The following is a list of inquiries, statements and worries for the members of the final rankings of BCP’s Sweet 16 from last season representing what is on our collective minds as we approach the next three weeks and into the Fall. There are few guarantees in life, but one thing can be certain in this case. Some of these teams are being asked questions WE KNOW cannot be answered in a timely fashion and are not even going to make the Spring 2015 team rankings, much less make the fall preseason and eventually in-season rankings. That list will come soon enough. Other teams will simply be asked how much farther can they climb during the months to come. Here now are the questions, comments, concerns as we see them. NOTE: The list is in the order of finish following the last regular season game played.
1. Lakeland – Try not to over-think this, okay? Wooo-weee!! Hot takes disguised as questions right out of the starting gate. Well, not really such a hot take when you think about it. It should be taken as a bit of unsolicited-yet-somewhat-needed advice given their spring competition just got even more beneficial (albeit slightly tougher as they face two teams, not just one) breaking-in a new quarterback. The roster and the schedule are also set up for great success. So, yeah. R-E-L-A-X, execute and play good football; the rest of it is just noise.
2. Armwood – You guys do realize they’re still Armwood, right? Sure, there might be a ton of questions in terms of some of the youth that will be asked to play bigger roles this season, but even with only two quarters versus Tampa Bay Tech this spring, and although stiff tests exist throughout their schedule this Fall, we think it is fair to say that the Hawks are in position to be firmly knocking on the front door of postseason play again. Could be bumpy at times, but you guys do realize…oh, nevermind.
3. Plant – Who gets to be this year’s version of (insert RB “X” here) and rush for over a thousand yards? Really, that might be the most pressing question if it is even pressing at all. Much like the teams sitting just above the Panthers in the final rankings from 2014, they are just needing to stay healthy and not try to reinvent the wheel. There are playmakers at all the important positions and with experience as well. Plant will have quality tests in the spring (albeit just two quarters) against Jefferson and Robinson and they start with Venice and Colquitt Co. weeks zero and one respectively to start this Fall. Another year, another set of challenges; but ones we expect to be met though.
4. East Lake – Y’all are really gonna try and run the table in Pinellas again, huh? This isn’t a sarcastic question either. This is a legitimate “Oh-it’s-like-THAT” moment that has been developing since all of their “stars” were off campus. Turns out Bob Hudson and his staff are showing all of us why we must NEVER poke the bear unless we are ready to take those paws that come with it. They’ll play a resurgent Osceola (from Pinellas, not Kissimmee) next week, but they’re not fooling anybody with Sunlake, Largo and Lake Brantley in three of the first four weeks before starting district play. The Eagles are patiently waiting to explode on people that are doubting them.
5. Winter Haven – Things could get interesting this season for you guys, right? The Blue Devils are poised and in a position to create havoc in a district with Lakeland, Kathleen and Bartow. The 7A state runners-up (Kissimmee-Osceola) looms large for the crew during the season, but their schedule otherwise includes teams that smashed in 2014. Like, there are some REALLY good teams they ran through last season and their only blemish in the regular season was a 20-0 shutout to Lakeland. This is a team that should finish somewhere in the immediate vicinity they finished in these rankings last season.
6. Lake Gibson – If not this season, WHEN?!? No pressure or anything, right? Okay, that’s two questions but really the first one is what is of importance in this context. The roster is quite frankly one of the deepest in the entire region, much less Polk County. This might come down to a situation where the Braves are simply asked to follow the advice of Lakeland. All the way from breaking in the new QB, to simply blocking out the noise and playing football. The talent is already there.
7. Clearwater Central Catholic – Hello? Anyone there? The silence is deafening on Haines-Bayshore right now. That tell us one, if not both of these things. The first, the sting of that loss to Delray Beach-American Heritage in the playoffs has made them close the blinds and work twice as hard to make sure that isn’t happening again anytime soon, if ever again. The second thing that gives us the impression things are fine is that regardless of the win-loss record this season, the Crusaders are more than talented to get themselves in position to play in the postseason. Their spring game versus Clearwater is a primetime match-up on paper and will definitely give us a better read on the situation.
