bojak3

I am a player, and i know for a fact that Father Ryan did not try to "pack it in" so that they could go to pk's...we dreaded pk's, and we tried all we could to capitalize as did CBHS...both teams had a few opportunities in both overtimes to put the game away, but neither could finish...and i just don't really agree with calling pk's "unfair" because can you really say one team is better than the other if you played longer than 110 mins and one team gives up a goal because of fatigue? It's a state tournament game, and unless you are the opposing team down a goal, no team is satisfied with getting a tie until the end of regulation and overtimes. The players play as hard as they can, and I really do not see it as fair to say that a team "packs it in" when they are tired...sure it may seem like it, but I've been there and though players may look sluggish and look like they are "packing it in" they are really dying and doing all that tey can to keep the opposing team from scoring. More often than not that is the case because "packing it in" on purpose puts a GREAT deal of pressure on the defense...also when players have played for 110 minutes in 80 to 85 degree heat, it may seem like the strikers have gone back to "pack it in" but really they do not want to lose and you win as a team and lose as a team...that means it takes 11 to defend and 11 to attack...honestly "packing it in" is not that at all, it is the players doing all they can because they know that they have almost nothing left in the tank and they will not sit back and watch the other team's offense beat their defense. As much as it seems like a team "packs it in", it is usually more that they are the team who was in the worse physical shape...CBHS had us on our heels a lot in overimes, but we had our spurts just as well...what it comes down to is who wants it more, and we did all we could to keep ourselves fom going down a goal because we knew we were all tired and we were doing the best we could to get the ball on the CBHS side of the field...and when we had it down there.....CBHS "packed it in" so that we could not score...it is not a strategy more so as it is a survival instinct...also i don't really know if CBHS ever practiced pk's as a team or at all, but we did because we knew that going down to pk's was a very good possibilty...just as you prepare for the opposing team, you have to prepare for what the game could possibly come down to...no win is ever in the bag on a second note, taking a pk takes a lot out of a player. you choose your best players, and after that...it is all up to those few players to determine the game. once again, this comes down to who wants it more, what team can better handle the pressure, and what team can execute and get the job done. think about walking up to the penalty spot, placing the ball down, looking up and seeing one person standing between you and a goal, and on top of all of this you are being watched...you are being watched by your entire team, the opposing team, your parents, family members, friends, classmates, ppl you don't even know...and at the moment that player steps up to take his pk, he enetrs a world that is solely reality...if i miss it could be my fault we lose. if i miss will everyone hate me? the slightest mistake could cause you to miss one of the biggest shots you will ever take. and if you are a senior, the biggest shaot you will ever take, the last shot you may ever take, and the last time you will ever have to win a championship like that, not to mention the fact that it could be the best opportunity you have ever had to win a championship of that caliber...so you can look at pk's and say it's a crap shoot if you want, but handling that amount of pressure and finishing is a great feat and takes a great deal of skill. oh and i almost forgot...there is also a keeper standing in front of you and the back of the net...so it is also a mind game between those two...who can read the other and who can fool the other. i'm sorry, but it's CBHS fault if they didn't prepare for pk's...they knew it could possibly happen, esp. when they have had it happen before. and if they did prepare, then they did all they could...i'm not saying they didn't have a chance once it got down to that because i played for ryan and we did not want it to go down to pk's...but once it did we knew there was nothing we could do to change it...esp. after an unfortunate own-goal tied that game up and had it never happened we possibly wouldn't have been in that position...so we accepted what it had come down to and decided we wouldn't dwell on the odds, but rather we would do what we could with what had been dealt to us. it was a great game, and there were times when i know both teams wanted to collapse...thus playing on after 110 minutes of play really wouldn't have been fair to either team. both teams played their hearts out and played as as hard as they could...and after being deadlocked for an extra 30 minutes with play getting progessively more sluggish and sporadic, pk's was the best option for either team. it gives both teams a fair chance to put the game away...

i completely agree! i would love to see the "National Champs" play Father Ryan or CBHS....i think both of these teams would give them a serious run for their money... honestly you never know how good a team stacks up against another because on any given day any team can beat another...plus all teams play opponents differently...

oh and i failed to mention that jp only allowed 9 goals all season! the last two goals that were scored on th irish this season were unfortunate own-goals... whatever you want to say JP helped direct these boys to a state championship! oh and he was also never scored on more than 1 this season except in 1 game...and two of those goals...one was a pk after a bad foul in the box, and the other was a goal that got in the back of the net because the players in the wall split leaving jp with nothing to do but watch... JP was and is an outstanding keeper!

