dontknowmuch

Where are the region games played this year?

Thanks!!

What time are the games and when are the semi's?

Farragut played an excellent game. They hit shots, and Hunley must have had 10 assists. Also, the zone defense gave West problems. West did not come to the game ready to play. They were not sharp in warm-ups and looked like a competely unfocused team. Also, West played a ton of players quite a bit at the expense of PT for their better players. Their press gave Farragut problems early, and for some reason, they quit running it. Frankly, West was disappointing to watch. They did not play near their potential.

This is the weakest the district has been in 10 years - hope play improves.

Bearden is good in relation to the rest of the district which seems to be very weak (with the exception of West) early. Many of the teams just seem to need some more time to come together and find their personality. Blevins has Bearden prepared early, but I do not think they have the talent (without Winton) to hang with West. I think that the Catholic game will be a real test for Bearden and Catholic, an we will learn a lot about both teams Friday.

What happened with Catholic and Heritage?

Lenior City beat Farragut in a close game (4 or 5 points). Hood and Hunley both had very good games. Any results from the rest of the district?

They are probably the most talented. They could go a long way if they gel.

Thanks for the update.

ScottA11, How good is Carter this year? How did Catholic play?

First, the refs will not determine the outcome of the MAryville/Farragut game. I fully expect that the best prepared team will win. With that said, I don't understand how the refs are chosen for these games. The crew at Farragut last night was the same inept crew that called the Farragut/Maryville game earlier this year. It doesn't appear that the TSSAA has a rule to rotate the crews for teh playoffs.

Bearden will be very good this year. Will and the other younger guys from last year will compete very well in the district. I am very impressed with the level of talent at West based on the play in the Rocky Top League. They will be loaded. The Catholic kids also look really strong. The district is really going to be very competitive at the top this year.

Great game. I don't think anyone ever doubted that Catholic is on par with the best teams in the state. Both teams played great football, and both teams made early season mistakes. I was really impressed with Catholic's offensive schemes. It really came down to overall depth. Many of Catholic's players had to go both ways, and Farragut was just fresher at the end. Both of these teams will make a deep run in the playoffs. good luck to both. The Knoxville area has some high quality teams this year.

I did not see William Blount play this spring. Also, I have tremendous respect for their coach. I just base may opinion on what I saw last year. They are not going to be very big, and that will hurt them in the district. Coach Baumann always gets the best out of his players. Hopefully they will be competitive - they are very entertaining to watch.

I think Scott is right on. Maryville and Bearden are always good. They will compete. LC is going through a coaching transition, and I think things will probably not settle down for them until after Christmas. West is really impressive with their team quickness and shooting. Catholic probably has the most purely competitive coach in the district - and one of the few coaches in the district that will change what his team does based on the talent for a given year. I expect Catholic to do very well this year. Farragut will be good, but this will be the smallest Farragut team in years as well as the most inexperienced. I would say that Maryville, Catholic, West and Bearden are likely the teams that will be at the top through Christmas. Farragut could be in that group depending on how the team comes together but they always seem to have a winning record. Likewise, LC could end up there based on just how the coaching change goes. I do expect that William Blount and Heritage will struggle. This district has become a very strong district with the addition of West and Catholic. It should be fun to watch this year.

Sorry, I forgot about West. They are quite a good team and have been impressive in the spring. I agree that it looks as open as it has in a long time.

The favorite in 4AAA must be Maryville. Lenior City has the single best player, but a new coach will have an impact. Farragut will have it weakest team in the last 10 years, and Bearden will be young. Coach Hutchins will have a game plan that can deal with a single player, but CAtholic may have trouble with teams like Maryville and Bearden - teams that are disciplined and can deal with Catholics style of play. Historically, as others have commented, Catholic has been competitive with Farragut, West, Powell and others in Region 2. It will be an interesing year.

In the Knoxville area, Catholic Webb is probably the most interesting. Both teams have recently won state championships in their divisions and the games are always passionate.

Catholic should do well in 4AAA. They have quite a bit of experience returning and play a style that 4AAA is not used to. They should easily be in the top 1/2 if not one of the top 3. Has anyone seen Bearden play, and who is left on the team?

Can't anyone just say "CHOKE" two years in a row?

Just don't think that Maryville is that strong. Bearden and OR will advance.

I agree that LC is a very solid team with very good players. I did not mean to imply that they weren't. Beating Maryville and Farragut back-to-back shows how well all of the LC players must be playing. Ault is an outstanding player. OR is very athletic and quite a bit longer that LC. Also, OR seemed to turn the corner a few weeks ago and is playing really well. I just think that OR's speed and quickness along with their size advantage will be hard for LC to overcome. All that said, it's tournament time and anything can happen. Neither team is a prohibitive favorite.

Oak Ridge by 10. OR will have a hard time with Hood, but OR is quite athletic and should be able to control the other LC players. Both coaches are good, and it will be interesting to see their adjustments.

Maryville is not nearly as good a team as the state championship team. They could lose their first game in the region, although I expect a close win since the game will be at Maryville. At this point, I would expect the regional final to be between Oak Ridge and Bearden.