Spartansfan

Hi General E....I read your post and felt compelled to reply. 1st, allow me to apologize for the actions of that lineman. I wasn't at the game, so did not witness the action. However, I have been to many of our practices and all of our games until I had my leg broken in Brentwood, so couldn't make the final. Anyway, I've seen some things that reflect poor taste and bad sportsmanship on occassion. Overall, our players don't fit that description. I hope your judgement towards our players and program would remain at least nuetral in that regard, and understand it was most likely an isolated incident from one person. We both have very fortunate kids playing ball. Most programs have young men working hard year around to reach this final game. Only 2 teams make it there. There are no losers in this senario....simply one team outscored the other. While I'm very happy WS came out of this ahead, I feel for the young men in Maryville. I hope they are proud of their accomplishments of moving up to 6A and going this far. They never quit, and forced our offense to keep scoring also. 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. What is wrong with you? Don't apologize for my posts, did you not read on here before the game was played all the smart A comments from pepvol and a few other Maryville fans? Come on, they can dish it out but they sure can't take it. Good grief buddy grow a spine. My spine is healthy, thanks. There's a few players that played the game and settled the outcome of the game. I personally haven't seen any serious trash talking coming from Maryville fans bashing our program. I do feel your responses have been waaaay over the top. I'm not sure what coaching you do, but I'm going to assume you do fine with it since our players played well. But your socail skills could use some coaching IMO. Nothing personal....but we do disagree on how to represent our program on a message board.

Pappy: Julian Burton is a senior and I must say as a Whitehaven fan ... Boy am I glad! ... He has been a thorn in our side since he has been a sophomore! Believe it or not Julian hasn't been offered a scolly. Not from UT, not from U of M, not from anybody. I may be wrong ... but that's the latest that I have heard. The same for the QB ... no offers. Spartansfan or anybody else in the know correct me if I am wrong. The U of M fired Tommy West and hired a new guy who was an assistant coach @ LSU recently. He has won the "best recruiter award" for 2 years running or two years in a row or something like that. One of his commitments is to recruit the Memphis talent and keep it home. We will see. I have heard that they are putting a full court press on the QB @ MUS to change his commitment from WV to the U of M. I hope they go after #11 & #4 as well. To my limited knowledge, neither Burton or Hayes have any kind of commitment or concrete offer. I do think there's some irons in the fire. And like others, I'm hopeful the "new" Uof M will come knocking!

Hi General E....I read your post and felt compelled to reply. 1st, allow me to apologize for the actions of that lineman. I wasn't at the game, so did not witness the action. However, I have been to many of our practices and all of our games until I had my leg broken in Brentwood, so couldn't make the final. Anyway, I've seen some things that reflect poor taste and bad sportsmanship on occassion. Overall, our players don't fit that description. I hope your judgement towards our players and program would remain at least nuetral in that regard, and understand it was most likely an isolated incident from one person. We both have very fortunate kids playing ball. Most programs have young men working hard year around to reach this final game. Only 2 teams make it there. There are no losers in this senario....simply one team outscored the other. While I'm very happy WS came out of this ahead, I feel for the young men in Maryville. I hope they are proud of their accomplishments of moving up to 6A and going this far. They never quit, and forced our offense to keep scoring also. 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.

I'm glad Maryville fans have a good grip on what their program is about. Of course you ONLY beat Farragut and Riverdale on your way to the finals. And since your QB is terrible, WS must have a really bad defense....I mean REALLY bad!! After all, ya'll hung 20 points on us in the 2nd half. nawww, seriously....keep ignoring those that can only wish they were there (and one "VC").

I agree, there was NO mismatch. I don't see how anyone can look at Maryville's season and say a single thing against the way the got to the finals. They went trhough the "best of the best" by most people's account. BTY, looks like the poster you were referring to is out of Jackson......

I find myself very content that we have FINALLY reached this pinnacle! Yet I also find myself embarrassed because of some things being posted by certain WS fan(s)....I won't mention any names. 1st- one person mentioned if we played 9 more times, Maryville would win them. I'm not sure how you back that up considering WS won the only game we can base this on. 2nd- the officiating was fine. We had some calls go against us that took points off the board. But we've done that to ourselves all year.We get those false starts, holding, blocks in the back, etc from time to time. It's part of who we are, just as watching #4 and #11 dance around and make the big plays is also part of who we are. 3rd-I haven't noticed any trash talk before or after this game really....except from one WS fan(?) Oh, one guy even thought thses were the 2 worst defenses he's seen.... Could it be he just saw 2 or the better offenses he's seen instead? WS didn't make their year with a shut down style defense. Their key to success has been the offense. The head coach designed the team to have a high octane offense, and he succeeded. He could have removed some of that offensive firepower, put some personnel on defense, and our defense might improve. But I'd say he knew what he was doing.... And Maryville....well, you don't need me to prop up your program. Just look at your history. Anyone in the state would love to have that kind of reputation! Both teams should take immense pride in what they accomplished! Only 2 teams got this far in 6A, and while the scoreboard reflects the winner of the Gold Ball, the fact they were there reflects that they all worked hard and are winners!

