Prep Zone

By K

April 14, 2008 12:39 PM | Link to this

Not sure where the best is played, but I know that is taking very seriously throughout the south, to include Texas. I am not sure if this still hold true, but I read a few years ago that recruiting, strictly by the numbers went as follows for college football recruits & signees at the D1 level. 1)California 2)Texas 3)Florida 4)Georgia

Now with that said, I still don’t know who plays the best. I know when I look at the Cal hs fb state finals, they look like college teams with there speed & size. I personally know about what goes on in GA on Friday nights.

Enough babelling, I would say this…I have no earthly idea who is better, but the top “programs” from each state would all be competitive. I said top programs, not teams….teams vary from year to year , but I am talking consistent winners like a Buford, Lowndes, Brookwood, Camden, Northside WR,etc…the type of schools that always have a realistic chance to compete for the a state title on a yearly basis.

By Veteran Fan

April 14, 2008 12:53 PM | Link to this

California is easily the best and Texas is a close second! Florida and Georgia are in the top ten and they would be better if so many veteran coaches had not retired! The fundamentals are not being taught at many schools and the talent pool is down because of it. Do not forget Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan with great coaching and academics! Too many of our athletes(Georgia and Florida) cannot qualify for college and this also reduces the talent pool

By Manny

April 14, 2008 1:39 PM | Link to this

The best football is played in Texas. High School football is king, and to start at some of those schools is like starting at some small college.

Florida is second. Georgia is third. California has good teams, but it is by pure mass that California has good football.

As far as regions go, Southern (southeast) is the best region for football. Followed by Southwest.

By Jack G

April 14, 2008 2:21 PM | Link to this

This is an arguement that no one can win. Great HS football is played in every state. But bragging about HS football in your state is lots of fun——keep the pot stirring

By Nathan

April 14, 2008 2:26 PM | Link to this

First of all I would like to start by saying that Texas high school football is overated. Sure there are some great programs, but I don’t buy the lonestar state. When you start to measure physical and speed factors, Louisiana ranks up there in the top 3. Just look what happened when Louisiana players started to stay home and attend LSU. Can you imagine if all the players in Louisiana that left the state in the early 90’s would’ve stayed home. Florida, Texas, Louisiana,California, Georgia

By AAA Coach

April 14, 2008 2:41 PM | Link to this

I have played, coached, or watched high school football in all of the states in question. You have to consider at least two factors when evaluating the quality of high school football in a given region. The first is sheer athletic talent. Strength, size, speed, and skill can be developed, but not created within a program. This is why high school football flourishes in South Florida and Southern California. Superior athletes live in high concentrations in these areas, as they also do in Texas. Relatively speaking, superior athletes compete in high school sports throughout the south, including Georgia. The second factor to consider is football culture. How much of an emphasis does the community place on football? This often translates to the resources school districts and youth leagues have at their disposal to allocate in support of developing football talent. California falls behind Texas and the Southeast in this category. Their kids play football in football season and then move on to the next sport during the offseason. There is no offseason in Texas or South Georgia, for example, and people around there (no offense) really don’t care as much about other sports. Few and far between are the high school programs that combine both the resources necessary to develop and maximize their talent with the influx of raw athletic ability in their talent pools. For my money, well-coached talent beats well-developed talent any day. That’s why Miami Northwestern, a Title 1 public school from the heart of a city struggling to fund education, can travel thousands of miles and defeat Texas dynasty Southlake Carroll in their own multi-million dollar facility often utilized by the Dallas Cowboys. Bottom line: The state with the most programs that combine emphatic football culture with raw athletic talent has to be Florida right now. The next tier would feature California (talent) and Texas (culture). As far as I’m concerned, Georgia is the best of the rest, and you definitely see a number of programs here that possess both of these requisites (Buford or Northside for example). I will further add that if any high school in the South Metro area had an enrollment the size of Collins Hill or Brookwood, that high school would absolutely dominate all sports at the highest classification, given even minimal resources and support. Then we could send someone down to Texas and win some bragging rights of our own.

By Prootwadl

April 14, 2008 3:01 PM | Link to this

As a northerner who grew up in a state where high school hockey and basketball ruled the hearts of fans and football was seen as a lesser sport, I find the fascination with football down here to be very interesting.

Up there, the football teams lost a lot of talented people to other sports — even soccer!

By Please Define 'Best'

April 14, 2008 3:04 PM | Link to this

The top couple of high schools from all of the southern states could likely play fairly even. When you get down to say the top 25 from each state is where one difference is. Texas is far deeper than the other states. They have two dozen Lowndes or two dozen Brookwoods. Just more schools and more kids play…that’s what high school football is all about. Georgia’s playoff system is so biased it’s a joke. Home field advantage is dumb in high school playoffs. Another example of bias is Camden County. Camden is the only school in their region that is a true AAAAA sized school. They stomp everyone in their region, get the 1 seed and don’t play a decent team until they reach the third round. Wow but look at their record each year and it looks great. Texas does not allow teams to play up (except in non-district games; same as non-region in GA) and they have a lot more miles to cover out there than Georgia schools do. More kids are given the opportunity to play because every small town has a high school and a football team. A 115 pound kid playing at a class A team in a county with three other class A teams has a chance to play. If those schools were consolidated into a AAAA or AAAAA school like they do a lot in Georgia, that kid doesn’t have a chance to make the team much less play. ‘Better’ high school football doesn’t JUST come down to having the strongest team. By the way, I’m a Georgia born guy that played high school football in south Georgia and later lived in Texas (and FL) for a number of years before coming back home. I’m still a GA high school fan but I’ve seen those other states and my statements are made from the head not the heart. You can’t look at professional teams or even college teams to determine. Oklahoma, Arkansas and LSU have for years been stocked with Texas high school players. ie Stafford at Georgia. There is no true answer to this argument and only keeps old farts talking in the barbershop or the AJC selling papers.

