dbdcrazie

As for any litigation on behalf of the players, this will be a waste of time. Several years ago (maybe 8-9), then Hendersonville High School football head coach, Robert Lassiter, banned long hair, facial hair, and other forms of "self-expressive" hair styles. He was sued by a white player and his father b/c the player had long hair and Lassiter kicked the player off the team. Short story, athletics is a privilege and the judge ruled in favor of Coach Lassiter and the school system. Today, at HHS and Gallatin HS, the same rules regarding hair styles are in effect across the board, no matter color of skin.

There is a big difference in cost of drug testing when it comes to street drugs vs. performance enhancing. The way programs I have seen are set up, if an athlete is suspected of using performance enhancing drugs, the coach will consult with the team MD and determine the medical need for the test. Testing for street drugs is of more importance to athletic programs because of the ready availability of these drugs and the potential hazards presented to athletes on and off the field. This is in no way saying that performance enhancing drugs are unimportant, just not as easily attainable for the average high school student.

Yes, Gallatin allowed both Riverdale and Hillsboro to use their indoor facility last year before the championship games. As for game film and scouting reports, I do not believe that happened. RHS used the facility at 9:00 AM, during class time for the coaches (yes the coaches do teach class). As another point, why would R'dale want to use the information from Gallatin, who had not defeated HHS in several years. Coach Rankin and his staff are excellent at game preparation, as their record shows, so I do not believe he would have asked for much if any info. from Gallatin. Coach Hatfield and his staff are a class act, just as Coach Lassiter and his staff, so I believe that he will make the decision best suited for his program.

Gallatin High School started drug testing in 1985. (Reported to be the first nation wide in secondary schools-major networks and news services were present to see how athletes reacted and find out the results. They were never released publicly due to "Doctor/Patient" privilege invoked when MD was the only one who knew results.) Greeneville High School started their program in 1986.

Please read what this thread is about. It is about Gallatin and head coaches. This is the reason for my comment that Lassiter and Porter are the only two to talk about. As for Roger Perry, he has done a fine job at Portland. He is a great representative of his Westmoreland background, along with Roger Holmes and Jackie Kelly, who each have done a respectable job with the programs with which they work.

Gallatin's current weight room is very nice by the standards with which it was built in the mid 1980's. Current coach, Robert Lassiter, and assistant Marcus Walls work to make sure it has the nicest equipment and is always clean. The new weight room has looked good on the drawing board, and it may be built some day. If and when completed, it will be a magnificent public school facility. Hendersonville's, originally constructed by Lassiter and staff at HHS at the time is a nice facility built in the band room of the old high school. Nicknamed the "Iron Bunker", it can an intimidating facility for incoming freshmen. The only drawback is that all sports teams use it, and each has their own definition of cleaning up. White House's is a good facility for a 4A school. I was impressed by the equipment, but not by the location. I have not seen Portland's since it was in the school building, so I will not assess judgement.

Roger Perry is a Westmoreland alum. (Thank goodness for Gallatin.) I agree with bbv84, having worked with all four of the individuals listed, Lassiter and Porter should the only ones bragged about on this thread.

All six of the varsity eligible teams made the playoffs again this year. Gallatin (1st) vs. Centennial (4th) Beech (2nd) vs. Dickson County (3rd) Hendersonville (3rd)@ Franklin (2nd) White House (2nd) vs.Tullahoma (3rd) Portland (4th) @ Chattanooga Howard (1st) Westmoreland (3rd) @ Polk County (2nd)

Beech HS, Gallatin HS, Hendersonville HS, White House HS, Westmoreland HS, and Portland HS (all four block schedule). Station Camp HS does not have an athletic period because of six period schedule. The fourth block "Athletics" class (in season) is for no credit I believe. In the out of season semester, the class is usually Strength and Conditioning, with no practice allowed during TSSAA down times. Now, this format is utilized differently at each respective school. For example, at GHS, only Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball and Football have this option now. In the past, Baseball and Soccer had this option. At HHS, Boys Soccer has fall S & C, while the Girls are in the spring. Also, Varsity Boys and Girls BB and Varsity FB are the same as GHS.

If my suspicions about this story are correct, the only thing this teacher (Sumner County) is guilty of is defending his wife. If what he did has been truthfully presented by the accusing party, he handled himself improperly, but I would like to think that any person would defend their spouse in this way. I know the gentleman in question, and he is a good man. He is a slightly intimidating figure with his presence (he is 6'2" or taller), but he is well liked and respected by his peers.

There are currently the eight schools mentioned in this thread so far: GHS, HHS, BHS, WHHS, PHS, WHS, SCHS, and JPII. There is potential that another public may be added in the very near future. A new magnet school will open Fall 2003 with grades 5-9, adding grades 4 & 10 in 2004, 3 & 11 in 2005, and so on. They plan to have a full athletic program, so football may be added here also. (Not sure.) They will be called the Hawks and have the colors of blue and gold.

