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Karns has a new Principal, new AD, new Head Coach, new Booster Club leaders, and a new/old school color scheme but still seems stuck in the same poor play that's plagued them for many years. One positive for this week is that Campbell Co. has played just as bad or worse so far and has the same 0-3 record as the Beavers. Any thoughts on who'll come away with victory number 1 for 2010? Can Karns rally to meet or exceed their 3-7 record of last year?

GoKarns, You've been awful quiet lately. Must be that UT homework load. So what's your prediction for Friday. Will Towe start? Can the Beavers reduce the turnovers? Will they finally win one for the new coach? I saw coaches in gold shirts and cheerleaders in yellow & blue outfits last week. What new fashion statements will be made?

Tuna Man, I've also heard of this situation. I agree that admin probably wasn't the starter of the jersey plan. I don't think the new coaching staff would initiate this either. That leaves the Booster Club or some other wealthy individual like Go Karns. Over the past 3 years the Booster Club worked hard to be supportive of the coaching staff and team. There are always some disagreements in any group but overall it seemed to be a very transparent positive climate. Only a few people would know for sure, but maybe this year's club includes some folks who are overly interested in agendas of their own. I looked on the Karns web site and couldn't find ANY sport that still uses gold in their uniforms. No gold anywhere, even in Track which is run by the new football coach. Even the cheerleaders use white/blue/black, just like the football team's been using since Coach Reeves arrived! So who suddenly decided that all the jerseys needed to be modified to include gold? On a more important note, hope Coach Witt has those Beavers ready to play at Neyland this evening regardless of what color jerseys they're wearing.

Earlier in the day I voted at Hardin Valley Elementary. I overheard two Hawk football devotees talking football. 1st guy: "Hey, did you hear that Karns is getting new gold trimmed jerseys?" 2nd guy: "Oh crap; we'll never beat them now!" A lady standing nearby chimed in: "Well I always thought gold was a cute color. I just love teams that look cute when they go out to play."

Baller, So if the new principal is such a tough cookie, why has she only punished 1 of the people involved in the bowling alley bus trip problems - the gang bullying on the bus, the gang threatening/intimidation in the parking lot, the car denting?

I've heard that a few misguided boosters have stepped out clamoring loudly for the football uniforms to return to using the traditional Karns "yellow/gold". I just checked the internet for Karns baseball, basketball, track, volleyball and I can't find ANYONE who still uses yellow/gold. Anyone know anything about this situation? Doesn't this team have better things to worry about? If this turmoil is actually true, who's running the Football Booster Club this year? Are they dealing with this seemingly ridiculous issue? Yes Karns has a football team. Might even win 5 or 6 this time around. That is if they don't have to worry abut meddling boosters.

I'm already missing football season bad. Who's got the inside track for the QB position at Karns? Do they have anyone who can throw the ball nearly as well as Boden? Are they really going to the Wing T? Who's projected to be the running backs in this offense? What the heck is the Tony Franklin System? Is this a conditioning program? A specific mental approach to the game? Is this the same guy who didn't do so well back at Auburn some years ago? What's the supposed advantage of implementing this system?

It's nice to see a quietness come over this thread. Here's a good verse for this time of year: Luke 2:13-14 "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying - Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and good will toward men". I wonder if "good will toward men" includes football coaches? A long term resident of Karns made this suggestion to me. "If there are 616 people who feel strongly enough about improving the future of Karns football to sign a petition, why doesn't each of them instead donate $50 toward the program? This could fund a number of smaller improvements or even be designated as a significant down payment toward the field house that program supporters would love to see built". Bless you.