By ttown one

April 14, 2008 3:29 PM | Link to this

Florida. Next Question…..

California and Texas have the populations to have even more # of teams, however, FL has beaten California CONSISTENLY year after year after year in the FL-CA all-start game.
There is no question about it. TX? PLEASE, no way for TX. GA would be closer to the top than TX.

By bocagator

April 14, 2008 3:35 PM | Link to this

F L O R I D A Enough said!!

By LMAO

April 14, 2008 3:35 PM | Link to this

The best football state is the State of Gwinnett.

By DKT

April 14, 2008 3:36 PM | Link to this

Are you guys kidding me??? The best high school football absolutely has to come from FLORIDA! Where do all of the top schools go to recruit? From Jacksonville (DUUUUUVVVAALLLLL) all the way to the bottom in Miami. There is NO comparison……

By Todd Holcomb

April 14, 2008 3:55 PM | Link to this

California and Texas have the populations to have even more # of teams, however, FL has beaten California CONSISTENLY year after year after year in the FL-CA all-start game. There is no question about it. TX? PLEASE, no way for TX. GA would be closer to the top than TX.

It’s been awhile since the Florida-Georgia All-Star Game, but I believe the series ended 9-9.

Texas is far deeper than the other states. They have two dozen Lowndes.

Texas has two dozen programs as good as Lowndes has been the past decade?

I find that hard to believe.

This isn’t about Texas, but Irv Sigler, the former Kell coach, told me a couple of times that he thought Georgia football was far better than it was in Michigan, his native state. He said his first Kell team, which made the playoffs but lost in the second round, was the most talented he’d ever coached, and he’d taken a couple of Michigan teams deep in the playoffs in the highest class. But that’s GA vs. the Midwest.

I’m still adding up numbers nationwide as far as high D-1 recruits. Of course, I realize that tells only part of the story.

By Big Q

April 14, 2008 4:00 PM | Link to this

Texas, Texas, Texas!! Hands down! California and Florida are in the top 3. You can’t mess with Texas when it comes to high school football!

By azcat225

April 14, 2008 4:07 PM | Link to this

Todd, I think a more revealing number would be per capita Division I or (limiting it a bit) BCS signees by state. I do agree with you that per capita levels the field so that you’re comparing apples to apples.

The NFL numbers are irrelevant to me in a discussion such as this—-that is such rarefied air, with such a tiny percentage of players making it in the NFL, that it becomes a sample size too small to give you anything meaningful.

One question does come to mind—-are your per capita numbers based on the state’s entire population or on the number of kids who play football in that state?

By Pixie

April 14, 2008 4:12 PM | Link to this

I have to agree with Big Q. Gotta be Texas. First time I went to Dallas happened to be the starting of the state of Texas h.s football playoffs. You would have thought it was the Dallas Cowboys playing with the crowds I saw and that was in just one area of Dallas….not to mention other areas plus the entire state. No doubt,gotta be TEXAS!!!

By Wondering

April 14, 2008 4:18 PM | Link to this

I wonder if the states with the highest African-American populations produce more players? Huh, yep looks that way.

By Wondering

April 14, 2008 4:19 PM | Link to this

I wonder if the states with the highest African-American populations produce more players? Huh, yep looks that way.

By G8R

April 14, 2008 4:19 PM | Link to this

Florida - hands down. It’s recruiting central for the entire nation for college atheletes.

By G8R

April 14, 2008 4:32 PM | Link to this

The most SEC signees, by far, are from Florida. The best conference recruits from the best football state. And per capita, Florida has, by far, the largest population of the top six states listed.

By FL DAWG

April 14, 2008 5:26 PM | Link to this

From top to bottom, North to South and East to West, Florida probably has more top athletes. This would translate into more quality teams as well. You could make the same argument for Texas and California. However, take the top programs from Ga, Al, MS, FL, LS, SC, TX, OH, CA, or PA mix them up and throw them on a table and there will not be enough difference to tell.

By CapeCodDawg

April 14, 2008 5:35 PM | Link to this

All of you are wrong. Massachusetts plays the best football around. Why it’s home to the 155lb guard and 125lb linebacker!!!

Fuggetaboutit!

By ClemsonDude

April 14, 2008 5:35 PM | Link to this

It’s hard to believe that little ole South Carolina ranks as high as I thought. The state does have 2 of the most rabid fan bases in the country…Clemson and South Carolina.

By Mark

April 14, 2008 6:33 PM | Link to this

I grew up in Marietta in the days when Wright Bazemore and Valdosta could seldom be beaten. Marietta won the AAA (then the top level)championship in 1967-68. It was a great time to be around. My sons are now involved in Texas HS Football. It is different. Players start off-season conditioning the week after the season ends. Their involvement in other sports conforms to football: or they become players in other sports The football culture here is pretty amazing.

