BigAir

Pigskin Lover, You seem quite knowledgeable in matters pertaining to Maryville football. Help me. Could you be more specific in the ways they're "greatly overrated?" Is it their 1st team defense which has given up less than 7 points per game? Is it their sputtering offense which is averaging over 30 points through the first four games - three of those opponents being probable playoff teams and one being a probable 5 time consecutive state champ? Is it the special teams with a punter who would lead the entire Knox. area if only our offense would stop scoring enough to get him the requisite 7 punts to be considered in the rankings? Or is it our kicking game where we're averaging over 60 yards on kickoffs, perfect on PAT's, and made field goals include a 44 yarder? Perhaps it's our "overrated" coaching staff that has managed only to cobble together the second longest winning streak in the nation, and as of Friday night possess the longest winning streak in Tennessee football history? Help me pigskin pal. I'm definitely missing something really obvious.

1. Maryville 2. Farragut 3. Alcoa 4. MBA 5. Henry County 6 . Cleveland 7. Dobbins Bennett 8. Franklin 9 . MUS 10. Ooltewah 11. Hunters Lane 12. Oakland 13. BA 14. BGA 15. Germantown 16. Brentwood 17. Rhea County 18. Christian Brothers 19. Whitehaven 20. Memphis East

Maryville 1st Team 38 Heritage 0 Final: Maryville 45 Heritage 13

I agree not much definitive has been said, but not that its been beaten to death. The chat has generated heat, but not much light. The rule seems to guard against the very situation petitioned as the exception to it. There's either more rule or more to the story. An enigma, shrouded in mystery, wrapped in curiosity...

POB, Will Henry Co. be bringing your band to the Boro? Do you have majorettes that do those flaming baton twirls? We never do that anymore, and it always adds so to the halftime drama. The Marching Red Rebels are doing a delightful tribute to Chuck Mangione this year that you'll simply love. We won't be bringing flaming batons to the Blue Cross Bowl, but we have had a male in our flag corps the past few years. Not sure he's still around. What can we expect for our halftime entertainment?!

Gee whiz PatsonBack, your home folk are being pretty harsh on you. Let's talk food. You really should plan on eating at Demos during your time in Murfreesboro. /flower.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":flower:" border="0" alt="flower.gif" />

I don't think Riverdale will be able to stay on the field with Maryville. I say Rebels by 21.

Great point Flash. I don't think taking measure of the opponent is what drives the Rebels at all anymore. Talk to the players. Carrying the mantle of "The Streak" and knowing the target on their backs cannot grow any larger or smaller than it already is means taking care of business every single week regardless of who is on the other side of the scoreboard.

Down year or not for Red Bank, Soddy's victory Friday night is the quality win they've so desperately needed. I hurt badly for WB, and I fear the pain isn't gonna go away till mid season, if at all. Soddy- 27 WB - 13

After two games of witnessing the grit and determination of this years edition of Rebels, my prediction for the Clinton game is this: Henry Co. (14-0) vs. Maryville (14-0) on Dec. 6 - two weeks after a real nailbiter in Cleveland.

There are those among us who have been very anxious about offensive production for the Rebels. We want to find a QB and settle in to the second coming of Brent Burnette. I know I'd like that. But that isn't where we are. Not yet anyway. Two things won #62 for us: defense and special teams. Jimmy Gaylor was typically modest last night when I talked with him. Two weeks and two ferocious opening drives for TD's. Halls and Alcoa both seemed like they could name the score on us. The grand total of scoring after those two opening drives? Six points. Coach Gaylor credits the kids (and I would give Justin Smith one of my two game balls last night), but I'll also ratchet up my respect for that man's ability to read and adapt. We held Aloca to two scores. Almost nobody saw that coming! If I'm not mistaken, the closest two games in the last two years (WB and this one) have been decided by a story line that few mention. Maryville hit their PAT's and put two field goals on the board. William Blount missed two point afters (including the infamous "wide right" at the end. It was a one point game. Last night the difference was two field goals for Maryville and a botched PAT attempt by Alcoa that Quarles said enabled them to be more patient,less risk taking in play calling than if Alcoa had gone ahead at that point. Perhaps biggest of all (we'll never know), four of five kick offs in the end zone kept Alcoa's amazing athletes from making plays in the open field. In my opinion, kick cover was our weakness last season. I'm glad we didn't really have to get tested last night.

