etfan

11 and 1 really means nothing with the current TSSAA classifications. The closest ballgame was South? They are not tested in the regular season and GC cannot figure out the preparations and intensity level needed for the playoffs. The current local stars are G'ville and Betsy. I am currently sick of DB prognostications and talk and don't care about local records. The Indians have, quite frankly, let us all down.

Since the beginning of the playoff era for the TSSAA for NET: Football State Championships: THS - 2, MoEast - 1, Jeff Co - 1, Sevier Co - 1 National Championships: THS - 1 Contender - G'ville Where is Boone? The same place as DB. In fact, the only teams from NET with recent, repeated deep playoff experience are Hampton, South and G'ville.

The 101st Airborne would take great exception that they were rescued by the 3rd Army (Patton). In any event, a great feat of arms.

Quit worrying about the Farragut staff. This was a great performance by D-B! Hats off to them. In fact, it may have been the best performance since the game a few years ago .... Waco, I know you can fill in the blank. Hopefully the season will end better this year than that year. I do think the Tribe can go deep in the playoffs this year. It could be their year but it is a long season. One game at a time and have fun.

Yes, Waco, I think you are correct in the score. It was a big win by the best D-B team in recent history who was ranked # 1 in the state during the season and lost to a 4 seed William Blount in the playoffs that year. I forget the score of the WB opening round playoff game loss. Do you recall it?

Agreed. Run the option system and see how it goes. By the way, good to hear from you.

A D-B loss to Farragut would be very disappointing based on preseason hype. But my sources in Knoxville also confirm that K-F could be pretty good this year. Certainly, it is the marquee game tomorrow. I hope that D-B can win solidly and represent NET football well. As far as the Big 8 goes, I think Boone will be surprisingly good. The overall finish will be: D-B Boone Science Hill South THS Volunteer Crockett Central As much as things change, they stay the same - look for the following trends in the next few seasons. D-B over South - the coaches have even bought into the voodoo South over THS - despite last year's exception, see above comment regarding Coach Stubbs Science Hill over Boone - the Stacy Carter fear factor takes hold D-B over Science Hill - why hire Stacy Carter to beat D-B when you could have gotten any old Region II 4 seed coach for a lot less money? South over Boone - the Blazers become a different team when they see Columbia Blue; perhaps Crockett should change their colors. D-B and THS - ? Way too much vitriol on another site about this one. D-B will win big in '10. Viking reloading efforts are underway. Boone over D-B - maybe not in '10 but look out. Coach Jenkins is not intimidated by D-B and the Blazer style matches up well with the Indians. The next reclassification is scheduled to occur after the '12 season. It may come as early as next season based on state and county budget cuts. Assuming we keep HS football in all the budgets (no foregone conclusion for all school systems), 6A will be D-B, Boone, Crockett, and S-H. 5A will be Volunteer and THS. Central and South will move to 4A. More travel for the big schools or split gates are in the offing. It will be very controversial but I can see most smaller, local schools refusing to play D-B and S-H. This was certainly not the intent of the TSSAA re-classification but it may be the outcome.

One other tactical point I would add is that the Maryville offensive line play is the best I have ever seen, year in - year out, in this end of the state. They have not produced a lot of DI offensive line recruits but they have great units who stay on their blocks the best of anyone I have seen. Also, I agree that if the state title was based on NFL Combine results, the MoWest Trojans in '05 were probably the best team in the past 10 years from NET. Of course, it is not a Combine and that is why we play the games. It is good to be at Week 0.

Most interesting. I have never heard Coach Norris described as running a relaxed program. I think we should confirm that with the rest of the North staff and team. News for you. It is all, and almost only, about playing time (real, potential, and imagined).

Don't forget the aspect of playing time. It is, in fact, not necessarily a no-brainer, hater, or kidder. GC tends to really stick with only 15 or so kids who get significant playing time. Perhaps this year it was necessary; but this has been a long term topic on this board. Someone who can be a two year starter at North or South or Central might not view GC and D-B as the NET football nirvana. Football is too hard of a game to practice and prepare for to not get to play. I wonder if some of the negativity on this thread towards GC would lessen if D-B did more two platooning Anyway, he is a great coach and will continue to dominate NET; he could also cut down on the crying on this thread if he could advance deeper in the playoffs. Everyone loves success. And don't forget, he has the greatest HS assistant coach in NET history in Defensive Coordinator Watson. Also, Waco, I hear that D-B is considering going to the triple option - Ga Tech style. Any truth to that?