By Jay Stone

April 14, 2008 7:13 PM | Link to this

Interesting that Tennessee isn’t on any of those lists. Does that mean kids from Tennessee would rather go to the Big 10, or something else entirely?

A coupla thoughts on the regional rivarly …

Isn’t Buford playing at Texas Stadium this fall against a team from TX? It’ll be interesting to see which one gets the eye-opener.

And, should Georgia be thumping its chest on the “our state is better than your state” front when its flagship program (Valdosta) struggled the last two years against a team from that noted football hotbed, Utah?

By slalom1

April 14, 2008 8:09 PM | Link to this

Will you “Texicans” please just leave this blog? Granted, you make a few good points. But, this is a GHS football blog. The points you make will never be played out. So, we could debate this Ga. vs. Tx. thing from now on. Do you not have something better to do? Like, going out into the “Back 40” and turning a bull into a steer? Or just maybe, checking out the local rodeo in town? You guys most definitely have a leg up on us dumb Georgians when it comes down to rodeos. Yahoooo!

By Green

April 14, 2008 9:39 PM | Link to this

Mark, I go to a AA school in Georgia. A lot of our players started their conditioning workouts the next Monday after their loss in the playoffs on a Friday. The rest of our players were involved in either wrestling or basketball. I know were not the only school in Ga who does this.

By Eric

April 14, 2008 9:55 PM | Link to this

I love Georgia football, but I wouldn’t say we’re the best football state. We’re one of the top 5 but Texas certainly takes the gold in this race. Its a toss up for the other 4 spots but Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, and California are definitely in the hunt for numbers 2-5.

By TX DAWG

April 14, 2008 10:14 PM | Link to this

I believe I was one of the ones who ignited this post from my comments last week about Buford coming to Dallas this year to play against Mansfield-Timberview (metro Dallas area team).
I’ll say this again….I grew up in DeKalb County and played football. I’m big on Georgia football. BUT I’ve been here in Texas for going on 7 years now and have had ample opportunity to see real live Texas football. Matthew Stafford, Rhett Brohm, Adrian Peterson, Chase Daniels are a few I’ve watched. For every 2 or 3 good players on a GA team, a comparable TX team has at least twice as many and maybe 3 times as many. For every 4.4 -4.5 40 yarder on a GA team, TX teams have a 3-4 to 1 ratio probably runnin sub-4.4.
Also about that per capita quote…..eliminate the hispanic population from every state and recalculate those statistics and see where TX ranks. You have to realize that it’s unfair to use that stat in a state which probably has the highest percentage of hispanics who only know a football to be round. Any stat including this population is grossly watered down!

By davil

April 14, 2008 10:25 PM | Link to this

This is a tough one. Some of the best high school teams may not have many Division 1 players. Some of the best college teams don’t have many NFL prospects. Some of the best NFL prospects come from small schools that many don’t hear of. These out of state games will be interesting. NORTHSIDE PRIDE!

By War Eagle

April 14, 2008 10:31 PM | Link to this

Its debatable because of population: 1. California 2. Texas 3. Florida less populated ranking 1. Georgia 2. Ohio 3. Pennsylvania

Overall: 1. California 2. Texas 3. Florida 4. Georgia 5. Ohio

By h ryder

April 14, 2008 10:46 PM | Link to this

I have lived and viewed football in the states being mentioned as number one in high school football. It is my informed opinion that Texas has the best. If the top fifty, middle fifty, and bottom fifty of each state were to play, the lone star teams would win more of the games than any other state. In short, the “average” high school football team is better in Texas than the “average” high school football team in any other state. Incidentally, I would prefer that all high school varsity athletic programs be given no more or less accolades than any other extracurricular activity such as debate, band, choir, drama, or chess, to mention a few. This coming from a former high school, college, and semipro athlete who also coached and officiated over many years until my retirement from my profession of physical education.

By general75

April 14, 2008 10:50 PM | Link to this

Texas,and it is even close. This is from someone who played in Ga and coached in several southeast states. Ive watched hs teams from numerous states including California and Ohio on tv. Ga is very good. Florida is a notch above. Texas devotion to football is universal and statewide across a huge state which means facilities, offseason programs and youth programs. Level of play from top to bottom comparable to comparing SEC to other conferences. Yes, there is talent elsewhere but Texas is above the rest in the country. Population just feeds it.

By Don't leave us out!

April 15, 2008 5:36 AM | Link to this

Hey guys, What about North Dakota?

By The obvious

April 15, 2008 7:57 AM | Link to this

Jay Stone…Please dont talk about the “Buford” game in TX, the “wolves” have already begun the excuses that this years “team” isnt like the 07 team, etc…You are what you are and quit making excuses already. Buford loses by 2 TDs

Now, I had the chance to play in both Tx(AA Huffman HS outside of Houston) and Ga(McEachern, at the time AAAA and when MHS was a solid team) and went through the whole recruiting process and went to sign D1. Could my AA Tx team compete with the AAAA & AAAAA teams here in Ga, NO, but if you take the big boys of Tx and match them up against the big boys of Ga, my opinion would be the Tx boys would take 7 out of 10.

If I had to rankm 1. TX, 2. FL, 3. GA, 4. CA, 5. PA…High School football in PA is stout!

