Spartansfan

TraderB, you always give good unbiased observations. As a Spartan fan, I can agree that this years Whitehaven team is a 6A championship contender. But experience over the past few years has shown that once a team clears our area in the playoffs, the team they face from Nashville area is going to be a strong test. If Whitehaven can bring it as they did vs G'town, I think they have a great shot to get to the title game. But I do belive Smyrna will be the best Whitehaven has seen this year. Regarding if this years Whitehaven team is better than last years WS team....that has yet to be determined. The Haven has always had the talent to be in "the best" discussion. But even this year, they failed to put 2 halves of quality play together until the Wooddale game, then again vs G'town. If they continue this trend, watchout everyone east of Memphis! But if they revert back to the way they played during the regular season, they won't get past Smyrna. I'm hoping they get it done and get a Gold Ball for their trophy case!

hi Senator, Obviously, I was pulling for the Spartans. But since their out of it now, I start pulling for the local teams. Since WS and Whitehaven have this rivalry thing going, I tend to pull for the Tigers when we're out of the picture. I hope the guys loosen up and start putting 2 halves of their best ball out there. Good luck!

This game went pretty similar to the regular season matchup. Whitehaven certainly has the talent to go deep into the playoffs. If they could clean up the turnovers, and play two halves as well as they play the second half, they would certainly be a serious contender to go all the way! It really confuses me as to what is going on with the Tigers this year. They seem to play sluggish, uninspired, sub-par football in the 1st half. Then in the second half, they come out like a world beater, and their offense is unstoppable (unless they stop themselves) and their defense is really stout! What gives all you Haven fans? Any words of wisdom as to why they don't start the game the same way they start the 2nd half? For WS's part, we played a decent game. Took advantage of turnovers (that's our 14 points), pretty clear of penalties. We did play as good as we had to offer at this point. Our 14-7 halftime advantage turning into a 28-14 loss is simply the result of seeing Whitehaven go from playing poorly to playing closer to thier potential. Congrats on getting the round one victory! You deserve to move on. Hopefully Whitehaven will fix thei 1st half/2nd half issue, and make a succesful run for the gold ball!

No disrespect intended to Maryville. My observations are obviously very limited. I saw Brentwood play one time last year, that was vs WS. I saw Maryville play one time last year, again, vs WS. So my opinion has very little research available. I am aware of Maryville's reputation, and they are a great program, with great history, coaching etc.... One more thing, being objective here...I think Maryville stands a better chance of getting into a "rematch" positon than we do this year. We'll try though! Good luck to your team!

Whitehaven has the talent to beat us again. I think we are playing better now, fewer penalties and turnovers. So I would expect us to be more competitive. Another factor, Whitehaven has had the high talent level in preceeding years, yet seem to have a problem playing up to potential in playoff games. So I certainly thing we have a shot to pull the upset.

Not too many years ago, a new school opened up, started playing football in 6A, and within 4 yrs won state. Ravenwood. Just because Arlington is a new school, doesn't mean the coaches only have 4 yrs experience, the players only have 4 yrs playing, etc. Not reason they can't compete...as a matter of fact, a 10-0, then an 8-2 record shows they're competing with someone.

I've been reading this discussion, and I think I understand where you get your opinion from. Assuming Arlington was the school that doesn't wish to play Oakland...maybe Oakland too interest in playing Arlington because of the style of offense they play? (and they do play that well) So if that's the case, why wouldn't Oakland want to play them? Perhaps their coach wants to schedule opponents that help his team get better prepared for other opponents they might meet later, and Arlington fit that need. From watching the central teams come here to play us, and us going to Nashville to play them, (Ravenwood vs WS, then Independance vs Millington, then WS vs Franklin, and last was WS vs Brentwood) I can tell you they have a good quality level of play in central Tn. Last year, Whitehaven coulda beat Maryville, so could Brentwood. But they didn't get past WS to prove it. If you win, you get to move on. This year, Whitehaven has to be the local favorite. If they beat WS, then play others such as Collierville, G'town, etc and get to a semi final game I won't be surprised. But if they had to play teams like Smyrna, Oakland, Brentwood to get into a semi final game, that would be a tougher path. Does that mean a west team can't beat a central team? Nope...it just means they have more top level teams to go through than we do. Last years final was a west vs east. So apparently, the best team in the state wasn't from the Nashville area last year. But they still have some very tough teams there. I think you gotta admit that?

