1A FAN

Heard the same things from Trousdale Co, Gordonsville (twice), TEMPLE, and Hampton. Our Green men will leave it all on the field tommorrow and I'd expect no different from your young men. God given talent will be the difference and how it is used by FCS will make them STATE CHAMPIONS! FC - 21 JC - 07

Come on down Alcoa fan! Should be a great game. Both teams like to run the spread option offense and throw it around as well. Defenses are both small but fast. Plenty of room on the FC side for anyone wishing us well. $10 gets you a seat for both games 1A & 2A! FC = 21 JCS = 7

Well said PUJO. By the way if a private school fails to meet their expenses they are closed (ex. Castle Heights). For years Castle Heights operated as a private school in Lebanon and competed athletically against all comers in Tennessee. In the mid 80's their revenue failed to meet expenses for several years. Private donors stopped giving and as a result the school closed, the land was auctioned off, and their students moved on to other schools (some public - the "non" recruited ones, and some private the "recruited ones". ) When is the last time anyone on here saw a public school go outta business. It just doesn't happen. Most private schools I am familiar with operate on private gifts, fund-raisers, tuition, etc just to keep the doors open. Government grants are out of the question. Their teachers take less pay in order to have smaller class sizes, ability to express their faith freely, and tuition discounts for their children just to name a few fo the perks. Private school athletic budgets are basically dependent on how successful their gates were the previous year(s). Alot of the privates schools have close to 100% participation by their students families in fundraising activities designed to improve private school facilities. These facilities are planned out and saved for years before they are actually constructed. For the most part they don't just appear (unless your MBA). Instead of some of these public school communities complaining about privates , their athletic budgets, and their success I would suggest visiting some of the successful programs in your classification (1A-TC, 2A-Alcoa/Smith Co, 3A-Fulton, 4A-Maryville) and see how their booster clubs, alumni associations, and local merchants help support their programs athletically. The private school I support has been around now for approximately 30 years and is finally playing in their 1st football championship Friday. When first opened they played all games away for 2 years and most as homecoming games for the other team. Their district opponents laughed at em, made fun of their uniforms, and then spanked em at every opportunity. The original football field was designed and built by volunteers in the following years. The first gym seated around 300-400 and had a rubber floor with bubbles in it. They didn't have a winning season for 10 years. The baseball field was more like a cow pasture than a field and there was no softball field or soccer field for the first 20 years of existence. The original weight room opened in the early 80's and might have had 400 lbs of weights total. It was in a room that was 20x30 approximately. Thirty years later they still play on the same football field. The uniforms are a lil nicer, the team is nobody's homecoming game, and those same teams that used to laugh are now crying to anyone who will listen how unfair it is having to play that big bad private school even though they have beaten the private every time they have played but 3 -5 times in 30 years. The new gym seats 1200+ and the teams are a lot more successfull. By the way the gym was all built with private donations and fundraisers, the baseball soccer, and softball fields were donated and built by volunteers and are some of the finest in TN. It took this little school with under 200 students 30 years but with great leadership, fans, alumni, and the community supporting them they were able to overcome aalot of odds and finally get a campus that we're a lil proud of. Bottom line don't cry about what others have. Get out and get yours! It is do-able

Rumor has it that Eagle taste just like chicken! Guess we'll find out at the pep-rally tonight! I'll take my "eagle steak" medium with a lil "tiger" sauce on the side, a "bulldog" potato and some of that "yellow jacket creekbank" water to drink! Wonder if I can get that lil short coach from the creekbank to serve me a lil cheese to go with all his w(H)ine? Man it has been a sweet season! Thanks Commanders - WE are definitely READY! stay focused

Moss, Ya'll ever get that trash picked up from our tailgate party? Your actually not as bad a guy when we're not playin your team. Have you forgiven me yet for complimenting your team,their improvement, and the great class they showed in the playoffs? The TIGERS will definitely be a force to be reckoned with in 2007 but so will the greenmen!

With a name like Bull what else would you expect. However, I'm sure he is an ok guy just looking out for his own. What kind of person would he be if he didn't do that. I for one just wish he could be a lil positive about the FC teams' accomplishments instead of always so negative towards his kid(s) school. If I were as unhappy as him I'd move my kids back to public school. Wait a minute - NO I WOULDN'T Stay focused Commanders

Glover is a Smith Co die-hard! If you think us FC fans have been going at it bad with the Hampton folks you should look at Smith Co vs. Alcoa thread or the public vs. private threads. Tnsddeveloper really tends to stir it up over there. He seems to have his own fan club. I'm betting that Ain't one (also known as Antwan- Smith Co's finest and the # 1 FC hater) is pretty fired up right now too. What with his beloved owls getting beat down at home last week by that "openzoned" ALCOA (football's poster child program for recruiting) bunch and now playing Goodpasture (2A's most hated private) for the 2A title. Not to mention Lipscomb playing for the title in 3A and we all know that 1A is the "private bowl". Words can't describe how bad I feel for them or how proud I am to be an FC fan!

