Four local players punched tickets to the Big Dance this week. Making a trip to March Madness are Florida’s Chandler Parsons (Lake Howell), Purdue’s Keaton Grant (Gateway), Wofford’s Corey Godzinski (East Ridge) and Winthrop’s Chris Malcolm (Timber Creek).

The first few weeks of high school football have very little value in the race for the postseason, other than figuring out just how competitive each team is before the games truly count. That’s why coaches find ways to keep their kids encouraged after loses and focused after wins. Neighboring rivalries are nice to win, but finishing in one of the two top spots in your district will keep the dream of a state championship alive.

If only last week was half as leisurely as Friday night was for the Boone Braves. Following the humiliation they experienced on the football field on the road against Winter Park, the Braves got a taste of what the other end of such a game was like as they opened up Class 6A, District 6 play with a 49-13 win over a Kissimmee Gateway program currently under construction.