MunfordTiger

Sorry for the delay but I was trying to get over the debacle in the 'boro... Sad, sad game there. I promised to give you a report on the visitors side and the seats were really nice. The rain was tough but its football in the south so sometimes you get wet. Liked the extra width (don't like why they fit me better) and the ability to walk out through the little tunnel deals was a smart move since folks tend to congregate on the end near concessions. The game was about what I expected. Munford had one of their offensive line starters that played limited time (2 series) because of the flu. They had opportunities but it was one of those nights for the QBs, just couldn't put it in the right place. Defensive effort was OK but they were on the field a lot of the time. Same situation as Hardin County, dig a hole that is very hard to overcome in the second half. Trojans looked OK, not great but as usual their defense swarms the ball and regardless of speed they still have a solid run game. Not saying they aren't good but there were numerous mistakes that affected their drives. Need to do somethng with the kicking game since that can really haunt you in close games. Good victory since anything on the Win column is a good thing. Officials were inconsistant and that made for some bumps in the flow of the game for both teams. I won't go any farther here because I thought they made some questionable calls on both sides. All in all, it was a fun night and I think Munford is building. They aren't the same one dimensional team as past years and hopefully they can get the passing game (I do agree the short ones were effective) in form for the rest of the games. Based on the posts it appears Millington limited their practice time, do they not go in the gym when it rains? I know Munford did but also got some outside time during the week. Good luck to both teams for the rest of the season.

Yea, when you turn the ball over and get penalties at all the wrong times (there is no such thing as good time) it makes a difference. I think the team will be ready and will play hard but the story will be written based on mistakes. Munford must limit them in order to make it a 4th Qtr call. I haven't seen Millington play and it sounds like they had a few against Bartlett early so if that holds true then the Cougars must take advantage. That's the beauty of high school football, you just never know till they play it out. Let me second that GO COUGARS!!

Thanks, I got that impression from the articles and that would make sense. We don't get much news on this end of the state about him and will be watching for results on Friday night. Good Luck!

Thanks to all the Millington posters, it sounds like a normal Trojan team (good) with a little less speed (not lack of but heck those Srs last year are a hard act to follow). Munford could use DeAndre Purdy to offset some of that but he's making an impact in Knoxville and so we move on. Munford runs a spread offense but have a pretty good mix of 2 back sets. Can't say they have a real bruiser running back but they will keep pushing until they are down. Both QBs can run and throw although they seem to be a little streaky on any given night. I agree about the Seniors at Millington and their freshmen year. There are usually a few freshmen that impress you but it was extremely hard to pinpoint just one from that team. Hardnosed, quick and very aggressive that night. I don't find it hard to believe folks would be questioning them only because of the losses early in the season, they are wrong for doing it. I know the Trojans have been undefeated and so on for the past couple of years but, as I said earlier, those losses were to two of the best teams in the region if not all of the SouthEast. It is a shame that folks look at the scores and losses and not the opposition. We'll see you Friday night and I hope it is a great game with no injuries or other distractions!

What's the latest on DeAndre Purdy at Farragut? We had him at Munford and he moved to Knoxville for his JR and SR seasons. I see his press clippings but never hear much about him on the posts. Is there a reason?

Sounds like you were holding back on me... why #31?

Thanks cam6, I remember the Millington Freshmen team that would be Seniors now. They were pretty darn good and imagine not much has changed. Coming out of the gates into those first 2 games would be pretty humbling for most teams. MUS and OB may have their best teams this year. Both of the Munford starting wide-outs are about 6'3" and athletic. Have OK speed and can make some throws look better than they really are but can also misplay some basic throws. The back ups may not be as tall but they make up for it in quickness. Again, not overwhelming but effective when we get the ball close enough to them. I expect to see folks watching from the street (again) and look forward to good game. Let's hope you are right about players and fans keeping their heads on straight. See ya at the M&M bowl!

OK, from now on what happens in Bartlett stays in Bartlett! I attempted to give some feedback on Munford so turnaround is fair play. Who should we be watching on the Trojan Defense and Offense? Haven't really seem much of them other than short highlights so fill us in!

Dou(g), Just thought I would provide some insight on the "severe incident". The practice game was being filmed and was reviewed by all concerned. There was clear evidence (supported by the Referees) that Munford did not instigate the "incident". Not a great day for any of us and not something that the coaching staff wanted in any way. I know there was some messages posted on this board with a slant regarding the start, etc... Its not something I would even typically respond to but thought it should be noted based on this post. Since I don't know what happened at the Millington/Bartlett game (heard stuff only), I don't feel like it is my place to pass judgement or comment. Football is an emotional game that is tied to controlled violence, it sometimes gets out of control and it is critical that referees, coaches and fans do our part to help.

