23 Reasons Why Hillsborough County Has Been Great in 2011…
1. The obvious. I’m going to start with the coaches. I’m not even going to name names. It’s the fellas that lead these young men. Those that couldn’t run the bread machine at Subway eventually get exposed. It’s not just measured in the present either. The testament comes from what’s happened beyond their days with these young men. It’s no longer a cliché. Coaches are asked to do insane things for about enough money to cover the checked baggage fees for their summer vacations. Hillsborough County is great from a coaching standpoint because of those that win or stay competitive despite poor records WITHOUT the wholehearted backing of the administration or the lack of community support (i.e., Boosters.) There’s a ton of staffs that work with laughable resources. So laughable that it’s infuriating; so infuriating that you start laughing again to keep from crying. It’s not a socioeconomic thing either. There are staffs that could have the world at their disposal but choose to fit round pegs into square holes. Again, no names just making a statement about what I see.
Just as remarkably great are those that win with less every year despite all of the “peripheral” madness that comes with the standards of winning nowadays. They deserve credit too. I call it the “Phil Jackson Principle” Like him or not, you can’t do what he’s done by mistake. Just because you have all that talent doesn’t mean you know what to do with it. Just because a woman’s pretty doesn’t mean she ain’t crazier than Robin Williams and requires more maintenance than American Airlines MD-80. You have to know that going in and meet the challenge. The best will get hated on, but when they get their rings they get their time to shine too. That’s how it goes in my world. No matter what you do in life. So I give credit to the coaches of Hillsborough County for their contributions to greatness.
2. The next obvious. We talked about the creators of the X’s and O’s; now let’s talk about the Jimmy’s and Joe’s that compliment said schemes. They’ve obviously made this county great with their contributions on the field, as well as off. It’s not THAT easy being a kid anymore. It’s not THAT easy to be a nationally-recognized athlete in this era AND be a kid anymore either. I’ve often wondered if they will sit around like the old-farts sit around romanticizing their experiences as KIDS. That might be something you nor I may not be able to fully comprehend.
Even as recent as the 90’s unless you were a freak of nature you didn’t get this kind of exposure until you were already in college or the league. It’s the blessing and the curse as I’ve said. Same goes for you too though PLAYAS. You have to know what to do with what you’ve been given as well. Some of y’all think your games are Hall of Fame worthy and couldn’t fill up a Burger King Bathroom with the common sense and actual game you have. Stay grounded. Stay focused. Stay hungry. Stay grinding. In everything you do. Stay great. Stay Hillsborough County great like you’ve shown already.
3. The Marching Bands. I couldn’t wait to get to this one. Actually I’ve been waiting all dadgum season to get to this one. I’ll move to the side the ones I’ve seen often like Plant and Countryside. This year was fun (and great) for me because of some of the bands themselves. I still have the Bloomingdale-Chamberlain game listed as one of my favorite games from this year and last. If you’re band is bobo, you gots to go-go. Give me drums, horns, and make it loud. Don’t play no damn John Phillips Sousa, play Lil’ Jon and Weezy. Okay not always, but I’m just saying. Play the entire Marching 100 Catalog or any of your assorted college teams’ bands. Give me Southern Univ.’s version of Cameo’s “Neck” and then flip it with Cookman’s Version. (If you know your stuff, you know one is like chopped and screwed compared to the other.) When I saw Bloomingdale’s Buses pulling into Chamberlain I honestly had no idea. It reminded me of Lake Brantley or Spruce Creek from my neck-of-the-woods. Obviously Plant seems to have found the copy to 94.1’s playlist, but pound-for-pound I’m putting TBT, Chamberlain, and Robinson as favorites along with Hillsborough from last year. I want to make mention though I haven’t covered Blake or King (who come highly recommended) which means I’m missing all the pieces to the pie. I’ve driven past Steinbrenner many a Saturday and from the Veterans I can see them giving up what is valuable free time. Kudos to your commitment and thanks for making the atmosphere’s in Hillsborough County great.
4. How about the fans? Welp. Okayyyy, I guess you guys get a little bit of love too. NOW LISTEN, this has nothing to do with a bunch of you, but there are some complete morons and a-holes in the stands. And that’s just Pop Warner. I kid, but you know that I know what time it is. Fans that get their props in this piece are the ones that show up in masse in their colors, work the concessions, cheer their butts off, get pissed, get happy, but go home and prepare to do it all over again the next Friday home or away no matter the result. I guess what I’m trying to say is the parents, guardians, friends and families deserve a spot in the equation as well. This even includes those of you that no longer have kids playing, but get on the message boards or make your way out to the stadiums. You’re just as important a piece to the puzzle. Shows that you care in my eyes, and that’s all anybody can ask or hope for in this day and age.
5. Finally I’ll give you the most important and the greatest thing about Hillsborough County Football this year. We came off of a season in which 3 of our teams were in the finals, while one happened to fall a game short. This year, we’ve got 5 in the Regional Finals in 5 different classes. Of those 5, there are four that have been legitimately discussed to win a ring. We had 3 teams, not 1 play major out-of-state competition this year finishing with a winning record. What am I trying to say? Hillsborough County should change it spelling to w-i-n-n-i-n-g. Or it should change its motto to “Hillsborough County Football. Almost There.” No matter what happens from here on out, Hillsborough is on the fast-track you guys. Greatness achieved; greatness yet to be determined. Make it happen Hillsborough!
