dins8

Food for thought... West won the East/West THSSCA game tonight 2-1. I know there's been a lot of thought about the West districts not matching up to the DOD and the East, but they apparently did well tonight. Not sure who scored for the West, but Caleb Lucas scored the only goal for the East. Btw...my opinion on All-State: Caleb Lucas, Maryville Tim Baker, Catholic James Ferguson, Bearden Tyler Rhone, Farragut Andrew Jones, West And...NUMEROUS players from Dobyns Bennett

Good luck to both teams tonight. This is always the matchup that everyone waits for in Knoxville!

I don’t think anyone is denying that Bearden is a great soccer team, mack. In fact, I am almost certain that Olif is a Bearden supporter, and he was simply commenting on the contrasting styles of the two teams. When juxtaposing the two teams you will find, like Ned said, two talented sides with two different approaches to the game: Bearden focuses on keeping their defensive shape and catching opponents in transition, while Maryville tries to keep the ball and make their opponents chase. Both teams’ philosophies have looked flawless at times, yet both have looked vulnerable as well—Maryville was exposed at Bearden, and Bearden looked susceptible against Catholic. With that said, I don’t think anyone in this area continues to denounce Coach Turner’s philosophy as unattractive or “boom ball.†In fact, I think Bearden’s method is one of the most effective and enjoyable brands of soccer to watch. They form an impervious blockade of defenders in the middle of the pitch, disallowing any form of solid penetration. All shots against Bearden are going to be low percentage shots, and if a team is tricky enough to slip behind their back line or give a good service in the box, the ball is going to undoubtedly be contested or rather won by Bearden. What is even more impressive is how quickly they counter, forcing their opponents to chase, panic, and lose their shape. After Jose Mourinho’s Inter team sent Barca packing in last year’s Champion’s League semifinal, he was asked to comment about how lopsided the possession battle was. Mourinho ostentatiously claimed that it was all part of a plan and that his Inter side didn’t want the ball because they never wanted to lose their shape. I think Mourinho is a downright liar; I think Inter was outmatched and pulled the win out of their back side. Bearden, on the other hand, knows exactly what they are doing, and they play an attractive and remarkably effective brand of soccer.

I really doubt that Coach Woods is laughing over these comments. Too often parents cannot dismiss their vicarious involvement in their son's life, and, consequently, they fail to see their son's shortcomings. A coach's perspective, on the other hand, is almost always objective; therefore, he is more than likely privy to unique knowledge for why a kid does or does not get time on the pitch. Unfortunately, coaches rarely get the credit that they deserve. Sometimes parents serve "coach roast" at the dinner table; other times parents gossip like school girls over a coach in the stands; and, at the very worst of times, parents publicly lambaste a coach on a forum. I find this thread tacky, unappreciative, myopic, and wrong. Good luck to Coach Woods. I, for one, think he is a good coach and a good guy.

Pinball, Good to see you on the boards. As always, you have some good insight, yet I think a lot of people might be overlooking or rather inadvertently dancing around the biggest factor in this game: Centennial's keeper. I respect Centenial's plan to keep numbers behind the ball, or as you put it, "park the bus in front of the goal." After all, as Siegel pointed out, Inter was crowned kings of Europe by implementing this same tactical plan. However, I disagree with you that Centennial's coach was the first to give this tactical strategy a go against the Admirals. Farragut has seen numerous teams excersise this tactical plan, and, like you said, they continued to play the ball into the 18 and have at times DRILLED teams that try to play a bunker and counter game. In essence, I don't think that Centennial's coach finally figured out a way to crack Farragut; instead, I think he realized that his best shot was to roll the dice and take his chances with a bunkering strategy and rely on the best keeper in the state. After all, who is to say that this game wouldn't have been at least 4-1 had Centennial fielded someone between the pipes who didn't appear to be superhuman. Now, to anyone who says that Farragut wasn't that good in the first place...that's just ridiculous. Farragut's last two seasons speak volumes about their coaching staff, their senior class and the program as a whole. Unfortunately for Farragut, soccer is a cruel game and one of the few sports where an inferior side stands an honest chance against a powerhouse. This is not to take anything away from Centennial's victory at all. Hats off to both teams. Good luck to Hville and Centennial in the finals.

I do not see Farragut falling to Hendersonville. Furthermore, I am baffled by your analysis of the Bearden and Collierville game. Bearden vulnerable to the counter? Bearden throwing all of their dogs forward? Bearden keeps their defensive shape as well as any team that I have seen. While their playing style is not easy on the eyes, they have proven to be very successful at grinding out 1-0 wins this year. Maybe I have not been watching Bearden closely enough though, but I, too, think that they will beat Collierville rather easily. I DO think that Hendersonville is capable of beating Farragut, but it is going to take an off night from Farragut and a tremendous effort from Hendersonville. Farragut WILL score, and I just can't see Muth, Wayman, and Kendrick stumbling again this year. Farragut has the best midfield in the state, but a lot of people forget that they have the best defense in the state too. Farragut wins 2-0 in the finals over (hmmm....) Bearden or Hendersonville. Now...assuming that Bearden and Hendersonville both get through, Bearden/Hville II could be a great match!

YES!!!! This makes my day. I love this guy!

I think G has an interesting point about sometimes having to know what you are doing MORE SO with a talented team, and the coaching staff at Farragut has obviously proved they are more than qualified. Anyone ever seen Farragut warm up? They are a group of boys that turn into a syncronized machine. No doubt, the coaching staff is the backbone behind such organization. Anyone who thinks that Coach Culbreth just rolls a ball out and says go play really doesn't know much about Farragut. Take their 2007 state title for example: Farragut came off the blocks as talented, explosive, but also egotistical. I never would have thought they would have made such a run after a tie to an inferior McMinn County side. However, by the end of the season, they had transformed into an organized, selfless juggernaut. Yes, Farragut has always had an abundance of talent, but it certainly takes a talented coach to organize that talent and keep a train from derailing. No way does Farragut blow up in the playoffs!

Strongly disagree, Coniglio. CAK is a true contender, but I do not see them "rolling people over" the way they have in the past years. Yes, they benefit from Catholic moving up in classification, but I think even BigG would agree that this CAK team is different--they are very young and still probably trying to work out some dents in order to move forward. That being said, I still see them as the favorite to win the AA/A title, but I think it will take a very dedicated/focused effort, which I am sure is right up Gerlach's alley. However, I would not be surprised at all if a team like Alcoa knocks them off down the road. CAK a front runner? Sure. Rolling over people? NO WAY!

I could be wrong, but I think w/ the Maryville/West tie, Catholic slides into the third spot with Maryville fourth and West fifth. 1.) Farragut 2.) Bearden 3.) Catholic 4.) Maryville 5.) West 6.) Lenoir City 7.) William Blount 8.) Heritage Look right?

I would not count Catholic out for sliding into the three spot. They have looked very good lately, and only a couple of things have to happen for them to slide in over both Maryville and West.

Lenoir City has an OUTSTANDING keeper. Not sure what his name is...

Can anyone update the scores for tonight?

Timmy Baker from Catholic is very small but very good (reminds me a lot of Tyler Gibson with his vision). He is a very solid addition to Catholic, and I expect him to be a big time player when he becomes an upperclassmen.

Congrats to Farragut on a big win over NW, and thanks for representing TN so well. Good luck tomorrow--bring it home.