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Florida vs Texas High School Football- What State Has the Better Football? GDG

11829 Views 53 Replies 16 Participants Last post by  RookieTrainer
From: Dallas South News.
Story By R. Lamar Brooks, Photos by Byron Watters

Florida pretty much dominated a series of recent high school football games against Texas, winning 5 of 6 contests with three games being blowouts. The Abilene/Cocoa and Skyline/Glades Central games could have gone either way. And of course, the lone victory for Texas belonged to DeSoto in what DeSoto Head Coach Claude Mathis termed the “best high school football game I have ever been a part of.”
Upon further examination, the top teams in the lower classifications in Florida are capable of beating the larger classifications in Texas. An example of that was 2A Florida defending champs Cocoa knocking off Texas 5A kingpin Abilene and recently beating defending Mississippi 6A champs Olive Branch, 14-7. This is generally unthinkable in Texas, outside of 7-on-7 football.
As an aside, Florida has 8 classifications all the way up to 6A with Texas having 5 classifications through 5A (though the UIL governing body for Texas High Schools is leaning towards a 6A class soon).
In the Dallas South News Monster Game of the Week, Dallas Madison took on Miami Central as part of the Texas vs. Florida football showcase at DeSoto’s Ben Dial Athletic Complex. Madison Head Coach Ronald Johnson Described the game as as “a test for our players to see where they stand.”

Madison showed fight throughout, with it being evident that their skill position players including Eric Horsley, Jamon Brewers, and Marquise Smith can compete with any opponent in any classification. Overall, however, the 6A powerhouse, Miami Central team was just too strong of a challenger.
As is the trend in high school football these days, Central lines up 4 wide nearly every play and forces you to either put pressure on and sack the quarterback or succumb to their dizzying array of playmakers, who simply spread the field and…well….make plays. By the end of the 1st half, Miami Central had racked up 395 yards of offense and 23 first downs to Madison’s 173 yards of total offense.

The 2nd half would not be any kinder to Madison as their offense could only muster an additional 43 yards against the hard charging, speedy Central defense. In the end, Central would show a balanced attack with 28 runs and 25 passes for 508 yards of total offense to Madison’s 216.
DeSoto’s game against defending state champs Miramar was all that the event promoter C&B National Sports Marketing could have hoped for. Miramar’s defensive back Tracy Howard said “I can’t remember a game like this.”
DeSoto landed the first punch with a scintillating 86-yard opening kickoff return from the excellent Dontre Wilson, a sophomore whom will leave his mark on the DeSoto program for years to come. And just like that 7-0, DeSoto . Down 21-7 at the half, Miramar found their stride in the 2nd half and played what the team termed “Patriot football” to keep DeSoto from salting the game away.
Tied 35-35 going into overtime, DeSoto completed a 20-yard touchdown to WR DeMarcus Thompson from QB Ryan Polite to go up 42-35. Now with pressure squarely on their offense, Miramar’s WR Danel Harris scored on a 25-yard pass from QB Cameron Hudge on the team’s first play in overtime to creep to within a point, 42-41.
Coach Damon Cogdell had a decision to make and he opted to go for the jugular, lining up for a two point conversion. Central attempted a pass into the back of the end zone that was caught albeit out of bounds. And with that, DeSoto could finally exhale as they proved to be the one local team in the Texas vs. Florida series of games to overcome Florida’s penchant for winning on Texas soil in 2010.
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been told by coaches of the likes of Pete Carrol, Mack Brown, Charlie Weiss, and Urban Meyer, just to name a few, that there is not a state in the country that, from top to bottom, small class to large, that plays a better brand of football than Texas.
Reminds of a story Barry Switzer had. How he told his driver to drive around back of a recruit's house, dug through the trash, found a lot of Pearl beer empties in the can. Went inside and when asked if he like a beer he said,"only if it's Pearl in a can". Told the father that's all he and his staff drinks. Father laughed, signed the kid. Don't think maybe they were sweet talkin ya, just a little? ;-)
ok David, who is the best HS Texas Schoolboy player you have ever seen...or even your Top 5...

