Road2Three

Yeah, but it doesn't hurt to have the dough to shell out for personal trainers, which in turn translates pretty well on a football field in terms of strength and athleticism. With that said, I personally don't like Catholic and pretty much couldn't them when I played, but I have grown up. After all, we beat them on their home field and got to go out in a perfect fashion, so why complain right? Anyways, hopefully I'll get to make it to KC to watch the game tomorrow. Should be a good high school football game to watch. I have to say though, I'll probably have to cheer on White House, despite my bias towards East TN USUALLY. KC is a different story. I don't think the sound of those bagpipes blasting as I walked off of Bob Black Field will ever completely be erased from my memory. Should be a good one though. Maybe the Falcons can come back strong in the future.

That seems to be all Catholic has managed to do, go to the playoffs. Not much done afterwards. I haven't had a chance to make it on here much these days, this semester of school is a KILLER. With that said, I'll be making the trip to Bob Black Field tonight to cheer on the Falcons. I haven't got to see them play much this year and I haven't seen Styles play yet, but heard he's a good one at wideout and safety. They were talking on the radio about Fulton and the playoffs being in jeopardy and how surprising that was from the Falcons. Fact is, Fulton is just going through some growing pains. Heck, you can't go to the State or win State every year. Even the great ones have down years, but I'm sure this staff will have the Falcons back to Murfreesboro soon enough. The last two "down" years Fulton has had is mainly do to the QB situation. Jock in 05 was a freshman who got thrown into the spotlight unexpectingly and we lost 4 games (We still had the best team in the state, period). This year is Winters' first year taking the snaps, so really not a shocker that Fulton has struggled at times. Until Catholic does something in the playoffs, they will still be considered the Dan Marino of high school football teams. I don't care if they win by 50 tonight. I had a lot of great times at Fulton and all 3 of the championships were great, but that one in 2006 will always be special to me. We went out on top and sent the Irish and Smith home crying. Classic.

I really didn't plan on posting since this is the first time I have come on this board in like a year, but I just had to say something. First off, Fulton has no "braggarts". Fact is, when you go to the state title game 5 out of 6 years and win 3 of them, you have some room to be confident. With that said, Fulton is not expected to perform at a high level this season. They are starting 13 sophomores and just do not have that senior leadership at the skill positions that they have had in the past 6 years. The talent is there, and will be there in the future from what I hear, but they're young, really young, and from what I hear, AC is a very experienced team with a solid line both ways. They were picked to win the game in the paper and they did. By AC football being back, when were they ever there? How many titles has Kerr won over there? I don't recall any. I know he is some type of legend over there, but I really don't know what he has done that spectacular. As far as doing talking on the scoreboard, just look at my signature beneath my posts, Fulton has lit up plenty of scoreboards over the past 6 years. You got Fulton this year. It was expected, have your fun. With that said, the inner city school on the hill had outscored those country boys 76-7 in the two previous seasons with some senior leadership and come next season, I'm sure the blowouts will once again find their way to the Mavs. We still have the rings and whenever AC has one to boot, then come on here and brag all you want. There, there is my two cents and I hope the young group over there at my alma mater can keep improving and make the playoffs this season. I have a ton of respect for that coaching staff and they are still the best staff in the state of Tennessee in my opinion. They'll be okay. Heck, we started out 0-3 in my junior season and we still should have won the state that year, a year in which AC beat the Falcons just for the record.

I'm all about emotion, but that kid embarassed himself on TV last night. I've never seen anybody act that way before during a game and it should be embarassing for the Mitchell faithful. It was a questionable call, no doubt, but he was entirely out of hand, all night. After every call he was ranting around like a big baby. Blaming losses on officials is the oldest one in the book. Mitchell had their chances, there were bad calls both ways, but that's basketball. I'm glad for Jody. He's been at Fulton for a long time and that gold ball always eluded him until this season. Now Fulton is State Champs in roundball. Vic Smith has to be estatic. It's hard enough to win a ring in one sport, but he now has one in football and basketball.

Well, I don't keep up with basketball that much, but I did see Fulton beat AE by 25+ points in the Region tournament. If I'm not mistaken, Mitchell just beat AE by 2. Going on that, I don't see Mitchell taking the Falcons "to the woodshed" as you put it, and that's IF Mitchell wins. I think this is the year Jody finally gets the gold ball.

