St. Thomas Aquinas' Rocco Casullo Talks About 2011 Season on NHSCA Sports Hour

by Jeff Fisher
Florida High School Football Huddle

Rocco Casullo has big shoes to fill, and he talked about that on Sunday's NHSCA Sports Hour.

Spring practice began Monday for Casullo, who is getting ready for his first season as the head coach of national power St. Thomas Aquinas.  He talked about following in the footsteps of the legendary George Smith, who resigned earlier this year after leading the Raiders to six state titles and two "mythical" national titles.

The real test for Casullo will come in the first three weeks of the season when the Raiders play Alabama-power Prattville, Cypress Bay (2010 Florida semifinalist) and De La Salle (2010 California Champ) on back-to-back-to-back weekends.

My interview with Casullo will be posted later this week at www.artistfirst.com/nhsca.htm.

Here's a look at the 2011 St. Thomas Aquinas schedule...

8/27 - @ Prattville (AL)
9/9 - Cypress Bay
9/23 - De La Salle (CA)
9/30 - @ McArthur
10/6 - Miramar
10/14 - South Broward
10/21 - Nova
10/28 - @ Plantation
11/4 - Cooper City
11/11 - @Deerfield Beach

Florida Releases 2011 Master High School Football Schedule

by Jeff Fisher
Florida High School Football Huddle

It's beginning to feel a lot like high school football time in Florida.

Spring practice begins May 2nd, and this week, the Florida High School Athletic Association released the 2011 master schedule.  Click here to see the schedules for every team in the state.

St. Thomas Aquinas and De La Salle Set to Meet on ESPN

by Jeff Fisher

Florida High School Football Huddle

They've been two of the best high school football programs in their respective states for a long time...now De La Salle (Concord, CA) and St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) will square-off on the field for bragging rights.  And, ESPN will be there to capture the action and give a national audience a look at the California/Florida bragging rights battle.

ESPN officials have announced they will televise the September 23rd match-up live on one of their networks.  Last year STA won Florida's 5A championship; De La Salle, which is riding a 25-game win streak, won California's Open Division title.

Of course that 25-game win streak doesn't hold a candle to the Spartans' national record 151-game win streak that was set between 1992-2003.

Maybe the only disappointment about the game is that long-time Raider head coach George Smith won't be guiding his team.  Smith announced earlier this year that he had decided to retire.  If the legendary Smith, who led Aquinas to six state titles, hadn't stepped-down, the game would have matched two of high school football's best.  De La Salle's Bob Ladouceur owns a 372-23-3 record since he took over in Concord in 1979.

"Playing a great program like St. Thomas Aquinas is a positive opportunity. Win or lose, they'll make us a better team. It should be an exciting game," said Ladouceur in a news release.

Former defensive coordinator Rocco Casullo will take over for Smith, but it was the former coach who spoke about the match-up in the ESPN news release saying "To have the chance to play a program like De La Salle is a great challenge for our program and to us a great thing for high school football in both states. It should be an outstanding game for both schools, both states and fans of high school football nationwide."

Florida High School Football Championships to Stay in Orlando

by Jeff Fisher
Florida High School Football Huddle

Orlando will remain the site of the Florida high school football championship through the 2013.

The Florida High School Athletic Association announced Friday that it awarded all of the state championship games to the Central Florida Sports Commission for three more years.  Orlando has hosted the title games in the Citrus Bowl for the last four years.

Two other cities, St. Petersburg (Tropicana Field) and Miami (Sun Life Stadium and Florida International University) also bid on the finals.

"Orlando has proven to be a great venue for our member schools to play football," said FHSAA Executive Director Dr. Roger Dearing in a news release. "We’re excited to announce a renewed agreement between the Florida High School Athletic Association and the Central Florida Sports Commission for the state finals in Orlando with the new football classifications in place. It was rewarding to word directly with Mayor Buddy Dyer in reaching this three-year agreement."

"The keys to our proposal were also the keys to our success over the past four years,” said Sam Stark, president of the Central Florida Sports Commission. "Orlando's statewide appeal, central location and the dedication of our local partners helped to create a wonderful, seamless experience for the FHSAA and the participating teams. We are honored that the FHSAA has entrusted us with this showcase event for the next three years.”

"Orlando is well known for rolling out the red carpet for guests, as some of the most recognizable sports events and activities call this great city home," added Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. "We are proud to have the privilege of hosting the FHSAA football finals and the recent renovations to the Citrus Bowl will certainly enhance the player and patron experience during the championship games."

Click here to read the entire FHSAA news release.