for me it was Billy Sims ...never got to see Earl in high school...also thought Jack Mildren was a heck of a player...Todd Dodge was one heck of a QB at Port Arthur Jefferson
WOW Bon. That's a tough one.
Off the top of my head. Not in any specific order. Just some that wowed me.
Andrew Luck (coached against him twice)
Sam Adams ( coached against him)
Ray Childress
Eric Dickerson
Craig James
Aaron Glen
Thurman Thomas
Michael Strahan
Mike Singletary
Jerry Gray
Joe Brown. One of the best I ever saw. The kid went to LSU and got into a little trouble and never played again. STUD!!!
Most exciting, quick scorer I've ever coached was a kid named Sam MGuffie.
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Abilene Ranked #2 in the top tier Texas 5A. #2 in all of Texas. And they got beat by a 2A Florida school. Which is even more impressive considering the top tier in Florida is 8A. Apples to apples would be Top Texas 5A playing a top Florida 8A. Given what happen when they played a 2A team, they would be out classed and blown out by 8A.
Florida and Texas classifications are completely different. That 2A school is a 4A in TX. So really that list is your best "TX 4a and 5a" teams playing TX's unranked teams. History shows when teams are evenly matched and ranked within there states the games are within a touchdown with FL winning the Abilene game and the Southlake game from 07.

And your post about NFL players doesn't mean anything when talking about high school football. Those players make up less than 1% of the kids playing.

Are we talking best high school football teams/programs as a state or best top tier prospects?
Florida and Texas classifications are completely different. That 2A school is a 4A in TX. So really that list is your best "TX 4a and 5a" teams playing TX's unranked teams. History shows when teams are evenly matched and ranked within there states the games are within a touchdown with FL winning the Abilene game and the Southlake game from 07.

And your post about NFL players doesn't mean anything when talking about high school football. Those players make up less than 1% of the kids playing.

Are we talking best high school football teams/programs as a state or best top tier prospects?
My thoughts exactly. I've seen some fantastic high school playoff "teams" over the years that have produced zero D1 prospects. From top to bottom, Texas has some great coaching. Recruiters constantly make comments on the solid technique/ mechanics they see in Texas players. From the smallest classifications to the big 5As. The most talented prospects to the average player. Of course you can find weak programs in both Texas and Florida.
It seems as though the big Florida schools don't have quite as many coaches as the big Texas staffs. We have 3,300 enrollment with 14 coaches. We also have 5 teams. 2 Frosh, 2 JV, and
the Varsity. There are 10 high schools in our ISD. All 5A. We also play games is 2 shared stadiums. One being an $80 million complex called the Berry Center. Its crazy nice!!! Check it out at
www.berrycenter.net
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WOW Bon. That's a tough one.
Off the top of my head. Not in any specific order. Just some that wowed me.
Andrew Luck (coached against him twice)
Sam Adams ( coached against him)
Ray Childress
Eric Dickerson
Craig James
Aaron Glen
Thurman Thomas
Michael Strahan
Mike Singletary
Jerry Gray
Joe Brown. One of the best I ever saw. The kid went to LSU and got into a little trouble and never played again. STUD!!!
Most exciting, quick scorer I've ever coached was a kid named Sam MGuffie.
VERY NICE LIST: saw the Pony Express Boys (Dickerson/James) during the scandalous SMU days,fastest tandem in the SWC, they killed my Horns...really like Jerry Gray,wished he had stayed as Mack's DC..Singletary could flat out play
My thoughts exactly. I've seen some fantastic high school playoff "teams" over the years that have produced zero D1 prospects. From top to bottom, Texas has some great coaching. Recruiters constantly make comments on the solid technique/ mechanics they see in Texas players. From the smallest classifications to the big 5As. The most talented prospects to the average player. Of course you can find weak programs in both Texas and Florida.
It seems as though the big Florida schools don't have quite as many coaches as the big Texas staffs. We have 3,300 enrollment with 14 coaches. We also have 5 teams. 2 Frosh, 2 JV, and
the Varsity. There are 10 high schools in our ISD. All 5A. We also play games is 2 shared stadiums. One being an $80 million complex called the Berry Center. Its crazy nice!!! Check it out at
www.berrycenter.net
I think the college coaches who are talking about Texas having the best player probibly say the same thing to FL HS coaches. Their job in recruiting is to infulence you, so that you in turn influence your players decision. With regards to the staff/players: My Point EXACTLY! Florida is producing better players and similar HS teams with a smaller pool to pull from, a smaller coaching staff, and a smaller budget. I don't disagree that Texas HS football is a "Bigger Deal" to the residence but how much people care about the game only relates to what gets put in, not what comes out. Bottom line, both have powerhouses and talented players, coaches, and great fans. Is it fall yet??
I was thinking about my hometown HS football and I realized that my junior year of HS Seabreeze HS had Eric Weems (Atl Falcons Pro Bowl), Kenny Scott (starting corner at Ga Tech.), Xavier Lee (FSU - Baltimore Ravens and broke all kinds of HS passing/rushing records now plays QB in ALF), Anthony Kelly (LB FSU), Brandell Hawkins (WR App State) all on the same team. I know Mainland HS (Rival) was stacked with a bunch of college players but it would take me forever to research that since I don't know any of them. Great Rivalry.
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NFL 2001-2011 1st round picks by state. Raw numbers, keep in mind Florida has about 3/4 the population of Texas.
Florida 51
California 31
Texas 23