Great run for Sullivan South. Congratulations to the kids, coaches, parents, fans, and administration on being "the football story" in the Region the past five years. Like them or hate them, we all commented. Also, what a story in overcoming unbelievable tragedy and adversity this year. This was really a testament to character and faith. If Stacy Carter goes to SHHS the Toppers will be better for it and begin serious improvement very quickly. My understanding is that the new Topper coach will be able to bring two assistants. There will be some on this board that will remember my thinking that Ralph Nelson at East would be the next coach at SHHS before the Hill hired Gilligan. They should have followed my advice then and will follow my advice from a couple of month ago regarding Carter. Although, I will admit that I also like Coach Witten at Elizabethton as a good fit for SHHS - and perhaps a better long term fit. However, the die appears cast and my understanding is that Carter will be named coach at the Hill - perhaps as early as next week. As far as the two assistants go, I will leave that to others who know local school system politics better than I. One observation that I would make is that there are a lot of relationships between many of the coaches on the coaching staffs at all the Sullivan Co Schools; so, if Carter really gets total freedom to pick two, nothing would really surprise me. South is still in a position to enjoy success, just not in AAA. There appears to be a bit of a down cycle in talent coming through the system, but that is always hard to predict from comparative middle school and freshman scores. Next year, D-B will continue to lead and the Hill will continue to play catchup in 6A. Boone will replace South as THS's prime nemesis and will battle for a #1 5A seed; South will be a playoff team but deep playoff runs in 5A are over. Longer term playoff success and fan interest are still very possible as South will be headed to 4A or 3A in two years, along with Central. After the next reclassification round, expect SHHS, D-B, and a growing Boone and Crockett to play in 6A. THS will have this region all to itself in 5A. However, losses of South and Central (and other domino effects in 3A and 4A) could push the Morristown schools back into 5A in this area. Good for overall competitiveness, a little sad for local interest as all the Sullivan Co schools will be AA and probably not regularly schedule THS, D-B, or the Hill. I know I don't like it from the standpoint of losing the great South - THS rivalry of recent years; but the reality is that South (and the other Sullivan Co schools) will, and should, be playing C-D, not D-B. State annexation laws and urban growth boundaries make this inevitable. By the way, the big loser among the "city schools" in this will be THS as their boundary and city governance style is not as aggressive as JC and Kingsport. All of that said, it appears to be the end of an era at South and the beginning of a new era at Science Hill. As far as my beloved Vikings, I don't think I see an overall positive. As far as HS football in NET, season ending matchups for all the 6A marbles between SH and DB would be pretty exciting.

I've stayed off awhile, hoping that your spelling would improve. Nahhhhhh! ARe you the poster child for DB Football or for DB Academics?? Better stick with Football. And---I believe your last score was 42-0, one and done, Basketball practice time. Do you just keep posting the same thing over and over??? Getting boring???? Last week I asked you to share your infinite football knowledge with all of us. I must have missed it somewhere. What happened? Too busy at the Ford Parts store??? Dwight doesn't work there any more. Don't you pay any attention? The man OWNS you. The least you can do is pay attention when he speaks. He is home playing with himself all the time now and has unlimited time to write his drivel. He does not work there any more. Leave the poor man ALONE. Roll tribe. Gentlemen, this is really pitiful. Waco, I am disappointed in you. You were better than this but have significantly slipped this year.

Good analysis relative to the SH hunger. The problem at South (and other Sullivan County high schools) is the urban growth plan for Kingsport and Bristol. South will be at 800 students in 5 years and 600 in ten. East and Central will see similar drops. North may remain stable (and underutilized) because the law does not require cities to clean up their boundaries and Kingsport does not want Bloomingdale and Lynn Garden. Overall, the County will be heading to one consolidated high school located at the Blountville exit on I-81. That is probably ten years out, politically. D-B will grow to 2000+ students and THS will grow to 1600+. Those are simply the planning numbers all the educators are using. South can compete in the next ten years in AA, just not in AAA. If I were the parent of a middle school football player in Sullivan County I would be working the political process (including Phil Roe) to force the TSSAA to reclassify in 3 years instead of 6. Then Central and South could drop D-B (Dobyns-Bennett) and start playing C-D (Chuckey-Doak). Make no mistake, I think there is a good chance SC will stay. If SH does not hire him they will hire Witten from Betsy. Carter will continue to be very successful if he and the Rebels can drop to AA. They just need to stay out of the same subdivision as Alcoa.

