Predatorsfan

GQ drives a "FERRARI" with one hellva pit crew to keep it from running out of gas! No program goes 60-0 without both great players and coaches! Good coaches (GQ) win with good players. Average coaches win some with good players. Obviously theres nothing average about maryville football! Did Halls return alot of players from last year and who host the game?

Congrats and good luck to all these young men! I will enjoy keeping up with their college careers. Glad to see Burnette at MT. He has already had some very good performances in Floyd stadium and look forward to watching him play in a Blue Raider uniform. We attend at least two or three games a year. A very enjoyable game day environment! Good things are happening with Coach Stockstill and the football program.

Jar my memory with when those schools you mentioned moved from 5A. Great point on possibly being tested more often but breathers exist in 5A as well!

IMO the 4A classification that maryville plays in is as strong as 5A once you get to the play-offs. Would not matter! It's amazing how people bite on the spin that maryville lacks in talent. Don't be fooled! They will sandbag about the talent they have and just continue to WIN! No Doubt their coaching staff has to be considered one of the best but you just don't acheive what they have without talented players! If maryville remains in 4A they may never win as many as they have in-a-row again but no other team regardless of classification has acheived what they have. Being in 4A does not lesson what they have accomplished. IMO when folks put their disclaimers on what maryville has accomplished they are downing alot of programs that are very good and by doing so indirectly downing Tennesse High School Football! I am a mid-state fan and was for maplewood in the championship just like I was for Hillsboro in last years but if maryville decides to play a out of state team I would become a huge maryville fan! It want hurt my feelings when they lose but I do recongnize the fact they are one of the best in the state period!

I should have read the post I replied to a little closer. Key word being "moved"! I want to make one thing clear I'm not into the mudslinging and only have respect for maryvilles football program. It would be ridiculous to think TSSAA is showing any favortism to any tuition school. I'm sure there is criteria in place and I bet athletics have ZERO to do with which schools are able to allow tuition students! IMO let all schools allow tuition students. Why not?

Is Burnette a tuition student? I saw him play in both last year and in this years championship games and he is as pure a quarterback as I've seen. So if he is a tuition student maryville football greatly benefitted by accepting tuition students. On another note, I was introduced to Burnette and Douglas at the Mr. Football banquet after they were presented their respective award. It was a pleasure meeting them. Both were gentlemen and very humble!

Did not know maryville and alcoa accepted tuition students. There are non-privates in the mid-state area that accept tuition students as well. You are making the accusation that maryville benefits from this, particularly in football. Curious, if so, do you have specific instances?

Maybe McCallie or Fulton.

Your right! I can't beleive I suggested "BIG TEN". Who would you pick? There would have to be some kind of criteria but leave no one out then worry about how to structure the league!

With all the shake-up in the college ranks and now with CUT leaving UT and possibly Asst's as well I bet recruiting may get a little dicey with the in-state committs! I hope some of those verbals don't get weaker now. It will probaly be open season on all those players by the schools that were recruiting them before their verbal comitt!

UT missed on a good one! What happened?

As said, keep the total number of games 15! I thought travel would be a concern but teams already have to travel during the season. Other states have something similar Ex. South Carolina "BIG SIXTEEN"! 9 I take it you are a maryville fan. I am not a maryville fan but I love watching them play and IMO they are the best year in and year out regardless of classification. I would think maryville would be in favor.

For the sake of conversation. No complaints with the current structure but would there ever be any interest in creating another division regardless of classification or somehow create a way to have games after the classification state championships but still keep the total number of games at 15 which is alot already. I know this does not directly apply to the topic but like a NCAA D1 play-off there is no other way to determine who the best team is regardless of classification. 5A is always going to consider themselves the best and everybody below 5A says classification doesn't matter. IMHO I will go with the latter! Classification does not determine the best football programs it is an indicator of enrollment. With that said, this year I would pick SMYRNA over ALCOA but MARYVILLE would be a pick'em. Take those three plus RIVERDALE, MBA, BA, and there is the start of a new division. Pick four more and call it the "Tennessee BIG TEN". WOW!

This match-up would have provided the fans with some offensive fireworks this year for sure! Could anyone describe how these two teams would match-up next year (2008). I would love to see this game played because there both great programs regardless of classification!

