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Mariah Ollis was, in fact, not at that game as she was sick with the flu. Not sure if anyone else was sick or not, I didn't stick around for the OS/Coalfield game so I don't know. BTW, what the heck happened in the OS/Wartburg game? Did OS just not play that good or was Wartburg that much better?

Next round looks like Wartburg/Oakdale and OS/Coalfield. I'm gonna predict, in a mild upset, Oakdale by 3 and OS by 12.

Looking at who all is left, it looks like OS/Coalfield could be an intriguing match-up as Coalfield has beaten the Lady 'Cats earlier in the year so they could very well pull a shocker once again if OS doesn't play well. Plus you have Oakdale/Wartburg which is a pretty tough match-up in itself as Wartburg's surprised a few people this year and Oakdale always is tough plus with district tournaments anything, and I mean ANYTHING can happen. Those are four pretty stout ball-teams right there and all might very well get to the second round of the region playoffs seeing how Region 3-A's a bit down this year. Thoughts?

Talent's not really the big issue with Kingston as they've got some good players on that team and some good underclass players. The big issue is ATTITUDE. I won't name names, but there are a few players with some glaring attitude issues. I'm amazed Coach Anderson has put up with the bull he's had to deal with from some players. At least he can handle it because if it was me, I would have quit coaching a long time ago. On the positive side, Tayler Smith is a very underrated player for Kingston and has stepped her game up big this year plus players like Neal, Brooke Smith, and Lunsford give them some pretty good hope for the future.

Greenback will run away with that region. Rockwood, Harriman, and Midway will probably all three battle for second and Grace Christian is probably another year away from being a threat.

I don't think it's wise to be saying OS won't have good post players. I think Barger is gonna have a breakout year as a post with her being probably the #2 scoring threat instead of #4. She may not have Lauren's size, but I think she did a good job last year and I'm sure she'll step up. Cindel has the potential to be good and Mariah showed she CAN contribute with a few double digit point performances last year, so don't sell the Lady 'Cats short. Will they run over people like last year? No, but they're still OS. The talent well there's not drying up anytime in the next few years. They've got some freshmen that'll be good in a couple years as well in Katie Harvey, Sarah Davis, Hannah Raby, and Maleah Murray. Plus they still have some pretty good talent at the middle school level. Then again, maybe I'm seeing this with purple-colored glasses.

1. Greenback 2. Berean Christian 3. Rockwood 4. Harriman 5. Midway 6. Grace

While I'd like to see an upset, it just isn't happening this year. That said, I think Coalfield is gonna at least keep up with Hampton for a half. They'll definitely have to stop Jaynes and Irick because those two did the damage last year and Coalfield's secondary will have to step up. I think Coalfield gives Hampton an early scare, but in the end, it's just gonna be too much strength for Coalfield as Hampton will pull away late. After thinking some on my earlier pick, I'm gonna modify it to 34-14, Hampton, but it'll be closer than that score indicates.

Midway by 15 Harriman by 1 Hampton by 20 (Please prove me wrong Jackets) Oneida by 13

Grace could give Midway some real fits with their passing game. That said, I wouldn't call Midway's pass D weak by any means. But from what I've heard about Grace, their ground game is a bit suspect at times and that could really play into the Waves favor. Midway is just a bit more physical than Grace is right now but in the next year or so that gap will be narrowed greatly.

Okay, now I may be accused of looking at this with purple-tinted glasses, but here goes... 1. OS- Top team here until proven otherwise. Christopher and Barger should make for an excellent tandem, Mariah Ollis has shown promise off the bench last year and should step up in a starting role, Kelsey Hall is an excellent role-player for the team as she may be the quickest girl on the team and knows how to contribute, and Cindel Howard has some potential to be an excellent player for the Lady Cats. Factor in Coach K's proven ability coaching and I see no reason why OS won't be the top team in the region, however, it's gonna be tougher than last year, no doubt. 2. Oakdale- Returns a lot of talent and started strong last year before slightly tailing off but all starters return and they could potentially give the Lady 'Cats fits at the top. 3. Coalfield- Still a year away from very huge impact but the arrival of the highly regarded Alaina Jordan could really help out a team that already looks very good in the coming years. 4. Wartburg Central- Lots of players returning, but I think the transition to the new coach might hurt them a bit at first but come January, they'll be dangerous too. 5. Oneida- Don't let the low ranking fool you. Coach West has stepped up time and time again and the Lady Indians are always a tough team. 6. Sunbright- Still another year or two away from major impact in the district.

