gridiron47

Hewitt Tomlin is the QB for TCA. Not sure you can single one guy out as the "star." They play as a team and there are many who have the ability to stand out and make the big play.

I agree. The Lions are hungry and have a lot of talent that has been playing together for 7 years. I saw the GC vs TCA middle school game when this year's seniors were 8th graders. Not that middle school is necessarily a predictor for high school, but TCA removed their first string during the first half and still won by a large margin. If GC has the attitude that 1A can't play against 2A, that could be their undoing. The divisions are based on the size of the school, not the size or talent level of the athletes....

While I think this TCA team is good, very good, I do not think USJ will get run into the ground. Both teams want the win bad enough that they will fight to the end. And I have to agree Frankie, that was harsh. What a CROCK.

So basically, what you are saying is that USJ's football legacy is basically meaningless since it was in 1A. I actually think USJ could take more pride in it than that, but maybe they will do something in 2A one year that they can feel is a worthy accomplishment. Oh, and for the record, ALL high school football is a step above middle school. Afterall, that is the step before high school... Do you go to USJ? Have you ever been to a 1A football game? Or are you just one of those people just has the need to feel that you are above everyone and everything? Just curious.

I did a search on Google and found where Max Emfinger ranks Hardegree as tied for #6 Drop Back QB. Here's the link http://maxemfingerrecruiting.com/index.php...85&Itemid=2

I think Trinity has a lot to prove. Every article I have read on 8-1A starts with "now that USJ and JCS have moved up Trinity has a shot at the region title." I think TCA wants to show that they are a contender, not just an "also ran." It could be a close game and promises to be a good one. I will pick TCA by 14.

What an ignorant statement to make. You somehow have the misguided idea that 1A is the special ed or kindergarten division of football? Not real football? Wow. Just so you can keep from looking so foolish again I will tell you that divisions are made based on NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED. So, while it is most likely that your 3A sized school could whoop a 1A sized school it ain't no guarantee. It depends on the talent of the kids enrolled during the season and even Dyersburg can have a dry spell.

Both Trinity and Collinwood didn't fare as well in that scrimmage as Cascade came out the better team that night. Trinity and Collinwood seemed to match up pretty well. Of course it is a scrimmage and each team had only 10 plays to move the ball. That doesn't match up well with some teams offensive strategies. I predict all 3 of those teams will have very good years. As far as USJ vs Trinity, I will predict a very exciting game with Trinity as the winner. I know both teams fire up for this matchup as it has always been a big rivalry. Now that the schools are just a stones throw from each other it only intensifies the competition. I hope both teams play their best with NO injuries!!

Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! You are correct, it is not a poll. A poll by definition is a "a questioning of the population or of a representative sample to tally opinions or gather other information." The Dirty Dozen is a list of the twelve teams who have the best record in West TN. Obviously, right now it is only an opinion or prediction. After each Friday night, it will change. If after week 5 Halls has a 5-0 record, Gibson County is 4-1, and Dyersburg is 3-2 then you will see 1. Halls, 2. Gibson County, 3. Dyersburg. It is a ranking of who has the best record. Period. No comparison of teams.

You guys make me laugh. So Parrot is dissing some hard working kids by posting his list and misusing his "power"? Just how harmed do you think any of these players or their teams are going to be because the Jackson Sun put them a number lower than they "should" be? Relax, drink some ice water and breathe. Dyersburg/Haywood/Crockett/Podunk Central will get ALL the press, ALL the accolades, congrats, and praise that the kids deserve when they win games and titles. Just be patient, the season hasn't even started and no newspaper article or sports writers opinion can change the outcomes or harm the kids. Its Saturday, go enjoy life and quit stressing over little things.

People, your attention please... The DIRTY Dozen isn't a poll. Repeat: the Dirty Dozen is NOT a poll. It isn't even a ranking of West Tennessee teams. It is the Jackson Sun's, and more specifically Josh Parrot's, radar screen for the most successful teams in the Jackson Sun readership area. That's all. It isn't saying that one team on the list could beat another. He isn't even comparing the teams to each other. He simply has a top ten list for Jackson area teams who are doing well, or at this point are expected to do well. Teams get added or dropped depending on how all teams do on Friday night. Soooo.... don't get emotional, don't argue about the validity, don't sweat the small stuff. There are plenty of other posts to talk smack, debate the strengths and weaknesses of your teams, and play "what if" for your fantasy matchups. The Dirty Dozen is a list, not a judgement.

Its not the "kids" who make the determination whether to go to public or private, its their parents. The deciding factor is family economics not which football field their son has stepped on to. Even if an 8th grader HAD gone to spring practice at BA, they could end up at their "designated public school" if the family chooses. Getting upcoming freshmen to spring practice is more about team building than sucking them in to an irrevocable decision. I have seen this "recruiting" at public middle schools where HS coaches start working on MS players to continue football in HS and come to their school instead of electing to go to a magnet school.

Wow. If it is true that the member schools would become responsible for the TSSAA debts should they fold then perhaps the real "split" needed is for all schools who can't afford that debt to drop out of the TSSAA!! I can't think of a 1a or 2a school with the funds to devote to retiring the TSSAA debt. And why should they? Isn't this all FOR the kids anyway? Or is it really for the adults who need the wins and official recognition to feel good about themselves? Why can't kids just play sports and learn to win and to lose and then move on to have healthy adult lives that are full of successes and setbacks? Why does it have to be political, emotional, legal, judicial, financial, or heated. Just what is it that we want these kids to learn?? We adults need to S-I-M-P-L-I-F-Y and get back to basics. Football really doesn't matter much in the big picture which means all of this discussion ad nauseum doesn't MATTER. We forget about the kids - the ones that we say it is all for in the first place.

