scatch,

Thank you very much! I'll make sure to follow your thread. I'm not selling the house on American Heritage because they lost to Bergen Catholic, I don't think any 3A team..scratch that..I don't think many teams in Florida could go win there. At the start of the season, I didn't feel AHD was a 10-0 team this year..so I'm not going to act surprised when (gasp) they don't go 10-0

What I want to see is how the Stallions bounce back against a competitive program in Glades Central. I know Glades is historically a superpower; however, I've heard they've tappered off a little bit over the past few seasons. If the Stallions come out and handle their business, then the Bergen Catholic game becomes a blip on the radar...if they lose to Glades..it'll put a big magnifying glass on them. Still, I want to see them myself before coming to any rash conclusions.

I always felt from the start that Oxbridge was going to hit their stride in 2017. They whopped up on Royal Palm Beach last night with star RB Travis Homer scoring 3 TD's; however, I just think AHD has a more complete team. What I think is interesting is that Oxbridge and AHD will most likely play twice this year.

I also don't want to sell Westminster Christian short either. They lost to a very good Sebring team in a game that was called in the 3rd quarter when Westminster was making a comeback- so, had that game finished, we'll never know who would of win. But, the game was called and it was considered final. But this is another program with some really good athletes that has a history of making deep runs in small school football.

 

[Cat_Scratch]

I forgot about Westminster, and they should never be forgotten. Very good point to bring them into the conversation. They very well may have something to say about the south region. What do you think about Clearwater CC? Looks like they have a tough schedule coming up soon. Are they north or south this year?

 

[SPCjessica2004]

In my preseason poll, I had CCC ranked #3, I've since moved them up to #2. They went on the road and took it to Berkeley Prep, who, as previously mentioned is my pick to play JaxTCA in the final 4. They followed that up by going on the road and decimating Class 2A runner-up Indian Rocks Christian 34-0. IRCS has 2 D-1 running backs and the Marauders held them to 14 total yards at halftime in that one. They're on the road tonight against a decent but not great 5A DeSoto County team and then play a strong but youthful 6A Groveland South Lake team next week. I personally will be attending the CCC vs South Lake game, as it's one of the biggest games in the Tampa Bay area.

CCC is in the South, Region 3. The region consists of CCC, St. Pete Catholic, Clearwater Calvary, Cardinal Mooney, Melbourne Central Catholic, Holy Trinity and John Carroll. CCC coming off 3x consecutive regional championships, as you could imagine, is a heavy favorite in the region.

I'll go into more depth on them and other teams after week 3 is in the books

 

[Cat_Scratch]

Sounds like the South Region is gonna be a good one come playoffs. Great job reporting Jess. Looking forward to next week already with Cocoa getting pounded by IMG, I just have to know if IMG is really that much better than the rest of the Nation. Sorry to jack the thread by bringing Cocoa into it but since they lost to Oxbridge, it's hard for me to concede that they are not at the top of 4A. I will just have to wait for the season to play out. LOL... It's going to be a long season as far as I'm concerned.

 

[LonnieFarmJimmy]

Where might SPCjessica2004 be these days?

 

[peezy28]

She posts on the other site

https://floridahsfootball.com/forums/index.php?/forum/48-the-huddle/

 

[DarterBlue2]

She posts on the other site

https://floridahsfootball.com/forums/index.php?/forum/48-the-huddle/

Florida Varsity lost a great poster. Jessica knew 3A football!

 

[peezy28]

She bounces around probably saw more foot traffic over there so went that way. She used to post on BCP too

 

[swett2victory]

So she only left because of Traffic?
Is she a reporter?
Her words are freaking DELICIOUS and RICH. That chick MUST have a Doctorates Degree. Geezz

 

[peezy28]

That was an assumption on my part not sure why she doesn't post here anymore

 

[Columbiahighfan]

Ahe bounces around probably saw more foot traffic over there so went that way. She used to post on BCP too

I bounce around between 3 different boards but probably on that one most because of 3 reasons

1 I'm a moderator over there

2 i have most posts over there

And 3 i usually get more responses to posts over there lol

 

[LonnieFarmJimmy]

In my preseason poll, I had CCC ranked #3, I've since moved them up to #2. They went on the road and took it to Berkeley Prep, who, as previously mentioned is my pick to play JaxTCA in the final 4. They followed that up by going on the road and decimating Class 2A runner-up Indian Rocks Christian 34-0. IRCS has 2 D-1 running backs and the Marauders held them to 14 total yards at halftime in that one. They're on the road tonight against a decent but not great 5A DeSoto County team and then play a strong but youthful 6A Groveland South Lake team next week. I personally will be attending the CCC vs South Lake game, as it's one of the biggest games in the Tampa Bay area.

CCC is in the South, Region 3. The region consists of CCC, St. Pete Catholic, Clearwater Calvary, Cardinal Mooney, Melbourne Central Catholic, Holy Trinity and John Carroll. CCC coming off 3x consecutive regional championships, as you could imagine, is a heavy favorite in the region.

I'll go into more depth on them and other teams after week 3 is in the books

Where did she go?

 

[gatorman001]

Where did she go?

She still post at Floridahsfootball.com on their "Huddle" forum page , but not as frequently as she once did here.

Go Canes Go!

 

[peezy28]

Family life....

 

[Silver King]

Man we used to have some great football chicks on here before some of our Neanthradals ran 'em off.