AP.battleground.59

Honestly, as long as the coaches aren't over doing it, practices could be left to their discretion. Keep everyone hydrated and have a decent amount of breaks and no one will pass out. And I didn't really mind practice starting so early. I mean, that first game can really set the tone for a season so I think it's better to be over prepared in that sense.

Most people go home when it calls. Obviously I want him to stay at BGA, but it's just an opinion. And I don't know first hand, but I'd assume he's have more freedom and in the end resources at Lincoln Co. I could be completely off on that but I think LCHS takes football about as seriously as any school in the state. So in the end, I think LCHS is able to commit to the football program like BGA can not, which will draw him there. One last time, this is just an opinion. I don't know the logistics, etc. Just an opinion lol

Eh, BGA would have to quit giving financial aid. Best case scenario would be a re merger and have BGA play against Ravenwood, Franklin, etc; or even a region with Page wouldn't be that bad. Around the time that the choice was made a few years back the baseball team had just finished runner up, the basketball team made state every year, and the guys soccer team had finished in the top 20 in the nation. Still, it was foolish to move up. And honestly, depending on how long Johnson stays (I think he is destined for Lincoln Co.) BGA will probably move down. He's a much better AD than Rogers so I think better choices will be made.

Just in terms of classification, I feel as if the administration, at least a few years ago, did not have their hearts in the right place. Moving up was a choice based solely on money and supposed prestige. As I have said before, the focus of high school sports should be on the athletes, but in this case was on everything but. Despite not beating the top tier teams, BGA did carve out a solid niche in the middle of DII-AA (though I do say, outside of a few bad breaks in the EHS game, BGA could have won the region and possibly gone further in the play-offs), which I suppose warrants staying in the upper class. Still though, I think BGA's place is in Single A. That is not putting the school down in anyway, that's just where it belongs. Same as BA will always play up as far as they can, and how Lipscomb fits into DI, BGA fits in Single A. If BGA moved down, they would keep they same caliber of athletes as they have always had, but they would excel. And yes this is slightly biased, but I that our starting 11 on offense and our starting 11 on defense were as good if not better than anyone, but in the end, when 6 of the 11 on offense also start on defense, it's really hard to compete with MUS when they seem to rotate the defensive line every play. Last year we beat DA, a school with a larger enrollment. We finished well and made the play-offs; DA won a state championship. In the end, which one is more remembered? Please, for the sake of sanity, move down. Hang some more banners in that gym. Don't just hope to get enough transfers between 6th and 9th grade to pad the team enough to make the play-offs. In hindsight, I love that school and I would love to see it succeed as a whole. I think moving down would honestly benefit the school on the field and off. Oh, and if they ever do move down, please play BA, FHS, PHS, and EHS in non-region play. Local rivalries are awesome lol

Based on wt movinup said they will be small and pretty fast. It seems like they have no depth at all though. Good luck guys.

Who all are the QBs and who were the starters on both sides of the ball?

Oh, and put money on this, in 5 years Zion will be amazing. Being able to give financial aid, they will attract a lot of kids from Central and other schools in the area.

And I don't think any Coach-T topic has ever stayed on topic. I'm enjoying the history lesson though lol And I guess, with it being dead week and all, there is nothing at all to talk about, but what is the legitimate buzz around a few teams? Any playbook changes? Any big position battles?

And that class didn't play half bad either, going 6-4 and 11-1 in their Junior and Senior seasons /tongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":P" border="0" alt="tongue.gif" />

Just curious, but after Flatt's first retirement from coaching, how did his replacement do?

I'm excited to see how USJ does. Back in the late 90's my dad and I would go and see them play and they always seemed to go undefeated and make a decent run in the playoffs. They got pretty screwed having to move up to DI-2A, so hopefully they get back to their old ways.

I know Webb returns Blance in the back field. Just based on him now being a Sophomore, I really like them. Did they return a good bit of last years team or did they lose alot?

Haha, and a little detective work at the direct source solves that case.

They double the enrollment for non-coed schools so that equals 570, which means around 145 ish per class.

That's really interesting, and also impressive about them keeping the class size down. It seems like most schools are aiming at growing enrollment, so that's a pleasant surprise. And just curious, but what is MBA's enrollment currently, as well as compared to the past. It always seems when conversations about the Williamson/Davidson Co. private schools pop up, there's never anything negative that is said about MBA. It seems like they've got their ducks in a row.

It was a jab at BA's academics. I'd assume the all boys schools have a more challenging academic curriculum than BA, BGA, EHS, FRHS, etc. I could be wrong, but it just seems like the focus on all around (athletic and academic) tradition is more prominent at MBA, MUS, etc. Ugh, and I'll preemptive strike me including EHS; I know that they don't have tradition exactly, but I assume that they are in the same league academically as the schools I grouped them with as opposed to MBA and such. Again I may be very wrong, but at least that's how it seems.