By Todd Holcomb

April 15, 2008 9:25 AM | Link to this

I forgot to add the other reason for inititiating this blog, and that’s the high number of interstate games that should be interesting this fall:

Buford (GA’s AA champ) vs. Mansfield (9-4 in Texas AAAAA class) Camden vs. Hoover (5-time ALA champ) Northside (GA’s AAAA champ) vs. B.T. Washington (FL’s AAAA champ) North Gwinnett (GA’s AAAAA runner-up) vs. Byrnes (SC’s AAAAA champ)

Charlton County also is playing one of Florida’s top teams, as is Camden as part of a double-header.

Also, I can’t find a list of signees from the other four BCS conferences — the Big 10, Pac 10, Big 12 & Big East. I could go school by school, but that would take more time than I have. If I (or anyone) can come up with that info, I’ll run the numbers. I’m curious to see which state has the most D-1 signees per capita.

And to TX DAWG and regarding per-capita: The best way to do it would be to get high school enrollment numbers, not overall state population.

By Todd Holcomb

April 15, 2008 9:51 AM | Link to this

I found some enrollment numbers, but until I find national numbers for D-1 signees, I can’t do the work.

However, I can tell you this: Georgia had more SEC/ACC signees per high school student than Florida.

Do the math:

GA: 71 signees / 468,155 students FL: 118 signees / 848,406 students

Obviously, there are more good teams in Florida or Texas because there are more schools and more players. But is the per-capita quality better in Florida or Texas? I don’t think there’s any objective evidence to support that.

By John Q. Public

April 15, 2008 11:08 AM | Link to this

This is easy!! 1. California 2. Texas 3. Florida 4. Georgia 5. Alabama

By UT96

April 15, 2008 11:18 AM | Link to this

Jay Stone, you asked about Tennessee. The truth is we’re not a heavily populated state. Our top few teams in the highest classifications could compete with the Southeast’s best but there’s a huge dropoff after that because there is not the community involvement or funding to develop talent. The topen or fifteen players in our state can be play anywhere but again, there aren’t the numbers.

By Be Real 31

April 15, 2008 12:44 PM | Link to this

I personally think that FL, TX, and CA switch every year. There are many factors that go into this. First you look at consistency. FL is the only state that if you look at any state whether it be per capita, support, college signes, NFL players, top 25 teams, or whatever you want to through out of a hat. So there is something to be said. Florida is also the only state were you can go to any part of the state and actually say that the football is pretty good everywhere. Some areas better than others but you can’t find apart of florida that doesn’t have good football. All 3 of the big states population can be misleading, florida has a lot of islanders and retired people. Texas has a high population of hispanics. California has a high number of hispanics also.

Now Texas has very good football. I don’t think it is as strong throughout the whole state like florida, but I think the coaching is elite, but that is understandible because the communities support the programs and pay the coaches well. I think sometimes teams look a little better than the actually are because you get caught up in everything surronding the team (the field, crowd, facilities, etc.). Sometimes that will make a team look better than what it really is.

California is a state were the talent is really considered to be in southern cali. There are many other things to get involved in after football, but the support isn’t there like you would have in FL or TX.

When you ask who has the best football. It depends on what you mean. Talent Florida or California. Overall Florida or Texas. I don’t think Florida has the involvement that Texas does, but it is close. And we should all know that on the high school level talent is more important than coaching.

So my answer Texas has the best football from a fan perspective, but Florida is the best if you are someone involved in the game (Teams, player, coaches, recruiters)

By Virginia Dog

April 15, 2008 1:16 PM | Link to this

I am from GA, played high school football in GA and graduated from UGA, so I am very partial to the state. However, in the late 90’s I lived in Southlake, TX (Southlake Carroll HS) and witnessed hs football at it’s finest. One thing they did there was to start the players early….every team from 7th grade on were called the Dragons and they all ran the same offense and defense as the high school. In the 7th grade there were 3 teams and any young man that wanted to play football got an opportunity. Just as we were moving they voted in a school bond that included a new $14M outdoor stadium and they now also have a 50 yard indoor practice facility. Regardless of the talent you have to have pretty good programs with all of this attention. There are other traditions there that were pretty special also….at the conclusion of the state semi-finals that were played at Texas Stadium (only about 10 miles from the hs) both schools fans, teams, bands, cheerleaders, etc. stayed in the stadium. One band played their alma mater and the other team and fans stood in honor. Then the other team’s band did the same things. Then all the players, coaches, cheerleaders, etc. that wanted to met in the center of the field and one designated player said a prayer. It brings goose bumps just thinking about it. Not sure who has the best players, but Texas football is really special.

By BubbaSoGa

April 15, 2008 2:07 PM | Link to this

Im from Georgia, graduated in Georgia, and LOVE Georgia. Ive also lived in TX and other states. Ive also watched a lot of HS football on the dish.

As much as I hate it, I would rank the states this way in overall quality, game experience, stadiums, popularity, importance, etc.

1. Texas
2. Georgia
3. California
4. Florida
5. Pennsylvania

By Scotus

April 15, 2008 2:13 PM | Link to this

Hands down, Rhode Island.

By Charles Davis

April 15, 2008 2:16 PM | Link to this

Hands downs its Florida and its not the big cities either that are dominant. Check out the towns such as Madison County, belle Glades, union county, pahokee and such. these schools are year to year unstoppable. and for the big city schools they are very good also.

