Realignment could mean less revenue for local programs

Powers thinks the game could draw the biggest crowd in school history. That is on the heels of a bountiful regular season in which Seminole drew a $16,200 gate against Port Orange Spruce Creek, a big homecoming crowd and solid attendance for three games vs. Seminole Athletic Conference rivals.

"We’ve never made as much money as this year," said Powers, who has been baseball coach since 1988 and AD since 1997. "Our crowds have been great, and the visiting teams are bringing people."

That’s great news in an era when state funding for education and extracurricular activities dwindles. The bad news — not here yet but rumbling so close that Powers sees the train coming — could be a new Florida High School Athletic Association district alignment scheduled to be announced in mid-December.

Based on a plan voted in by the FHSAA’s board of directors last week, the Seminole Athletic Conference is likely to get splintered for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years.

Seminole, with 3,199 students, and Lake Brantley (2,994) are sure to stay in 6A. It appears Lyman, with 2,486 students in an October count, will move up from 5A.

But Lake Mary (2,442), Winter Springs (2,281) and Oviedo (2,018) are projected to drop out of 6A in a new format that calls for fewer schools in the upper four classifications.

The FHSAA is aiming for nine-team districts. With that as a goal, the only option for 6A, District 1 appears to be taking three schools from the Jacksonville area (Orange Park, Sandalwood. Mandarin), three from Volusia (DeLand, Deltona, Spruce Creek) and lumping them in with Seminole, Brantley and Lyman.

"I figure that’s what’s going to happen, and if it does, we get killed at the gate," Powers said. "We’ll lose every bit of money we made this year. If we’re playing at home against Jacksonville Mandarin, they bring no one. And we take no one to the game when we go up there. It’s crazy."

The FHSAA board, comprised mostly of school administrators, thinks the new plan means a better playoff format. But revenue and expenses for member schools have to be considered.

If high school teams are going to go broke playing for championships, what’s the point?

Kirlew sacks MVP honor

Cypress Creek alum Jammie Kirlew, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound junior, was chosen the MVP for Indiana (3-9) and an All-Big Ten defensive end for the 2008 college football season. He led the Hoosiers in solo tackles (53) and ranked second in the Big Ten in tackles for loss (19.5) and sacks (10.5).

Extra points

Wildwood, expected to be one of the state’s top 3A boys basketball teams, has to shake some rust off when it opens Thursday at home vs. Inverness Citrus. All five starters were on a 10-2 football team and will have had only two full practices. ...

Class 6A football district runners-up went 4-1 in rematches against district champions last week. That included wins by Apopka over East Ridge (10-2), Boone (10-2) over Dr. Phillips (10-2), and by two-time defending champ Miami Northwestern (10-1) over Miami Central 38-32 on a TD pass with 15 seconds remaining. Also ousted was top-ranked Weston Cypress Bay (10-2), which lost 34-29 to Miramar (10-2) on a TD pass with 3 seconds remaining.

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