Such a horrible tragedy and so many young lives scarred. My prayers are with the families, these young men, and with their schools. I hope that all teen drivers will heed this lesson and become more responsible drivers.

You are referring to just one year. Statistically, that means nothing. You have to look at several years and if in doing so you find that consistently there are a disproportionate number of privates in the championships, THEN you have a valid point. So what do the numbers look like for the past 5 or 10 years?

You just can't generalize about any type of school. Every school is different, and they differ year to year. Yes, some private schools are completely dedicated to their sports programs and have athletic boards that make sure enough money is spent to have the best of everything, including coaches. Other privates have very different goals. My knowledge is of a 1A Christian school that hire coaches just like they hire teachers by selecting coaches who can be godly examples for the students. Their pay comes no where near what most public school coaches/teachers get with the exception of small rural 1A schools. Their stipends come from a parent booster club and have never been more than $1000/year but recently have been $0. We depend on volunteers (parents, former students, friends) to help round out our coaching staff. At our school, any success in athletics is because we get the right combination of talented kids at the right time and our coaches are able to take that and mold together a good team. The coaches take the kids they get and do with them what they can. We have a very good football player who decided not to play. Our coaches let him quit. He had to ask to get back on the team. Last year we had some players violate school and team rules in the summer. When this came to the attention of the coaches and administrators, they suspended 8 kids from the team for the year, including several starters. My point is that not ALL private schools focus all their attention and resources on sports. Some have much higher goals and if they are able to do well in athletics, that is something truly special for the kids that work very hard to succeed. I understand that many small, rural public schools struggle as much or more than we do to have successful sports teams. Many don't have the physical or financial parental support that private schools generally have. But like us, they wait for the season that they have the right combination of talent and hope that the coaches can mold the talent into a good team and that the team can win.

I don't want to hijack this thread to discuss this but I would like to understand your comment. I am a parent at the school to which you refer and I am concerned. Could you please email me at ckjackson@charter.net? I would appreciate it very much. Thanks.

Thanks Jaxman (and congratulations to the first Jackson or 8A STATE Champs!) Of course, you and I know that it isn't about luck at all. Its about giving your best and knowing that there is nothing that God can't do We are losing 4 players that will be hard to replace but our Jr class is able to step up and we have some talented underclassment who should show what they are made of next year. Ya'll blazed the trail, we just have to follow.

AWESOME!!!! The Eagles have made Jackson and West Tennessee proud. They have truly been blessed this year and in the process I think they have set an example for all to follow. They have represented our Lord and Savior well. Congratulation to the players, coaches, parents, and fans.

Wonderful post! God may not care about the game of football but He most certainly cares about those who trust Him and obey Him completely and He can use even the most mundane things in life to accomplish His purpose - even a football game. I hope for a great game for both teams and hope they both play their best game yet. I am a TCA fan/parent hoping to see our rivals, the JCS Eagles, bring home the GOLD BALL!!

Truthfully, I think the difference is more in the effort and attitude of students who manage to stay in private schools. A kid HAS to work hard in the private school in order to stay. If he doesn't work hard and do well academically and in his behavior he can get kicked out. Private schools don't have to keep the slouchers and the trouble makers, unlike public schools. Public schools have to keep all kids for the most part and many of them are very disruptive to the school and the team. PLEASE, no one read this to say that there aren't kids in public schools who are extremely gifted, bright, dedicated, and well behaved! That isn't the case at all. It is just that they have to suffer and put up with the effects of those kids (and their parents) who don't care at all.

And when the TSSAA "levels" the playing field, I am sure you mean that they should also forbid tax support for the public athletic programs, right? I mean, is it fair that private school parents have to pay for their school's athletic program and yours too? DII is for schools that give scholarships and recruit players. Not all private schools want or can afford to do that. Most have to rely on making teams out of the group of kids that enroll, just like public schools. And if you look at statistics, in areas where there are private schools, there are still more kids going to the public schools so the pool is still larger for the public school teams. The schools that suffer are the rural schools and their problem is smaller populations, not public vs private. A private school in a rural area would have the same problem as the public school in that area - a smaller population from which to draw students/players.

Congratulations to Jackson Christian!!!! They have represented their school, Region 8A, West Tennessee, and God well through the entire playoffs. I sincerely admire a team that can put it all out on the field and show what they are made of while resisting the temptation to talk smack and boast about what they can do. JCS has had plenty to boast about but they haven't, and their fans haven't. I truly believe that they have given all the glory to God. May He continue to bless JCS next week.

Do NOT underestimate Jackson Christian School. Many have during the playoffs and have learned a lesson. Pride in your team is a good thing, cockiness is not. I wish both teams well this week as they prepare for the final game and I pray for a good game with no injuries. May the best team win!

Yes, over half the team are Juniors and most have been starters for the last two years - three have been starting since Freshman year. This is the class that went undefeated in Middle School ball their 8th grade year. We are losing several outstanding Seniors though in Essenburg, Yandell, Robinson, and Davidson. Next year should be another good year for us but we are going to miss our Seniors. There is some very promising talent in our underclassmen too.