By jonathan

April 15, 2008 2:39 PM | Link to this

I LIVE IN OHIO AND WITH OUT A DOUBT SOUTHWEST OH HAS THE BEST FOOTBALL. TWO LEAGUES THE GMC, GCL ALSO THERE IS THIS THING CALLED THE KURT HERBSTREET CHALLENGE AND ITS PLAYED EVERY YEAR AND OHIO WIN AGAINST TOP 25 TEAMS RANKED BY USA TODAY

By roger

April 15, 2008 3:12 PM | Link to this

I think it has to be Georgia or Florida, I am sure they have the most Afro-American players per capita.

By yo

April 15, 2008 7:17 PM | Link to this

Hey Slalom…don’t knock Texas football and dem dar steers. Thats how they get enough players to play dat 6 man (ahem) football in dem dar pastures out dar. Why dey believe in 6 man football so much out dar dat dey named their college team da Longhorns. Thats why some of dem boys is so good given dey have to side step all dem dar cow patties. Me personally, I’m thinking the smell of cow patties whenever I think of Texas football.

By yo

April 15, 2008 7:23 PM | Link to this

Lets just say over the last 4 years and this upcoming year I’ll take Lowndes over any program in the nation year in and year out and they are from Georgia. I mean South Georgia. A long ways from Gwinnett, but not so far away as to enjoy seeing Gwinnett in the State championship most of those years. And I do mean enjoy. :-) If it had of been Texas teams instead of Gwinnett teams the outcome would have been the same.

By slalom1

April 15, 2008 9:13 PM | Link to this

To: “YO” LOL!!!!!! Stop it! You’re killing me! Glad to see you back, Bro!

By Marc Woods

April 15, 2008 9:57 PM | Link to this

You also have to think of all the great high school players that you never here of due to the lack of proper education in the state of Mississippi. If you look at the players who sign with D-1 schools out of the state who do not qualify academically, that is also probably the highest per capita.

By Rob

April 16, 2008 12:15 AM | Link to this

TX is by far the best. I played in TX through my soph. year then moved to Cobb Co. for JR. and Sr. year. The key is the off-season and Jr. high development. The jr. high programs run the same offense and defense as their HS. I live in FL now and the skilled players are good, but the linemen aren’t even close to TX. The people just care more about Football in TX than in GA and FL (money, booster clubs,etc.)than anywhere else. Also, CA does a ton af recruting(private schools).

By Major

April 16, 2008 12:23 AM | Link to this

Well, not sure which state has the best high school football teams. Mississippi has to be mentioned though because they have produced some great ones: Walter Peyton, Jerry Rice, Mannings, Brett Favre to name a few. South def has the advantage. You can practice year round in the South.

By Major

April 16, 2008 12:24 AM | Link to this

Well, not sure which state has the best high school football teams. Mississippi has to be mentioned though because they have produced some great ones: Walter Peyton, Jerry Rice, Mannings, Brett Favre to name a few. South def has the advantage. You can practice year round in the South.

By dale

April 16, 2008 2:11 AM | Link to this

Any love for Ohio,one of the best football states hands down.Football started in our region and Da Natti is the best city for football

By HS SPORTS

April 16, 2008 11:41 AM | Link to this

FLORIDA has HEART AND NOT PROGRAMS. BBBEST PLAYERS.

By luke

April 16, 2008 1:12 PM | Link to this

yeah, i want to see some love for ohio, but the natti is not the best place for football…ever heard of the MAC???toughest confernece in the state by far..that conference and the GWOC produce the best players

By Ohio Fan

April 16, 2008 2:45 PM | Link to this

Ohio has great football. Even in the middle of baseball season, people are talking about football. Just take a look at the top football message board in Ohio:

Ohio Football Message Board

Schools less than 200 kids get over a 1000 people at their games every Friday night. Big school football and small school football are very popular in every part of Ohio.

By slalom1

April 16, 2008 7:11 PM | Link to this

To: “All Texicans” Your insight and wisdom regarding HS football is indeed appreciated.However, I would be more interested in knowing how many of you Texicans claim to have “drunk water” from a hoof print. And, what did it taste like? Head ‘em up, ride’em out!

By Ohio No Way

April 17, 2008 1:18 AM | Link to this

Ohio high school football is as boring as watching grass grow. That time of the year most of the games are played in slop. Slow running backs and quarterbacks that throw like girls (sorry about that girls). Worse state I have every lived for the overall high school football experience. They even have a worse play-off determination/format than Georgia. Texas hands-down has the best overall high school football program.

By Georgians Concerned About Texas

April 17, 2008 1:25 AM | Link to this

It’s interesting that it seems each high school football blog in Georgia, at some point, mentions and attempts to compare themselves with Texas high school football. Of all the years I lived in Texas, never once did I read on a Texas high school football blog anything mentioned about Georgia. Guess when you’re at the top you don’t need to look down.

By kc

April 17, 2008 3:28 AM | Link to this

Everyone knows Florida is the football state!!!

By kc

April 17, 2008 3:29 AM | Link to this

Everyone knows Florida is the football state!!!