No matter what happens coach Shad is at the top of the class when it comes to great coaches! He is going to be persued when ever a program is trying to get the best! He is another high school coach who could make the jump to the next level if he so chose!

I agree! IMO Maryville was not overall as talented last year as Hillsboro or the first time but still won! Last year Hillsboro kept your run game in check but we had no answer for the passing game. Quarles exposed our secondary with burnett to maples all day and we couldn't stop it. The maryville coaches do an excellent job utilizing the positions where they are talented and use those players to win with. Maplewood was the most talented team Hillsboro played but turnovers is how they beat us in the play-offs. Smyrna, MBA or BA against maryville would be games to see. I'm not sure I would bet against Quarles and co. no matter who they were playing. Maybe the Colts! HAHA! Will maryville be reclassified next go round?

Besides saying Maryville has 60 wins in a row and George Q. (who is an outstanding football coach), what reasons can anybody give to say that Maryville would beat Smyrna "THIS YEAR"? I saw Smyrna 3 times this year and they have a good team but I would not put them in the class with maryville! With the exception of maybe 1 or 2 players maplewwod was more talented than smyrna but not better coached. One might pick Alcoa with Rankin in charge over smyrna as well! That might be the debate. Don't skip a team and put smyrna with maryville. IMO when comparing the best of the best football programs put classification out the window unless your trying to win the contest of who has the most students. When making comparisons 5A schools love to play that card. Unless there is some rule that says because your 5A you can play with more than 11 what difference does it make. When you get to the championships every team can play regardless! Again, smyrna is a good team and as a fan would love to see some midstate vs eastern match-ups.

Obviously, it goes without saying you had to have had multiple classes to contribute to a run like you have had! I only based my post on what your coach quarles was quoted saying about they had never lost on a Friday evening or saturday afternoon and being the first to do so. Regardless, when you have enjoyed the success they have had I would be surprised if all the classes at maryville didn't contribute in some shape, form or fashion every year. Congrats!

Maplewood played as good as they could play! IMO the coaches had an outstanding game plan which appeared to be grind it out with the run game and keep maryvilles explosive offense off the field. Maplewoods defense had allowed less than an average of 10 points a game but they had not faced an offense like maryvilles which makes you defend the entire field. I bet Coach Quarles has enjoyed having a talented trigger man like Burnette to run his offense. Being a Hillsboro fan we Unfortunately witnessed first hand what kind of QB he was in last years championship game. Maryvilles first score was the result of Burnette improvising and escaping pressure by scrambling to his left and hitting #5 for a touchdown! Maplewood seemed to man up on maryvilles receivers pretty well which allowed them to bring pressure that would have rattled a lesser QB but only allowed Burnette to take advantage and hit TE Douglas and #24 out of the backfield. Maplewood definitely won the battle of special teams which allowed them to stay in the game. Unlike the rest of the teams competing in 4A, the maryville fans must hate to see this years senior class go. 60-0 is incredible! Is that a record? Congratulations!

Congrats to smyrna! They represented well. To much early for independence!

Some have commented about the level of competition sullivan and phillips plays against. Just curious, how did the other teams in sullivans region fair during the play-offs? I know little about maryvilles either. I spoke to some folks from knoxville who attended the game. They said it was a fun game to watch. They thought phillips was a good hardnosed player and was impressed by the running back of sullivan. Surprised them saying sullivan not being able to utilize a passing game and not being more balanced particularly when they fell behind. They were very impressed with burnette and maryvilles offense and their ability to move the ball quickly. They did not remember maryville having to punt. I am looking forward to watching the state championship games Friday and Saturday. Congrats to maryville and I will be watching in a different light since Hillsboros not playing! Good luck!

Coach Rankin does a fantastic job with ALL his players. He does a great job promoting his players. I'm sure Coach Rankin has had numerous conversations with Coaches from all over trying to help his players. Alcoa is lucky to have a coach that really cares about his players!

MBA has it where it counts. In the trenches! They have the best o-line in the state and they will control the game.

This will be a good 2nd round match-up. Coach Blades will utilize all his weapons. Hillsboro will prove to be to much for MJ.