I believe that it would go to the team in the bottom half of the bracket. The even region only counts for one/two, three/four, etc. In your scenario, the team from region 3 would be the host. Basically, in the semis, the higher region team will host.

From what I have heard through the grapevine, Gallatin's schedule dropped Lavergne and Lebanon. In their place will go Collierville (Week 0) and Blackman (Week 4). Week 5 will be a bye week. I am unsure of locations of games. This means no Gallatin Jamboree next year. I believe Hendersonville's schedule dropped three teams and added Rhea County, Station Camp, and one other school. I am not sure who or where these games will be played next year. H'ville has talked about doing something for a jamboree, but nothing definitive yet. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Marcus Walls at Gallatin High School has been an important piece of the puzzle for Robert Lassiter and his staff. When the 4-3 scheme was adopted, Walls was brought in from MTSU to implement it. He has also taken over the conditioning program at GHS and done wonders for the improved strength of the team. Last spring, Riverdale attempted to recruit him, but the arrogance of that program turned him off. Walls has to pass R'dale on the way to work every morning, and they offered him a peach of a teaching position, and he still turned down the great Rankini. Walls is very enthusiastic and a great influence on the GHS staff. I look for him to make a move to the next level soon, but stay in this area because his wife coaches at MTSU.

Please defer to the privacy of underage student-athletes. They do have the same rights as any student or person under the care and supervision of a health care provider. These two categories allow them a double set of rights regarding the privacy of their health status. Please keep this in mind when asking for injury updates. This is not a vent just towards this thread, and I apologize for it seeming that way. This is a vent towards the CSS game coverage as they stick their cameras in the face of injured athletes and medical personnel, fans from other schools that insist on knowing the health status of 15-18 year old young people, and just nosy people in general.

You are very correct in saying it is not set in stone. I believe Hendersonville and Hunters Lane will have something to say about how the Green Wave do the next two weeks. I believe that Beech has a very good shot at beating Glencliff, but that is still not guaranteed. If this matchup does happen to shape us as discussed, it will be the game of the week. A falter by either team may put even more importance on the matchup when it comes to a tiebreaker. Let's wait two weeks before much discussion on this topic.

What is the real shame is the fact that these two teams can not even play each other in the state semi-final game. They would have to face one other in the quarterfinal round. It is sad that these two teams could potentially face each other one week, and lose the next week without making the championship game. In 1991, Knox Central and Oak Ridge faced off in the State Semis with an epic multi-overtime game. This game was truly the the state championship game, because OR won the next week 30-0. Today, teams in the same region could potentially face each other in the 2nd round and quarters. This is a shame and the TSSAA should really look at rectifying this travesty. Good luck to all teams as they complete their year. Ten weeks and counting.

Now he is the starting quarterback for the New York Jets. Good luck, Chad.

I talked to his mother a while back, and she said (to the best of my recollection) that he just finished or is about to finish his undergraduate degree and is thinking about pursuing a Master's degree. He wants to get into coaching and teaching, but his undergrad was a non-education degree.

Former Gallatin HS and TSU star Brent Alexander continues his career in the defensive secondary of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

No this is not the real story, I have heard the real story and there is much more behind it but I do not believe that it should be told to anyone but him. I am sorry. I thought that by being there at the time and seeing what actually happened I might know what it was, but I guess that you know more than I do.

Jerry Joslin was FIRED because of rubbing many people the wrong way. This cost the program money from ticket buyers and boosters. I have not agreed with many hirings and firings of the GHS principal, but I believe that this decision to fire Joslin and hire Lassiter was a great move. Kids that would not have played for Joslin because of his "Football only, NO other sport" mentality, now play and play well for Lassiter and his staff.

Gallatin High School has two managers that could be considered Coach Robert Lassiter's "right-hand men." These two young men, David Satterfield and HL Heatherly, are highly trusted by Coach Lassiter and his staff. I have seen these two young men complete tasks that other schools would not trust their own coaches to complete, but these two young men do an excellent job. The third member of this staff, Matt Miller, is very effective in doing the little things and is a wonderful complement to the staff.

I believe the Bearden scores against Gallatin and H'ville were pre-season scrimmages in Knoxville. Granted HHS was down this year, but GHS was a streaky team. They beat the A/AA state runner-up, lost to Div. II runner-up by one goal, and lost to AAA runner-up on the eighth penalty kick in OT. HHS lost to the AAA runner-up in OT also. Neither of these teams may have been able to beat Bearden at the end, but I do believe the scores would have been much closer.