Hi onefortheteam, Yep, I get your point. West Tn does have good teams. But I do believe the Central Tn does have a claim to being overall better area. They do have more championships. They do have more teams that play at a higher level than we do locally.(obviously, that's my opinion. I don't expect you to agree with that) Last year for example, I think WS and Whitehaven would have been able to play against the Central Tn teams, and would have proved to be very competitive with them. But I don't think we had any other 6A teams that would have done well. Yet I think they have 5-6 teams every year that could be in that upper level. This year, so far, it seems Whitehaven is the only top level 6A team in our area. WS is making a late run. But how good they are has yet to be roven on the field. Beating the likes of Hamilton, Central, etc, doesn't show much, even if you do win by a decent margin. The victory over Mitchell gave me an indication that WS is ready for the playoffs. Millington, down this year. Collierville, middle of the road. G'town, doing normal for them, but not really looking like a state champ contender. Arlington needs to step up their scheduling to be taken seriously. Woodale is about like G'town. Central has Smyrna, Brentwood, Oakland, Riverdale, and a couple of others (I don't care to research 'em all) that would run through most of our teams. Whitehaven could play with them, but who else? I really think other match-ups would result in those 32-13 kinda scores. Too bad Ridgeway isn't 6A, they'd be one more Memphis team that could make a run in this group. Bottom line, I just feel Central area usually has 5-6 top level teams, and Memphis area usually has 2 of that level.

Hiya Randy. I'm a White Station fan...thought I'd drop my opnion in here about the topic being discussed. 1st) last year WS beat the one team they had to beat, Brentwood. And yes, they barely got it done. I have NO doubt Brentwood would have won state had they gotten past us. 2nd)based on researching your clue of a 6A team at 8-2....there's been discussions locally about fans of that team taking offense to others no giving them respect due to relatively easy scheduling. So I don't doubt they turned down the offers. Personally, I think it would be great for West teams and Central teams to get some home-n-home agreements going. WS has seeked out the toughest opponents locally (based on past records/reputations) to be better prepared for playoff time. While it hurt our record this year, it also got a very young squad in shape to finish strong and they are in the playoffs. I can't say how deep we'll go, we have little depth, not much size. But i do believe we'll compete well. 3rd) that 3rd bracket IS tough! I think the state champ would likely come from that bracket. It's a rough road for anyone who can survive those matchups. On the plus side, whoever makes it will leave no doubt they deserve to be in the final.

I've been to the WS games, except for MUS and also missed the Melrose game. They've been competitive in every game, minus the 2nd half vs Whitehaven. And even then, that game was a result of giving up some big plays, and not taking advantge of big opportunities in the 2nd half. They're a young group, and it shows. Whitehaven seems to be the class of our division this year, but due to their playoff history, I remain skeptical of them making noise in the playoffs this year. It's not for a lack of talent though... But back to WS, I was holding my breath on how they would do since I saw them drop several games that a more mature team coulda/woulda won. Winning vs Melrose, while no huge feat due to the state of Melrose lately, still puts them in great shape to control their playoff destiny....so yep, I see the Mitchell game being playoffs week 1 early for both squads! Stayin' tuned....

Rob, do you think that since Millington is so predisposed to a running game that hurts their ability to find potential QB's that could develop into having at least a credible passing game?

While I wasn't there, I gotta say I sure over-estimated MHS...or under-estimated CBHS! Congrats to CBHS for getting past the Whitehaven game, refocusing and gettin' it done this week! to ya!

From the outside looking in, I don't think Millington has much to worry about. If they continue to work at bettering themselves, I'd be surprised to see CBHS win, and I'd also be surprised if Millington doesn't get back into the semi game at state. (or further) While Whitehaven is loaded, it seems they are every year. Yet they find a way to self destruct. Arlington seems to be the only other potentially serious competition in local 6A. (I worry about their defense, seems to porous)

I think I'd have MUS and Olive Branch up around the 4-5 slots. I still don't get having the out of town schools in this poll. I know...I just said OB should be higher...but at least they do play someone from our area that gives a shot at ranking them.

WS lost, it was a good game. Both teams had plenty of mistakes that would (and will) hurt them against better foes. Case in point your loss to Whitehaven. WS's record has plenty of evidence of our own issues. I'm not putting CBHS down really. They are decent, just not that explosive offensively to rack up 35 points against another decent team. The "big talk" as you call it seems to be coming from falcon90. Obviously a CBHS fan, that's cool. But he doesn't seem to have a very realistic view of his team.

CBHS couldn't score 35 points against their own JV team....get real falcon90. I think Millington can get it done. But either way it goes, it should be close.

I wouldn't put the final nail in the coffin on White Station just yet. They are suffering from having alot of youth. But They are also making improvements, and little by little getting some things figured out. Otherwise, I think you pretty much called it. I don't see much change on what the area football has to offer. It looks like Millington might be on the way to a better year than last. Ridgeway has come back to be a factor. MUS is off from last year, but still probably the best Div II school from the area. Briarcrest might be better than last year, but as you pointed out, they lack speed.

I was expecting Becton to have a big game too. They used him on kick returns, and WS wisely kicked away from him. Offensivley, they had him at reciever, and he was open when they went to him. (He scored the winning TD in OT) It really seemed to me that when Briarcrest went to pass, either the QB didn't have time, and when he did, he just wasn't synched up real well with his receivers. WS's defense did ok, but the D-line wore down and once that happened, running became an attractive option for Briacrest. Both teams left several scoring opportunities out there. They've both got work to do....but guess that's to be expected.