By tx/sc fan

April 17, 2008 11:57 AM | Link to this

Don’t really know who plays the best football and don’t really care. But as mentioned previously, if it is purely based on hs footbal culture, fan support and financial support, Texas wins without anyone else even stepping to the plate. I moved to TX seven years ago as well (from SC)and couldn’t believe the tailgaters 3 hours before a game, the artificial surface fields and the 20-40,000 seat stadiums. And as far as slocum1 and yo go….that is really funny. A GA cracker talking about a Texan’s accent or rural setting? Obviously these kids have not been to Dallas. But keep it up guys, I remember when I had my first beer also.

By T.J.

April 17, 2008 1:02 PM | Link to this

From experience, coaching, and being a ref. I will tell you that Texas has the best programs. They start with community youth leagues until middle school. Middle schools teach the offense and defense of high school they feed and start working them out with weights. By the time they reach high school, the kids focus on technique vs. learning plays. Texas produces some of the best linemen. Florida has the best athletes, period. Skill position players are phenominal. Georgia has a mix of both qualities. Gwinnett and some the schools in the south like Valdosta and Camden have impressive programs comparable to Texas state standards. I am surprised that most of Georgia does not support football in middle school to go along with weight lifting programs. Recreation leagues with fathers coaching, not sure that breeds success for high school programs. I can not comment on other states with the same level of experience but when you look at pure numbers of recruits I would think California would have to fall in there for consideration.

T.J.

By To TJ

April 17, 2008 1:36 PM | Link to this

I agree with your comments except leave Camden County out of the “impressive program” list. They are the only true AAAAA school in their region. All the other region 3 schools are playing-up and actually should be in AAAA if not AAA regions. Camden looks good on paper each year since they stomp the smaller schools in their region. By doing this they get a number 1 seed which allows them to play a 4 seed the first round. They route all their region opponents which also allows them to rest their starters which also keeps them healthy. Why the other AAAAA coaches and GHSA allow this alignment is hard to understand. Just put an * by their record each year.

By Texas Playoffs

April 17, 2008 1:47 PM | Link to this

It’s very common for some of the later round Texas AAAAA play-off games to have 40,000 in attendance. And they are played at neutral sites…so everyone has to travel. All you hear in Georgia is how far a drive it is to anywhere. You folks don’t have a clue about driving long distances to football games. Stop your whinnng and play neutral sites throughout the play-offs.

By North Ave Pimp

April 17, 2008 2:11 PM | Link to this

HOW ABOUT TAKING FLORIDA & GEORGIA AND COMBINING THEM WHICH WOULD EQUAL OUT TO MAYBE THE SIZE OF TEXAS AND THEN TELL ME WHERE THE BEST FOOTBALL IS, PER CAPITA OR NOT, NO BRAINER BABY!! S.E.Confrence/ ACC

By luke

April 17, 2008 2:17 PM | Link to this

im not saying ohio has the best football in country, im saying ohio is up there, my list would be this: 1)Texas 2)Florida 3)California 4)Ohio 5)Penn.

By Camden Fan

April 17, 2008 3:03 PM | Link to this

Why does everyone always hate on Camden? Don’t blame Camden, blame the GHSA for letting the other schools in Regions 3-AAAAA play in a higher classification than they were originally placed. A lot of people don’t know, but Camden has applied before to play in Region 1-AAAAA and they were denied. STOP HATING AND DEAL WITH IT.

By slalom1

April 17, 2008 8:25 PM | Link to this

To: T.J. First of all, I believe you are a fraud. You have never “reffed”, you have never played the game, and you have never coached. You are an armchair fan. Be specific. Which GHS football programs are you referring to, when you make these comparisons? “Texas has the best programs.” All of them? Which ones? And, which of Georgia’s elite programs do not incorporate the same criteria? Like most “Texicans”, you have eaten way too many cow tongues, ox tails, and rocky mountain oysters. To put it simply, just state the facts. School by school. Be specific, before making such claims. (Do not expect to hear back from you)

By slalom1

April 17, 2008 9:09 PM | Link to this

To: T.J. While you are reading this, and fininshing off your last plug of “Brown’s Mule”, do this, right after your last spit into the can: Compare and contrast Lowndes against any of the elite programs in the great state of Texas. Please.

By David Clark

April 17, 2008 9:55 PM | Link to this

I tell yall what. I played georgia high school football from 2002-2006, and I must say football is still the same in this state. Its fast, hard hitting(none of that arm tackle BS), and offenses that in general are a 3 yard and a cloud of dust. Now, with the comments about Texas and Florida. They are the only states that if you do the per capita that could hold there on with georgia football teams. With the comment about Valdosta(GA), I go to VSU and have watched VHS play. The talent has moved to county powerhouse Lowndes High, if that Utah team wants a game, don’t pick a team thats struggling, go play someone thats worth a dam. And finally, California. Now I have watch these teams on TV. Yes they are fast and yes they do have in general a high octane style of offense. But, its easy to score when some body isn’t knocking a wide reciever’s helment of as he comes across the feild. In my book CA will be a high school powerhouse when they learn how to freaken hit some one out there until then, Georgia, Florida, and Texas are pretty evenly matched, with CA being a distant 4th or 5th.

By slalom1

April 17, 2008 10:15 PM | Link to this

To: David Clark, Amen, Bro.

