The Florida High School Athletic Association released the 2013 and 2014 seasons' finalized football districts.

The biggest change affecting locals schools is the FHSAA granting Navarre's petition to remain in District 2-6A with Choctawhatchee and Fort Walton Beach instead of the newly formed District 1-7A that originally had the Raiders joining Crestview, Niceville and Tate.

Now, District 1-7A will be a three-team district that is home to the Bulldogs, Eagles and Aggies.

Ironically, Mosley petitioned out of District 2-6A, leaving Navarre, Fort Walton Beach and Choctawhatchee to fight it out for the two playoff spots there.

Mosley will play in District 1-5A next season with Arnold, Bay, Gulf Beeze, Catholic, Rutherford and West Florida. Catholic, with 596 students, also petitioned to play in the district.

I'm sure the big reason behind Catholic's decision to play up with schools almost three times its size has to do with geography. The Crusaders were originally slated for District 1-3A, a district where every other team is from the Jacksonville/St. Augustine.

The FHSAA granted 59 petitions, allowing schools to play in a district other than the one they were originally assigned. I don't know how many schools petitioned for a move up or down, but I'm guessing most schools wanted to move down in classifications. Nor do I know how many schools petitioned to move at all.  

The number of schools that had their petition granted surprised me. If my count is correct, there are 561 football-playing schools in the state, so one out of 10 were allowed to move to the district of their choice.

With the new districts in place, coaches can start the upcoming season's scheduling process.

That's where things get tricky.

For the last two seasons, the old District 2-6A comprised six teams, solving half the scheduling problems for any team. With the three-team districts now in place, teams will scramble to pick up the eight games needed to round out the schedule.

The solution should be easy. Crestview and Niceville can continue to play Navarre, Fort Walton Beach and Choctaw, but that leaves five games to fill that are non-district games. It seems that games with teams from Pensacola, Panama City or Tallahassee will be at a premium, or maybe some games with teams from South Alabama will be in order.

It will be interesting to see what local coaches can do with the schedule to ensure fans get a full slate of games and the school benefits from the 10-game season's financial aspects.

I can tell you with some certainty that Crestview's two district games will be at home against Tate and on the road at Niceville. Niceville also will travel to Tate and the Aggies will be at home against the Eagles and will play the Bulldogs at Jack Foster Stadium.

All that aside, I don't like three-team districts.

In my perfect world, all districts would have between six and eight teams. A six-team district is big enough to have the excitement of a playoff race where late-season games mean something special. It also allows a team time to recover from a slow start in district play and still makes the playoffs.

An eight-team district offers the same advantages, and there is still room to schedule a few rivalry games with schools that aren't in your district. Games like Crestview and Choctaw are good for both schools, whether or not they are in the same district.

My biggest gripe with the three-team districts is I don't believe any team should be able to make the playoffs with just one district win or one win period.  And you can bet the ranch that a team with one district win will be in the playoffs in every three-team district. It's mathematically impossible for it not to happen.

I don't have as much of a problem if a team with one district win makes the playoffs if they have had a good season outside district play. I've always believed that playoffs were a reward for a good season and should never be a pat on the back for being average.

There is still plenty of time to see how things will fall into place with the new districts. 

It's safe to say that the district races in 1-7A and 2-6A this year will be sprints and not marathons.

It should be an interesting fall.

Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Three-team districts not a good thing

The Florida High School Athletic Association released the 2013 and 2014 seasons' finalized football districts.

The biggest change affecting locals schools is the FHSAA granting Navarre's petition to remain in District 2-6A with Choctawhatchee and Fort Walton Beach instead of the newly formed District 1-7A that originally had the Raiders joining Crestview, Niceville and Tate.

Now, District 1-7A will be a three-team district that is home to the Bulldogs, Eagles and Aggies.

Ironically, Mosley petitioned out of District 2-6A, leaving Navarre, Fort Walton Beach and Choctawhatchee to fight it out for the two playoff spots there.

Mosley will play in District 1-5A next season with Arnold, Bay, Gulf Beeze, Catholic, Rutherford and West Florida. Catholic, with 596 students, also petitioned to play in the district.

I'm sure the big reason behind Catholic's decision to play up with schools almost three times its size has to do with geography. The Crusaders were originally slated for District 1-3A, a district where every other team is from the Jacksonville/St. Augustine.

The FHSAA granted 59 petitions, allowing schools to play in a district other than the one they were originally assigned. I don't know how many schools petitioned for a move up or down, but I'm guessing most schools wanted to move down in classifications. Nor do I know how many schools petitioned to move at all.  

The number of schools that had their petition granted surprised me. If my count is correct, there are 561 football-playing schools in the state, so one out of 10 were allowed to move to the district of their choice.

With the new districts in place, coaches can start the upcoming season's scheduling process.

That's where things get tricky.

For the last two seasons, the old District 2-6A comprised six teams, solving half the scheduling problems for any team. With the three-team districts now in place, teams will scramble to pick up the eight games needed to round out the schedule.