NFL 2001-2011 all rounds pick by state.
California 232
Florida 224
Texas 185
USA Today

STATES WITH MOST NFL PLAYERS PER CAPITA

StatePopulation *NFL PlayersNFL Players Per Capita
Louisiana-4,468,97668, 1 NFL per 65,720 people
Mississippi-2,844,65837, 1 NFL per 76,883 people
Hawaii-1,211,53715, 1 NFL per 80,769 people
District of Columbia-572,0597, 1 NFL per 81,723 people
South Carolina-4,012,01246, 1 NFL per 87,218 people
Alabama-4,447,10050, 1 NFL per 88,942 people
Florida-15,982,378177, 1 NFL per 90,296 people
Georgia-8,186,45380, 1 NFL per 102,331 people
Texas-20,851,820180, 1 NFL per 115,843 people
Montana-902,1957, 1 NFL per 128,885 people
Wasn't the subject high school football? You now want to change the topic to which state has more NFL draft picks?

LOL
Wasn't the subject high school football? You now want to change the topic to which state has more NFL draft picks?

LOL
That train was going off track on Post #2. I've read many excuses, difference of classifications, they weren't rank this year, Texas watered down, etc.
The best should play the best. The best 5A teams should come to Florida and play the best 8A teams. But it won't happen for the Texas coachs/AD aren't stupid. They know they couldn't compete against the best Florida has to offer.
That train was going off track on Post #2. I've read many excuses, difference of classifications, they weren't rank this year, Texas watered down, etc.
The best should play the best. The best 5A teams should come to Florida and play the best 8A teams. But it won't happen for the Texas coachs/AD aren't stupid. They know they couldn't compete against the best Florida has to offer.

Lets see these are HIGH SCHOOL programs, exactly where are they getting the funding to play out of state...last year a state champ from Washington came to play perennial power Katy HS and got trounced..there are also two programs no one wants to play and they have more Div 1A players than some states....Concord DeLaSalle and Long Beach Poly...both are located in Calif...Texas schools arent afraid of playing anyone, they dont have to travel out of state,their toughest competition is just down the interstate just across the county line
That train was going off track on Post #2. I've read many excuses, difference of classifications, they weren't rank this year, Texas watered down, etc.
The best should play the best. The best 5A teams should come to Florida and play the best 8A teams. But it won't happen for the Texas coachs/AD aren't stupid. They know they couldn't compete against the best Florida has to offer.
Those aren't excuses, they are facts. Florida and Texas has different ways to classify schools and that match up was your best vs our average at best (excluding one or two).

As far as I know one time you sent your best to play our best and yall won by 8. Hell of a game and that Miami Northwestern team was one of the most talented HS teams I eve seen.