PUJO get over it! The best team won. How can you cross midfield once each half and think you had an equal much less better team ! You and some other Hampton fans been coulda, shoulda, woulda - ing for the past week. What happened to all your "I'm feeling good about this game", "we're gonna bust em in the mouth", "they can't handle our big linemen", "we're gonna run it down their throat" "we got our RB back" statements. You came to Region 4 knowing from your 0-35 spanking last year what to expect. AND YOU GOT IT -AGAIN! The more physical team won just like last year. You guys might wanna take a lil different approach should you ever meet a Region 4 team again. Here are some helpful hints: #1). Schedule somebody- If you had played FC's schedule you woulda went 5-5 at best with losses to Collinwood, Davidson Academy, Ezell Harding, Gordonsville, and Trousdale Co. This schedule allowed FC to be ready for your "bustem in the mouth mentality". #2). Get those 20 something assistant coaches/daddys/alumni/red necks/etc off the Hampton team's sidelines and let your very capable staff do their job. When you get to round 4 of the T$$AA playoffs it ain't jr.pro football anymore. #3). Go easy on the crow - it's hard to digest with all that turkey eaten just days before. #4). Instruct your QB's not to try and run over MR. Football Linebackers at any time from Region 4. You might get away with that in your "hills" but not down here in Mid TN. These LB's down here in possumtown will - pardon the pun - Bustem in the mouth and most importantly #5). Don't make the COMMANDER NATION your enemy because you might face them again next year and as those TC coaches that helped you prepare know, FC is on the rise and there will be many upcoming years of quality teams in Possumtown in the near future . Best of luck on the hardwoods! Stay focused Commanders!

Sorry fallsportsfan but your gonna have to speak up! It's extremely hard to hear what your saying with all that squeaking going on in your background from Hampton's basketball practice. Last time I checked this was a post involving the State Championship game and it doesn't involve Hampton. Seems like I remember them getting "busted in the mouth" or something! Better luck next year. And by the way, why in the world would you Hampton folks take advice from a fellow Region 4 coach who lost to the Commanders this year 14-7. He gave that same advice to G-ville for their game 2 vs. FC, gave it TEMPLE, and then gave it to Hampton. Can somebody get that coach to call JCS and help them too . Way I count he's now 0-4 vs. FC this year. Stay focused FC!!

I agree Salty. Spoken like a person with some experience on the subject SALTY. Always wondered why a great assistant with alot of big prizes like yourself hadn't moved on to be the headcoach somewhere. People have known for years just what an impact you've have made on that program and that you have always been a major reason for your programs success. I too believe Coach Lowe will be chased but I hope that he remains true to FC. His character and leadership are some of the reasons that my kids are there. I want my kids to be instructed and developed in school by winners in life like Coach Lowe and the rest of that staff. Look at some other local head football coaches that were former assistants at state powerhouse programs only to be an also ran in their regions as headcoach. Don't see Coach Lowe falling into that trap!

Halibut your post to PUJO & Co. didn't offend me. I appreciated not being the only FC fan/poster (besides tnsddeveloper) to get a lil redneck everynow and then. It's always amazing to me when I read the false accusations towards FC and other private schools and their "recruiting" . As I've said many times I remember the days when TC, G-ville, and others wished they could play FC 2 or three times a year. It is sweet to see how times have changed that. Good Luck to both teams! Leave it all on the field Friday!

Guessing he's about Knoxville by now unless he stopped by Coalfield to tell CY jacket how they got busted in the mouth by that lil ole Lebanon private school. Illegal hit! Thats how the game is played each week in Region 4

I agree completely. When I watched Hampton in warmups I thought their line looked slow and their backs small but those kids are well coached and never quit. I was very impressed with their physical play and how well they tackled. No wonder they have owned East TN 1A for the past 2 years.

Congrats Bulldog fans on another great season. Back to Back final 4's and definitely the best program in East Tn is nothing but admirable. I thought your kids played extremely hard and never quit # 82 and 12 are real players. Townsend showed unbelieveable character in returning so quickly from his serious injury and trying to aid his team-mates down the stretch. Your defense really tackled well and gave FC some trouble once FC went into their clock management mode of running out the clock in the 3rd and 4th quarters. Your fans traveled good and us FC fans hope that your QB is ok. He really took a shot right before the half. As far as it being illegal I guess that would be in the eye of the beholder. I had the same eye as the ref's and didn't see anything illegal. From my vantage point (within 20 yards) it looked as though your QB was attempting to run over the wrong person in MR. Football candidate Mitchell. With 6 secs left in the half prior to the start of the play left why would he be attempting to step out of bounds? He wasn't, he knew that was Hamptons last chance before half time! As for any talk from the hitter I never heard it but I did see Mitchell immediately signal for the trainers. I thought it was amazing that your staff immediately ran off the FC team Dr. attempting to help. By the way he is a Harvard graduate! As far as helmet to helmet contact I think that is a pro rule not TSSAA. Mitchell hit him facemask to facemask (he did not lead with the top of his helmet) and I'd say in your Hampton fans words "busted him in the mouth"! Obviously with the players you have returning you will be a factor again next year & wish you guys best of luck! However Region 4 will still have to be reckoned with at some point and none of our REGION 4 teams will fear ANYONE-ANYWHERE!

No doubt about that!