1st, I think before MUS gets knocked off it's top spot, someone needs to do it on the field. They've got too much going in recent seasons to bump them down. 2nd, Whitehaven is usually well equipped with talent. They are normally one of the areas best teams in the regular season. They have yet to live up to their potential in the post season (in my humble opinion). after watching the Briacrest-WS game last night, it's possible they both are over rated. Briarcrest ran the ball well, after using big bodies to wear down a smallish WS D-line. The Briarcrest passing game was...well, pretty much wasn't. I'm not sure what happened there. I had higher expectations of a balanced offense, but the Saints did alot of running, and the passing game just wasn't doing much. WS ran the ball very well. Plenty of speed! they also have receivers capable of getting open...like WIIIIDE open and catching the ball...except the ball rarely got there. When it did, the receivers had to get out of shape turning around to make a catch, which allowed defenders to get back and make a tackle. Very ineffective passing game. (Keep in mind this is a sophmore, and his 1st time at QB) But improvement at QB is a must to get anywhere this year. The defense played pretty well until they got worn down from bigger bodies going straight at 'em. WS is still not taking care of the small details. Last year they made many mistakes...penalties at inopportune times, turn-overs that stop scores, or create scores for the other team, etc...But last year they had the athletes and experience to overcome most of these 'oversights'. Last night it was the details that hurt them and ultimately cost the game. Turnovers in scoring position, poor decison by a rb reversing his field on a 3rd and inches....resulting in a block in the back penalty, which forced a passing play, which turned into a fumble, and Briarcrest gaining all kinds of momentum. Not fielding a punt...costs 10 yds or so of field position. Those add up....yet don't seem to get much attention. Hopefully, WS will learn quickly to get in form, because there's some serious competion on the way early this year...like next game vs Ridgeway!

I just checked on the TSSAA website, they have galleries of photos from the games this past weekend up for veiwing and for sale. There's also DVD's of the games.

I have to claim total ignorance on this topic regarding QB's from other teams. However, regarding Anthony Hayes from WS, I would love to see how good he could be with some QB camps in the off season, and then have a couple of years to grow with the position. Unfortunately, he's a senior, so we'll never know that answer. I have seen some QB's in our area that had all the physical tools to play the position, but totally lacked the mental ability to make his team better. It should be remembered in this discussion, that all the athleticism in the world is worthless without some brain power to go with it.

Tell you what, the timing of THIS rise to glory couldn't have been better for me! My son is a senior, so it was his last chance....and a great way to end his high school career! But thinking along the lines of what's best for high school football, I think it would be fabulous West Tn teams to be able to compete in some out of district games vs East and Middle teams. West Tn has atheletes, but exposure to seeing the disipline and variety of schemes that are used in other areas of the state would help elevate our programs. When we play our DII teams (CBHS, MUS, Briarcrest) we see teams that use similar philosiphies in the way they run their programs to the way successful programs are run through out Middle and East Tn. It helped WS this year to play the DII schools, even though we went 1-2 against them. I would like to see Maryville play our local DII teams also, because I think those would be some very entertaining games.

Not that you need a Brentwood fan to come to your defense but I just watched the film of the Brentwood - White Station game last night and this is what I saw: At the end of almost every play, whether they were the bug or the windshield, guys were helping each other up, patting each other on the helmet and getting back and ready to go hard again. Play hard and play with class and that's what I saw. As you stated, probably an isolated incident - bad things happen in the trenches sometimes. I also saw you get wiped out again - OUCH! Nobody has any idea why it took so long for the ambulance to get there. Well, the treatment I got was 1st class! It sure was a painful experience, but Williams County Med Center took care of me. I have a DVD of the incident also....watched it once. I think it'll be something funny to watch later. I felt terrible for holding up the game and also for missing that game. I was getting text messages as the score changed. I hate missing out on a classic game! Thanks for posting! Best of luck to Brentwood next year....I'm sure you'll be back.

General E...We're on the same page. I know I tend to see that one bad apple and group everyone together too. I'm sure Maryville is going to be fine, and will be a threat to be in Cookeville next year too. Best of luck to ya!

Regarding "volunteercoach"......I find 90% (or more) of what he says to misrepresent the sentiments of everyone I know that supports WS. Quite frankly, I cringe and find myself embarrassed by his posts. The only thing worse than a sore loser, is a sore winner......although I'm not sure he can even be classified as a winner, sore or not. Spartansfan, you are a true winner my friend......My congratulations to you and the White Station team.......... "A true champion knows how to win and lose with class" - Paul W. Bryant......... Thanks...I'm a fan of the team. We've been on the losing end a few times, and I know the feeling of disappointment that brings, while still feeling satisfied with being "in the running". These players work way to hard to be put down for losing a game. (as do the coaches and parents, etc) I admire eveyone for the efforts they put into working their butts off to be the best they can be. I enjoy logical and informed discussions as much as the next guy. And just think....if my job put me in Maryville, my son would have probably been playing for the Rebels or Alcoa....so I'd be a strong supporter of that program. We all live in the same small world......