The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

OK ... I wasn't really sure where to put it but since former Dolphins legend Patrick Surtain is the Head Coach I'm going to file it under Dolphins news but it's probably more just about south Florida high school football.

Those out of the area may not know this but south Florida high school football is tops in the country for sending people to the NFL. Lots of athletes and former athletes raising their kids there which only makes the pool stronger. As well ... many former players are coaching down there including Jason Taylor.

 American Heritage just had 6 drafted and 1 FA signing, breaking a record for most players picked from a single school in one year, excluding IMG Academy. IMG out of Bradenton (Tampa area) is a full time sports school broke their own record with 8.

Before this year, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, Miami Northwestern and IMG Academy all shared the record with four players picked, and IMG, which recruits nationally, broke its own Friday. The Patriots joined the Ascenders on Saturday with six players picked to go along with three others picked Thursday and Friday.

IMG finished with eight players drafted to set a new record.

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/high-school/article251089394.html

Our home town high school here in Texas is like that.  Their football program is ridiculous.  The stadium is nicer than a lot of college stadiums and they just hired the former Auburn Offensive Coordinator to be their Head Coach.  Kyler Murray played here as did quite a few other NFL players.  Parents move here from other parts of the country just so their kids can play football here.  It is pretty ridiculous. 

You're from Allen? My wife is from Frisco, but back when it was a 1 traffic light town. Allen was nothing but farmland then. My kids all went to high school in Rockwall. What year did you graduate?

Yes, sir.  I didn't grow up here though.  I'm from South Florida.  My career has moved us around quite a bit but we have been in Allen (suburb of Dallas for the rest of you) for quite a few years compared to most of my duty stations.  We moved here in 2008 and Allen has grown a lot just in the time that we have been here. 

Ah that explains the Dolphins connection.  :)

If there's one place where high school football is more intense than South and Central Florida, it's Texas.  I have friends in the Midland/Odessa area who work on the oil rigs and have had the pleasure of attending the annual backyard brawl between Midland Lee High and Odessa Permian High (the Friday Night Lights school).   Most suburban high school games in Miami draw anywhere from 500 - 1500 per game while the inner city schools draw 5000 - 10,000.  The year I attended, the game drew close to 30,000.

And it's crazy how many uber talented athletes are turned out of these schools on an annual basis. 

I'm baffled by these attendance numbers at HIGH SCHOOL football games. I mean, it's high school. Why do so many people care? Is it because maybe  there aren't any any big time college football games for people to go to in some of these areas that you're talking about?

That's exactly right.  Midland and Odessa are two midsized towns in the Permian Basin and the closest colleges that have football are Texas Tech, UTEP and Abeline Christian, all of which are a bit of a drive to go to a game. Plus they are working class towns and people can't really afford to go to college or pro games.  Life is pretty rough out there as everyone works for an oil company or works for a business that sells products/services to oil companies.  

Yes, Texas is definitely football-crazy. They are the football equivalent of basketball in Indiana, where you can have a town with a population of 6,000 that has a HS gymnasium that seats 18,000.

People want to cheer...people want to cheer for the local team.

My niece and her kids live in Kansas. They are like an hour away from the closest Wal-Mart so pretty much their whole lives revolve around the local high school. Such a different way of life. 

With all that aid there isn't anyone putting kids in the NFL like South Florida and it isn't even close.