By JJ the Jet Plane

April 18, 2008 1:54 AM | Link to this

Farm Teams. Why doesn’t the NFL create bonafide Farm System like MLB? This would totally resolve the issue of non-qualifiers trying to get into college when they don’t belong in a class room at all. Let the NFL go out and recruit people who don’t have an interest in college and would never graduate anyway. Get them in their farm system and learn the programs. This would open up a great number of scholarships to students who can be athletes and could also GRADUATE! I find it frustrating to see someone who is a good student who WANTS to go to college and graduate and play football, get passed over for a kid who is a marginal student at best but a great player “dreaming” of playing on Sunday.

Additionally, The kids who went to college to graduate wouldn’t give as much behavioral problems as some of the “thug wannabes” who would be in the NFL farm system.

When will the NCAA and the NFL wake up? When will college presidents wake up? Many say the level of competition would drop off because the higher skilled players would go into the NFL system. I say the level of competition would be the same because with the higher skilled players gone to the NFL, all the student athletes would still have parity in skill. And believe me, the skill levels aren’t that different. Maybe a little difference in speed and that is it.

A lot less students leaving EARLY to pursue a pro career and more staying in and getting the degree.

Is it racist to think this way? No. Most of the ones going to the NFL farm system would be black anyway. These are also the ones who tend to leave early - ala Herschel walker - and never graduate. What if they don’t make it in the NFL? So what! They wouldn’t have graduated anyway. They would have made a tidy sum while they were in the NFL and would have a nest egg to get started with life.

I think this is a much more important topic than a playoff system These are kids lives we’re talking about! There are many proponents out there now in favor of PAYING college players anyway. Why not make it official and let them work for a living and play ball rather than going to school.

Deserving student athletes need these scholarships.

Let the people of color who WANT to play on SUNDAY go to the farm system, make money and take their chances on making it in the NFL rather than waste a scholarship on them when half of them can’t read on a 3rd grade level.

I have many colored people that work for me and they all agree that if they could play at the college level, they would ALL rather go to a NFL farm team, get paid and concentrate on nothing but football. These people don’t want an education. They want to be virtuoso athletes.

Most all of you reading this would have to agree, colored people are great entertainers. From Chris Rock to Michael Jordan. We as white folks love to watch what they do because they are so good. Tiger Woods is a case in point. Tiger is arguably the best to ever play the game of golf. Tiger went to Stanford on a Golf Scholarship and quit school after 2 years to go pro. Bully for him. A system for golfers basically exists, but Tiger went to Stanford because they had one of the premier collegiate golf teams in the country. Tiger and his dad knew he would get a great deal of noteriety playing for Stanford. They also knew he would never graduate. He was smart and parlayed that into one of the most lucrative sports careers ever. But, his scholarship could have gone to a deserving student golfer who wanted to graduate.

Lets find a way to stir the NFL into creating a farm system.Players will enter the league earlier. Deserving, less talented players will get scholarships and graduate. We (whitey) will get to be entertained quicker with more talented players. Thug wannabees will get their opportunity to play on Sunday without having to take remedial math or reading. Crime in college towns will fall due to the thug factor being gone. Some tattoo shops may go under, but they can relocate to those towns with the farm teams.

I’m serious about this.

By Barack O'Bama

April 18, 2008 2:57 AM | Link to this

The south has the best highschool football. The 3 requisites for great HS football are. 1. Summers must be hot.2. must be below the serious snow line. 3. State must be populated by PLENTY-O-COLORED PEOPLE. Everybody knows that, in general, the negro is a far superior athlete than his caucasian, hispanic or asian counterpart. While they’re not to HEP in the BRAIN department, they are fast as hell.

The negro is a natural athlete. It’s in their blood/breeding. Moreover, the negro is,overall, a wonderful entertainer. And what is football afterall but entertainment.

My grandfather used to tell me that one day the colored people would “take over” sports of all kinds At that time basketball was about half and half, that was 1968. Well, he was right. They have taken over just about all sports except hockey and golf *but the best player in the world in golf is a black man).

Frankly, I love it. I played professional baseball for 13 years and it was a great life.I quit baseball in 1989 and never looked back. The players in ALL sports has changed since I left the game. Players are bigger, stronger, faster. And for the most part, especially in football and basketball, most of the new personalities are black.

I love watching the negros who play football. Their trash talking, no respect for the game, the fans or themselves. Running down the sidelines with a 49 yd pass reception, dreadlocks flowing in the wind from undre the helmet. Gets to the goal line, does a front flip, scores a td, then does a dance to rival any stripper I’ve ever seen. He may even go over to the goal post, retrieve a cell phone and make a call.

If you can’t tell, I’m being sarcastic. Blacks have taken over professional sports for the most part and the same thing is happening that happened to the schools when they were integrated. Professional sports is decaying before our very eyes.

Management is letting the thug mentality take over and “dumb down” professional sports. They don’t respect the game because they have no self respect..Case in point - Mike Vick.

I played college ball at UGA. GRADUATED in 1976 and signed with The San Diego Padres. I played 13 years for the same franchise and never thought about leaving. They had my loyalty and I had theirs. *although they did put me on the trade block for about 2 weeks.

I was never a free agent, never got arrested and never caused any trouble. As a matter of fact, during my tenure with the Padres, we only had 2 players get arrested during my 13 years there. Both of them were dui offenses. Certainly not minimizing dui, but there was no drug possession, beating ones wife, pedophilia, ect.,ect..

Sports, any sport, is just a 3 dimensional metaphor of life. The only difference is if you pay attention you see it all happen before your very eyes. You can tell whats coming next.