Wow. In your previous post you called me pious, now you've "slapped me in the side of my head" (whatever that means) and I'm fantasizing! How can I be ignoring facts when you have presented none and have resorted to sophomoric name calling? I'm out. The next time I desire to engage at this level I'll check out a Barney rerun.

gbo, I've been called many things, but pious is not one of them. I am not worthy of your flattery - alas I lack the faith of the truly pious. For instance, I lack the faith to believe you really, truly "understand the situation of MHS" or faith that you are in a position to, with a broad brushstroke over the past decade, say "Maryville's opponents have been unable to field strong teams." The list of Maryville's worthy opponents has been listed on this site many times. By any standard, it is impressive. To me the true test of the worthiness of an opponent is whether they make you better. Considering our season has extended to 15 games in 9 of the 11 past seasons, and 14 games in the other 2, the teams we've played from every corner of the state have clearly readied us to have success the following week and the following season. Usually this point is missed by posters who then go and compile a list of the worst teams that Maryville has played the past decade - a list that could be generated of any team. Calling out a few hapless teams we've played does nothing but prove the general point that they are the exception to. This thread has clearly digressed from a discussion of the best team this year to a gabfest on who has the best perennial program. That said, over the past 10-12 years, whose team has had the best ride? Whose fans have had the most to celebrate? Whose coaches have done the best job of getting their lads ready to play on Fridays? Most importantly, who is builiding character into the hearts of young men that will extend well beyond the gridiron? Except for those of us ready to host our own football shows, these are the ways that the rest of us tend to measure high school football success. If you want to measure it in other ways, you can do that without the tawdry disparagement of a team that never initiates these mythic state and national claims.

gbo, Do you read or just rant? My posts never claimed that Maryville was the best team in the Northern Hemisphere or Milky Way - its alternatingly funny and frustrating that whenever folk do these #1 team smack down threads that Maryville is drug through the dirt for playing who they play. As I said, we've chosen to play the classification we're dealt. To the teams we've beaten in the last 61 games -do you realize how disrespectful these diatribes are to you all? "Maryville plays nobody." "Get a real schedule Rebels." "Maryville needs to go outside East Tennessee and play some good teams." I for one deeply respect the great coaches and players we've faced on Fridays and once a year on Saturday evenings. /rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" /> .

Who's blaming anything on gas? There's nothing to accept blame for here. Simply explaining that our yardstick for success is to compete for championships as best we can within the classification we're given. The average Maryville fan is comfortable with letting that speak for itself - not that everyone wishes to hear it.

QUOTE (cbg @ Aug 26 2008 - 10:46 AM) Let's not turn this into a public vs private debate because this post was about who is the best high school football team in Tennessee. It is very difficult to make that decision because the best teams do not play each other very often due to several factors including travel distance. When Tronto is closer to Bristol, TN than Memphis you are not going to find the Memphis and East Tennessee schools playing unless they are forced to do so. IMO, high school football is better in Middle Tennessee than other parts of the state due to the population growth. They don't really have better coaching and facilities but they have more players to select from and the higher number of good players makes those players around them even better. Another factor helping the Middle Tennessee players is the Titans and how they have reached out to the community and are helping at the grass roots level with clinics for the youth league players. Look at the number of former Titans that are helping coach at the middle school and high school level because they love the game and working with kids. It's not one factor it's a combination of things that make the Middle Tennessee high school teams strong. i agree with the above stated also you forgot to mention and i think its a very big part is hte peewee football programs and middle school coaching etc If I could respond to both cbg and goldendome here - together you seem to list three reasons the middle part of the state plays a superior brand of football: "Population Growth" - I think you mean the total population base. If you look at demographic studies of the three grand divisions of Tennessee, I think you'll find that East Tennessee has, and has always had the largest population among the three grand divisions. The Titan Tie-In - Not sure how many former Titans are coaching at BA and MBA currently, but I'm sure that, in the long term, some retired players will choose to stay in the Music City area. For many years we in East Tennessee have benefitted from the hundreds of former Volunteers who give back to their communities in amazing ways - including coaching our young 'uns. My boys have been blessed to play for coaches at every level who themselves played on Saturdays and Sundays. Pee Wee Programs - Do you really think there are not deeply entrenched and successful "feeder" programs in this most established part of the state? Finally, these threads mostly reveal our shared ignorance and the fact that different programs use different measuring sticks. At Maryville we use gold balls. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" /> No one is about to convince me that DII has the best team year in and year out or that East Tennessee teams are weak, chicken, or both because they mostly play other teams within a gas tank's drive until the play offs. Neither am I functioning under any delusion that I can sway anyone from their geographic or private school bias.

Maryville Alcoa 1st 0 7 2nd 7 7 3rd 14 14 4th 24 21

I'm sure your living in the Nashville area has nothing to do with your take on how to rank BA, MBA, and Maryville.

Brodus is an amazing looking athlete. For the past week I've watched him kick in the Jamboree competition replay on the local cable channel. He just missed the sweet spot. It happens. Also watched part of the Spring Hill replay. At least one kick was short of the goal line and returned, one was about 62 or 63. Others were deep in the end zone. Regardless, as Rankin has said many times, he's a great weapon.

Greg Colquitt is actually a cousinnephew in the First Family of Fourth Down and has been getting some family tutoring in the trade.