DCHSHeavyD

I'm not sure how you think the score should have been 21-3. I believe the only scoring chance Antioch had in the second half resulted in an interception by Dickson County - which I guess was just a lucky play and was no where near the "great play" Antioch's defense made with their interception. As for the entire game Antioch only had three oppotunities to score. Their first scoring drive started at Dickson's 17 yard line after a 10 yard punt. Even then they scored on 4th and 6 on a pass thrown up for grabs. Their receiver went up and got it and made a great play. I'm not questioning Antioch's defensively ability or their performance against Dickson. They performed well and kept Dickson out of the endzone. And perhaps their offense was playing very conservative, I don't know. But they were shut out in the second half as well. Their kicking game and offensive performance simply did not impress me. They performed well enough to win. That's all it really takes. Just because their performance didn't impress me doesn't mean they're bad. And it doesn't mean I don't think they're capable of winning. All it means is that I've observed better performances by other teams this season and one of them just happens to be Ravenwood.

I suppose so. Wouldn't be the first time I've taken someone's remarks out of context. I'll try harder next time to "read between the lines."

If you read my post you will see I never stated once that the coaches were to blame for Dickson County's loss. You may have perceived that my opinion or statement on this subject implied such and that's OK. It's your perception. I have been in the stands all year and listened to several fans who constantly criticized these coaches all year long. I have defended them, for the most part, because I also attended most of their practices and had at least a partial understanding of what they were trying to teach, both offensively and defensively. And while I also have had differences of opinion when it came to technique or scheme, the majority of that was ME not having a full understanding of the particular concept, especially defensively (I have not had any experience with a 3-5 defensive scheme). If nothing else I tried to reinforce the coaches' concepts and techniques when some of the players themselves questioned it. At halftime of every game this year they may not have discussed anything about their game plan or made any adjustments. Maybe they used this same approach all year long about not giving up and playing harder. Perhaps all motivational and pump up speeches. Whatever it was, it was pretty darn successful with an 8-2 regular season. I am extremely proud of that. But you have to admit, if you are a fan and watched their games, they never had a first half like this one all year. You could see the confusion and disbelief in their faces heading into the lockeroom at halftime. They needed to have their confidence restored. Maybe that is too much to ask of any coaching staff.

I guess you could say Antioch did not "play" against Gallatin. There was a game but apparently extremely one sided as Gallatin got up 40 - 0 and finished with a 47 - 18 win. As for your comment about Ravenwood being soft and lucky you obviously don't much about this game of football. Speed and athletic superiority of Antioch? As compared to who? Glencliff? Hillwood? Your squeezing an awful lot out of that Dickson County win.

Antioch's win over Dickson County was not the type of victory that would warrant me to think they can beat Ravenwood. Using the logic that Dickson County beat Ravenwood two weeks ago and Antioch beating Dickson County this week doesn't equate into an Antioch "must be better" mentality. If Dickson County's performance against Ravenwood had been anything like the one against Antioch, they wouldn't have stood a chance. I think it's safe to say you can't use past performances alone to evaluate an upcoming game. The first round of this year's playoffs demonstrated that all across the state. There are several nuances to each matchup not commonly known to many that influence the contest. I've used comments like sneaky, gritty and tough concerning this year's Ravenwood team. Other adjectives like tenacious and relentless effort come to mind as well. It is entirely possible that Ravenwood may suffer as many turnovers in this upcoming game against Antioch as Dickson County did. If that occurs they may meet with the same fate. I believe Ravenwood's offensive attack will neutralize Antioch's defense and keep them on their heels a little bit. Defensively Ravenwood will limit Antioch's scoring just as Dickson County did. I look for Ravenwood to win. But I also thought Ravenwood couldn't hang with Gallatin, so what do I know?

Play calling may not have been the problem but it certainly didn't help. Dickson County has been good all season at halftime with what appeared to be making adjustments, tweaking the game plan and executing it in the second half. I was outside the locker room during this halftime - the only time all year. There was no attempt to deal with the challenges that Antioch presented - just a bunch of screaming and hollering from the coaching staff about playing harder. Not one brief lesson about Antioch's defense or how they would attempt to attack it differently in the second half. That dry erase board was never touched. No effort to make adjustments. Just the same stubborn approach. We going to run it or go home trying. They didn't even get their team out to loosen up before the second half started. When a team performs poorly in the first half of a game, it's not uncommon for tempers to flair among a few players and the team losing its focus. There is nothing a coaching staff can say or do to change the events in the first half, be they good or bad. But when they are bad or uncharcteristic from their typical performance, that's when those young men depend on guidance from their coaching staff. I think they missed that opportunity.