~Doug
6. “Armplanjesuther” – While together it’s a jumbled mess, separate, the schools dominate area high school football. Armwood, Plant, Gaither and Jesuit are loaded with potential and now there is little doubt that the four will make a run at bringing Hillsborough County another state championship in 2011.
7. Former flops reach success – It’s one of those “feel good story” seasons around the area. From Gaither missing the postseason 2 years in a row to now competing for its first berth into the state final four…ever. And growing programs like Steinbrenner (7-3 in only its second full varsity season) and Sickles, who has made huge strides as a contender under Head Coach Brian Turner, the county is loaded with talent that will thrive in the future.
8. Helllllo National Spotlight – If the continuous state championships in previous seasons weren’t enough, those outside of the county (and outside of Florida) were treated to some good ‘ole Hillsborough County football on the ESPN family of networks. Not one…but two schools, Armwood and Jefferson, showed their stuff against cross country opponents. While the Dragons fell, Armwood scored victory against Bishop Gorman in the Nevada desert.
9. Continued Dominance over Pasco County – While Pasco County’s true test will come against Jesuit tonight when Pasco High School welcomes the Tigers to Dade City for a shot at the Final Four the regular season saw the continuation of Hillsborough’s stronghold over its neighbors to the north. School’s like 2010 district champion Wiregrass Ranch (mind you they lost nearly 30 seniors to graduation) fell flat in the newly redrawn districts to “beatable” opponents. Sunlake and Hernando were the only other two to see true success by reaching the playoffs and Hillsborough yet again has its grip on Pasco, who by the way hasn’t won a state title since the early-90s.
10. Talent, talent, talent – There is no better showcase for area athletes than Hillsborough County. From the entire Armwood football team to Jesuit quarterback Tommy Eveld (brother Bobby is a quarterback at University of South Florida) and speedster Xavier Johnson at Chamberlain, the area is sizzling with top prospects and future stars. There is simply no better place to find a five-star player in the region.
~Jeff
11. Better coaching. In my opinion it’s the coaches that we have in our area today. Whether it’s in high school or college. When I was in high school Hillsborough County was not a favorite to get past the 1st round in some districts. Nowadays it’s different.
12. The FHSAA’s allowance of district runners-up to make the playoffs. Until then, there were a ton of great teams in Hillsborough that didn’t get to make it. Their seasons were cut short. We’re able to make a bigger impact as a county (especially this year) by this rule change from so far back. Took a while, but it seems like more than ever teams from this area are taking advantage of that.
13. Third reason has been the option that we now have in the county (and state) giving a kid the chance to go to another school if not being recruited by that football program and if that school has another area of studies that another neighborhood school doesn’t have. There’s much more to this equation, but these are my three opinions why the county has been getting better each year and specifically been great in 2011.
Remember…“Going solo can leave you SO LOW! With team there are no little i’s or big U’s, with Team T-ogether E-veryone A-chieves M-ore!” #Rev Run
~Willie
14. The Players: The young men who are going out every day and working. Blood, sweat, tears – win, lose, or draw – the guys who are going out there and laying it all on the field no matter the circumstance. From the 0-10 programs to the 12-0 … These guys prove the old cliché “winning isn’t everything” to be true. It’s about lessons learned. Growing as a team – growing as an individual.
15. The Teams: We have some of the best athletes in the COUNTRY here in Tampa Bay, but none of them can do this on their own. Five, count ‘em, five teams vying for a final four berth. That speaks volumes for itself, not to mention having three teams in the finals last year. Hillsborough isn’t ‘developing’ winning ways – the winning is here.
16. Historical Roots: Look at the college, professional football levels – you’ll see guys from Hillsborough. On top of driving the younger players to work that much harder we see ex-players returning to the Bay area. Former professional football players are head coaches. Star players come back as teachers, coaches and mentors. Tampa Bay has deep historical roots that keep getting deeper with every season – 2011 is no different.
17. Elite: What an elite program is in the eye of the beholder. Elite is a funny word. It holds different meanings to everyone. Football in Hillsborough County though shouldn’t be confused. It is elite. I mentioned it earlier. Three teams in the state finals last year (two bringing home championships). Five teams in the regional finals this year. From the Jefferson’s (three state title games) to the Armwood’s (four state title games) to the Plants (four state title games) and everyone in between; Hillsborough County isn’t just a “football town” it is a culture all its own.
18. Last, but certainly not least; Coaches: Without these men we wouldn’t have football. Without the men willing to put forth the time and effort it takes to manage 60+ high school students; without the men willing to sacrifice time with their families; without the men who have a love for the game we wouldn’t have a game at all.
Hillsborough County is here. It has been, 2011 is just another stamp to that already written testament.
~Kyle
19. Armwood and Plant — the excellence of these two programs forces other teams in the area to “keep up with the Jones” so to speak. Greatness begets the want for greatness. There isn’t one, let alone two; program in Pinellas County that propels other teams to do whatever it can to be elite. It’s the difference between going to International Plaza and Tyrone Square Mall. One requires looking and feeling the best often and always; the other just wants your attendance.
20. The long list of players from Hillsborough County competing on a high level in D1 and the pros motivates the prep players to be better, not just as good, than those players.
21. The combine and camp effect. The success of teams like Gaither, Plant and Sickles in 7-on-7 has carried over to fall ball.
22. The influx of professional players coaching.
23. Hillsborough – Represent! It’s the 813! It’s that side of the Bay. It’s the big city of Tampa. It’s the Buccaneers and USF Football down the road. Hillsborough players have grown up with this “feeling” and knowledge in their blood and they want everyone to know how great the county is.
~Chris