HIGH-SCHOOL

Polling the Players in 2017: Football athletes dish out on multiple topics

Justin Barney
Bartram Trail quarterback Joey Gatewood was the area's top offensive player, as voted on by First Coast football players.

The Times-Union opens every high school football season at Baker's Sporting Goods media day at EverBank Field with our annual survey of prep players. This year, 146 athletes answered questions ranging from the area's best team and players, down to how many hours a week they spend on football. High school and assistant sports editor Justin Barney combed through the results.

Besides your own team, which school in the area has the best football program?

The results: Lee (19), Bolles (18), Trinity Christian (17), Bartram Trail (10), Clay (8).

Thoughts: Trinity's two-year reign as the players' top team ends. The Generals move to the top pick among area football athletes is the closest top-three voting we've seen. Typically, two teams are within a few votes of one another. This year, three are separated by two votes. Bolles was the pick from 2008-11, and shared top billing with First Coast in that final year in '11. The Buccaneers were the pick for the following three seasons before Trinity's two-year run. Lee is justifying that selection. It is 4-0 and the No. 1-ranked team in the Times-Union's weekly Power Poll. Bolles (3-1), Trinity (4-1), Bartram and Clay (both 2-2) follow.

Who is the best offensive player in the area?

The results: Bartram Trail QB Joey Gatewood (18), Flagler Palm Coast RB Trent Steward (6), Columbia QB Dylan Blair, Raines QB Ivory Durham, Providence TE Will Mallory (5 each).

Thoughts: Gatewood, a Super 11 selection and Auburn commit, is a runaway winner. He can pass, run, catch, anything Bartram needs him to do. The previous four winners: Yulee's Derrick Henry (2012), Sandalwood's Kain Daub (overall top player in 2013), First Coast's De'Andre Johnson (2014) and Trinity Christian's DJ Matthews (2015-16). Surprising that Lee QB Derrick Jones didn't even scratch the top 20 in this category after his stellar 2016 junior season.

Who is the best defensive player in the area?

The results: Trinity Christian ATH Tyreke Johnson (17), Columbia LB/DL SL McCall (8).

Thoughts: Like Gatewood on offense, Johnson was the dominant pick among area players. He's been playing varsity since eighth grade and is an elite college prospect. He has eight career interceptions and returned six for touchdowns. McCall was a surprise second-place pick, although his credentials in 2016 were stout - 60 tackles, 10 sacks, eight TFL.

Who is the best kicker in the area?

The results: Bishop Kenny's Matthew Brust (8), St. Augustine's Eli Ryan and Orange Park's Colin Buckley (both 5).

Thoughts: No surprise here. Brust is 4 for 4 on field goals this year and was a huge weapon for Kenny in 2016. He's also averaging 36.1 yards per punt. Ryan is 3 for 3 with a 37-yard game-winner in Week 5 to beat Bartram Trail.

Who is your favorite college team?

The results: Florida (50), Florida State (31), Georgia (9), Miami (8).

Thoughts: Florida's vote total was its most in terms of votes by the players, and almost identical in percentage of the vote to what it earned last year (34.2 this year to 33.6 percent in 2016). Florida State's percentage of the vote was virtually the same as last season (21.2 to 21.1 percent). Georgia and Miami continue to gain a few votes.

Who is your favorite NFL team?

The results: Jaguars (52), Patriots (10), Cowboys and Falcons (7 each).

Thoughts: The Jaguars earned the top vote from players again. They've done it every year of the poll, which should be a no-brainer as the hometown team. But support has gone up considerably this year, eclipsing the 44-vote-high they received in 2009. The Patriots are back up in the lead pack after dropping out in 2016 following a succession of top-four finishes. A total of 22 teams earned votes.

What is the best football rivalry in the area?

The results: Raines-Ribault (34), St. Augustine-Bartram Trail (9), Clay-Fleming Island, Suwannee-Columbia and Flagler Palm Coast-Matanzas (8 each).

Thoughts: There's no denying that Vikings-Trojans is the biggest rivalry in town. That's to be expected with schools that are separated by a mile. St. Augustine is now 19-0 against Bartram after beating the Bears 31-28 in Week 5, although that checks in at No. 2. The remainder of top vote-getters are all in-county games, with the exception of Lake City Columbia-Suwannee, whose annual clash is dubbed the battle for the Oaken Bucket and was first played in 1927.

If you could play a team that is not on your schedule, who would it be?

The results: IMG Academy (16), Bolles and St. Augustine (9), Trinity Christian (8), Providence and Sandalwood (7).

Thoughts: For the first time in the players polling history, a non-local team tops the chart. IMG out of Bradenton was nearly a two-to-one opponent of choice for area players. The Ascenders hand-pick the best players from across the country and assemble a team fit together with three-, four- and five-star recruits as sort of a traveling all-star team. Tuition at IMG for school and board is $75,200 annually, with roughly another $7,000 added on in various fees, according to the school's 2017-18 enrollment package. The only local team to have faced IMG is Trinity Christian, which is 1-2 against the Ascenders.

A new playoff system is in place for this season. Will the format create a better postseason?

Yes: 70. No: 29. Don't know: 23.

Thoughts: The points-based playoff system passed a vote last year and is now in place for 2017. District champs get playoff spots in Classes 5A-8A, with four teams after that in each region gaining a wildcard spot based on an averaged out point totals for their schedule. It's a free-for-all in in Classes 1A-4A, where the top four point totals in each region earn playoff spots. Quite a few respondents said that they thought it was too difficult to understand the new system. Overall though, a solid nod to the new system and creating both a better regular season and stronger postseason.

Should college football players be compensated for playing, or are scholarships enough?

The results: No: 65. Yes: 64.

Thoughts: The sixth version of this question, with five of the six saying that a scholarship is enough. Last year's vote stood by the scholarship being enough by two votes. This year, it's down to one. Many players prefaced their answer by writing that there should be some way to give players access to more money while in college. Not a lot extra, but something. Several players said that scholarships are a strong enough form of payment at the college level.

What social media account you use the most?

The results: Twitter (56), SnapChat (49), Instagram (37), Facebook (4).

Thoughts: A telling stat of how quickly things change in the digital world. In 2012, Facebook was the runaway pick for players and social media. This year, it finished only three votes in front of MySpace. A nod to Jaguars website Big Cat Country for picking up a couple votes, too.

How many varsity sports do you play?

The results: 2 (81), 3 (27), 1 (27), 4 (7).

The results: While the sports specialization factor is a well-worn topic of conversation, area players branch out well. A whopping 74 percent of players polled say they play multiple sports.

How many hours a week do you spend on football or football-related activities

The results: 20 to 29 hours: (48); 10 to 19 hours: (31); 30 to 39 hours: (25); 40 to 49 hours: (14); 50 and over: (7).

The results: I've always wondered if high school football players worked part-time jobs in school, but that's probably close to impossible with some of these answers. Nearly 33 percent of players say they devote between 20 and 29 hours to football activities like working out, practice and watching film. Almost 27 percent of players equate football to full-time job status. Also drawing a combined 16 votes were: 168 hours (the amount of hours in a week), 24/7, a lot, and the obligatory, 'Football is Life' moniker.