Fulton played a lot of youngsters this year. The Falcons will pretty much return their entire offensive line, which will be key, and will have a solid RB in Marco Golladay (I believe that's right...). He is lightning quick and will be a great one before he leaves Fulton. It will be tough to replace all the losses in skill guys. Hump, Tyson, Smith, Blake, McKinney, Siler....all those guys are graduating from the receiving corps and defensive secondary. Blair will also have to be replaced at QB. Stokes and Cobb were both solid seniors who will be hard to replace as well. It will be tough for Fulton to return to the Boro, but then again, I never would have dreamed they would have this year either. Never say never.

No, as your post states, you did not say "most years"....so I'm assuming you mean that the region is stronger, top to bottom, right now. That's simply not true. Region 5 has one team capable of going to State title games, as the past 7 years indicates, Region 2 always has 3 teams capable of going, and winning, the State every year. If AE played Giles, or Catholic played Giles County, it would get ugly. That appears to be Region 5's 2nd best team.

Bet my 3 rings beat your 2 /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" /> How is Region 5 stronger top to bottom? Region 2 has had 3 DIFFERENT teams win a State Championship since 2000 in Fulton, AE, and Livingston Academy. Region 5 FINALLY wins it after striking out against Region 2 the past two years, and its Region 5's first since 2000, Region 2 has 5 titles in that time frame. Yes, DL is a very good football program, but that's all Region 5 has my man. People get on here talking about Fulton being the only team out of Region 2 to go to the Boro every year and that's totally false. Like I said, AE won it in 2001 and LA won it in 2005 (And I don't care Country how bad they are now, that has nothing to do with their 05 championship team). Knoxville Catholic is just waiting to get that playoff monkey off their backs, but have went undefeated in Region 2 regular season play the past 2 years, so it's just a matter of time before Region 5, wait, excuse me, DAVID LIPSCOMB, has to deal with the Irish in Murfreesboro. What other teams out of Region 5 has even went to the championship game in the past 10 years? DL IS Region 5. Region 2 has had 3 different champions in 7 years, Region 5 ONE. How is Region 5 stronger top to bottom? That statement made no sense whatsoever.

Cobb is very similar to what Brent Shaeffer was out of HS and UT gave him a few snaps to show what he could do before booting him out for Ainge, the "Pro-Style" QB. If Randall was smart, he would go to UK. Woodson just graduated and Cobb could have a legitimate shot at QB. Ainge graduated as well, but do you really think Fulmer and Cutcliffe are going to give him a shot over Compton? /blink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blink:" border="0" alt="blink.gif" />

Okay, DL finally got the job done in the State final in its 3rd try, capitalizing on Fulton's MANY mistakes and continuing to hurt themselves with costly penalties, but let's not go overboard with the region talk. DL was better than Fulton last Saturday. Fulton made too many costly mistakes, with 2 penalties and a bad snap leading to DL touchdowns. Nobody can give a team 3 TD's and expect to win. That doesn't make Region 5 a better region. I don't think you guys over in Region 5 realize just how good Knoxville Catholic has been over the past 3 years, because they always get put out by another Region 2 team. They have been FAR better than anybody else besides DL in Region 5, not even close. DL is pretty even with the Irish, but IF Catholic gets by Fulton last year, the Irish would have beat DL, no doubt in my mind. Only problem was, Fulton beat Catholic and went on to win State. AE is always fast and athletic, but again, can't get out of our region to see how they stack up with Region 4 or 5. You want to talk about DL's schedule. They play Goodpasture every year. So what? Goodpasture is not that good and Alcoa continues to hammer them every single year. Fulton went on the road last year, at Alcoa, and beat the Tornadoes. Goodpasture can't even hang around for a quarter with Alcoa. DCA beat them, enough said. Alcoa wouldn't play Fulton this year, so the Falcons played the traditional 5A powerhouse in Oak Ridge. Fulton has been playing Tyner as well, who is a good 2A team. DL won that game last Saturday, but that doesn't mean that Region 5 is better than Region 2. Since 2000, 5 State Titles for Region 2 and 1 State Title for Region 5. Still got a few more to go Region 5 to stack up with Region 2 in this decade.

