The Gators from Glades Day just finished off one of their most impressive seasons in school history, and took home the class 1A state title as a reward for it. Needing to replace so many superstars, they start the 2007 season a little lower in the rankings at #13.
Team: Glades Day
Schedule:
Week 1: Chaminade-Madonna
Week 2: @ Benjamin
Week 3: Clewiston
Week 4: Bye
Week 5: Okeechobee
Week 6: @ Evangelical Christian
Week 7: @ American Heritage
Week 8: St. John Neumann
Week 9: Kings Academy
Week 10: @ Moore Haven
Week 11: @ Fort Pierce Central
Strength: OL and DL- Generally speaking, many small school team can match bigger school opponents with top athletes, but they fall behind when comparing the big guys up front. That is not the case for the Gators as they feature DE Wil Orr and OL Jimmy Arnold who are both physical and talented enough to play for any big school in the county. This gives Glades Day a major edge over most opponents they will face in 1A.
Weakness: Inexperience- The Gators lost so much from last years wonderful state championship team. A whole new set of skill position and secondary players must step in and try to fill the void. Talent is in place, but many of these players have never made plays at the varsity level which could cause some struggles early in the season.
Key Player: WR Anthony Norton- The most impressive part of Glades Day's team last year was the explosive speed and playmakers they had at the skill positions. This year the main target should be Anthony Norton, who transferred in from Glades Central. Norton is one of the elite receivers in the county and should have no problem torching 1A secondaries. His ability or inability to make big plays in big games could very well be the difference in a win or loss for the Gators this year.
Key Game: Glades Day should not have alot of trouble getting through district play as they are a 1A powerhouse. The most important game should be the week 7 matchup against another 1A power in American Heritage, who most consider the strongest 1A team in the area this season. Glades Day's new players will already be battled tested by week 7, so expect this game to be a potential preview of the state semifinal game to be played later in the season.
Outlook: Glades Day is still going to have more talent than the majority of small school football teams in the state. On top of that, they will also be a very battle tested team in the regular season thanks to scheduling other small school powers plus some big school competition. At the end of the day though, expecting this team to repeat the performance of last year is too much to ask. Expect this team to make a solid run, but come up short in either the 2nd or 3rd round of the playoffs.
Prediction: 7-3, District Champion