I'M THRILLED!!!!!!!! Maryville is a great team, just not their night. Congrats WS!!!

Thanks for the link, Solomon. Unfortunately, TSSAA's site only lists the D1-Championships telecast (in Memphis) as "Comcast." They do not list the specific channel, which they DID list for the D2-Championships. I bring this issue up-- because my Comcast TV guide does NOT have a listing for the D1-Championships, at all! So, I'm still a bit in the dark as to whether these D1-Championship games will REALLY be shown in Memphis, as TSSAA's website indicates that they will..... Does anyone out there have any specific, channel information on this issue? -------------------------------------------------- Thanks in advance. just got word that WKNO Channel 10 will be broadcasting our game in Memphis.....although a story in the Commercial Appeal states the game will be broadcast on Comcast channel 31. So I'll try them both and see what happens......

Thanks for the link, Solomon. Unfortunately, TSSAA's site only lists the D1-Championships telecast (in Memphis) as "Comcast." They do not list the specific channel, which they DID list for the D2-Championships. I bring this issue up-- because my Comcast TV guide does NOT have a listing for the D1-Championships, at all! So, I'm still a bit in the dark as to whether these D1-Championship games will REALLY be shown in Memphis, as TSSAA's website indicates that they will..... Does anyone out there have any specific, channel information on this issue? -------------------------------------------------- Thanks in advance. I saw on a channel guide that there is High School football on channel 150, but it was from 6pm to 9pm on Saturday.....could be the Blue Cross Bowl, or may not be. I'm going to try calling Comcast if I can find a number.....This shouldn't be so hard to find.....

Is this game gonna' be on TV (LIVE or delayed) in Memphis? What about Friday's Alcoa vs Milan Championship game? If so, What Channel? I've heard it's on Comcast...but I haven't seen it listed on the TV Guide. So I can't confirm that. I wish WKNO would carry it as they did the MUS game last night. The TSSA website has an audio link on it. If anyone knows something about a way to view it live, please shaer the info.....

I appreciate you getting word out on the website kwc. I made it out of the hospital late last night and am finally getting out of the groggy stages. I have maybe 10-15 photos of WS vs Brentwood, but haven't had the chance to mess with them. I'll be in Memphis waching the chanpionship game on tv, so won't have pics of that game either. I hope those that do make the trip have a great time, and Spartans!!!! Bring the gold ball this way!

Yes thay are vurry vurry slow...... Spatanfan has discovered the formerly well kept secret. Word ha seeped out that the rebs could run all day in a shoe box. I just want to avoid any mistaken identities here.....This "Spartanfan75" isn't me....I haven't watched any film, and cetainly wouldn't have made a post like that. Maryville obviously is a good team from a great program. You don't rack up your type of records and reputation by being "slow".

Congrats to all the Mr Football winners! I know there's always going to be other players out there who are very deserving of recognition for their efforts. Anthony Hayes is deserving of this award, and has had some challenges to overcome to get here. Plus the fact he has gone from 3 year tight end to 1st year QB and accomplished what he has is no small feat! The rest of the players that have done well in their own regard will certainly get recognition from family, freinds, coaches, local press etc.....We have several at WS that fall into this category as well.

It's obvious you don't know much about football. Maryville is one of the best coached, most fundamentally sounds teams year after year. West TN hardly ever do well against teams from the east bracket. WS barely beat a very average Brentwood team that was manhandled by 2 teams from Rutherford Co. Rebels 42-13. I think MLREB makes alot of sense. 1st, There's no question Maryville has one of, if not the best overall football program in the state. But any team, if they don't "show up", or get careless with the football, runs the risk of getting beat. That happens all the time at any level of the game. I do expect Maryville to be well prepared and ready for the game. Your predicted blowout might just happen. However, I think we should wait until game day and allow coaches to coach and players to play before we decide outcomes. People tend to forget this is a game, and all of these players are young men trying to do their best to win. There's only one team that will hoist the Gold Ball. But both teams are already winners! Think of all the effort that has gone into building themselves over the years to get to this point. Alot of hard work and sacrifice has gone into becoming a good player that gets labeled as "average". My son, for example, might have average skills, but he has worked his #### off over the years to get as good as he is. He'll show up and do his best. WS may be on the short end of the scoreboard, but that won't make anyone a "loser". I think most fans need a serious dose of perspective.....