Advantage is definately with Millington considering home field and overall talent. Much respect for their coach and program over the past few years. The Munford Team really doesn't have a single star you would note. Their defense is lead by a number of seniors and what they lack in size is made up by their hits. They play extremely hard and the linebacking core is pretty good. I would suspect you'll see 54 (LB & C on Offense) in on a lot of plays and 84 does well on the defensive end. Coach Bennett has them swarming to the ball and the effort is always there. Offensively, they are adjusting to a new style (anything that doesn't include a run exclusively is new) and approach. This bunch moves the ball typically (3 games is not much to base it on) but will have a mistake at times (penalty, turnover) that holds them from scoring. Line is not super big but pretty athletic and many of the players play on both sides of the ball. They have multiple running backs and other skill positions (Wide outs, etc...) that are athletic and dependable. Not necessarily going to wow you but run hard and don't quit. Kicking game is good on both punts and FG teams. We have a few mis-kicks but on the whole they tend to deliver. I do appreciate the effort these guys put forth. They came back from 14-0 in the jamboree to beat Haywood County 14-15 and had chances against Hardin County (those mistakes showed up). They do not quit and even if the results aren't great, it won't be for lack of effort. To sum it up: Scrappy, confident and willing to do everything possible (legally) to win. Not superstars, maybe a fringe D-1 prospect but work together as a team. As you can tell, we are proud of them regardless of the score. Not details but enough for message board. See you Friday Night!

Thanks visionaire, it has been a tough holiday start for the MHS students. The teacher was well liked and his father is considered part of the high school fabric. It is a real tragedy and we appreciate the thoughts. On the other part of your note, no harm done or considered. We really appreciate the support the Trojans get and are working to build our following back after a couple of questionable years. This Friday will be a great one and hopefully we won't see too much impact from the recent Flu bug. Should be fun and I can't wait to try out those new seats!

Is that why Fulmer was fired last year? His choices were part of his problem or more importantly the kids choices caused his demise. Based on the Police reports from the past few years I would say the ones that got there may not have had all those considerations. Kiffin is brash and young, I do agree that the talent being recruited in TN will hear these words from the other side. I think it is interesting that in one post there is a concern as to why TN kids don't immediately want to play for their "State" school and another post that makes it clear their "State" school could care less about them unless they can produce wins. Not sure why his statements have created a stir when they simply reflect a pretty common mindset in Knoxville. If he wins with CA, FL, TX or talent from Mexico it won't matter as long as he wins. Kiffin will do fine under this scenario for a period of years (or get fired) and there is no such thing as a "State" school when it comes to football recruiting.

Wow, MarkH are you saying I'm an old guy? Interesting and I never thought about the connection. I guess that is why they play that awful Rocky Top and dress like Alabama. Not here long enough to remember the Munford Tigers but know folks that played there then.... I'm a Memphian that moved out to the country (way before Willy and Memphis political scene changed) and loving it. Go Cougars/Tigers and anything local!

Dou(g): No problem and we look forward to it, I'll try to give an update on the seats. I'm sure the kids are looking forward to it and the first 2 games for the Trojans has put some focus on every game for the rest of the year. It was impressive to schedule those 2 teams and it is clear that Millington played the best of the area. Based on the MUS win at South Panola, it says volumes about stepping out to play them. Good luck and I'll only promise to be there and on the visitors' side. I have quite a few friends with Trojan ties and so it will be fun.

Can't add any insight about West but I can tell you we miss DeAndre P! He seems to be doing great and the west end of Tennessee (Munford at least) is rooting for him. Question is, can anyone keep him from running crazy? Question: Is DeAndre playing any defense or just offense and kick returns? Good Luck!

Neither one had a great weekend so feel free to go for it. Nothing like promises to spice up the competition and I do hope visionaire can feel more comfortable. I guess DOU is much more descriptive for your team???? Should be fun and I look forward to seeing the new visitor seats. Hopefully it will be as hard as always to get to sit in one.

MarkH, That makes sense, I know last year there was some discussion from the coaching staff about the Bridges games and replacing Covington in that event. Needless to say, much talk little action and the results reflect it. My last comment wasn't about your posts and it is amazing how empowered some folks feel when they can type under an alias. I agree with you about being willing to stand behind the words and there is absolutely nothing wrong with some friendly jabs between fans. High School football is about the kids and the memories built during all the hard practices and games. We all want them to succeed and I strongly feel football is full of great life lessons. The fans get to enjoy the hard work and we need to make sure it stays a friendly, competitive game. This is a good opportunity to enjoy the local rivalry and Munford is lucky to have these type of games to the north and south. Now if we can just keep those folks at work from giving visionaire such a hard time then he could relax a little. Go Cougars, Go HS Football and let's hope all the kids come out with no injuries!