If a parent wants their son to play football at a particular school, and moves into that zone, or gets a legal transfer, then that's perfectly legal. Like one person pointed out, it's not like Alcoa goes on "in-home" recruiting visits to all these middle school "prospects". To be honest, if I have a son one day and he wants to play football, I'm going to move into whatever school zone I need to so he can have the best chance to succeed. If a parent wants to move into Alcoa's zone, rather than their son playing at a school like Heritage, that won't win a ring anytime soon, I don't blame them or see anything wrong with it necessarily.

Look, the BEST team in class 3A this year, for most of the year, was a healthy Knoxville Catholic team to be honest. I thought when the injury bug struck the Irish, Fulton may have caught a huge break, which they did, and the Falcons got back to the Boro, which I wasn't expecting for most of the season. Now, my preseason favorite to win it all was DL and I would have predicted a DL vs. Catholic title game, but things worked out for the best for Fulton....and DL. The Mustangs had a fine football team and those seniors deserved to go out on top after losing the last two. Congrats, enjoy the gold ball. As for Region 5 being the best now, all of a sudden, after one game, not buying it Country. I had a feeling that because a Middle TN team in 3A beat an East TN team for the 1st time in 6 years, you would have something to say, but seriously, "King of the Mountain"? The entire region? Region 2-3A is still the best, top to bottom. If Ohio State beats LSU in the BCS title game this year, will that "all of a sudden" make the Big Ten the best football conference? No. That recogniton will still go to the SEC. Region 5 FINALLY managed to beat Region 2. Congratulations. One game doesn't change what the past 6 years has established. Florida winning back-to-back National Championships in basketball doesn't mean they can even compare to a school like North Carolina's basketball tradition.

What is the deal with the zone comments? I live like 5 minutes from Fulton just for the record /huh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":huh:" border="0" alt="huh.gif" /> . Anyways, I believe the only school I've ever questioned regarding their actions was AE, and that's because they acted like 5 year olds, stomping and spitting on Fulton's Falcon at midfield, BEFORE the game started. I've never downed how another team has acted on this board outside of that. I'll agree that T Cobb should have kept his jersey on, and if players didn't shake hands, that was wrong as well. I know the coaches don't allow foolishness and bad behavior, so whatever happened, I can promise it was addressed. Fulton runs a top-notch football program and has established a 3A powerhouse. Like it or not, you'll be seeing plenty of Fulton for years to come.

Leonard, how many State Championship games have you lost before? My guess is NONE because you probably didn't ever play in one. I was lucky. I never had to experience a hard loss in a title game, but I can only imagine the type of pain that a team goes through that does experience it. Terrence Cobb played as tough of a game as one can play and ran harder than any back I've seen for a long time, breaking tackle after tackle. He's a senior and while he does have 2 rings, everybody wants to go out on top, for your senior class to leave that mark. Should he have taken his jersey off before accepting the MVP? No, he shouldn't have, but give him a break. Give Fulton a bit of a break. Losing the State Championship is as tough as it gets and it's easy to jump all over the kids from the stands, but when you experience it, it's different. I only experienced celebrating, but I can't imagine the hurt of losing that game. You're way too quick with your comments about how it reflects the school, community, and Knoxville in general, all because a team took a loss pretty hard. See, you say Fulton has been there and should act like it, but the truth is, that's the 1st time those kids have ever lost a championship game, and there were a lot of younger guys who hadn't ever been there before. On another note, I never made excuses for the loss with my previous post about Rogers' catch. In my opinion, that catch completely shifted the momentum of that game. Fulton had just ran it down the field fairly easy and scored, taking a 18-17 lead. That throw was on 3rd down and long, so if the QB doesn't make a great throw, Fulton gets the ball back, still with momentum, and in my opinion, probably would've won. HOWEVER, the QB did make the throw, Rogers made the catch, and the Mustangs came out on top in the end. They deserved it and played a hard fought football game. It was a great game and that play was just one of those momentum changers. Again, no excuses, I don't want to hear the stupid, "If's...but's...candy and nuts...." saying. I congratulated the Mustangs and they deserved the gold ball. Fulton had a great season and shouldn't hang their heads in the least. Everyone have a great Christmas and hopefully both will end up in the Boro again next year! /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