Thanks and good luck in the wrestling season!

I'm looking forward to it....I think it's part of the spectacle of a championship game. You get to travel to a neutral site and join in the festivities of the moment!

Just some arrogance from a Melrose supporter.....I wouldn't lose any sleep over it, nor would I assume anyone is disrespecting Maryville. After all, no one believed we would win vs Brentwood, and I am of the opinion that Maryville is better than Brentwood. When/if people start posting score predictions, I imagine the overwhelming majority would pick the Rebels over the Spartans.

I think most of the quotes regarding Arlington were good and correct. You did not come close to living up to your #1 seed. Your team got beat by a team that was lucky to get in the playoffs. Bitter much? Good luck to White Station I will be pulling for you guys as well. Great game last night. Your offense has a lot of playmakers (especially the QB- WOW!) and I thought your defense was generally in all the right places (sounds like good coaching to me!). How is the bystander that got hit last night? I heard two broken legs - is that right? I hope not. Thanks for asking....I'm the bystander, actually I'm the team photog. I had a cast on my right calf area treating a tendonitis problem, so while it inhibits movement, it's not much of an issue. Last night it did impede my movement enough to keep me from getting clear of the action. The result is a broken tibia and fibula. So I missed the game, but will be getting it taken care of. It's in a temp splint/cast right now. But from the texting and film I've seen, the Spartans did super! I'm proud of them!

Soooo, Mitchell can't beat Henry Co, but can beat anyone else....including the team that did beat Henry Co? This thread is anything but boring....!

The White Station game was the last game of the season and it was meaningless. Why risk getting key players hurt when the playoff format was already set ? You better do some homework first and worry about your team making it to The State !!! The losses that Mitchell had were to 6a White Station and Whitehaven and Melrose, which all are powerhouse teams !!! highschoolking...I appreciate your enthusiasm for Mitchell, and I am certainly hoping they win the Gold Ball. But, you gotta get the story straight.... The reason they lost to WS 30-7 was because it was a mud bowl. The passing by both teams was nullified by the wet weather and mud being caked on the football. Neither QB could make a respectable throw. WS made adjustments by running the ball. Mitchell tried running their standard offense. Mitchell also lined up their defense in a normal set in the first half. We ran through it at ease, resulting in the 30 points. In the 2nd half, Mitchell put 9 in the box, kept corners on our wide outs, and stopped us from scoring in that half. With a 30-0 lead, we weren't about the try passing by that time. Had the field been dry, rain not present, it would have been a much more competitive game in all likelyhood. Mitchell did not rest any of their players. They were simply one dimensional due to the weather conditions.

Congratulations to the Spartans on a great season and we are looking forward to hosting you guys this week. As a Germantown graduate I know I don't buy into the assumption that we have a better team just because we play in Middle Tennessee. Each year brings new players, new circumstances, etc. As for the Bruin team, we have a solid defense that can bend at times but doesn't break often. Our offense is varied with multiple formations. Sometimes spread and sometimes option. We have a 1500 yd rusher but four others with over 200 yards. 8 guys have over 10 carries and 8 guys have five or more receptions. How about you guys? Looking forward to a good game Friday night and any school that has produced Bill Cook and Joe Jackson is good in my book. We run a spread offense, are probably more run oriented....maybe 60/40. We benefit from speed, and also have a couple of rb's that have great cutting ability. Defensively, we sound similar to you....bend but don't break. We had some struggles finding ourselves for a while, but the defense has come along fine. We are an athletic bunch throughout, and our coaches do a fine job. I have a hard time getting a feel for how good we are compared to middle Tn football. Over the past few years, we've put teams on the field that we felt had great chances to get into the championship game. We'd roll throough the local teams as you would expect a high caliber team to be capable of doing. Then in the semi-final, whether it be vs Ravenwood, Indy, Franklin, our area team suffers the loss. So the high powered local team wasn't able to measure up during the semi final game. Consequently, the feeling of being an underdog going into this game.

Congrats to Brentwood for their victory vs Franklin! While our game didn't go into OT, the ending was in question until about 30 seconds left in the game when Whitehaven failed to convert a 4th down in our end of the field. We're looking forward to the road trip! I think everyone that posts on CoachT is well aware of the history of success that Middle Tn teams have over West Tn teams. I do live in the real world, and have to think White Station must be the underdog in this match up. What can the Brentwood fans tell us of your team? (not looking for top secret special plays or anything)

