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.

#7 E/M (McCallie) at #3 W (Briarcrest) (winner plays at #2 E/M Ryan) # 4 W (St. Benedict) @ #5 E/M (Baylor) (winner plays at #1 W MUS) #6 E/M (BGA) @ #4 E/M (MBA) (winner plays at #1 E/M Ensworth) #8 E/M (JPII) at # 3 E/M (BA) (winner plays at #2 W Christian Bros)

1st Round Matchups: McCallie at Briarcrest (winner plays at Ryan) St. Benedict @ Baylor (winner plays at MUS) BGA @ MBA (winner plays at Ensworth) JPII at BA (winner plays at Christian Bros)

To the best that I can tell, here are the stakes going into tonight's games: Ryan: Win tonight: #2 seed. Loss: #4 (with MBA loss) or #5 (with MBA win). BA: Win tonight combined with Ryan loss: #2. Win with Ryan win: #3. Loss: #3. MBA: Win tonight with Ryan loss: #3. Win with Ryan win: #4. Loss: Likely #6, possibly #4 or #5. Baylor: Win with MBA loss: #3. Win with MBA win: #4. Loss: #5 or #6. BGA: MBA win: #6. MBA loss and Baylor win: #5. MBA loss and Baylor loss: #4, #5 or #6.

The Tennessean (paper edition) has stats and he had no carries. Rodney Anderson, his backup, had around 150 yds rushing. I understand that he is expected back after the 1st round bye.

Not if BGA upsets Ensworth tomorrow night...without Darkwa I am saying there's a chance. Absolutely no chance, have you seen ensworth? My sister could run behind that line. They played Thursday night. Ensworth 35-9

In a division this small, there are a lot of problems with staging a play-off. If you go back to a less enlightened era (3 divisions with 16 districts, only the district winner goes to the play-offs), there were relatively few rematches, and every district game (all but 3 or 4 regular season games were district games) was vital. The occasional rematch is interesting, but it's not incoceivable that most of the play-offs will consist of rematches, rendering the regular season little more than a seeding tournament, as more than one writer has noted. Someone put out the idea of awarding the championship on the basis of the regualr season, and concluding the season with each team playing a big Thanksgiving rivalry game. I like that, although since that would limit the TSSAA'a ability to give Div II a championship date more befitting a middle school make-up game, it'll never happen. I've actually reached the point where I agree with the conclusion of the whining contingent in Div I, albeit for different reasons: the pariahs who give financial aid need to go into their own association. Make it an amicable split so that the public programs with stones can play private schools if they desire, and let the private schools make decisions that reflect their interests. The one overarching rule is that there must be a lottery system among the middle Tn schools to provide a free education to any young man zoned to Riverdale for as long as Ron Aydelott coaches there. Does "zoned to Riverdale" mean a camper on a vacant lot in the Riverdale school zone with a Middle Tn Electric utility box hooked up? What are the chances the DII schools could get R. Carter to come out of retirement to head the newly established PSSAA (Private Secondary School Athletic Association)? Just kidding about Carter. SOME ITEMS THAT THE PSSAA WOULD NEED TO SHOW SOME ATTENTION TO: Championship football game would be played on........the weekend. Only 8 teams eligible for playoffs. New rules, the defense can jump thru the neutral zone without penalty and you can run kickoffs out of end zones. Public and private schools can play each other without effecting playoff eligibility. It might be best if everyone with an opinion (or a complaint) about the playoff structure in Div II forward their comments here: http://www.tssaa.org/IntForms/feedbackform.cfm If you want it to change, let them know and maybe something will begin to happen.

Ensworth 35 BGA 3 late in the game. This result eliminates BGA from the possibility of the #2 seed. If MBA beats JPII, BGA becomes #6 regardless of any other results. If MBA loses to JPII and Baylor loses to Ryan, there is a 3-way tiebreaker between MBA, Baylor, and BGA for seeds 4, 5, and 6. (Ryan is #2 and BA is #3) If MBA, Baylor and BA win--> BA is #2, MBA is #3, Baylor is #4, Ryan is #5 and BGA is #6. If MBA wins, Ryan wins, and BA wins--> Ryan #2, BA #3, MBA #4, Baylor #5, BGA #6. If MBA wins, Ryan wins, and BA loses--> Ryan #2, BA #3, MBA #4, Baylor #5, BGA #6. If MBA loses, Baylor wins and BA wins--> BA #2 Baylor #3 Ryan #4 BGA #5 MBA #6

I would say that 2 from the West and 4 or 6 from E/m would be a reasonable number. Some limited regular season play between the E/M and West (while a travel hassle) would also be a good thing for the division. Right now, we have no idea of how to compare, for instance, Ensworth and MUS. They have no common opponents.

I agree. Need to re-consider this. Otherwise, the regular season is only about seeding--it should be about eliminating some teams. Why not get rid of the byes in the 1st round, shorten the season by a week, and play the finals on the WEEKEND before the public finals instead of in the middle of the week?

If BA wins, they are #2. Ryan, MBA (if they beat JPII), BGA, and Baylor would all be 4-3 and would go into the tiebreaker. If BA loses, there is the potential for a 5-way tiebreaker (if MBA beats JPII) with BA, MBA, BGA, Baylor and Ryan all finishing 4-3. If MBA loses in either of the above scenarios, they drop out of the tiebreaker and would wind up the #6 seed.