Eh, it'd be nice to see him get that 40 down to a 4.6-7 range.

Just a little update; I was flipping through Lindy's in Borders today and was reading Vandy's preview, and it looks as if Wesley Tate is already the #2 back behind Hawkins.

Yes, the "haha" was a swipe at BA, but in good fun. The grammar was suitable for a message board. And I have always recognized BGA's "recruiting." In fact, I acknowledge all private schools' recruiting. So don't preach to the choir on that one. And it really is lame when a topic on who is the favorite this year devolves into what is basically a public-private debate, and now private in-fighting. Chill out everyone /tongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":P" border="0" alt="tongue.gif" /> And even when someone might come of as a bit harsh in their critique of another school (yes, I have been guilty of this), it's all in good fun 99.999999% of the time. We are part of a small group of schools that strive for excellence on and off the field, so a little friendly jabbing is natural. BGA will be called hopeless, BA will be called cheaters, Ryan will be called dirty, and etc, etc, down the line. The beauty of it though is all the schools are pretty much the same. Since the entire class is one big rivalry, there has to be something to rip on each other for in the off season. I think we all root for each other when we play D1 schools, and I don't think there is a really bad relationship between any of the schools. Just take the arguments with some sugar and remember we really are all in the same boat. Again, and let's get this part started again, MUS beats BA. The Mountaineer leads the Owls to back to back titles.

Ah that's great for him! That won't be much of a change in system for him, so that will be beneficial. Just curious, what is his 40 time? Seeing as Pat White, a small fast QB, excelled at West Virginia and is now playing for my Dolphins, I hope and think Brunetti does just as well.

Yea, it was more directed at the coach, sorry about the misunderstanding. Ryan was honestly the better team the night we played them, which is what I'm referring to. And I really thought they'd kill Webb. I've always respected Ryan (respect, not like) so I hope yall do well next year.

Eh, again how wrong you are. Nice try pulling the race card lol. I think it's slightly rude you decide to get personal within the post, seeing as all I referred to was high school football. Now if taking cheap shots on a message board is your cup of tea, thumbs up for you. I just thought it was funny that someone had polar opposite opinions to mine. Now, you made it sound as though DII was uninteresting because it was like a college, with recruiting etc. I was saying that if there is/was/etc recruiting, it does lead to a diversification in student body, and it honestly does no harm if done in a correct and controlled manner. It's not a race issue like you made it. I wouldn't have gone to BGA without financial aid (very private school brat right?). Now in referring to BGA "recruiting" as well as all private schools, THEY ALL DO IT. Commercials, ads in the paper, etc are all forms of recruiting. The point of a private school is to provide a top notch experience to people from all locations, backgrounds, etc. Seems as though you missed the point of my post. But yea, don't try to get personal just because you have some pretty bitter sounding pre-conceived notions about "private school" people. I actually kind of agreed with you about the pros of DI, I just resoundingly disagree with how you characterized DII. And you said you're opinion won't change no matter what...so doesn't that make you ignorantly stubborn for no reason what so ever? I would listen to you and probably take you're advice if you gave me your opinion on being grumpy, so why not listen to the multiple people on here that know much more about the topic at hand than you do? Oh and oh dear, the little "junior" and "little" jabs...cmon, I could easily have made my display name "williamson co is cool xoxo!" and said I am 40, but I think being fairly public with who I am provides some validity to what I have to say, whether you agree or not. Well seeing as you know me, I assume you know you're wrong about everything in that post except me being short lol (well I guess you are right, I didn't get in very often freshman year, and I did sit out 9 games after I started week zero junior year after I broke my back...good point you made). But hey, as long as you feel cool hiding behind a name on a message board, go right ahead. You're cool! And I voted Democrat? You really are bad about stereotypes aren't you?