Your opinion of Antioch is obviously skewed by this victory over Dickson County. I'm not sure what you mean by better looking but if it means a better team then you definitely have tunnel vision. There's nothing magical, strategic or otherwise by putting 9 defenders in the box and daring a team to throw. Anybody came scheme that. Offensively they were bland at best with the benefit of turnovers and a short field all night.

I don't believe any of Dickson County's players have experienced a playoff win either. These seniors missed the playoffs as sophmores, lost in the first round last year to Gallatin as juniors, and have a chip on their shoulder this year. They feel they have some unfinished business to settle. They're motivation is high and they know (as do other playoff teams) they can't finish it unless they win their first round game. As all of you know, the team with the best athletes doesn't necessarily have the best team. The best team doesn't always win. Ability and potential never won a game and never will. A team's performance determines the outcome. And that includes all facets of the game. I for one think Antioch has a chance to win because they're playing the game. If teams like Riverdale and Franklin can give up leads and lose a game everyone thought they would/should win, then who's to say Dickson County can't? Dickson County's performance this season has been solid for the most part. Defensively they started off slow but have definitely gotten better each week. If they want a chance to settle their unfinished business, they must perform well against Antioch and take care of first things first.

I've been watching Dickson County's practice this week. Looks like Shane Rayburn is at about 90%. I think he'll start and play this week but may rotate with others a little more often than before his injury.

I thought the conditions - wet and soft field, sporadic wind and rain - favored Dickson County. They appeared to control the line of scrimmage the entire game. Also, Ravenwood stayed pinned deep in their own territory early and their kicking game couldn't change field position. I believe the field conditions slowed Ravenwood down somewhat. The score was 7-0 at halftime. DC continued to control the game in the second half and scored 14 more. Ravenwood had chance to score with about a minute left in the game but failed on a fourth down attempt. Some folks I've talked to said Ravenwood played very conservatively and didn't reveal anything new. Can't speak to that one way or the other. DC's defense continued its good play after the Franklin game. Either way Ravenwood couldn't answer DC that night. It's just my humble opinion. Take it for what its worth.

Thanks for the info on Antioch game. I agree Ravenwood's kicking game is suspect. Do you foresee a special teams/defensive score from Gallatin in this game?

Gallatin (somewhat hesitant with starting QB out) Brentwood Dickson County Franklin

Thanks for the insight. Thought it might have been that way but you won't know unless you ask.

Looking at the game results from this year, the Gallatin/Antioch game seems to stand out a little just looking at scores. It's the most Gallatin scored this season (47) as well as gave up (18). Was there anything strange about the game? Late garbage scores by Antioch? Just wondering.

Ravenwood has a "sneaky" type of feel to them. They are definitely a gritty bunch. Any team with their back to the wall like theirs was this season certainly deserves some credit. I've seen them play twice - against Independence (which was a do or die game for the playoffs at home) and Dickson County (not a critical game as it pertained to the playoffs on the road). Their intensity was the same but obviously the outcomes much different. Several picked Ravenwood to beat DC but they were never really in it. Not having seen Gallatin play this year I do know something about their history and tradition. I'm not sure Ravenwood can hang in there. It wouldn't be the first time a 10-0 team lost in the first round, nor would it be the first time they ran the table. I don't see either of these scenarios playing out this year for Gallatin. Gallatin - 14 Ravenwood - 10

I haven't had the opportunity to see Antioch play this year. Don't know much about them at all. Dickson County is playing well. They've played well at home all year. I think DC will come out on top. Don't see them giving up many (if any) points. Key will be if they maintain the intensity they displayed the last 2 weeks. Even though they lost to Franklin in OT they sure haven't acted like it.

It appears you received some erroneous information from a Knoxville paper regarding the DC/Franklin score. FYI the score was DC 6 Franklin 7 in OT. Franklin was not able to get any offense going and never threatened to score in regulation. DC played both Riverdale and Franklin on the road. Riverdale appears to be the better team IMO.

The game conditions were certainly not ideal. The field was wet and soft at the beginning and definitely muddy by the end. I thought DC's running game had the advantage - although I'm not sure what the stats were. Ravenwood's offense never got on track and they were never really in this game. The one thing that has been impressive the last 2 weeks about DC is their defense. To close out the regular season without surrenderring any points in regulation was a wonderful thing to see for us DC fans. One thing that fans, and of course coaches, want to see is a team's improvement from week to week. That improvement has been clear all year, and none more clear than the last 2 weeks, especially defensively. DC's defense has come together at the right time.