Allright you got a deal, I'll buy some something at the sit n bull one day and you hook me up at whatever place CH has with some local flavor if not it will be a place with a bar My pleasure. Exchange some Rebel Aid for some Blazer Brew? Sounds like a winner. Comp, you are a pleasure to read. Your energy makes this website interesting. I really thought this was the Vikings' year to bring home their third state title. However, injuries to the offensive playmakers and an inspired Boone team resulted in one of the biggest upsets in NET football history two weeks ago. Once that happened, South's road was open and clear. They would beat Boone 9 out of 10 times as the Vikings would beat South by a similar margin this year. Oh Well, that is why they play the games. Remember the Jeff Co. team that was 7-3 or 6-4 some years ago that ended up winning a 5A title. It is a second season and stamina, coaching, character and talent matter. I am extremely thrilled we have 3 teams from NET in the semifinals. Also, remember that Tri Cities Christian lost in the finals in their classification. A potentially great year for NET football. Go Cyclones, G'Devils and Rebels!

It is a done deal according to my sources. After the season, the Hill will go after Carter at South, full bore. They will offer him the opportunity to bring several assistants. While Carter is loyal, the overall demographic trends at South are not good with the school projected to drop to 3A or 4A the next round of reclassifications. Meanwhile, the pipeline is full at Science Hill with dominant middle school and freshman squads. Look for a January announcement.

Good to see that your back.

Where is BTaylorMom?

How is this for memory RebYell… in the last 15 years, Sullivan South has had 7… count um… SEVEN LOOSING SEASONS!!!!! In 1999 you didn’t win ONE GAME (0-10). So “putting up a fight” wasn’t even in Souths vocabulary before SUPERMAN got there. The Vikings have had 1 loosing season in 15 years, and have finished no less than second in the conference for the last 10 years. That’s called TRADITION. By the way our schools have played each other since South has been around. So all those years that we were “put out before we got to Maryville” prior to the Curt Philips era, you can best believe it was after Sullivan South had already turned in their pads. OK Cap, gotta call you out on this. As great a high school QB as superman was, the lion's share of the credit for South's return to football prominence lies with Coach Stacy Carter. Curt only beat you 2 of the last 4 so who was superman then? That 1st year in the Carter tenure ,he inherited very little to work with losing 52-7 in week 7. 5 weeks later we had you on the ropes entering the 4th before a muffed punt inside our 20 gave you a short field TD and turned into a 31-17 Viking victory. That was a team that had gone to Morristown and upset the Canes week1 of playoffs to return to Bristol and trim 31 points off of an earlier defeat.Now that's coaching. In summary, Carter is 4-2 vs Stubbs with the 2 losses being in their 1st meetings when South had 31 players on a roster. Curt was 2-0 against the Vikings. If you don't think there is some coaching going on down here ,wait until you see what surprises he has for your Vikes this year!! And one more thing Cap, you guys are making a big mistake not playing Shamus. We could use him at cornerback. I believe Coach Weston could coach him up. Also, Cap, in the 2005 win over the Vikes, a senior backup QB led the Rebels. CP did not play in the that game.

Your about to find out your in a tougher conference now with all these little 5a schools than you were in with those weak sister 6a schools your used to playin for the last decade. Guys its just the cold hard truth and you know it. And in case you forgot this ain't got nothin to do with South,We knew they were overrated...that should have been there 3rd loss..so you ain't done nothin yet...I usually try to stay away from trash talkin except for 2 weeks out of the season.. guess which ones Ohh in case you forgot 2 of them little schools done busted your butt for ya Ok , lets look at the weak conference we have been in. Bearden would beat you year in and year out by at least 28 points. We beat them every time. Science Hill usually whips you also. Sevier County would beat you by atleast 35 also. Jeff County would likewise drill you annually. You know theirs no need to go on. The cellar dweller which is Campbell County would probably push you to the end year after year. So, your statement was completely off the wall. Obviously you don't know much about football. I'm going to have to be careful reading your posts. Or just don't read them at all. Oh yeah, throw in Oak Ridge every year for another weak team. Yeah right.Roll Tribe Roll............. Wow. This is getting better than the South - DB lovefest board last week. Perhaps a new, real rivalry will be born. One other reason for my prediction of Vikings by 10 or more - DB will be emotionally down after the most emotional game they have played in 3 years. Take it to the bank or to Vegas.

Comp, thanks for taking it like a man. Now, where is BTaylorMom?

I got the first score wrong but the logic and reasoning is correct. D-B over South THS over D-B South over THS Most of this is mental.