Mr Madness: Your post is mysterious but if the "oc" you're speaking about is Coach Gray I suggest you put his name into CoachT's search engine. Please keep the thread posted on when you plan to have a meeting with Chandler, Davis, "downtown", etc. Bless you

Mr. Madness, Here's a thought for the morning. Just because a CoachT poster doesn't identify themselves as a player or part of a player's family, that doesn't mean they aren't. Here's a verse for the morning. "Wisdom is better than weapons of war" (Ecclesiastes 9:18). Even when it's agreed that a problem exists, there are many approaches to solving it. I would think what all the Karns family would/should want is a solution that would best deal with the problem in a way that would do the least collateral damage to the community and all concerned. Maybe you and your friends would think about your plan a little more. Whatever you do, for the sake of the current team I would hope that you wait until after the upcoming banquet on Dec 6th. Bless you.

I've been watching the postings again and it still saddens me that this type of discussion continues, especially in a public venue. It's hard for me to see why the number for or against is that significant. It's not an election is it? I'd think that if another rowdy mob descended on Dr. McIntyre's office he'd 1st call up Dr Davis, who would point him back to the last embarrassing Karns football mob scene that occurred when Mr. Fulkerson was asked to leave. If I remember correctly a number of folks interested in Karns football actually met with the old superintendent over the Fulkerson issue. Did it make any difference other than provide more public evidence that Karns was a questionable community with a number of questionable people? Maybe a bible story or two would help. Remember when Elijah the prophet of God had a confrontation with 700 prophets of baal who worked for Jezebel. In that story one guy won out over the whole 700. It wasn't because he was so strong or assertive but because he had Truth on his side. Another pretty well known story is Gideon. God told him to fight some enemies of Israel so he gathered up an army. It was a lot more than 500. God told him he had too many and pared it down to a much lower number. The reason was because God wanted to show Gideon and everyone else that He was the Man and could bring His will to pass in any situation. Another possibly pertinent situation was when the Pharisees (a bunch of guys who'd live in their community for a long time and thought they were really "all that") brought a woman taken in adultery to Jesus. They wanted the woman stoned to death but Jesus said "OK boys, whoever of you is without sin yourself, you cast the 1st stone". They all slinked away like alley cats. People have different ways of approaching problems but I'd suggest that everyone pray more and see what Mr. Truth thinks about this situation. Bless you all.

Here's one you Karns fans (especially the haters) might find humorous. Karns had a big pep rally Friday at school. In a moment of overzealous inspiration Coach R decided to do a cartwheel. As a result the big Coach was wearing an orthopedic boot at the game last night and is rumored to have fractured an ankle. Lesson learned for us middle aged (and older) folks - know your limitations.

Oakdale 2009 0-7 2008 2-8 2007 0-10 2006 0-10 Wartburg 2009 2-5 2008 1-9 2007 0-10 2006 0-10 Cumberland County 2009 2-5 2008 1-9 2007 0-10 2006 0-10 Daily Devotional Reading Galatians 5:14-15 Hebrews 12:15 1 Corinthians Chapter 13

Sorry you got wet. The TV broadcast I heard before leaving for the game had the bad weather cell in Wartburg traveling Northeast. Apparently that wasn't the only cell coming through. It's nice for the announcers to broadcast messages regarding weather if/when they can but from looking at the sky and feeling the wind pick up it was pretty obvious to me that things were about to get ugly, at least from the vantage point of the Karns stands. Before the mass exodus started I told my group to head for cover and we got to a dry place just as it broke. As far as I know Karns has never purposefully withheld information in order to attempt to drown the other team and/or it's fans. The odd thing to me about that storm was that even though it looked ominous there was no threatening lightning whatsoever. If I knew who you were I'd buy you a hot dog and a Coke as a gesture of good will from the Karns community. I don't know what the forecast is for this evening but you might want to bring your poncho just in case. Perhaps the satellite concession stand closed (I don't know that it was even open) but if the home side concession stand closed it was just for a few minutes when the wind was so strong and blowing the rain into the stand. In fact, that's where the refs took cover. See you tonight?