The solution should be easy. Crestview and Niceville can continue to play Navarre, Fort Walton Beach and Choctaw, but that leaves five games to fill that are non-district games. It seems that games with teams from Pensacola, Panama City or Tallahassee will be at a premium, or maybe some games with teams from South Alabama will be in order.

It will be interesting to see what local coaches can do with the schedule to ensure fans get a full slate of games and the school benefits from the 10-game season's financial aspects.

I can tell you with some certainty that Crestview's two district games will be at home against Tate and on the road at Niceville. Niceville also will travel to Tate and the Aggies will be at home against the Eagles and will play the Bulldogs at Jack Foster Stadium.

All that aside, I don't like three-team districts.

In my perfect world, all districts would have between six and eight teams. A six-team district is big enough to have the excitement of a playoff race where late-season games mean something special. It also allows a team time to recover from a slow start in district play and still makes the playoffs.

An eight-team district offers the same advantages, and there is still room to schedule a few rivalry games with schools that aren't in your district. Games like Crestview and Choctaw are good for both schools, whether or not they are in the same district.

My biggest gripe with the three-team districts is I don't believe any team should be able to make the playoffs with just one district win or one win period.  And you can bet the ranch that a team with one district win will be in the playoffs in every three-team district. It's mathematically impossible for it not to happen.

I don't have as much of a problem if a team with one district win makes the playoffs if they have had a good season outside district play. I've always believed that playoffs were a reward for a good season and should never be a pat on the back for being average.

There is still plenty of time to see how things will fall into place with the new districts. 

It's safe to say that the district races in 1-7A and 2-6A this year will be sprints and not marathons.

It should be an interesting fall.

Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Three-team districts not a good thing

The Florida High School Athletic Association released the 2013 and 2014 seasons' finalized football districts.

The biggest change affecting locals schools is the FHSAA granting Navarre's petition to remain in District 2-6A with Choctawhatchee and Fort Walton Beach instead of the newly formed District 1-7A that originally had the Raiders joining Crestview, Niceville and Tate.

Now, District 1-7A will be a three-team district that is home to the Bulldogs, Eagles and Aggies.

Ironically, Mosley petitioned out of District 2-6A, leaving Navarre, Fort Walton Beach and Choctawhatchee to fight it out for the two playoff spots there.

Mosley will play in District 1-5A next season with Arnold, Bay, Gulf Beeze, Catholic, Rutherford and West Florida. Catholic, with 596 students, also petitioned to play in the district.

I'm sure the big reason behind Catholic's decision to play up with schools almost three times its size has to do with geography. The Crusaders were originally slated for District 1-3A, a district where every other team is from the Jacksonville/St. Augustine.

The FHSAA granted 59 petitions, allowing schools to play in a district other than the one they were originally assigned. I don't know how many schools petitioned for a move up or down, but I'm guessing most schools wanted to move down in classifications. Nor do I know how many schools petitioned to move at all.  

The number of schools that had their petition granted surprised me. If my count is correct, there are 561 football-playing schools in the state, so one out of 10 were allowed to move to the district of their choice.

With the new districts in place, coaches can start the upcoming season's scheduling process.

That's where things get tricky.

For the last two seasons, the old District 2-6A comprised six teams, solving half the scheduling problems for any team. With the three-team districts now in place, teams will scramble to pick up the eight games needed to round out the schedule.

The solution should be easy. Crestview and Niceville can continue to play Navarre, Fort Walton Beach and Choctaw, but that leaves five games to fill that are non-district games. It seems that games with teams from Pensacola, Panama City or Tallahassee will be at a premium, or maybe some games with teams from South Alabama will be in order.

It will be interesting to see what local coaches can do with the schedule to ensure fans get a full slate of games and the school benefits from the 10-game season's financial aspects.

I can tell you with some certainty that Crestview's two district games will be at home against Tate and on the road at Niceville. Niceville also will travel to Tate and the Aggies will be at home against the Eagles and will play the Bulldogs at Jack Foster Stadium.

All that aside, I don't like three-team districts.

In my perfect world, all districts would have between six and eight teams. A six-team district is big enough to have the excitement of a playoff race where late-season games mean something special. It also allows a team time to recover from a slow start in district play and still makes the playoffs.

An eight-team district offers the same advantages, and there is still room to schedule a few rivalry games with schools that aren't in your district. Games like Crestview and Choctaw are good for both schools, whether or not they are in the same district.

My biggest gripe with the three-team districts is I don't believe any team should be able to make the playoffs with just one district win or one win period.  And you can bet the ranch that a team with one district win will be in the playoffs in every three-team district. It's mathematically impossible for it not to happen.

I don't have as much of a problem if a team with one district win makes the playoffs if they have had a good season outside district play. I've always believed that playoffs were a reward for a good season and should never be a pat on the back for being average.

There is still plenty of time to see how things will fall into place with the new districts. 