Well, it looks like the DL Mustangs finally got the 3A "monkey" off their backs. As the saying goes, "Third times a charm"....As for Fulton, I've seen a few posts on here since the game downing Fulton's coaching staff and claiming how much "better coached" DL was. While I do wish Fulton had went to the air more in the 2nd half and utilized their athletes on the outside (Humphrey, Tyson, and Smith), the coaching staff probably had their best year since 2002 in my opinion. The Falcons went into this season with most thinking they would have to fight to even make the playoffs. Fulton lost all 5 starting offensive linemen (and the 6th man in Brown), 3/4 starting defensive linemen, Gildner and Winters at LB, Dennis Freeney, and the best RB to ever go through the school in Dennis Rogan off of the 2006 championship team. The starting O-Line this year was basically last year's JV line, with the addition of a freshman starting at right tackle. Jock Stinson, who started in the title game last year, was dismissed from the team at the start of the year as well. To be honest, when Oak Ridge beat them 30-14 the first game of the year, and when Catholic beat them 27-0, I thought the Falcons would be lucky to get to the 3rd round of the playoffs. That team this year played with a lot of heart and seniors like T Cobb, Stokes, Humphrey, Tyson, Smith, and Blair made the big plays and the coaching staff did one heck of a job to get back to Murfreesboro, where NOBODY thought they would end up. If DL's QB doesn't make that perfect throw to Rogers in the 2nd half that went for 30+ yards, when he hadn't been close on his other 3 throws, then I think Fulton still wins it. But, DL made the plays they needed to make to finally get it done. I don't consider it an upset in the least. DL was my pick to win it from Day 1, I just thought they would beat Catholic, not Fulton. The Falcons' coaching staff has won 75 games, 3 State Championships, and 2 State Runner-Ups, since 2001. Not bad, not bad at all. Congrats to the Mustangs and hopefully this little rivalry can continue in the future /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

Well, the fact that LA is positioned towards the middle part of the state is not what our argument is all about as far as Region 2 being the best. Yeah, they're closer to Middle than East, but that's just how the cards fell. The point is, the fact that LA played against Region 2 competition throughout the year and won the State with 5 losses. The level of competition they faced prepared them to beat both Notre Dame and DL solid after they got past Catholic in the 3rd round. So, in essense, you actually helped support our argument for Region 2 being the best. I would take Kingston and Anderson County against Region 4 & 5's #4 and #5 best teams any day of the week. Region 2's "Big Three" of Catholic, Fulton, and AE are by far better than Region 4 or 5's top three schools. The fact is, you talk like Fulton is the only good team in our region because they continue to go to the state every year, but the Falcons toughest tests have came in rounds 2 & 3, against Region 2 opponents. If Catholic gets past Fulton last year, then they would have beat DL as well. LA just proved that WHOEVER gets out of Region 2 is a better football team than what Region 4 or 5 has to offer. Beat Region 2, whoever it is, and then try and make an argument. We simply state facts, we don't boast about things just to be boasting.

The clipping call last year was clearly a clip. I'm sure if Lehning had it do over with, he would have not hit our guy in the back, because it probably didn't affect the play, but he clearly did it. They showed the replay on TV and while it was a bad mistake on Lehning's part, it was a clip. I wouldn't necessarily say that DL was "about to score" when that 1st half fumble happened. The fumble occurred around midfield and DL had been in Fulton territory before and didn't score. As far as that goes, Bubba Stokes fumbled inside the DL 30 yard line in the 1st half as well on what was going to be a 1st down deep in DL territory. In the 2nd half, Ken Tyson clearly made a catch inside the DL 5 yard line, and it would have been 1st and Goal for the Falcons, but the refs called it incomplete, then threw a personal foul flag, and Fulton didn't end up scoring. So yeah, DL made some mistakes and didn't get a few breaks, but Fulton had its fair share as well. I thought the game ended exactly as it should have. As for this year, I look for DL to once again be well coached and play hard-nose football. A team doesn't win 13-14 games a year like the Mustangs have been doing and make the State three straight years and not be a very good football program. I, for one, was very impressed with how good DL was last year, and that championship game was a little too close for comfort for me. I have the upmost respect for the Mustangs and what their program is all about and honestly, they were my pick to win it all along until the playoff situations played out. Now, I have to favor the Falcons, but it should be a good one again this year.