No last week was homecoming at Karns. We lost 39-0. It was very disappointing. Well I've been reading the back & forth comments again and it seems like Balleret has confirmed what BigTuna has suggested several times - if there's a problem at Karns it really lies with the school administration and they're the only ones who can address it. As far as beating a 1st class local team, it may sound improbable but have you ever read that David & Goliath thing in the bible? Or you might want to look up a 1st round football playoff victory by Christian Academy of Knoxville about 5 years ago on the road against a 10-0 Cloudland team that was rated number 1 in the state. A similar thing may not happen tonight but it's certainly possible .......... Bring on those 'Cats & Go Karns! Mr. Balleret - as far as you coming to the game, have you ever heard the phrase "With friends like you who needs enemies?" Have a great day win or lose.

GoKarns - I've watched some of the games too and it's seemed to me that with Karns sending in almost every play from the sidelines just before the snap, there would be little time for QB checkoffs. To test that theory I talked with one of the offense starters last evening. I was told that a QB checkoff occurs less than 1 out of every 10 offensive plays. While it's true a really strong team will beat the best of the competition I think for the moment our team should be pleased that we decisively beat a decent opponent on their own field. I can assure you that our guys were pumped when they got back to the locker room Friday night. Were you there to congratulate them? If you think about the student enrollment figures for this year, factor in the athlete losses to HVA, and consider the lack of previous varsity experience for most of our players, I believe we're doing all right. Look at the size of the lines. We've got one guy on the o-line who weighs about 190 and only one guy on the d-line (who hasn't played the past two games) who's much over 200. And how many sophomores are starting? Nevertheless, if the weather's right, the receivers catch it, and the defense plays reasonably well, we can compete with the better teams. It seems that you're quite bitter about your Karns football experience. I think if you could look past your personal disappointments and focus on your bright future as a young man it would be good for you and probably the current team as well. I believe Halls is clearly a beatable opponent for us. What do you think?

Looks like rain + more rain. This will not favor Karns. After Central ran wild in the 1st half, watch for some defensive adjustments by Karns tonight. Anybody (without a persistent anti-Karns bias) who was at the Central game last week would agree that it WAS a decent game until mid 4th qtr. In fact, at the 21-13 point in the 3rd qtr a Karns receiver missed a perfectly thrown TD pass that could have tied the game. Early in the 4th qtr a Karns receiver missed a very catchable TD pass that would have made it 27-20. As far as talking to the Karns admin about the coaches, this sounds like more of the same griping. I don't like to argue with young people that I don't even know but perhaps GoKarns your problem is that you didn't get the amount of PT you wanted and you're upset? You once said other former players would be posting but I've never seen any. Perhaps the other consistently anti-Karns poster (Balleret) is your dad? If so I'd suggest that both of you go together to talk to Dr. Davis and Mr. Chandler. If the Karns coaches were that great they'd probably have moved on to the college or pro ranks by now. But good or not-so-good they're what we've got for now so why don't you two talk about something else until after the season - especially since you two apparently don't play and/or have any kids playing? The rain won't help but I still say the "can do" Beavers show up and win one. Does Michael Norman still play for Powell? Does he still like chop blocks and other questionable tactics or has he cleaned up his act a little bit?

Congratulations to the Dragons. They were certainly the much better team last evening. Karns just couldn't get much going when they had the ball and Clinton's too good an offensive machine to allow them so much time of possession. If they don't get key players injured I think Clinton should do well from here on out. Clinton vs Oak Ridge should be a great game to watch. On another positive note, I experienced no problems at all with the home fans either in the stadium or traveling to and from my car. Except for the score it was another great night for high school football.

Ethel, I'm not sure that being a group of loud, obnoxious, trash talkers becomes a positive just because you "have a team to back it up". In fact I think most people believe that real winners are gracious in both victory and defeat. If you wanted an example, Peyton Manning would be the 1st one I'd offer. Plus the good book says that the Man gives grace to the humble but resists the proud. In street talk I believe this is often expressed as "what goes around comes around". I think Karns fans & players were already prepared to deal with a different (hostile) environment but I'll be sure to bring my pepper spray just in case. I do hope you guys don't have too many tire slashers or window breakers among your fan base. I'm still hoping you represent a minority segment of the Clinton fans but we'll just have to see. And by the way, if we are fortunate enough to beat your Dragon butt we'll be nice about it. And I do agree with the last poster about how the focus of this thread has turned from the game to local sports politics.

