Teams: Crescent City, Fort Meade, Frostproof, Pahokee, Pierson-Taylor
It should be, what it appears to be…
Pulled from the foundation of “it is, what it is” this district should pan out like it is on paper. Both Fort Meade and Frostproof are good enough to sweep through the district schedule to setup the showdown in Frostproof on October 30th to decide the champion. Things will get tricky though, now that Wildwood is out of the district due to lack of numbers, that leaves the Miners with two bye weeks in succession before hitting the road down to “the Muck”. Pahokee will be dangerous, but not un-beatable and both the Miners and the Bulldogs biggest challenge for district supremacy will be to navigate a three-week stretch in October. On 10/16, Frostproof hosts Pahokee, then hits the road to a trap game in Crescent City on the 23rd and then home for Fort Meade on the 30th of October. Fort Meade hits the road following the two-week layoff for away games at Pahokee and at Frostproof.
So keep those eyes on the prize…
Fort Meade and Frostproof are joined in the 1A rural south classification by some traditional heavyweights that are now fighting at a much more manageable weight class. Pahokee joins the fray of course, and there’s teams like Jefferson County, Madison County and Fort White in Region-III that are worthy challengers for the right to head to Orlando, but the expectations of a trip to states is what comes with the territory when you’re these teams, with these rosters and a wide-open window to get there.
And bring a good book…
This district by the time it’s over with will have some of its members reaching platinum status in their frequent bus traveler miles. The subtraction of Wildwood doesn’t effect either Fort Meade or Frostproof since they were scheduled to host the Wildcats. It doesn’t exempt either from making 300mi roundtrips to Crescent City up in Putnam County. It also doesn’t exempt Frostproof from heading up to the far reaches of northwest Volusia County to face Pierson-Taylor in a 250mi roundtrip during the season. Not to be outdone, Fort Meade also has a 250mi roundtrip ahead of them when they face Pahokee late in October.