No way to ever tell who is better but the thought that TX coaches/ad's are scared to come play your biggest and best is a joke.
there are also two programs no one wants to play and they have more Div 1A players than some states....Concord DeLaSalle ...
Maybe that holds true for Texas teams, can't blame them. Not true for Florida teams. Florida teams have played DeLaSalle twice. Beat them the first time in a close game and their much celebrated win streak came to an end. In the second game DeLaSalle got blown out 30-6.
the arguments Pro Florida in this thread dont really match up with the original question. Florida has some very good football teams, no doubt. There's lots of talent in the state of Florida, no doubt. However, the make up of Florida football does not compare to how it is played in Texas. I'm sure Florida has a few power house programs that are run in a collegiate manner. I would be willing to bet that Florida has more HS head coaches teaching 4th period history. When college coaches come on recruiting visits to schools in Texas -- they head back to the coaches office in the offseason to speak with him. Football is his primary job, I'd bet that to be the case down to at least the 2A level.

The money poured into Texas football programs is on a different level than Florida. Look no further than Allen High Schools new football stadium that I think is opening this fall. I think someone touched on it..the Texas talent that won't sniff the D-I level is superior than the same talent in Florida. No one doubts the talent that the state of Florida can produce, but talent isn't football. Texas produces the finest football in the country from atmosphere, to coaching, to on the field play.

I give you Allen's stadium (these are a few months old, will get updated photos Memorial Day -- been stopping by every time i'm out that way)





and yes this will be sold out EVERY friday night...




I haven't driven around Florida looking at stadiums or programs, but I'm willing to put money not a program in the state has something like this going up right now.

Texas is High School Football
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4
You OK? I think you may have bumped your head.

THE SEC dominates the BCS.....Florida feeds more kids into the SEC than any other State........Nuff Said.

Now....Being a UGA Fan....I personally hate the place.

Bruz
Also, let's look at the number of kids who went D-I from Texas and the number who went D-I from Florida --- then let's look at how many of those kids red shirted. I bet the stats would be interesting.
Head to head competition is the real measure. Yeah Texas throws a lot of money into facilities, stadiums, big staffs. But they get beat 5 of 6, blown out in three of them, they duck schools like De La Salle, Florida 7A and 8A, so on and so on. Bricks don't win games. I have yet to see see ONE real measure that Florida football is surpassed by Texas. Not one. And won't, because Florida has the best high school football in the country, Texas is #2. Everything points to Florida as tops. Texas has "Friday Night Lights", but in the Sunshine State it's lights out.
Head to head competition is the real measure. Yeah Texas throws a lot of money into facilities, stadiums, big staffs. But they get beat 5 of 6, blown out in three of them, they duck schools like De La Salle, Florida 7A and 8A, so on and so on. Bricks don't win games. I have yet to see see ONE real measure that Florida football is surpassed by Texas. Not one. And won't, because Florida has the best high school football in the country, Texas is #2. Everything points to Florida as tops. Texas has "Friday Night Lights", but in the Sunshine State it's lights out.
Florida has 6 programs that are lights out...big deal.

Texas has 161,200 players in the state -- Florida has 38,000

Florida has some of the top athletes in the country that's not to be denied. Texas sent 345 to D-I football
Florida sent 344 to D-I (but like I said, it'd be interesting to know how many of these kids red-shirt -- willing to put money on the fact that less Texas kids red shirt than Florida kids -- they go to the college game more prepared)

By shear volume alone Florida can't compete with the number of quality D-II athletes in the state. The depth of the programs in Texas is what makes Texas football better -- if you matched up every team in Florida with a team a comparable team in Texas, I bet Texas wins the head to head record in a landslide. There's few schools with the budgets to do such a thing, but aside from a few programs in Florida -- Texas runs away with it.
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Florida has 11 teams in the top 100, Texas has 10. Texas has a lot more players, people, coaches, and money. Florida still produces more nationally recognized high caliber teams.

Florida has 6 programs that are lights out...big deal.