Yes, I’m glad I’m out. I miss the comraderie, I miss the game and the action. But it’s a different day. This is the hip hop generation. It’s all about the money and it’s all about the ME. Team is a foreign concept to most of these newbies. Team to these people only means thats what your name is, its how you are identified.

Yes, I’m glad I’m out. I look forward to watching Barry Bonds future. I look forward to watching Michael Vicks future. I’m glad I’m out. I wonder how many of UGA’s “stars” will be dismissed off of a potentially top 5 ranked football team due to something STUPIDI’m glad I’m out. i’LL WATCH WITH INTEREST HOW COACH PAUL JOHNSON WILL TURN AROUND A TECH TEAM WITH SO MANY PERSONAL ISSUES. I’m glad I’m out. I’ll watch with interest Dan Reeves, one of the classiest men I know, bring a new college football team to life. Moreover, I;ll be interested in what kind of student athletes Ga. State recruits. I continue to watch with even greater interest a floundering Atlanta Falcon owner try to steer a rudderless organization since Dan Reeves was relieved of his duties. YES, I’m glad I’m out.

No, I don’t pretend to have all the answers, or even most of them. But the fact of the matter is this. There is no dicipline in sport today. If you find dicipline anywhere its because the player is diciplined. If Steve Spurrier or Mark Richt can’t implement dicipline, then I’m convinced it can’t be done.

Dan reeves was doing it with the Falcons, but Arthurs primadonas didn’t go for it. Dan is gone!

Yes folks, sport that we all used to enjoy playing and watching is falling apart like a cheap suit. No dicipline. Just like the public schools, no dicipline. And we wonder why?

I’m glad I’m out!

By T.J.

April 18, 2008 11:04 AM | Link to this

M background to validate my posts. I played up into NFL Europe. I am not a Texan, I graduated from High School in Las Vegas Nevada where they do not play football very well. But I played college football in Texas and went to games my younger brother played in Texas middle school and high school AAAAA football. After Europe I went back to school, I was a graduate assistant at a Texas A & M to become a coach, I coached at Judson High School in Converse Texas, they have won numerous State AAAAA Championships. I joined military as a officer and moved on to other careers after that. Because of my experience and love of the game I volunteer my free time to ref in Gwinnett County for the Recreation League. I attend Gwinnett High School games to watch the kids I reffed or kids of those families I have established realtionships with over the years. In my years catching local Gwinnett teams I observed a few teams from the South GA region. Camden, Valdosta, and Lowndes. All of which were in the playoffs and played quality football from well supported feeder programs that got them there. Gwinnett learned from them and has caught up in my opinion because of strong community support. My experience from Florida. My brother has a son playing football in Florida. I have went to a hand full of the games when I visit him and given backgrown on the teams and player makeup in Florida by my brother. He is pretty knowledgeable about football there, he played college football for University of South Florida and lives in Orlando area. I only comment on things I observe or had credible source of information. Clarification, the only level of H.S. football programs observed or experienced is AAAAA in Texas, Florida, and Georgia. I believe my opinions are insightful but you do not have to agree or like them. I am not here to call people names or be derogatory towards those providing insight and feedback. I respect and appreciate those that provide insight into a game I love at all levels. With my history and background I would think some would appreciate it. If not I would prefer you just ignore and dismiss them than being immature and making ignorant comments back. These comment areas are like scouting tools for me to choose the games I attend. This is the best place to get some useful information and I intend to continue participating in them.

By HS SPORTS

April 18, 2008 11:20 AM | Link to this

FLORIDA RULES U CAN WIN A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP WITH THE OVERLOOKED PLAYERS!!!!!!

CHECK APP STATE????

By T.J.

April 18, 2008 1:21 PM | Link to this

slalom1, in reference of comparison of teams. I was not comparing teams but production of better college athletes and overall structure of feeder programs. My belief if Texas AAAAA High Schools getting players from Texas Middle Schools that support the playbooks and weightlifting programs of the high school is better than getting them from kids coached by dads in recreation leagues in North Georgia. I know teams and feeder programs started in South Georgia. To what level, I have no experience. But in Texas, I believe every AAAAA Texas team is supported by at least 2 middle schools. They do grow them big in Texas, so Texas produces linemen where Southeast U.S. produces more athletes for skill positions. Did not specify that Texas teams would beat Georgia Teams or vise versa. Lowndes is a very dominate Wing T Team and probably would be in deep in the Texas State playoffs, maybe win it if it were in that state because of it’s combination of athletes and program. Texas teams do not have the same amount of talent but have programs to enhance their players minds, body, and strength. But for fun I would throw up a team like Judson High School in Converse Texas. They have appeared 11 times in the State AAAAA Championship game with a playoff winning percentage of 78%. They lost last years Championship game. They have 6 regional championships mixed through the years. They are not the stat leaders for the state but a strong program I have experience with to compare to a Georgia team. Obvious you have a special interest in Lowndes. Tee it up my friend.

T.J. Non-Texan

By yo

April 18, 2008 4:18 PM | Link to this

I know teams and feeder programs started in South Georgia. To what level, I have no experience.

T.J. if ever there was a team that started this trend (even nationwide)it probably was Valdosta H.S.

This is very, very, very old hat when it comes to S. Ga. football and especially in Valdosta, Ga.

By slalom1

April 18, 2008 5:24 PM |