3yardsandacloudofdust

The tragedy here (I guess overlooked because Ensworth won last night largely on the back of another "recruit") is for this young man. After all the talk about the "nurturing" environment at Ensworth and how he was valued as an individual rather than an athlete, it is clear that the best interests of the young man were not the priority. If they were, he would have been suspended from the football team until his academic performance rose to a level that gave him the best opportunities in life. Anyone who thinks that it is easy or unstressful to start at a new school in the middle of your senior year in high school has never lived in a military family where such moves are commonplace. In these military situations, the parent who is transferred often goes on alone until the school year is complete in order to save the children from the distress of the move in mid-year. This young man was used and then tossed away. With all the resources available at Ensworth, was there no one who saw this coming and no one who could step in to do something before it got to this stage?

I listened to this game on the radio last night on the way home from another game. I have listened to the MBA announcers in the past and was generally impressed by their comments and sportsmanship. I guess they are only good sports when they are winning. Last night, in a period of the five minutes that I listened, I heard them denigrate or criticize: 1) The BA kicker (who missed an XP last year in the playoffs) 2) The officials 3) The BA head coach 4) The MBA starting QB 5) The BA starting QB The announcers should remember that these are high school kids who are not paid professionals (although some of their teammates may be getting close to that). Lighten up and live up to your school's motto.

BA totally dominates Ryan 45-7. Decided to go to this game over MBA-Ensworth to see what BA had this year. They are impressive. Not very big up front but very deep at all skill positions. QB can run or throw. He is poised and must be at least 6'3". Ryan had one long drive but defense did not give up much either. FG kicker also looked solid. I don't think BA had to punt the entire game. Ryan played a good Overton team down to the wire. I think this is a matter of BA being a really superior team. Ryan will beat some teams this year.

According to the local media, he will see some time at TB tonight. Here is a clip from their recent intra-squad scrimmage. He is #26. It won't take long for you to find him. http://www.tulanegreenwave.com/allaccess/?media=187884

That is a pretty big hole to fill if you were expecting something from all 4. Tough for anyone to lose 4 returners with experience. Why did the coach leave and how come the wideout didn't come back out? I noticed that the senior class on the MBA roster seems unusually small.

Just saw this thread and had to laugh. It is a little misleading though. Several of those listed are invited walkons which is NCAA-speak for summer camp blocking dummies with a minimal chance of contributing to the team. Some others (lehigh wrestler for example) quit before the team ever had a match.

Fitz Lassing has to have the highest QB rating in history: 3 passes, 3 TDs. (2 tonight)

Can MBA avenge another regular season drubbing (26-7)? http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091024/SPORTS07/910240336/Brentwood-Academy-revives-offense--beats-MBA Can BA get their legs under them after the long trip to Memphis? Does anybody really want to play MUS on a Thursday schoolnight in Cookeville?

Old gold, do you have any predictions for today or Sunday? I need a new car. I completely agree with you (almost), and I think that you make some excellent points. Both teams, as in inevitable throughout a season, are banged up, and MBA has done an excellent job of overcoming the the adversity of two QB changes. Fletcher has a great leg, and Lassing is undoubtedly the best player on the team, and has carried MBA on several occasions. I also agree that MBA has a slight edge in the passing game. On all of these things I agree with you. I will put in my two cents in addition, I think that MBA and other teams are more suited to a long season with more injuries because of their relatively deep roster. As stated in another post, EHS only has about 50 players to MBA's 80 something. EHS may have a great starting 22, but throughout the game with long sustained drives, I think that having so many players (especially on the lines) going both ways will come back to bite the tigers. MBA seems to be able to sub people in for players like Lassing, Tanner, and Bars, while EHS has many 2-way players that dont have backups that can compete at a high enough level. Thus far, I havent seen many serious score predictions, so I'll give mine, but feel free to disagree: MBA:31 EHS:28

I would agree with the outcomes but the computer must be a a fan of offense. Playoff games are usually low-scoring.

The MBA that played BGA the second time was a different team than the one that played BGA the first time. For one thing, they had a passing game for the first time since their starting QB hurt his neck.' I think they had about 50 passing yards in the 8 games between the injury and last Friday. Last Friday they must have had 150 passing yards. They made another change at QB and they are no longer as one-dimensional as they have been since week 2.

Post your complaints about the playoff structure in Div II here: http://www.tssaa.org/IntForms/feedbackform.cfm If you want it to change, let them know and maybe something will begin to happen.

Your point is well taken. Although it it debatable whether or not being seeded #2 out of 4 is really higher than #3 out of 8, BA has to travel to Christian Bros to get the win and BA does not get the first round bye. Ensworth's path looks tougher than MUS's whether it is BA or CBHS. Both teams look pretty formidable. Just the luck of the draw.

What was the final? Any details? Brentwood Academy 42 , McCallie 28

The potential paths of the #1 seeds are interesting. If the seedings hold up, Ensworth would have to beat archrival MBA and then beat archrival BA to get to the championship. MUS would have Baylor and then Ryan to get to the championship.