Texas has 161,200 players in the state -- Florida has 38,000

Florida has some of the top athletes in the country that's not to be denied. Texas sent 345 to D-I football
Florida sent 344 to D-I (but like I said, it'd be interesting to know how many of these kids red-shirt -- willing to put money on the fact that less Texas kids red shirt than Florida kids -- they go to the college game more prepared)

By shear volume alone Florida can't compete with the number of quality D-II athletes in the state. The depth of the programs in Texas is what makes Texas football better -- if you matched up every team in Florida with a team a comparable team in Texas, I bet Texas wins the head to head record in a landslide. There's few schools with the budgets to do such a thing, but aside from a few programs in Florida -- Texas runs away with it.
Florida has 6 programs that are lights out...big deal.

Texas has 161,200 players in the state -- Florida has 38,000

Florida has some of the top athletes in the country that's not to be denied. Texas sent 345 to D-I football
Florida sent 344 to D-I (but like I said, it'd be interesting to know how many of these kids red-shirt -- willing to put money on the fact that less Texas kids red shirt than Florida kids -- they go to the college game more prepared)

By shear volume alone Florida can't compete with the number of quality D-II athletes in the state. The depth of the programs in Texas is what makes Texas football better -- if you matched up every team in Florida with a team a comparable team in Texas, I bet Texas wins the head to head record in a landslide. There's few schools with the budgets to do such a thing, but aside from a few programs in Florida -- Texas runs away with it.
Thanks for the D-1 numbers doesn't surprise me. Just like the NFL numbers Florida out paces Texas per capita once again. They prove the quality of players in Florida is higher. Any way you slice it Florida football is tops, Texas comes in at a respectable second. If you think your the best, prove it on the field. Florida has.
Thanks for the D-1 numbers doesn't surprise me. Just like the NFL numbers Florida out paces Texas per capita once again. They prove the quality of players in Florida is higher. Any way you slice it Florida football is tops, Texas comes in at a respectable second. If you think your the best, prove it on the field. Florida has.
That's like saying:

10 people with $1,000,000
3 people with $500,000
2 people with $200,000
1 person wtih $75,000

(Florida)

adds up to more than

10 people with $1,000,000
8 people with $500,000
6 people with $200,000
4 people with $75,000
2 people with $25,000

(Texas)

how you make that happen is beyond me.
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What you are saying is not what the facts state. Floridians and Texans have the same amount of money total. Texas has more people. Each FL player has more money. Better players in FL.
I have no idea how many FL players out of HS are red-shirted. I have yet to find a statistic on it probably because it does not matter and no one tracks it. Until shown otherwise I think it is pretty clear. Florida has more HS teams in the top 100 than Texas, it produces more D1 and NFL players.

That's like saying:

10 people with $1,000,000
3 people with $500,000
2 people with $200,000
1 person wtih $75,000

(Florida)

adds up to more than

10 people with $1,000,000
8 people with $500,000
6 people with $200,000
4 people with $75,000
2 people with $25,000

(Texas)

how you make that happen is beyond me.
No one will win this argument. You cannot measure "best football" when you simply measure who's producing the most D1 athletes. Do the research and measure how many kids play football, and how many sign D1 scholarships. The percentage is very small. There are hundreds of fantastic high school players all across this country that never get a chance to play at the collegiate level.

For example, Katy HS, one of the perennial 5a high school football programs in Texas throughout the 90s/2000s was on a roll winning, or competing for, the state championship year in/year out. These guys were technical machines, upfront as well as out on the perimeter. Playing fantastic football!!! Well, they signed less D1 athletes than several schools that barely made it out of their districts. But they played the best football.
The greater Houston area alone, produces many D1 prospects with Rivals rankings of 3-5 stars every year. Some of these kids have never played an 11th game. Now, I can only speak for Texas here, but not always do the teams with the most D1 athletes play the "best football" and win the State championship.

Funny story. We have a center here at our school that signed with Sam Houston State University. He is 6'-1/2" flat foot, 268 lbs, 4.8/40, benches 400+ lbs, squats 570lbs, power cleans 350lbs. This kid is possibly the finest high school center I've ever laid my eyes on to date, and I've coached OL for 26 yrs. We tend to watch the game up front.
He had letters from every major school you can imagine. Recruiters drooled over this guy. His highlight film had these guys WOWed. Many said that he was so "finished/athletic" that he could start for them right now!!!
When he would walk out of the room after meeting coaches. Their comments were, "he's too short".
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