Interesting discussion. This is just an opinion but I see two issues here: 1) What will be best for the program from here to season end? 2) What will be best for the program after this season ends? Re: nbr 1 - I can't see how it will help the program and especially the kids (who in my mind should be the highest priority) to start beating the coach bashing drum again at this point. If someone feels differently could you please explain? Re: nbr 2 - Is it still too early to tell? What if Karns wins 5? What if they make the playoffs? Even if a coaching change looks like a viable option, will this decision be made based on CoachT posts and/or "popular opinion"? Do you remember seeing many of the Karns faithful on TV and in the papers blasting Dr Davis and singing the praises of former Coach Fulkerson? Who ended up leaving and who remains today? What message did that public display send to the rest of East Tennesseans as they watched the soap opera day after day - most probably that Karns is filled with a bunch of ignorant rednecks who don't know their behind from a hole in the ground. So ranting on CoachT is certainly an option, but is it really what the community, the school, and the football program needs? I suggest you bide your time, see what the rest of the season brings, then make your points to the people who make the decisions if/when you still think they need to be made.

Thanks for adding this uplifting bit of trivia to the discussion. I'm going with Karns 21 Willie B 14 and hoping those speedy WB backs will be slipping and sliding on the wet turf. Go Karns!

Congratulations to the Mountaineers - you took advantage of the opportunities you were given and made the most of them. Non-congratulations to the referees - how you could you possibly call so many penalties in one high school football game against one team (Karns), then miss an obvious pass interference call against the Beavers as they were trying to mount a final drive to tie the game? OK it was 21-13 Heritage instead of 21-14 Karns. But I thought there were some definite bright spots for the young Karns team. The very young, inexperienced Karns defense played respectably against a talented passing and running QB. The almost-as-young Karns offense showed signs of decency and several new players stepped up. The Karns kicker demonstrated a strong leg on his extra point attempt and should be able to step up and kick more field goals this year. A win would have been much better but this was a non-conference game and I'm still bullish on these Beavers. Anyone else have observations to share?

Beavers 21-14. Defense plays better and gets several turnovers that make a difference. Whether or not we agree with how everything's being handled in the program, let's all get out there Friday night and support this young team. Go beavers!!!

Tally ho Mr. Gardiner. What I'd like to know is who went to the Knox County Jamboree this evening? My friend from up North who came to witness the event said that Karns gave up enough long plays to allow Fulton to score twice in less than 10 minutes. He asked me what defense Karns ran. When I told him I thought I'd heard that Karns was trying a 3-5 this year he replied: "That's what I thought. That's a very hard defense to run successfully at the high school level. There are just too many reads in that type of defense for most kids with limited experience." I like to watch football but I'm not that much of a student of the game. I do know that for the 2nd week in a row the Karns defense has given up a lot of ground in a short period of time. Does anyone have a knowledgeable opinion to share on this subject? Any other successful local teams running this defense? Are you still out there somewhere Coach Newberry?

Well Mr. Gardiner from your picture it seems that you'd be more comfortable drinking a cup of tea and watching cricket than slugging down a bud light and watching some football. But I also got feedback from the Webb scrimmage and I think it was that bad. Sure the Steeler secondary let Larry Fitzgerald loose that one time near the end of the Super Bowl but in the Karns/Webb scrimmage I think we're talking about 3 or 4 long scores within a 10 minutes time span. Maybe since Coach Newberry is now posting he could give us more insight into exactly what happened. But the reason everyone's scrimmaging before the season is to find out where they need more work before the real deal starts. Hopefully the Beavers will raise the bar this evening at the big Jamboree. But regardless of how they've played so far, I look for Karns to put it to the Mountaineers on the 21st. Go Beavers!!!