STARPOWER

Those dang refs!!!

I keep my head down pretty much now. Nothing ever get solved on this site and good rarely comes of anything posted here. This is the one thread I struggle to stay out of.

If you haven't been following this site for very long there is one rule written in stone. If Maryville loses it's the referee's fault. If Maryville doesn't Mercy Rule your team it's the referee's fault. It is impossible for anyone to come close to The Evil Empire without outside interference. The loss to Whitehaven in the state championship game a few years ago was a hilarious epic meltdown.

I think most teams that play smaller communities that have a single school like Maryville or Oak Ridge feel they are getting biased officiating from the referee association in that community. On both of Maryville's touchdown drives in the first half there were controversial calls in Maryville's favor, both prolonging the drives. In the end it turned out not to effect the final score, but could have effected the mindset of the players.

Don't recall saying it cost Farragut the game, just something else a team has to overcome when playing at Maryville. I wasn't upset about it, I expected it.

The newer Farragut parents were upset by the first half officiating, to those of us that have been around awhile it was business as usual when you play at Maryville.

Reading is fundamental. I said they were sent to the bench, not ejected from the game. Facts.

2 more gripes just because its Oak Ridge. First, why honor the 79 team during pregame in front of 200 people? The stands were full at halftime. Second, the woman on the PA made my ears bleed.

I thought Farragut would have to play really well to win. So hard to overcome 22 penalties for 194. Farragut hasn't been Oak Ridged by the Anderson Co Officials Association in quite a few years. Also, sent 3 players to the bench for knee pad violations...really? You don't get that anywhere else but Blankenship.

This is definitely not the typical Farragut team. Not sure how they got in a position where they didn't have a RB. They moved their top receiver #20 to RB and he's done well, but I'm afraid he will get worn down. This has taken Farragut's only consistant deep threat out of the game. Plus, he doesn't play CB much anymore. The QB has been a little shaky so far, hopefully he'll settle down this week. Both lines are undersized and overall the team is nit very athletic. No idea what OR has but Farragut will have to play really well to win this one.

Congratulations Maryville and all that. Can anyone tell me when the last time Maryville lost a region game?

The penalites at the end were very unfortunate. The Farragut WR was blocking the Bearden CB and as the whistle blew to stop the play on the other side of the field the Bearden CB threw the Farragut WR to the ground. I didn't think it was late, pretty much same time as the whistle. The Farragut kid stood up and pushed the Bearden kid. Pushed...not hit...not pushed down...just pushed like happens dozens of times a game. I find it odd that a second flag was never thrown for the unsportsmanlike. It was just added after the personal foul. I couldn't hear what the Farragut kid said but I'm sure it wasn't nice. Seemed to me a warning might have been in order instead of deciding the outcome of the game.

Thought the game was pretty ugly all around. Key mistakes made by both teams. I think the key to Farragut's win was the pressure they put on OR QB in the second half. The kid is very elusive, but it broke down their offense and made it look like a backyard offense. I was surprised OR didn't look to put more pressure on the edge with their speed advantage. I thought the OR LB #44 I think got away with a lot of extra business after the play was over. That might hurt OR when they play on the road away from the Anderson Co officials. I was also surprised at the crowd. I can remember when Blankenship would have fans covering the slopes on both sides of the home stands. Anyway, always great to beat the Cats, especially at Blankenship. These new Admirals didn't have to live through the miserable 80's and 90's in this rivalry.

I have watched a bit of OR football in my lfetime, and I readily agree #5 is a good player. My comment was more about the way the media hypes these guys I guess. When media outlets call a kid the best WR in the country you expect him to put on a show. It's a bit ridiculous on, my part, to be disappointed when a kid only puts on a "good" show rather than look like Superman out there.