football

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There is something uniquely American about how communities from one end of the country to the other come together on Friday nights to watch their local team take the field.   

Creekside High School, Friday, August 29th, 2008

While Sundays are for NFL draft picks holding out for big money and Saturdays are for college players who leave school early and make the big time, Friday night is reserved for the local kid down the block who might take the field as running back, trombone player or cheerleader and for everyone else who sits in the stands and cheers for a victory.  On Friday night, everyone is important and they all do their individual part in a scene repeated across the country in small towns, large cities and everywhere in between.  While some schools may have the occasional NCAA Division 1 prospect, this isn't what Friday night is about.  Friday night is about having fun, seeing your friends and getting a little crazy while you still have an entire weekend to recover.

From the Sheriff's Office:

The Historic St. Johns County Police Athletic League (PAL) will be fielding a new program for St. Johns County Residents called Junior Development Tackle Football this fall. This program, which has been very successful in Ponte Vedra Beach, is an exciting change for the PAL. Youngsters learn the game of football from A to Z by trained and knowledgeable coaches. You practice twice a week and all ten (10) games will be played at the same location.

Youngsters between the ages of 7-14 will be placed in age appropriate divisions based upon age, weight and prior experience. The league is full contact, tackle football with a focus on learning the fundamentals rather than winning or losing. The goal of the program is that every single participant has a positive and enjoyable experience regardless of their skill or ability.

There are now 2 Pop Warner Associations under CAA to serve the youth in our area:  SJSA and CFL.  Registration for both organizations has begun in preparation for the fall season. 

It was recently announced that approval was given to CFL to expand from its initial request of 1 team per age block, to 2 teams for some of the age groups.  This was to accomodate the interest of many new Pop Warner registrants in this area as evidenced by the number of people who attended the first 3 sessions. 

The announcement had been made to parents that there will be two teams for those age groups in CFL---BUT WAIT---that is not to be. 

Despite the fact that these parents and children CHOSE to sign up at CFL, the SJSA President has raised objections and CAA has decided to deny the additional teams. What's the deal with SJSA?  It seems SJSA's sole interest has been to find any way to deny parents and the youth of our area an opportunity to expose themselves to the CFL.

As we head toward the final quarter of the high school football season we turn our attention to how every St. Johns County team is faring and their possibilities of playing in the postseason.

Nease Panthers

Overall Record: (6-1)

District Record: (1-0)

Scoop: You can't say Nease coach Craig Howard's team won't be ready for the playoffs. Howard scheduled road trips to state powers 3A North Marion, 2A Madison County and 5A Mainland in addition to games with St. Augustine, Lake City Columbia and Bartram Trail. Surprisingly, the Panthers have adapted to the upgraded schedule well winning at North Marion and Mainland while knocking off St. Augustine for the second consecutive year after 13 straight losses. A defense, which is giving up only 15 points per game (6 of 7 games) has been solid all year while the offense which only returned a handful of starters, has put up 30 points per game (6 of 7 games). The win over St. Augustine was even more special for Nease considering its best player quarterback Ted Stachitas wasn't 100% and only played a few plays.

PONTE VEDRA-It isn't St. Augustine vs Nease with out another amazing finish as for the fifth straight year the rivalry game came down to the closing minute.

Despite a seldom used Ted Stachitas, a Nease throwback trickery offense and St. Augustine overcoming seven turnovers, host Nease held off St. Augustine 17-15 in the annual showdown.

After getting injured in last week's 63-3 win over Ridgeview, Nease head coach Craig Howard wasn't even sure if Stachitas was available. A game time decision led to Howard chosing not to start Stachitas and backup Tyler Weir (who played nearly three quarters last week) to go with his third option.

As we head toward the final quarter of the high school football season we turn our attention to how every St. Johns County team is faring and their possibilities of playing in the postseason.

Bartram Trail Bears

Overall Record: (4-3)

District Record: (1-0)

Scoop: At one game over five hundred, one might be a little concerned about the Bears season so far, not head coach Daryl Sutherland, keep in mind all three losses are to state ranked and playoff bound teams (3A St. Augustine, 6A Lake Brantley and 2A Madison County). Two of the three losses the Bears were in the game in the closing minutes including a one point overtime loss to Lake Brantley. No need to panic, despite the sub-par record, the Bears are still on track to obtain several of their goals: winning districts and getting home field advantage.

Related: read more | JonathanBennett's blog | 1 comment | Tags: football | the playbook

Related: read more | JonathanBennett's blog | 1 comment | Tags: football | football show | st. johns | the playbook

Don't forget to check SJCFootball.com every Friday night for a live scoreboard from every St. Johns County high school football game.

Scores will be updated quarterly through the entire night. If you're a football fan in St. Johns, SJCFootball.com is be the place to be!

SJCFootball.com