JDHoss

Unless you have a kid playing on the team, in the band or a cheerleader, high school football is just another entertainment option competing with lots of other entertainment options. Smaller towns will typically do better because there are fewer entertainment options and its a typically tighter community. We have the same problem here in south Florida. The largest local school is Treasure Coast with an enrollment of over 3200, and most of their home crowds are in the 500-700 range, and they have a really good program. Vero Beach has some nice crowds depending on the opponent, but that's about it.

Wow, small world. We retired and moved here 4 years ago from Kingsport. Love living in The Fort. We'll usually see Vero play 2-3 times a season. It's the best atmosphere on the Treasure Coast, and we usually sit close to the old guy with the train horn. We wanted to go to the Muck Bowl this year, but Glades Central was just so bad and Pahokee drilled them as expected. Maybe it'll be more competitive next year.

Vero didn't have a bye. Last week was their open date. They are a little weak along the OL and don't have much of a running game this year. They do however have arguably the best receiving corps in the state in any classification, but when Aronson broke his hand against Martin Co 3 weeks ago, it killed the intermediate and downfield passing game. The backup can't throw much besides hitch passes and quick slants and unlike Aronson, is a little guy who doesn't give them anything with his feet. They do have a promising 9th grader in EJ White (6'3 190) who is crazy athletic, but very raw as a passer. He led them on their first TD drive last night with his running. Without Aronson though, they will struggle to get past Osceola or Treasure Coast, provided they beat Melbourne this coming Friday. You live in the Vero area? We're in Fort Pierce, but take in games all across the region from Fort Lauderdale to Belle Glade to Cocoa, depending on where the best game is.

It's actually Round 2 after last night's game. Harmony gave them a better game than I thought they would. VB really needs to get Aronson back, but I guess he's finished for the year.

The Toppers have a puncher's chance. This isn't your grandson's Murville team. Still, I'll go... Murville 31 Toppers 14

Pulling for Boone, but this game will probably have a running clock by the middle of the 3rd. West 49 Boone 14

Boone 17 Central 7

Ha! Murville is close to 10X bigger than the town I'm from.

1: They don't have D-B's band. - No, but no one else I've seen does either. Sebastian River comes close, and they have nice crowds until the halftime show is over. Then it looks like a bomb threat was called in. 2: It's a bit of a blue/LGBTQ/woke/etc city. - Has nothing to do with it. My wife and I are "Libs". We've been to 17 games so far this year and lost two others we were going to because of thunderstorms. We'll finish the season with probably 21-22 games, which is about average for us. 3: There's better things to do for adults than watching high school football on Friday nights. - Absolutely. Unless you have a kid who is playing or in the band, thigh school football is strictly just another entertainment option. My wife and I are from small towns where football was a big thing, and we've always enjoyed going no matter who was playing. Very few people out there now who are like that now. Our biggest local school here is Treasure Coast with 3,068 students. They have a good football program that made the state semis in Class 8A last year. Unless they're playing crosstown rival Centennial, there's probably 500-700 people at their home games. There are just way too many other entertainment options for people these days. 4: Culture shift - I don't know about culture shift, but there are more options for kids and a lot of kids/parents are choosing to focus on one sport. It's uncommon to see any 2/3 sport athletes anymore unless it's a major sport combined with something like track.

Disappointing end to the season and our grandson's final game but looking back at how badly they struggled at Robinson, I'd have never thought they'd win as many games as they have.

These would be upsets on paper, but I could see... Bearden over Dobyns-Bennett Bradley Central over Science Hill I think D-B and SHHS will both prevail, but there's no room for error for either of them.

I knew what you meant. The term "participation trophy" is just a buzz phrase used by people who don't agree with something like this. The 1st round sacrificial lambs don't see getting crushed after a lengthy bus ride as any type of reward, nor does the TSSAA have those games as any type of reward for those teams. It's a way of making more money for them. Nothing more.

There are no "participation" trophies in this. It's set up the way it is for no other reason than the TSSAA's financial benefit, and it's not changing. The TSSAA doesn't care if North Greene or Johnson County get obliterated in round 1 and they don't get a participation trophy for being there.

What's the over/under on attendance? 600 (players/coaching staffs/cheerleaders/band don't count)? I saw these teams play in the 1st round a few years ago and I'd bet money there weren't more than 300 people in the stands on a cold, rainy night.

It's the same way in VA and down here in Florida. I assume it's like that in most states as the high school governing bodies cash in on it. I have no problem with them making money, but it really puts some of the smaller/poorer schools in a bind with the travel expenses.

And I'll give Carter full credit for that. Region 1 is weak as dishwater and the championship is usually going to come down to D-B v SHHS. You have no reason NOT to treat that game as your Super Bowl.

I had D-B winning at Johnson City but said the margin for error was small. It's even smaller this coming Friday. Being as it's at home.... Tribe 28 Bearden 21

I'd be shocked if this game doesn't start the 2nd half with a running clock.

Tribe 31 Toppers 20 Not much room for error here for D-B, and even less from here on out.

* D-B has the better team. * D-B won't/shouldn't overlook them. It's Senior Night, OR is a traditional "rival" and they should be focused. Will it be closer? If D-B has a night where they have 70+ yards in penalties or 2+ turnovers, it will absolutely be closer and it's possible they could lose, but I don't think that's going to happen.

Tribe 35 Cats 14 But D-B can't afford to play sloppy with a bunch of penalties

Here in town, Fort Pierce Westwood finished last season winless, and their coach resigned in the spring. They hired a guy who had been an assistant somewhere a few years ago. His job the last few years? He was an on-air personality for the local ESPN Radio affiliate in West Palm Beach. This year Westwood is 5-2 so far...

No, but for the purposes of the OP, they are out of it at this moment.

6A 1 v 2 is wrong. If the season ended today, Murville would be the 2 seed, only because they haven't played Bradley Central. Murville would own the tiebreaker with Far-gut and Bearden. The most likely scenario at the end of the season is that Murville will be the #1 seed and Bradley Central #4 with 2/3 being determined on the last night of the season as Bearden plays Far-Gut.

Lots of PT for the reserves will keep the score from being ridiculous... Tribe 49 Govs 13