RCSportsStringer

I'll be at this scrimmage and this will be my first look at the 'Dawgs this year. It's also a good opportunity to see what Kingston, Webb, and Gibbs all have.

Davis looked pretty good in action against Oneida and Cumberland County.

Friday at OS against Oakdale and Scott County. Not sure what time though.

OS' running back questions got answered in a positive way because Curtis Davis, Lance Hester, and Brandon Sweet all ran the ball pretty well so running the ball shouldn't be a problem. The defense had a really slow start but got better as the scrimmage went on. Some players that impressed me on defense were C.J. Pointer, Austin Witt, Alex Hopper, and Tyler Harper. They're not as big as most OS teams and depth is gonna be an issue but they play just as hard as any team and definitely won't be a pushover for anybody.

Scott should probably win this game without any real problems. Wartburg may be headed in the right direction (hopefully) but Coach Bangley's inherited a mess there right now and it'll take a year or two to get Wartburg back to some measure of respectability.

OS had a sluggish start Friday in the scrimmage but toward the end started playing a lot better. I think the questions in the backfield got answered positively but, like any other young team lacking in depth, they still have a few areas to improve on.

Coalfield Vs. Midway is becoming a heck of a rivalry given Midway's emergence in the last ten years as a prominent program and Coalfield being a traditional power in Region 2. This is gonna be an all out barnburner. Coalfield Vs. Oliver Springs should be big just based on community pride alone. Coalfield has lost a lot of the core group that gave them such success the past few years but OS has lost a lot too. Both teams are gonna be young but the deep hatred they have for each other will make this one slobberknocker of a game combined with OS having a very sour taste over last year's loss to Coalfield. Another potential good one could be CAK Vs. Rockwood because that game could have some serious playoff implications. Likely it'll be for the final spot in the Region 2-2A playoff picture. And last but BY FAR not least... Alcoa Vs. Maryville. This is always a good, good game between two of the elite programs in the state, possibly even the Southeast.

Oneida still has no offense. That's gonna kill Oneida's chances of a deep playoff run. More likely than not, they're gonna be neck and neck with Greenback for that last playoff spot. They're like Vanderbilt years ago. A pretty good defense but it's not gonna overcome an anemic offense. Hampton's just too strong for Oneida and I'd say the score of that game will probably be 34-6 in favor of Hampton. Would it be nice to see a Region 2 team beat Hampton? Yeah, but I gotta be realistic and give Hampton their due that I'm sorry I didn't give them last year. They're too smashmouth and too physical for Oneida or anyone in Region 2 to beat.

LV and East Ridge is just gonna be an out and out slaughter. I feel sorry for Lookout Valley. I just hope that game don't turn out to be a 91-0 slaughter or something obscene like that.

I ran a 6.2 40 once.

If Hampton was in Region 2 with Coalfield and Midway, they'd probably win that region too.

Didn't you say that Cloudland would win the region and now you're saying Hampton will win it? Which is it? Back on topic, Cloudland should bounce back after a surprising down year last season. They won't have the horses to beat Hampton, but a playoff trip is a very good possibility.

I think it'll come down to Trousdale County and Mt. Pleasant, which should be a heck of a game. The thing I find interesting is that no Region 2 teams are in the top ten. While I believe the region, as a whole, is down a bit... they're still not a region to sneeze at. I'd look at Midway and Coalfield as the dark horse sleepers in that region. Both are proud programs that can give 85 to 90 percent of the teams in 1-A fits.

Well said, MO$$$$. Couldn't agree more.

I think it's safe to say they will probably spread the ball out more this season because they've got proven wide receivers and two quarterbacks duking it out for the starting job in Tyler Carter and C.J. Pointer that have the accuracy to get it downfield. Between those two, I'd give the nod to Pointer right now for the starting job since Carter hadn't played since middle school, but Carter is more athletic than Pointer IMO.

Parents can be the downfall of any program. Look at the University of Arkansas with all the problems with parents whining about playing time. But it's much worse than that on the high school level.

Oliver Springs plays at Silverdale Academy in week zero. Could be an interesting non-region affair.

Hampton's definitely got the horses to beat in their region this year and should make a very deep run to at LEAST the semifinals. They've got a lot of talent coming back and I'm gonna catch a lot of flak from people over in Region 2 for this but this year, I just don't see anybody beating them in the playoffs out of that region. The only teams that might give Hampton a decent game in the playoffs would be Midway and/or Coalfield but Hampton's just too strong at this point.

They've definitely got a good staff in place and really, this is gonna be Coach Brackett's actual first year because it's not really fair to judge him on last year because they didn't even hire him until a month before the season started and that's really not a lot of time to implement a coaching system. I think that Coach Brackett's done as good of a job as anybody else would have given the situation last year.

Let's see here... well... umm... uhhh... no. Scott County won't make the playoffs. Too many good teams in that region.

They play in an awfully tough region so if you're expecting a ton of wins, you won't get a whole lot of them. They're really young and have a lot of questions that need to be answered like who's gonna step up in the backfield and can they rebound from a rough year by OS standards last year. Some bright spots to watch on this team include Tyler Carter, C.J. Pointer, Brandon Sweet, and Jordan Murray among others. They're young and they will struggle at times, but there will be some bright moments this year. A lot about this team will be determined in the opening three game stretch against Silverdale Academy, McMinn Central, and traditional rival Coalfield. The Coalfield game could really be big because I know the way they lost that game last year left a bad taste in their mouths. But like I said, Oliver Springs is going to be somewhat limited in what they can do given their stiff region competition, but I think Coach Brackett will have this team headed in the right direction. How many wins is that gonna mean? I couldn't say, but I think O.S. is making some good progress.

Wartburg has a new coach but all I'll say IMHO is the people in "The 'Burg" better not be hoping for annual playoff trips or they'll be disappointed. They're in too tough of a region to consistently be a factor. Coalfield lost A LOT which has me a bit hesitant to make them a lock for a three-peat in that region but Coach Kries will get the most out of the kids and they're gonna be tough again. Sunbright has more cupcakes than a bake sale on their non-region schedule plus with all that they lost, this is gonna be more of a rebuilding year in Tiger Town. Oakdale looks like they found a gem as a coach because he's seeming got enthusiasm back in Oakdale football but I'd give them a few years before they can be a factor.

1. Midway- Best skill position players South of the River in recent memory plus all but seven players returning gives them the slight edge over Coalfield. 2. Coalfield- Has an uphill climb compared to past two years but a three-peat is definitely still a good possibility. 3. Harriman- Heavy graduation losses will take their toll but have the athletes there to be a playoff team. 4. Greenback- Still a year away from making a huge impact again, but with a dangerous offense, this could be a team to watch. 5. Oneida- Could be a playoff team if offensive woes can be solved. Definitely not a team to take lightly. 6. Sunbright- Breaking in a new coach plus serious graduation losses equal a rebuilding year in Tiger Town. 7. Oakdale- Numbers are up at Oakdale and enthusiasm at an all-time high, but still a couple years away from being a factor in the region.

Kind of biased toward Oneida, there, aren't you?

Scott County is a possible win. Harriman might be a win given how much they lost from last year's team. And maybe OS. Wartburg's not beating Midway and probably not beating Coalfield and they're dead against most of their region, so best case scenario: 3-7. Worst case scenario: The streak continues.