According to others on another thread he suffered a collapsed lung in practice this week. May be out 2-3 weeks.

I have read and observed with interest regarding this topic. I am reluctant to speak against a team I have not seen play at least once and sometimes that's not enough to develop an "informed opinion" about their abilities. I have not seen Gallatin play this year and one can only gleen so much from statistics and one's opponents, be they weak or strong. I can appreciate Region 6 fans defending their playoff teams, but I hesitate to comment one way or the other about Gallatin's offense or defense. Many of us like to compare teams on paper, including myself, but I simply can't compare them to anyone without at least having seen a game film. Perhaps this mindset comes from the Independence season, where they were believed to be a Region champion contender after their fast start and defeat of Franklin, but couldn't finish against the other (what proved to be the top) teams in the region. Obviously Gallatin hasn't had that problem. Anyway, far be it for me to speak on anyone's behalf. I, for one, would like to see a team play before I make a statement that they can't play/score/defend against certain other teams. By the way, hope the Gallatin QB has a speedy recovery.

I have seen both Riverdale and Ravenwood play. I'm not sure who might get out there on that limb with you, but it certainly wouldn't be me. And by comparing them to Riverdale I do agree they are both in Class 5A and they are both in the playoffs. Other than that, to me, that's where the comparisons end. That being said, I'm not saying that on a given day Ravenwood couldn't beat Riverdale. I just don't see it at this point in time.

I remember in 2004 the Dickson County at Ravenwood game was moved ahead to Thursday night trying to get the game in before remnents of that nasty hurricane was headed to middle TN. If I remember correctly Ravenwood was NOT wanting to play on a wet, windy night and tried to beat mother nature. The only thing was that storm system was not slowing down and slammed the area before the game started. It was raining sideways the entire game. They were taken out of their game, Dickson County was able to pound out a victory that would have otherwise been tough to come by on a dry fast track (as was the case the next year). No excuses coming from this DCHS fan. Just curious and interested in how things such as weather and field conditions affect teams' performance. They both will play in the same conditions on the same field. Hats off to Ravenwood for not giving up on a slow start to this season and earning their way into the playoffs. I'm expecting another Region 6 classic. Good luck to both teams!

Looks like the field conditions for Friday nite will be a little slippery. The field at DCHS usually drains well and hasn't had any play in the last 2 weeks. But there's been steady rain here for a while. Has Ravenwood played any games this year in the rain or wetter than normal conditions? I'm not sure about Dickson County but I think most of their games have been fairly dry - I think the Franklin game may have been the wettest field they played on all year. Just wondering about footing and who might have an advantage (if any) if the track was wet and somewhat slower. Usually the line play is not affected a great deal unless a defensive front relies primarily on quickness and speed or if one team's line is significantly larger and stronger than the other. But the running and passing game - that's where it gets interesting. I would think precise route runners have the advantage in the passing game, as well as a potentially slower than normal pass rush would tend to give a passing attack somewhat of an advantage. A running game that relies on cuts and misdirection might not be as effective as a straight on power attack. Dickson County's passing game is set up off its running attack. It's done so all year and will continue to do so. You've got to respect the run. Dickson County will control the ball and their defense - if it plays with the same intensity as in the Franklin game - will limit Ravenwood's scoring. They are a different bunch at home. Dickson County 17 Ravenwood 7

TSSAA site has Antioch 3rd if they win. Hunters Lane/Hendersonville winner will be 2nd and loser will fall to 4th due to head to head tie breaker that Antioch owns over both of them. At least that's the way it appears to be, but I could be wrong.

I understand the players will not want to "take a week off", as well as the coaches. I can appreciate the the coaches preparing to win and planning to win. It's Dickson County's last regular season home game, so I'm sure the players will want to close it out with a win. But for the coaching staffs to not have a eye toward the first round of the playoffs may be somewhat of a disservice to their teams. How often do teams change their fundamental offensive and defensive attacks once they start their playoff runs? I realize preparation for an opponent involves matching your team's strengths against your opponent's weaknesses (or what you perceive as weaknesses). That being said, during this game do either of these teams show their first round playoff opponents anything other than what they've done most of the year? Come to think of it, it is not out of the realm of possibilities that this same matchup might occur in round 2 of the playoffs. My only contention with this entire topic was wondering what approaches do teams take with games such as these. This is not the NFL resting guys for a playoff run nor a college game with BCS ramifications. But it is important to these teams and their "new" season upcoming. This one is not a "win or go home" game. Those start next week. And wasn't it Vince Lombardi who said, "Just win, baby. Just win!"