JP officially takes the prize! this outstanding young man not only had a phenomenal season, but blocked a pk in the STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME to help the Irish win the Div II tournament...this keeper also put a solid pk in the back of the net to start the Irish off on their pk's! Not only did he block one, but he nearly blocked the second, but the ball bounced off his hands and hit the bottom of the crossbar to barely break the plane for a goal...also, this young man guessed correctly on EVERY SINGLE pk as to what side the ball was being placed! Not many professional keepers can do that! Congratulations on a great season, a state championship, and in my opinion the mvp of the match!

christian brothers very well could have watched the Ryan game...whether they did or not is their fault

we're finally down to 2 teams! after CBHS put Baylor away 1 to 0, and Father Ryan got over McCallie 2 to 1, who does everyone see winning this next one? it should be a great game with these two top notch teams! congrats to both for great seasons and making it so far!

hendersonville, houston, west, and brentwood I agree a_villa, the winner of the west brentwood game will win state Houston over Hendersonville West over Brentwood

father ryan burst their bubble...once they lost to father ryan it was like there season had gone down the drain...when they played mccallie later that week on saturday and were up 1 to 0 they looked fine and like themselves, but once mccallie got a goal it was as if they had the mindset, "wow...this can't be happening again........" and once mccallie put in the second goal....it was like they wanted to fight to win, but at the same time they didn't believe they could do it...they had a great season, and sadly they just had a monumental meltdown so CBHS dominated or was it back an forth for a while until CBHS scored?

#1 Brentwood #2 FRHS #3 Baylor #4 McCallie #5 Pope John Paul II #6 CBHS #7 Houston #8 Knox West #9 Knox Catholic #10 Farragut better? although it's funny mine were out of date considering the first rankings........

ya i meant to put 5 to 2 and accidentally put 0...my bad...but from what i heard they played very soundly and i'm just going off what i heard! i was just askin for some input i wasn't there and haven't seen either team ever play...well i have seen mccallie play for a little bit vs jpII but only for about 10 min

I know that not all of the substate games have been played, but what does everyone think about how the semis are shaping up? So far we have McCallie who beat St. Benedicts soundly(from what i have heard)--5 to 2(sorry for the messup earlier, i don't know why i put 0 because i knew the score full well...just wasn't thinkin i guess...sorry)-- and Father Ryan who struggled in the first half but looked solid in the second--3 to 0-- in the semis... Predictions for the JPII vs CBHS game and Baylor vs MUS would be great, and once these four teams have played, predictions and discussions from there would be great! /popcorneater.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":popcorneater:" border="0" alt="popcorneater.gif" />

Why does it matter so much??? they aren't included in our spring rankings just as we aren't included in theirs...besides that's 9 states not playing in the fall or winter which means a pool of 41 states in the fall and not all of those states play in the fall so the others would be in the winter ... So i guess you might as well just say that not every top team in those seasons didn't really deserve it.............. That's such a ridiculous statement! they were the best in THEIR OWN RESPECTIVE SEASONS! Plus you cannot say how spring teams would fair agaisnt these other teams in different seasons...have you seen them play each other ever???? where is your basis for that statement??? Do not take away from the great seasons that these teams have accomplished this season! Congrats for ALL those in the top 25! Very impressive showing!

wow...you are all ridiculous.....why has JPII not been even mentioned?? and CBHS and all this talk about probably father ryan or def mba and bga............the seasons have been played out and are all almost done... #1 Brentwood #2 Father Ryan #3 Pope John Paul II #4 Farragut #5 Christian Brothers #6 Houston #7 Baylor #8 McCallie last two spots are up for grabs between Hendersonville, Knox Cath, Bearden, Dobyns-Bennett, and Collierville, but i'll take #9 Knox Catholic #10 Dobyns-Bennet

i will agree with you except his name is Josh Phillips AKA JP JP has been very strong this year and has not only been a success in goal but also on the field! he has made many many great saves including a pk save and 3 or 4 one on one saves in critical games including Hendersonville, MBA, Baylor, and JPII...hopefully he can keep playing solid for the rest of the season! Congrats on a great season thus far JP (not that i won't tell you in person)!

Father Ryan plays MBA Friday night at 5:30 at Ryan... The word on Charles from what i have heard is a slim chance to play, and supposedly the UNC Charlotte coach is urging him to take plenty of time to get back in it...i'd look for Charles to be back after this game, in hopes that FRHS can advance over MBA... Hopefully they won't take them too lightly because it is tough to beat a team 3 times, not to mention the fact that they are rivals...MBA will come out hard, hopefully Ryan will not lose grip of reality because anything can happen in State and they need to realize that from here on out it is live or die Oh, and i have CBHS, McCallie, FRHS, and Baylor