8. Lakeland Christian – How long does the adjustment period take? This is a squad that will have to sort a few things out following a phenomenal run the last few seasons. There is no shortage of talent and their brand new quarterback Tyler Wilkerson is not a brand new quarterback in terms of experience thankfully. Head Coach Wayne Peace is one of the best minds in the business when it comes to getting the most from his signal-callers, so even though the Vikings may not be a lock to be this high in the rankings come the immediate future, we aren’t going to rule them out as a team that will force us to find a spot for them at some point down the road.
9. Hillsborough – Is this going to be a “the-more-things-change, the-more-they-stay-the-same” type of season? Let’s face it, there are some pretty big shoes to fill at the quarterback position, but Armwood still stands in the way between the Terriers and a district championship along with a schedule that is going to be very tricky with a brand new leader that will eventually provide just as many sparks as the previous QB that is now off to Virginia Tech. Just like many other squads (ranked or not), Hillsborough has enough talent returning to give them more-than-enough chances to play beyond the first week of November if things come together as planned.
10. Bloomingdale – Y’all ever been to Pamplona, Spain? Okay, so that was random but it is highly doubtful the reference is lost in this sense. How about, have you guys ever heard of the American Athletic Conference? And would you be interested in taking the place of the “other” Bulls, if so? Sorry to bombard you with these inquisitions, but either way if B’Dale can keep their momentum from last season and run like they’re on a seek-and-destroy mission in a Swarovski Shop then this is a squad that finds themselves as weekly regulars in this poll.
11. Lake Wales – Do you know the way…to Belle Glade? So that was an interesting audible sprung on us before the games kickoff next week in Polk County when the Highlanders called-off their contest with Lakeland. Lake Wales finds themselves in a unique position that will be present when they take field down in “The Muck” and could (and should) be able to use it to provide perspective when they will face a quality set of district opponents along with an always stiff county schedule.
12. Lakewood – (See: Question #9 re: Hillsborough) Not because we have run out of questions to ask, it’s just that we feel like yet again this is a playoff team and one that will always find its way at some point. The Spartans aren’t exactly loaded, but their cupboard doesn’t exactly look like Publix before a tropical storm is about to hit either. A trip down to Miami to face the 8A runners-up Columbus Catholic awaits just around the corner this Spring. Lakewood (for better or for worse) is NEVER shy when it comes to finding the absolute toughest test regardless of roster strength this time of year. Would be best to watch them closer come August. Just sayin’
13. St. Petersburg – If they draw first blood, can they actually be beaten? This is a legitimate question. Yes, we know St. Pete’s entrenched in Pinellas’ toughest district by far and yes, we know their out-of-district schedule is formidable at the very least. However, we feel like the Green Devils are unmistakably one of the top five teams in the county and with the talent on that squad returning they could simply choke opponents like an MMA fighter with bad intentions once they get rolling. A VERY tough test versus Palmetto and stud QB Jack Allison awaits this Spring and could give us either solid validation or prove that we need to pump the breaks rather quickly in this sense.
14. Pinellas Park – How bad do you want it? The Patriots are one of those teams very similar to St. Pete in that once they’re ahead of you on the board and clicking on all cylinders on defense, there’s small chance you’re going to get the intended results for that night. Not always, but P-Park is not a team to be taken lightly whatsoever. Their well documented district is what it is, but a Spring contest versus Largo should give us enough info to confirm or deny whether or not the progression we feel has taken place this offseason is as substantial as we think it is.
15. Sickles – Things just got interesting, didn’t they? Well things got interesting last month following the much ballyhooed transfer of Chris Oladokun to the Gryphons. Their district includes several obstacles, but love or hate the move and where the move was to, Sickles and their staff will find a way for us to make sure the focus is on the performance and not the circus that has taken place to this point. What has been done, has been done. This team could be a very fun one to watch once the chemistry is set.
16. Indian Rocks Christian – First rule of finals club, don’t talk about what happened if you’re not wearing a ring from the finals club okay? The past is the past following IRC’s ending to 2014, and with a very tricky three team district that will test the Eagles to their limits there is precious little time to dwell on any of what happened in Orlando. If anything, the motivation is eerily similar to CCC’s and there are still playmakers everywhere on their roster. We must admit, it will be an uphill climb given the fact that there are literally dozens of teams that are capable of making the jump into the Sweet 16 this season, but for now we aren’t as worried about them as we were last December.