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Champagnat Catholic? How did they get so good so fast?

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MiamiSouthPaw

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What is the story with this program? They were 2-9 last year with the same coaching staff. It's a school located in a strip mall in Hialeah and has fielded a football program for only 4 years. Now they're undefeated Class 2A champions thanks to a slew of transfers Travonte Valentine (Melbourne), Kato Nelson (McArthur), Michael Frederick (Hallandale), Darnell Salomon (Hollywood Hills), Frank Labady (Edison) and bunch of others. Why are these kids transferring to a school with virtually no winning football tradition? How is this coach (Mike Tunsil) getting these kids to come to that school? What's the story here?
 
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MiamiSouthPaw said:
What is the story with this program? They were 2-9 last year with the same coaching staff. It's a school located in a strip mall in Hialeah and has fielded a football program for only 4 years. Now they're undefeated Class 2A champions thanks to a slew of transfers Travonte Valentine (Melbourne), Kato Nelson (McArthur), Michael Frederick (Hallandale), Darnell Salomon (Hollywood Hills), Frank Labady (Edison) and bunch of others. Why are these kids transferring to a school with virtually no winning football tradition? How is this coach (Mike Tunsil) getting these kids to come to that school? What's the story here?
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There's always been a sort of a black market for high quality athletes who are disgruntled with their local team/coach/situation/etc. I think the internet has made that market a lot bigger, a lot more available. And subsequently, more public. Out here in the bay area where the competition for quarterback is super competitive, it seems every sprig there are a half dozen kids who are aspiring QBs that are "dropping in" on the coaches of the better programs for a workout ("because their dad "might" be considering renting an apartment in that schools boundary lol).

From what Ive seen over the decades, these transfers are not usually malicious (coaches paying kids to make a move, negative recruiting other coaching staffs, etc.) they're just kids looking for a better situation, either with their sport or their personal lives. Tied to this is the whole 7 on 7 summer leagues, personal position coaches, etc. They provide kids and dads with better networking opportunities.
 
They school is a private school so anyone can transfer there assuming you are able to pay for it ala STA, Monsignor Pace, Hollywood Chaminade, Gulliver, etc....
The difference here is that this school looks for high caliber athletes with grade issues and that is what lures these kids to the school. The school guarantees the kids better grades, no FCAT and improved test scores. The school offers financial aid and to low income families so there is no need for scholarships. The coaches approached my son during a combine held at a private school in Ft Lauderdale ( CSS/ Ken Mastrole) last year and talked to him about coming there. I talked to them as well and contacted them on several occasions. We went by the school and my son said no immediately after looking at the school. Its basically a daycare/k-12 that's about the size of your local autozone. My son chose not to attend, he wanted the traditional high school experience for his senior year. Looking back at it now I wish he would have attended because every big name school in all the conferences go there to recruit.
 
My brother is the head coach and has been around a long time. He helped coach Zacheo at Pace and coach Guandolo at Chaminade so he learned how to build a small school program from the best. Also, his contacts with youth league coaches makes it easy for him to attract kids. Also, he knows every college coach that recruits south Florida so that makes his school attractive to parents no matter what it looks likes or don't have. Remember life is about "Who You Know" and he just happen to know the right people.
 
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