Middle School Football

[Phac Nam]

Gentlemen,
I watched my first middle-school football game last week - first middle-school game I've seen in twenty years, that is. Have things progressed this much in two decades? I remember seeing middle-school teams running basic football on both sides of the ball...it was more of a "teach them the basics" game a couple decades ago. But, what I saw a couple days ago was vastly different. Spread. Shot gun. I heard one guy (I think someone's grandfather) say, "the QB is about to call a fair catch on the snap!" Is this just the progression of the game? Is shot gun so prevalent now, that installing spread offenses are now considered basic building block type stuff? I figured, after so much time away, that the game would have passed me by...but I had no idea. Is this a middle-school coach who is trying to do something that he shouldn't be...or is this the norm anymore? Help out an old vet who is trying to catch back up.

 

[peezy28]

Where was this middle school game at. Not many still do that in Florida.

 

[riverrat1961]

JV is 7th through 9th grade in our area

 

[Phac Nam]

Clay County

 

[Phac Nam]

peezy28, budget cuts in the state is the culprit I assume?

 

[peezy28]

JV is 7th through 9th grade in our area

Wow didn't know that I am used to the 9th and 10th JV

 

[riverrat1961]

Trenton is a Middle/High School so the 7th through 12th grade is all on the same campus, Some of the better 8th and 9th graders that can play varsity are moved up. We had a 8th grader start on defense in 2012 as the state runner up in 1A. Some of the schools in our area are 9th and 10th JV like Newberry, Dixie, Chiefland the old 2A crew and the old 1A crew like Trenton, Bell, Hawthorne, Branford, and Bronson are all 7th through 9th

 

[Phac Nam]

riverrat1961, how long have you been at Trenton (if you don't mind me asking)? I used to read this board a lot - and post a little - years ago and I remember a RiverRat from Deland. Just curious if you're the same guy...understand if that's TMI.

 

[riverrat1961]

I have been here 55 years never been to Deland,

 

[Phac Nam]

good for you! Not the "never been to Deland" part...but for the 55 years!

 

[Cat_Scratch]

Cocoa runs a 7th -9th Freshman team. JV can play anyone one 8th and up as well as the varsity. We had an 8th grade kid starting last year until he was hurt.

A lot of areas in Brevard have League ball starting at 6 years old and up to 16 years old.

Also Pop Warner is popular here.

Most of the smaller teams run from a basic formation. QB under center, run right, run left. Run up the middle. When they hit 12 and up they start playing out of the gun spread with some passing.

 

[peezy28]

Do you still see a lot of your high school aged kids playing Pop Warner?

 

[Phac Nam]

Cocoa runs a 7th -9th Freshman team. JV can play anyone one 8th and up as well as the varsity. We had an 8th grade kid starting last year until he was hurt.

A lot of areas in Brevard have League ball starting at 6 years old and up to 16 years old.

Also Pop Warner is popular here.

Most of the smaller teams run from a basic formation. QB under center, run right, run left. Run up the middle. When they hit 12 and up they start playing out of the gun spread with some passing.

that makes sense, then...it used to be that the spread had back-tracked from college ball to the high schools...now, it has permeated from high school teams to middle school teams...I guess I look at it and see certain skill sets that I would think are beyond what middle-school aged kids possess...

 

[Neutral 0bserver]

I have been here 55 years never been to Deland,

Man, that's a real coincidence. Wavebb (guy who use to post here, but rarely do anymore) been livin in Ft. Myers since three years before water was invented. One day he tole Nu'Trelle he had never been to Deland. After a few of us wrote letters and Sheriff Scott sent a note, Wave's parole officer finally approved a trip.

When he got back, we axst him how it was an he said he meant to say he had never been to Deltona.

 

[riverrat1961]

Man, that's a real coincidence. Wavebb (guy who use to post here, but rarely do anymore) been livin in Ft. Myers since three years before water was invented. One day he tole Nu'Trelle he had never been to Deland. After a few of us wrote letters and Sheriff Scott sent a note, Wave's parole officer finally approved a trip.

When he got back, we axst him how it was an he said he meant to say he had never been to Deltona.

Well i do have family in Fort Myersbut i aint him

 

[Neutral 0bserver]

Well i do have family in Fort Myers but i aint him (Wavebb)

Nu'Trelle know you aint him. Wave cant stand it when people calls him that name. One nite when we was leavin out the casino, some dude called Wave "Riverrat." Wave pulled out a 9 and shot the man point blank. Nu'Trelle axsted "Why you shoot the man 8 times?" an Wave said, "Cause that's all the bullitts I had. Don't axst no more questions."

 

[Cat_Scratch]

Do you still see a lot of your high school aged kids playing Pop Warner?

Not in Pop Warner Peezy. Not often in League either unless they are skinny and small like I was at 16, but every now and then one plays League ball. All honesty though I have not watched any Pop Warner or League in the last 4 years.

 

[KateSullivanNoles15]

I coach middle school football in Tallahassee it popular here grades 6- 8

 

[tampa1]

Check out www.airo7v7.com


And yes all these cookie cutter offensive guru coaches know is the spread

 

[Phac Nam]

Check out www.airo7v7.com
And yes all these cookie cutter offensive guru coaches know is the spread

...this was my hunch

 

[JC-5]

River rat... Trenton put it on St. Joe... The Tigers back? St. Joe not good as last year? Good win for the Tigers Friday night...

 

[riverrat1961]

River rat... Trenton put it on St. Joe... The Tigers back? St. Joe not good as last year? Good win for the Tigers Friday night...

JC-5 We never left!!!!!!!! and Port Saint Joe aint bad but they need to get healthy

 

[JC-5]

Who knocked you guys out last year?

 

[riverrat1961]

Who knocked you guys out last year?

Hamilton County in the second round. I guess you could say we where down a little but we did finish 10 and 2 only loosing to Dixie and Hamilton.

 

[Phac Nam]

hard to call that down!

 

[riverrat1961]

I agree but some folks will say anything just to try and make Trenton look bad, (Not talking about you JC-5) Trenton has lost 5 games 1 game was to the State Champion Jefferson County in 2011, 1 game in 2012 to the State Champ Northview in the final, 2 Games in 2013 and 2014 to Dixie County and 1 Game to State runner up Hamilton in 2014 in the second round. I would think that's a very solid run with more on the way