It's safe to say that the district races in 1-7A and 2-6A this year will be sprints and not marathons.

It should be an interesting fall.

Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Three-team districts not a good thing

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I had a good time catching up with former Laurel Hill basketball star Brad Reese in a phone interview last month.

Brad is one of my Facebook friends and I’ve managed to follow his basketball and personal journey via that social network, but there’s nothing like talking with someone, even in a phone interview, from the other side of the world.

I try not to play favorites in this job, but there are certain athletes whom I can’t help liking a little more than others.

Some of those young men or women, such as Brad, have overcome numerous obstacles in life to achieve a level of success on and off the playing field.

That deserves a bit of extra recognition.

 Other athletes have a personality that draws people to them and it’s impossible not to like them. Brad has achieved that level of success and has a personality that sets him apart from so many young people I cover.

Maybe I’m continually drawn back to Brad’s story because I spent a couple of days shadowing him for a story during his senior year in high school in January of 2006.

Seven years later, I still think about how little kids were drawn to Brad — the proverbial big man on campus — and how he took time to interact with each of them.

I remember the good things Brad’s teachers said about him. And I watched as, although the best player on the team, he made sure towels were out for his teammates before a big game.

Brad has always had a confidence about him, but never a sense of arrogance. He understands that he has special skills, but those skills must continually be refined.

While Brad might be on the other side of the world, a large part of his heart remains here in Okaloosa County. During our recent conversation, he asked about his beloved Hoboes and about Crestview’s Denzel Ware, Blake and Dakota Dean and others.

Brad Reese is one of those rare people who find as much joy out of others’ success as he does his own success. He wants the Baker Gators and Crestview Bulldogs to succeed almost as much as he wants Laurel Hill to do well.

As his agent confirmed to me in an email, Brad loves his hometown area.

Brad is one of many special athletes who have come through this area in my 12-plus years with the Northwest Florida Daily News and News Bulletin. Too often, I lose track of the young people I’ve had the opportunity to cover, and sometimes wonder where they might be.

I’m fortunate to have kept up with Brad as he has stepped into the adult world. It’s always exciting watching young people grow and be successful whether in sports, life or both.

Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Brad Reese makes us proud

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There have been times in this column space when I haven’t been easy on the men and women who officiate local high school sports.

I try to give the officials the benefit of the doubt, but every now and then, must call it like I see and point out a badly missed call or — on some rare occasions — calls that seem strongly slanted in favor of one team.

That said, 99 percent of those who sacrifice their time for a comparatively small payment are people of honor.

I’ve gotten to know many of the officials — some by name, others by face. We will chitchat before a game and, sometimes, during the event, as time permits.

One of the men officiating high school basketball in the area is former Northwest Florida State College baseball coach Keith Griffin. I got to know Griffin when I covered Raider baseball for the Northwest Florida Daily News.

Griffin worked the Baker-Laurel Hill girls basketball game I was covering Thursday night. During the game, we talked about the recent Baseball Hall of Fame elections, for which nobody was elected, and Alabama’s win over Notre Dame for the National Championship in football.

I will chuckle sometimes when a coach is giving Griffin a hard time because I saw him give enough umpires plenty to think about during his days with the Raiders.

There are times I joke with the officials before the game and tell them not to call it tight so we can get home and watch a game on TV or maybe catch an early supper.

Sometimes, it seems as if they agree with me. But perhaps it’s more of a case that the teams are playing a clean game than anything else.

In reality, I need to be in the officials’ good graces to do my job more easily. Often, I let the officials know that I’ll be taking photographs of baseball or softball games and where I’ll be standing.

By rule, teams are supposed to provide a marked photographers box, but many umpires will let me have some flexibility where I stand; they know I’m aware of my surroundings and will get out of the way.

I try to work with the officials as they work with me so that everyone wins in the end.

My angles to plays often are similar to officials’.

Sometimes, I’ll agree with the call; other times, I won’t. There are times when a photograph I take proves the official was right, despite the howling masses of fans in the stands.

In my younger days, when I was more of a fan and less of a writer, I was a good heckler. I could work an officiating crew or the opposing team, but I would never go after a team that wasn’t at least at the college level.

Once, I singlehandedly won a pizza for being the rowdiest section at a University of Tennessee baseball game, but I did so without profanity and with plenty of humor. Although that poor pitcher from the University of Georgia probably didn’t find my questions about his control and eye sight so funny.

In the end, everyone has a job to do at a game. A coach is there to coach, players to play, officials to call the game, media to cover the game and fans to cheer on their favorite team.

It would be hypocritical of me to say fans shouldn’t give the officials a hard time when they deserve it. But I would encourage fans to think before they yell something stupid.

Anyone who’s called a youth league basketball game or church league softball game will tell you officiating isn’t easy.

I once read that being a sports official was the only job in the world where you had to be perfect the first day and improve from there.

Come to the games and cheer your teams and even jeer the officials, but remember: officials are human too and they are doing their best.

Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Give officials due respect