I know I'm anxious to see the same thing TraderB! It's so tough to judge that from playing locally. 1st, we don't get to see the other areas teams play, so it's impossible to accurately judge their level of play. Although historically, we have a pretty good idea of how good they are. We've felt really good about some local teams in the past only to see them fall to the Middle Tn schools in the semi's, so I'm feeling pretty cautious about that. The next issue is that we don't have accurate indicators of what we can do against them. I think our games against CBHS and MUS give us a good idea of where we were at that point of the season. If we play like we did vs CBHS, the answer is obvious. If we play like we did vs MUS, we'd need to win in a high scoring affair. However I do think our 'D' has improved a lot since then. It's also good to see how local teams compete vs others in the playoffs. Example....being a close game in the 1st couple of rounds doesn't give me confidence of being capable of doing well in a semi-final game. If you win comfortably (see Mitchell vs Melrose) you have to like your chances in the later rounds. Maryville put it on Farragut last night 35-14....That's a tough act to follow. Mitchell seems well poised to make their statement for a gold ball. MUS...I wonder if these bye weeks they get isn't hurting them. They seemed to have some errors last night that are unusual for them, and could be brought on by over-confidence, lack of focus, too much time between games. With that performance they had last night vs FR, and no follow up game before the chanpionship game....well, it concerns me. Hopefully they get things straightened out. We did ok in our 3 rounds. Last night I think our players and coaches gained confidence in our ability to come back on a team and get the TD's with the pressure on.....and make defensive stops with the pressure on. Will it be enough to win round 4? hmmmm.....

I didn't have a dog in this fight....but I think you play to extend the game. The only exception would be if you are a heavy underdog, and playing one of those games that everything is falling your way, then I could see going for 2. But between Franklin and Brentwood? Take the point, go to the next round of OT.

It seems the quarter final matchups across the state (except Maryville vs Farragut) had one thing in common....they all went down to the final seconds to be decided. WS vs WH was no different. WS seemed to seize momentum from the begining, by driving down for a 7-0 lead on their 1st drive. Followed that up with recovering a well placed short kickoff and on their way again....until, from inside WH's 10 yrd line, the Tigers got an INT! Long return....down to around WS's 30. The momentum shifted as the 1st half became a defensive battle. WH managed to secure a 9-7 halftime lead with a last second 43 yard field goal that just did clear the crossbar. (nice kick!) The 2nd half got underway with WH still controlling momentum. They scored another TD to go up 16-7. WS got the ball towards the end of the 3rd qtr and got deep into WH's territory as the 3rd ended. With a bit over 10 minutes left in the game, the Spartans got their TD to pull within 2 pts.....16-14, WH still leading. The Spartans defense had to come up big....and they did. They got the ball back for the offense and you could sense WS had regained momentum as they marched down the field in big chunks. They scored to make it 21-16 with about 6 and a half minutes remaining. WH started off rough by mis-handling the kickoff, and giving their offense a start from their 15 yrd line. They marched down the field, typically taking 3-4 downs to secure a 1st down to keep the drive going. They would have a 5 yrd penalty on a couple of instances, some tackles were made for no gain or short losses, then WH would make a good 10-15 yrds on a 3rd or 4th down to move the sticks. They found themselves arounf the WS 40 yrd line, about 1:20ish left with a 1st and 10. That went to 1st and 15 with a procedure penalty. Then 2 plays resulting in no gains, 3rd down gain of 5 yrds made a 4th and 10. The Tigers QB tried to pass, found no one open, took off to the left side.....he had some room, but managed to gain about 8 of the 10 yrds he needed. WS got the ball back on downs with 32 seconds left. One kneeldown finished it off. I was impressed with what WH brought into the game. They looked much better, and more disciplined than they did earlier this year. FFor those that don't believe in the coaching for the Haven....I'm not sure I saw any deficiencies in the play calls or game plans. I'm not saying you couldn't get a better coach somewhere and win that game...but, speaking realistically, they did what they do...They had a passing game that was effective at times, but when they lean on it too much, it loses potency. Why? because the defense is focusing on stopping it....makes an offense one dimensional. When WH was running and passing, they found success. When they became run oriented, or pass oriented, the defense was able to put a stop to it. Sometimes the outcomes of these games simply comes down to the internal motivation of those young men executing the plays that are called. I'm very proud of WS's overall effort, especially the way they closed out the game. They HAD to get the 2 scores, and it HAD to be on their last 2 drives, or WS loses. The defense had to step up and stop WH on their last 2 drives....and you could see and feel the desperation, the maximum efforts from both teams as they gave EVERYTHING they had to decide this game! While I feel great the WS is advancing, I fele for the WH players and staff, because they had a great season, and really left everything out there last night! I'm sure this will sting for awhile, but that will soon pass because they won't look back with regrets of having a bad game or poor effort. They know they competed at their best, and it just didn't work out in their favor. Now WS travels to Brentwood.....and that's a game we aren't supposed to win. The old "West Tn is inferior to Middle Tn" thing......we'll see how that goes!!