Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am interested in the discussion about tiers of football programs. There are obvious powerhouses and there are plenty of schools that field teams with varying degrees of success. How should the region balance the future D1 football prospects with kids who want to play the game and maybe a handfull could play at a D3 school?

It seems like the way the leagues are currently set up are not conducive to the dichotomy.

It would be interesting to see how much the average roster size in the DMV has shrunk over the past 20 years/10 years/5 years. I think we'll see schools (private for sure, with their smaller enrollments, and maybe public too) starting to eliminate football in the next decade, not because of a philosophical opposition but for lack of student interest.

1,000,000 boys participated in high school football in the US this year. Interest doesn't appear to be waning.

Anonymous wrote:I am interested in the discussion about tiers of football programs. There are obvious powerhouses and there are plenty of schools that field teams with varying degrees of success. How should the region balance the future D1 football prospects with kids who want to play the game and maybe a handfull could play at a D3 school?

It seems like the way the leagues are currently set up are not conducive to the dichotomy.

It would be interesting to see how much the average roster size in the DMV has shrunk over the past 20 years/10 years/5 years. I think we'll see schools (private for sure, with their smaller enrollments, and maybe public too) starting to eliminate football in the next decade, not because of a philosophical opposition but for lack of student interest.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:STA will get destroyed by Prep.

Maybe on the scoreboard today.

But seeing all the school spirit and brotherhood this hyped game has generated, the final score matters much less.

Go Dawgs!

They are the Bulldogs not the "Dawgs."

Which I will assert dawggedly. Won't call off the dawgs on this issue, even if it is a dawgleg from the main thrust of the thread. And please don't just respond with insults, that dawg won't hunt. I don't see myself as a dawg in the manger, but as someone protecting the English language from going to the dawgs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:STA will get destroyed by Prep.

Maybe on the scoreboard today.

But seeing all the school spirit and brotherhood this hyped game has generated, the final score matters much less.

Go Dawgs!

They are the Bulldogs not the "Dawgs."

Out of curiosity, do you guys have kids playing HS football or do you just love the game?

Anonymous wrote:I am interested in the discussion about tiers of football programs. There are obvious powerhouses and there are plenty of schools that field teams with varying degrees of success. How should the region balance the future D1 football prospects with kids who want to play the game and maybe a handfull could play at a D3 school?

It seems like the way the leagues are currently set up are not conducive to the dichotomy.

How should "the region" balance the football talent?

You must work for or around the Government. There is no "Regional" entity with responsibility for a D1 talent quota system.

If teams at the bottom want to move up, the answer is pretty simple to say, but hard to do. They have to get better players. And because there isn't an unlimited supply of very good players, they have to entice them away from schools.

DeMatha typically sends 10 to 12 seniors to D1 (full scholarship) college programs in a year. They play in the biggest games in front of the biggest crowds. They occasionally play on national TV games. Good Counsel and Gonzaga and St John's aren't far behind. If a boy dreams of playing big time college football, these places have the coaches, facilities, visibility a support to maximize their chances.

If the schools in the lower tiers want to be better at football, the answer is to bring in better players. But that will involve recruiting, help in Admissions and help in Financial Aid. And every place a football "recruit" takes in a class at STA, for example, is one less for another student (maybe a legacy)

Prep, through the years, has had periods where they brought in better football players. They were #1 in the DMV a number of years ago. They were so successful, they were expelled from the IAC for football for a number of years. The other IAC teams didn't want to play them. This, by the way, was the second time in Prep football history they had been thrown out of the league for being too good.

I would think any school with a sizeable "Anti-Football" presence is going to have an even harder time getting better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:STA will get destroyed by Prep.

Maybe on the scoreboard today.

But seeing all the school spirit and brotherhood this hyped game has generated, the final score matters much less.

Go Dawgs!

Prep has enough players none of them play both sides of the line. STAs guys have to play offense and defense and that can get tiring and demoralizing if they are getting killed. Not sure if the school spirit can carry STAs guys if it's a blowout by half time.

I am interested in the discussion about tiers of football programs. There are obvious powerhouses and there are plenty of schools that field teams with varying degrees of success. How should the region balance the future D1 football prospects with kids who want to play the game and maybe a handfull could play at a D3 school?

It seems like the way the leagues are currently set up are not conducive to the dichotomy.

Anonymous wrote:STA will get destroyed by Prep.

Maybe on the scoreboard today.

But seeing all the school spirit and brotherhood this hyped game has generated, the final score matters much less.

Go Dawgs!

Anonymous wrote:Prep has been trying to build up the football program after some lackluster years recently. STA is having a nice return to relevance this season. It would be great to see the Bulldogs take the Lil' Hoyas, but not likely to happen.

The departure of Prep's longtime lacrosse coach allowed the football interests to regain command. The Prep AD is the football coach.

Expect to see Prep become increasingly football-oriented. Whether they can pull away from the field as they did during the Marcus Mason-era, is yet to be seen. If some of the other schools attempt to keep pace, those which do not will have to decide what they are willing an able to do in football.

In the IAC, the three teams at the top are Prep, Episcopal, and Bullis.

Episcopal has something like seven starters that came from a Canadian football academy, and multiple Division I commits. Bullis graduated some strong talent but still has a lot of talent. They recruit aggressively and haven't hesitated to bring in upperclass recruits, even seniors.

Prep appears to the most "home-grown" of these three programs, with the fewest students transferring in. They are fairly big for the IAC and basically blow teams off the line and create holes for the running game. Accurate that Prep has emphasized football more after some years where lacrosse got top priority. They have a significant advantage in having approximately 500 boys in the high school -- the next closest is Landon with something like 340 boys.

The remaining three schools in the IAC in terms of relative football strength are Landon, St. Stephens St. Agnes, and St. Albans. St. Albans has been down the past several years but may be closer to Landon and SSSAS this year. Does not seem likely that they'll be able to play Prep close, in part because they have a small roster and many players play on both sides of the ball while Prep has a pretty deep roster.

The IAC used to field fairly home-grown football teams but now, in part because of the increasing reluctance of parents to allow their lacrosse/hockey/baseball/basketball playing sons to play football as their second sport, there is much more of this targeted recruiting. Bullis and Episcopal are outliers on the recruiting but all of the schools will have to do it just to field teams, with the possible exception of Prep, which could field a team numerically because of its size but must recruit to match the talent of the players Bullis and Episcopal are bringing in.

Prep has been trying to build up the football program after some lackluster years recently. STA is having a nice return to relevance this season. It would be great to see the Bulldogs take the Lil' Hoyas, but not likely to happen.

STA will get destroyed by Prep.

Anonymous wrote:For those of us who want to discuss football at the private school level. Looks like DeMatha and St. John's are at the top, but looks like Flint Hill and St. Albans are much improved.

Where are some of the best private school football players going to college?

Just how much St. Albans has improved will be tested tomorrow. They face Prep.

For those of us who want to discuss football at the private school level. Looks like DeMatha and St. John's are at the top, but looks like Flint Hill and St. Albans are much improved.

Where are some of the best private school football players going to college?