Coalfield is going to play Hampton closer than people think, but I think eventually Hampton's physicality will win out and Hampton will be waiting for the winner of Oneida/Unaka. Hampton- 34 Coalfield- 20

Grace Christian could really give Midway a run for their money and the Waves can NOT afford to overlook this team. Grace played Hampton very tough along with Cloudland and had Coalfield on the ropes. But I don't think Grace has seen anything like "The Four Horsemen" all year and I think Stansbury, Poe, Ray-Ray, and Harley Davidson supposedly back this week is going to equal to a Midway victory, but it's not going to be a cakewalk. So... Midway- 34 Grace Christian- 20

Without being there, I'm gonna take the high road on this one and say when you pit two schools that just utterly resent one another for whatever reason, a fight is gonna break out at some point. I'm not condoning what either team did but I can understand why it happened.

Final Score: Midway- 67 Greenback- 38 The big story though is that Midway's Harley Davidson had to be taken to UT Hospital and I was wondering if anybody knew the extent of the injury? Hopefully he's not hurt bad.

I know they hired Will Gouge as an assistant. I know Coach Parham will be back as an assistant as well. Don't know about Coach Roberts' status. OS91 or catback might be able to tell you more on his status than I can.

Both teams are struggling this season. Maybe I'm looking at this with purple-colored glasses, but I think Oliver Springs wins this one. Oliver Springs- 24 Wartburg- 14

Greenback is a team that can definitely throw a scare in your direction if you're not on your A game. Vanskiver and Lane are really talented players for them and can make a difference. But Midway's simply rolling right now with The Four Horsemen taking care of business and the "Gang-Green Defensive Machine" washing out opposing offenses. Midway might start off a little slow but they should take advantage of a Greenback rush defense that has had it's problems this year. So... Midway- 40 Greenback- 14

Ok, this game is gonna be for 3rd place in the region. My take on it is that Coalfield has clearly improved and has a shot in this game. Harriman can also move the ball very well. Both teams, however, have some issues on defense but I'm gonna take Coalfield 21-20 in this one.

Both teams are very young and fighting to avoid the region cellar. Oakdale's got some good athletes in Reid Cannon and Kasey Perkins, and so does Sunbright in Drew Kennedy and Garrett Starkey. Oakdale will play Sunbright tough, but I think in the end, Sunbright has a little more pop on offense so... Sunbright- 28 Oakdale- 13

Well, I am officially eating a great big, steaming pile of crow for saying Coalfield would lose. They could very well wind up third in the region of they beat Harriman. At least it's within the realm of possibility.

This'll probably determine who gets to go to Hampton in the first round of the playoffs. I think Coalfield has been plagued by attitude problems all year and I honestly have a feeling Greenback can win this game. Should be a good game and I know the Cherokee fans hadn't exactly forgotten about that 67-33 debacle last year. I think Greenback's gonna come out more motivated than Coalfield and is going to take this win, but not by much. Greenback- 28 Coalfield- 27

OS is very banged up right now and this isn't the most depth-blessed team in Oliver Springs history. After the Loudon game, the last team you'd want to face is CAK. I give the Bobcats credit on the sheer fact that those kids aren't giving up and they may go through a rough couple of seasons, but I think the Bobcats will be a player in the region again in a few years. But I have to be brutally honest and say that CAK will probably win this game.

This will be a pretty stern test for the boys from South Of the River. Harriman is not a team to take lightly in any regard. They've got the athletes on offense to give Midway fits. But what concerns me about Harriman's chances of winning is two things. One.) If the Blue Devils are forced to pass the ball, they're going to have some problems because, while Midway has a similar offense, the Waves can throw the ball when needed to. I have yet to see the Devils throw the ball effectively. Two.) Harriman's defense gives up too many yards at times. They're gonna have to play an error-free game against that powerful Midway offense. I think the Devils give Midway some fits at times, but I think Midway is simply on a roll right now and I can find any reason why NOT to pick the Waves. So... Midway- 27 Harriman- 17

Oneida- 28 Sunbright- 6