Sorry, thought I was talkin with someone from around here. You obviously dont know what your talking about anyway..its like trying to tell someone from the PAC 10 the kind of passion there is in the SEC , IT CANT BE DONE. And Im tellin you D-B didnt provoke the painting , but the motivation thing works, always has, its like added payback, get a life, go back to work and stir it up, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. Honkey, Puddin' is not bad people. He doesn't frequent our boards but tries to tell it square when he does. He along with Muffin lambasted Stacy for his lack of a plan "B" against the Indians in 2006. They also lambasted Curt for not utilysing the Tailback in said game for anything but a decoy. He and Muffin praised the Indians for their superior D package and the surprise element therof. As well for their dominate physcological package at J. Fred which included the band. All in attendence had to admit, it was impressive. Just sayin'... Way too much analysis on this situation. It was very simple according to people who are closer to it than me. In the Carter Spread scheme there are two critical performers - the QB and the center. Carter recognized the former from his days at East and did not appreciate the latter until the '06 DB debacle. He knows now. In fact, the most important player in the Carter Spread is the center and will always be. It is all about timing and protecting the middle of the line of scrimmage.

I am surprised at the relative congeniality on this board. Perhaps talking about football is much better when you don't actually have to play football. Now that the beloved duo are actually playing everyone is quiet. Talk rather than action certainly is the Lane Kiffin approach. Oh well. A few predictions and comments. 1. D-B will upset South by 21 - 20 because 1) South has a mental block when it comes to D-B, 2) D-B's coaching staff will dial it up with two weeks to prepare, 3) South's QB injury situation is critical and the Watson blitz package will be very hard on the new QB, 4) CS will gain over 100 yds rushing in spite of Comp's message board blitz, 5) South has an untested kicker, and 6) D-B will successfully throw enough to make a difference. Sorry, Rebel Nation. 2. THS will absolutely kill D-B (barring significant injuries to the Vikings before the game) because 1) the Viking coaching staff thinks GC did a little score run up in the last game, 2) Stubbs has discovered the forward pass and actually has a QB to execute it, 3) THS is better at every position (including running back - sorry Waco), 4) D-B is surprisingly soft this season, and 5) the Vikings don't have the mental problem South does. Sorry, Tribe. I am curious. What is the record for victory margin by a D-B opponent in a conference game in the modern era? I think the Vikes will exceed it. 3. South will find a way to beat THS in the last game of the season because Stubbs has yet to exorcise the Carter demon. I do not know if this will be by 1) whipping us up front and us not being motivated like the '04 playoff game, 2) playing with more confidence with a back up QB like in '05, 3) completely outcoaching us like in '06, 4) the refs calling a Rebel fumble down by contact like in '07, or 5) a general *** kicking like in '08. This is our best chance to re-turn the corner. Maybe our passing attack will be the difference. 4. My first top five for the season in NET - size corrected, of course. 1) Betsy - "Return to Dominance" is the motto. I would like to know more about the recent 10-3 loss to Asheville HS. Before that, I was completely on the bandwagon - a potential state title contender in their classification with their skill people. 2) THS - great offense so far with Stubbs featuring an effective passing / running tandem. Defense is crusty as usual. This could be the Vikings' year. Probably the current oddsmaker's favorite to win the Big 8. Must close the deal at South. 3) South - outstanding performance in big games so far - G'ville and Gate City. Almost let Boone beat them. Biggest game of the year coming up this week (not for standings or playoff seeding but from a mental standpoint). This team has shown great resilience in light of their opening game tragedy. I, along with many fans across the state, am certainly pulling for them. 4) Boone - never underestimate a Jenkins' coached team. Closed the deal on a historic victory over D-B. Run the ball well and play tough D. With a growing student population could be a surprising rising power in the Big 8 and will probably garner the third seed this year. 5) G'ville - probably has the best statistical player in the area with Spradlin. Surprisingly ineffective on offense against Betsy. Can they throw the ball effectively against a good team? Frankly, I thought there would be a bigger drop off in performance with the off season coaching controversy. Interesting to see the second half of the season for this team - they get no points in my ranking for dropping down to a lower classification. In fact, I think the TSSAA should investigate whether they meet the criteria for a private school as anyone in Greene County can attend G'ville HS without tuition. They get to really cherry pick. 6 - 10) Others receiving votes: North, Tri-Cities Christian, D-B (should be 3-2), Crockett, West Greene, Science Hill, Happy Valley, Sullivan East

My memory was that 2005 was pretty competitive.