Cactus Jack

As with a lot of games, this one was decided as AC decisively won the battle up front on both the offensive and defensive lines. On defense, they constantly pressured Keith and made him move and try to throw over the top of oncoming people. He hit a few, but he missed more than he hit. He took several sacks and a couple of intentional grounding calls. I thought Clinton should have tried to run the ball a little more with Goins, especially wide stuff to make the Mavs spread out some. On the other side of the ball, the AC offensive line provided excellent pass protection and plenty of push up front on running plays, Moog always seemed to have a good head start before he got any contact and one on one, he is tough to get down. Quarterback had all day to throw, either in the pocket or rolling out. Clinton kicking game again betrayed them, altough they did have a couple of good punts. I certainly hope Joshua Keith is not hurt bad, he is a great player, but its hard to carry a team by one's self. Clinton's chances in the rest of the regular season and in the playoffs depend on him being able to play.

The AC game doesn’t affect Clinton’s playoff chances, they control their own destiny, if they beat Lenoir City and Karns, they finish 2nd with a home field at least in the first round and maybe the 2nd. They would see a team like McMinn County, Walker Valley, or Rhea County first round at home depending on how that region shakes out. If they lose one game to LC or Karns they’re still in, just on the road….now if they lose both, they’re out.

Good luck to Coach Miners Hawks, might have a shot at a win here.

AC friend told me Bradley is very good and they beat Maryville so the evidence is there. Might be a tough night in Fox Den if Bradley is on. Cap the wine and put away the cheese, this one goes to the Bears, 21-10

I know Bearden is loaded with imported talent, big linemen etc. but I like Maryville because they are playing at home, they have made some adjustments to injuries and that’s what they always do well. Farragut slowed Bearden down a lot until a breakaway play late in the game, I think Maryville defense is better and will do the job. Maryville 21-10

New OR Coach Derek Rang and AD Joe Gaddis have indicated getting DB back on the schedule in 2025 is a priority, I hope the dates line up so it can be scheduled.

JV Freshmen games aren’t under any contract and OR has seen several of these type cancellations over the years. He always knew he had AC on a Thursday game since it was scheduled so he might should have scheduled the OR FrJV another week. But who knows. Coach Bruce Lussier back in the early 2000s along with other Region coaches then, set up a Freshman league and schedule with two divisions and a championship game, I thought that worked pretty well. Teams that have continued success spend time on freshman and JV teams, Maryville is a great example.

Central has won big score wise and lost big score wise so far, indicates up and down year, but if they have a sense of history they know what playing Oak Ridge is. The Wildcats are off two tough weeks, so they got to be ready again Friday. I’ve seen some things happen at Dan Y Boring. I think OR 28-10.

Big game for the Indians Betsy has been very good over the last few years. Will be watching for that score to come through. Sounds like if the Indians don’t generate some offense it could be a long night. Indians need this game for overall record and momentum for the rest of the season.

AC is picking up speed after a tough start to the season against some good teams. The question is can their defense slow down Joshua Keith and the Dragon receivers, which give them the capability to score fast and from anywhere on the field, with big plays. If Clinton jumps out early, it may be hard for AC to catch up, but if AC controls the lines, runs the ball, and finishes drives and limits big plays on defense then I look for AC to win. Either way I think it’s close, but Clinton’s defense may not be able to stop the run and get AC off the field. Clinton’s kicking game is shaky, edge to AC there…AC in a close one 28-18.

Clinton does have a game with AC on Thursday night and maybe I can see the logic of cancelling to have a full practice on Monday since that is actually now a Tuesday practice which is usually a heavy day. I know AC is a huge game for them. Howver, I would think if he could get enough freshman and maybe a few JVs who don’t play too much on Fridays and have a couple of assistants coach the game he could still run a full varsity practice and maybe be done in time to come to the JV game. I don’t know their numbers but that’s what I would do, if it’s just freshman then both teams would play freshman only. It makes you better later in.

Saw ME play Hardin Valley, should be no problem for the Indians, who need Region wins to have a shot at 2nd unless Jeff falters, which isn't likely.

Will the torch pass? Powell is still good, but has some holes and not the Powell teams of the recent past. Halls is improved and this could be a rock fight. I will take Powell in a squeaker, but don't turn the ball over or it could go the other way.

Coach Miner is building a good program over at Hardin Valley. They have improved over last year, but they don't have the talent to match up with Bearden, Maryville, Farragut, Cleveland or Bradley. They might keep it close for a quarter or so, but Maryville should win even though the Hawks won't quit.

I think Clinton is better and more versatile than McMinn on offense, but McMinn was better than Clinton on defense. So we will see if the Year of the Dragon breaks out

You are right, I thought of that too.

Yeah its a traffic nightmare getting out and the field is turned so the sun is right in the eyes of the home side and press box until it goes down, I certainly think Knox County could have done a better job placing the stadium when they built the school, it is pretty well land locked. Visitors side is very low and you need to be at the top to be able to see. The good news for Hardin Valley now is they have good coaches that are trying to build a program there, and you can tell they are better this year, although they don't have the players that Bearden or Farragut or Maryville have, but they will play hard and compete.

I understand the TSSAA really doesn't check addresses much any more unless there is a complaint filed. They don't have the staff to check every kids address.

Sounds like Maryville has made some good adjustments and got a good win there. Be interesting to see them go up against Farragut and Bearden now.

Glad to see the Indians win, if not for a scheduling foul up they would have been playing Oak Ridge last night, which would be better for both, but we will have to wait until 2025 to see each other again.

Yesterday morning I would have thought OR would win, but after the McMinn County loss and the way OR played especially on offense, it's a toss-up. Clinton has more playmakers than McMinn did and can score points, on the other hand McMinn had a stronger defense than Clinton, so it's hard to gauge. So, let's toss the coin and play. So I will be making the trip to Ron Brown Stadium (Clinton should name it after Coach Brown) and see what the results are. It's definitely a big game and the winner should finish undefeated in the Region and have a home field playoff advantage which they will need.

Game went the way I was worried about going in. They chunked OR out on that long drive to score early using a huge amount of clock. OR not being able to match that score settling for a field goal set the tone. The OR offense was just off especially the passing game with bad throws and drops. All of that let the officiating become a factor in the game and while I don’t usually complain about that, it seemed the calls were going against OR especially stuff like the sideline calls. But here again the offense was off enough and add poor field position and they never could get the lead, and the clock ran out and there you go. Lots of work to do this week especially on offense. Going to be a long night in Clinton next week if it doesn’t get cleaned up.

Coach Miner's boys are up against it tonight, Bearden is bigger, faster and deeper, I hope the Hawks can get some turnovers to score off of. But I doubt it will be enough. Bulldogs prepping for a trip to Fox Den on Packervision on Thursday night. Good luck Hawks!!

Asheville beat my Dad's old team Tuscola (Waynesville) earlier by 24-22, DB sounds like they don't do much on offense and have quarterback issues. Asheville has some good athletes, but the Indians should be able to pull this one out. If not, going to be a long year for the Indians.

Always a tough game in Athens against the always big and chunky Cherokees, back to running the Wing T from the 90s days when every team in that region ran the Wing T. OR defense needs to be ready to stop the run and keep the Kees from grinding out long drives. Main thing for OR is get a good lead early, take the "intangibles." out of the game that happen down there.