Come on man, if Henry were still playing in last year's region they would be 0-3! Calm down, I'm very seriously kidding and since we don't play anymore I just had to check in on the red storm! Congrats on the good start, don't get too confident but I see a deep run in the state again. Munford is rebuilding (if that is an appropriate term) from the coaching staff down. Good young coach with a positive approach. Kids are actually excited about coming out to play again. We expect the team to play hard and hopefully they see some success to build on. Millington is next and their fans seem to be bashing us more than in the past but that may be a little concern on their part. Go Big Red and good luck. By the way, I'm NOT a UT fan but Teague looked like I remembered him. Fast and good.

I think most of this should move to the M&M Bowl thread and I already noticed that visionaire is in full form there. Just in case anyone was interested, here's my take on the Hardin Game. Munford had too many turnovers and penalties, Hardin played well and took advantage early in the game. In regards to the Munford Defense, Hardin went up 21 to 6 at halftime and from there really never mounted much of an attack in the second half. The defense spent a lot of time on the field (most play both ways anyway) and still did a good job holding Hardin. Hardin did what they needed to do to win and regardless of a non-call here or there, the game came down to those mistakes. The Munford offense has some potential but seems to make a mistake somewhere in a drive. They are running a totally new offense and there are times that it shows. No quit in them though and Hardin players were tired by the middle of the 3rd Qtr. Cougars just couldn't take advantage so the score stayed where it was. Congrats to Hardin, they made key plays at the right time. Now we go the next game and play hard there. We are focused on building the program so every positive step is important.

MarkH, good post and the game is a primary point of interest for the communities involved. I am a Munford Fan but certainly we have seen Millington over the past few years and respect their talent. Munford is working on rebuilding a program that was impacted as much by their previous coaching staff as anything I've seen. The approach was very negative and when a certain All-State caliber player had to move to Knoxville, it appeared that the towel was thrown in on the season. I do know there was a sentiment from that set of coaches to cancel the M&M Bowl but doubt Covington was the replacement since we already play them every year. Needless to say for many reasons, financial to community, it was not the way to go. The "new Munford" that visionaire is so tired of hearing about is a reference to a the new coaching staff, new approach and the positive nature of the team. Millington is expected to be better, more talented and we all know they played 2 of the best teams to start the season. We also know that regardless of the talent level, score or any other factor, the Munford team will continue to fight until the end of the game. Hardin hit Munford hard at the beginning of the game and quite honestly, Munford had them tired by the middle of the 3rd Qtr. Turnovers and penalties were a big part of the final score. Don't want to take anything from Hardin, they deserved the W. Take shots all you want at Munford but I think they are on the right track. The young coaching staff has created excitement and there is interest again from the student body. May not be this year but I do think they will be producing by the end of this year and setting the stage for the next one.

I agree that Hardin is the only focus for Munford this week. Tonight could be messy from the weather side so turnovers become bigger. Hopefully the Cougars can keep the running attack going and mix in the big plays passing as needed. Time to win and push for the playoffs, everything else is secondary.

I assume you mean the week after Hardin? Wasn't sure if you were jumping to the week after Millington or not. It will be hard to say when it comes to teenagers and how they react to the previous week. This team understands that they may not be the MOST talented on the field but I think they will certainly play hard. Millington is loaded (yea, I know they lost twice but those two were terrific teams) and so Munford would have to play above their heads with some help (turnovers, penalties, etc...) to typically win this game. The real question is how will Millington react if they have problems with Bartlett? Shouldn't happen but that would be a blow to the confidence. I still believe Millington is the best team but losing 3 or barely getting by a team that was beat by Brighton might be an issue for them. But for now the real focus is Hardin, you can start the thread next week for that game.

MarkH, I have to agree with Cougarnation09. The rivalry part of the Millington game makes it important but the number 1 focus of this team is making it to the playoffs this year. They won't be looking past Hardin and if they win or lose it will not have anything to do with the Trojans. I think it will be a very close game and it will be hard to tell who will win. Look to turnovers/penalties to play a big role in the outcome. Being home is important for the Cougars with their first real test and conference game.

Munford started young and then got it with injuries or transfers. This is going to be hard for them but they still try really hard. I suspect if Covington has athletes then they have the edge as Munford is missing skill players that can make something out of nothing. The one consistant will be effort so this one could go either way. Not much more than pride left based on the 2 teams' records.

Thanks and you are pretty much right on with your comments. Purdy was certainly the feature back that gave the offense some options as well as opening up a pass every now and then. He is a good kid and we can wish him the best (of course we could wish he was here too!). We may have an even more limited crew at Hardin so I wouldn't expect an upset but they will play hard and fight til the end. That's something the coaches are working on the bunch that is here. It will take some breaks but you just never know. Good luck to the Trojans, they are every bit as talented as we thought.