Prologue: Nice Viagra jab roll red lol Intro: It's 1:48 and I'm jacked on Red Bull, and I'm about to rip you; you of ignorance and clouded sight. DI football, at its best, is the essence of high school football. Drive through Fayetteville on a Friday night to the Pit, and the entire town is shutdown. All that is active is that stadium. That is beautiful. That is "Friday Night Lights" movie type power. Watching Brentwood and Ravenwood play in the state playoffs a few years ago was sick. Local rivalries are just fun. There's nothing cooler than being able to have bragging rights over your literal neighbor. I got to see Mt. Pleasant play Jo Bryns three years ago in the play-offs. Again, when a small town gets behind their ONE school, its pretty exciting. But to every graceful swoon of DI ball, there are oh so many falls backs. For every perennial power, there is a team that wallows in defeat for decades. That Mt. Pleasant - Jo Bryns game, a state quarter final game, had NO KICKERS. There is something about small town high school football that is unbeatable, but at the same time, its not any better than any other level. It's kind of sad, that in the face of pretty reasonable explanations to the lack of Coach-T traffic in the DII boards, you insist on saying there is no interest in DII football. So I will give you actual first hand proof that you sir, are in fact, a dumb toe 1) BA played on ESPN this year 2) EHS-MBA was PACKED and on TV 3) EHS-BGA was PACKED, on TV, on a Thursday night, and it was freezing 4) Ryan-BGA was PACKED and it was pouring down rain 5) MBA played in the Kirk Herbstreit (sexy guy) Ohio-USA challenge 6) I'm pretty sure BA sells out every game Now, in terms of attendance, seeing that 400-600 student schools are getting over 3000 at games is a testament to... a) Dedication of those school families/alumni /cool.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="B)" border="0" alt="cool.gif" /> The quality of play, because there were plenty of people at those games that had nothing to do with those schools I won't focus on the differential in talent and caliber of play to much, because that would be too easy. As previously stated, DII-AA has a 70%+ win percentage against DI. Also, 6 of the top 25 teams in Tennessee came from our little ole 14 team Division. Also, DII is ranked as the 9th best class in the nation, while 5A is 25th. Having 8 GOOD teams in the playoffs is much more meaningful than 32 teams per class, half of which are just bush league. Oh, and MUS finished as the 25th team in the nation; got a trophy for it and everything. The fact is, you are trying to put DII-AA football into this soulless generalization. DI is "real" because it's just good ole boys that are going to state funded schools. But DII-AA...THEY ARE JUST RICH KIDS AND OH THEY PAY ATHLETIC POOR BLACK KIDS!!!! Get over it. If a family would prefer for their son to go to a private school where he gets better coaching and a better education, more power to them. That's what they call the American Dream. You know, moving up the ladder of success, etc. I went to BGA for seven years. My dad is an alum and I played football, and I got over half financial aid. But those factors didn't matter. Financial aid is determined through some 3rd party Princeton thing, based on a families income...not the kids 40 time and bench press. Now, our two best players were transfers, one from Columbia and one from Lavergne. Now, were they recruited? I don't know; probably. But at the same time, they both had to make the grades and do the same exact work everyone else did. We've had some of our best athletes kicked out of school due to grades or conduct. No matter how "evil" you think private schools are, they are still run by goofy white guys that care more about where the Valedictorian goes to college and the cumulative GPA of the school over a state title in football. Stop the conspiracy theories. Also, if DII-AA is "JUCO," DI is NAIA. THAT IS THE WORST ANALOGY EVER. SHAME ON YOU. YOU ARE A HREET. Epilogue: Screw you for trying to belittle any level of high school athletics. No matter what goes on behind the scenes, the emotions on the field are the exact same thing. Be it when MUS plays BA in the Boro, or when Red Boiling Springs gets stomped by Trousdale. No high school football player thinks of all of this political stuff, so why should anyone else? High school sports teams are not for the school administration or the community. There are sports teams for the players. You are selfish, rude, and unintelligible. Most of the DII posters who go over to the 6 class sprawl of DI actually have some experience with them. Be it they attended a public school or they have a kid attending, or whatever. It seems as if the only thing you know about DII is what you see on the public-private forum, and what is essentially racist/classicist prejudice babel that you have most likely spread to your children OH BURN. OH AND HESUS, 12 TEAMS IN THE DII-AA PLAYOFFS IS STILL MORE COMPETITIVE THAN THE 6 CLASS CRAP IN DI. YOU HAVE REALLY BAD DOUBLE STANDARDS. THE WHOLE POINT OF THE EXPANSION IS SO MORE TEAMS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. BURN AGAIN As one of the younger, out of high school DII posters, I have first hand experience on the pros and cons of Ronnie Carter's Split. Yea, it stunk not being able to rag on my friends from Ravenwood and Franklin (we would've ripped them by the way /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" /> ) but I loved playing against the hands down best in the state. As sad as it is, due to just crappy human nature, this debate between public and private will go on until the split is total, which I think is the best alternative to re-merging into 5 classes. Cmon...a BA, BGA, Ravenwood, Brentwood, Frankin region would be soooooooooo sweet. Oh, my DII favorite is MUS beating BA.

Brunetti (MUS), Caro (BA), Darkwa (EHS), Tate (BA) Hey GOAT2000, McPhail cost Ryan a playoff birth last year after all is said and done. I honestly don't know enough past the big time names. It's DII-AA, there will be great athletes who just randomly pop up at BA, MUS, CBHS, and MBA. And honestly, I don't know what to think of EHS past Darkwa. They had a very good TE and DE (may have been Cooper) but outside of that. Oh wait, the BEHEMOTH from Mt. Pleasant on EHS. Good luck blocking that kid this year.

And the mystique of making the playoffs just got tossed out the window. Sad.