All foolishness aside (Semour), I hope Fulton can come out on top. If they don't, then all the credit will go to DL and their senior class that will finally reach the pinnacle. It should be a great game to watch and whoever wins will be a deserving champion. I now need to go study, but I'll see you in the Boro....... Go Falcons! /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

You're right Semour. #54 on Fulton's O-Line last year was just an average Joe. He was nothing spectacular at all, and never claimed to be. He was just fortunate enough to be given a great oppurtunity, worked hard, and was surrounded by a great group of talented athletes. There were many players on that team faster, stronger, and bigger than him, but he simply did what the coaches' asked, worked hard, and was blessed to have been able to contribute to the TEAM effort that won the State Championship. Reilly (#66), Kennedy (#51), Wiley (#77), and Higgins (#72) were all better individual offensive linemen and together, made up a great unit for Rogan to run behind. #54 was not the most talented guy out there, not the biggest guy out there, but at the end of the day, was able to start on a very talented, experienced football team, including in Murfreesboro, not bad for a kid who weighed 180 pounds to start in the BlueCross Bowl.

Is there more than one Maplewood High School? /huh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":huh:" border="0" alt="huh.gif" /> Good luck Rebels! Hopefully the Tornadoes get it done in 2A, the Falcons in 3A, and the Rebels in 4A! East TN can reign supreme again! /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

If Blair throws the ball like he did against Pearl-Cohn, then Fulton will throw it plenty at the Mustangs. Fulton's offense is nearly unstoppable when Blair is making the throws to Humphrey, Tyson, and Smith. All three of these guys are making their 3rd trip to the Boro and have already claimed 2 rings to their credit. Anybody who caught the PC game now knows how good these guys are. That's how Fulton blew PC out, with their passing game. Fulton's OL has improved over the year, and with T Cobb, Wilcox, and Stokes, the running game can be efficient, but Fulton's offensive strength lies in their passing game, and if Blair is on, DL won't be able to stop it.

Randall Cobb will be MUCH better than any player DCA had on the field, and it looked as though DCA had little trouble scoring on Goodpasture. I was sarcastically "called out" over my comment about the Goodpasture/DCA game and the Alcoa/DCA game and that being any indication of what Saturday will behold. Something along the lines of, "Pointing out GP's only bad game, that's a good observation"...or something stupid like that, but anyways...the way I see it. If DCA scored 35 points on GP in week 8 of the regular season, and DCA could not even get a 1st down on Alcoa, then that would have to say a little something, would it not? You can't say, "Well, GP had a bad game, but they're still capable of beating Alcoa..." I'm sorry, but if you give up 35 points to a team, and lose to that team, and another school beats that SAME team 38-0...then that spells bad news, all the way. I know the ole' saying "That's why you play the game", but seriously. DCA was in their 14th week of playing football, and just didn't look that good to me. They had some size, but Alcoa was pretty much having their way with them. That's all I need to know about GP. That same, mediocre, team beat them and scored 35 points. There's a HUGE difference in giving up 35 points, and not even hardly giving up a 1st down. Alcoa will win this one big, like the past two. Randall Cobb is going to be unlike anything GP has seen thus far and no way GP has an answer. Alcoa wins in 2A. Fulton in 3A. Maryville in 4A. Starting to sound like a broken record! /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

Yes, kids, that post from the Brooklyn Brawler is a prime example of good sportsmanship and showing class despite getting beat very badly on the field /rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" /> . As for Mason, I think he is a great athlete and just didn't have the adequate help surrounding him to win a championship. I look for him to play receiver in college because of his size and speed, but who knows....

I was referring to Class 3A, and I believe I said "Nearly a decade". Since 2001, East TN teams are now 12-0 against Middle TN teams in 3A. I should have specified that, so I apologize for the mishap. You referred to 2A and 4A games in the past. For the most part, Fulton and other 3A schools' arguments on our threads refer to 3A games and results. So, no, as far as 3A is concerned, I pretty much have my facts straight. As far as being battle tested, Fulton plays in Region 2-3A all year and the seniors have plenty of playoff experience, much like DL's seniors do as well. Just because DL has had a couple of close calls, and Fulton hasn't because of how well they're playing, doesn't make DL any more prepared for this game.