CPA4Ever

I agree 100%. Being a public school coach anywhere is a very tough job, especially in inner city. And coaching is more than just x's and o's - it is mentoring young people who many times don't have a positive role model in their life. For example, the coaches at Whites Creek didn't have many wins this year, but they did great things impacting the lives of many young men who were lost without football. PC's coaches have done a great job. It is OK to compare the strengths of coaches, but to me it is a matter of good and better, not good and bad, and each game stands alone. Just as good players get outplayed sometimes, good coaches get outcoached sometimes. They usually are the first to admit it.

Now that there's funny - I don't care who you are!

Thanks for the support (and Matt610). I try to focus on analysis, not trashtalking. CoachT (and CPA sports)is a hobby for me, and I never intend to hurt CPA in my posting, or attack anyone personally (sometimes their views). Do I post too much? Well, it's a hobby - some people play golf, watch TV, whatever. I like the CoachT diologue and I have followed CPA for over 15 years. Sorry I offend you, Jett, but can't please everyone. I have averaged about one post every two days for the last 3 years. I don't consider that obsessive.

Actually, I was there and, in my view, PC went out early and appeared stronger at the beginning of the game and in the 1st half. But CPA's defense is very tough with their backs to the wall, and all year they have done things to stop scoring with their backs to the wall. Call it PC shooting themselves in the foot - maybe, but I call it tough defense when needed, and CPA doing some of the "shooting". Obviously if CPA had over 300 yards offense without the FG return and only 1 TD, they were not very efficient either offensively, and PC had something to do with that. Injuries in the 1st half to Williams (RB) and Wharton didn't help the cause for CPA. 2nd half CPA made some adjustments, and the two teams seemed more evenly matched. PC still moved the ball, but had one big play on 3rd and long that the QB lobbed a pass in desparation to avoid a sack and completed it. Good play on his part, but kept a drive going. Sure, CPA blocked a FG to win, but give them credit for forcing the FG, and for good special teams play. ST play is as much a part of the game as offense and defense. Both teams are capable of winning Friday, and once again it will come down to a couple of key plays.

Not sure, but I think there is 3 - Wharton, Adams and Brown. Don't think any of them are starters, but not positive on that.

It's a good debate, and comes up every year. Thanks for your views. It came up this year because posters often claim that their team was "better" than the team they lost to. In your scenario, "best" is a reflection of the season's accomplishments, which is different than saying that team is "better" than a team that beat them. There is a team that is recognized as the "best" in the state that may have been beat by a team that was better than them and was indeed the "best" when they played. The team that lost the state championship to the one in your example was not the "best" team no matter how good they were or what happened in the game. OK, let's move on.

I hear what you are saying, and most people would agree with you; however, "best" in sports is not an opinion, or measured by potential. If it was, you could argue that a team that goes 0-10 is better than those 10 teams that beat them, and is the best team in the state. The problem with your argument is that in sports, by definition and agreement, scores are used to determine "best". Just look at the trophy cases in schools everywhere. You won't find trophies for teams that were "best" who lost. Thanks for a good discussion, and I respect your view.

Just to be clear - I HIGHLY respected Coach Fitzgerald (even met him a couple of times) and I highly respect Coach Brunetti, and I agree it is tough to get kids to play at PC. But that is true at CPA too, but for different reasons. Kids these days either have nothing and don't want to play, or they have too much and don't want to play. I NEVER said Brunetti is not a good coach, but I did say CPA's coaching made a difference in the first game, and I stand by that. It's not a matter of good/bad, but degrees of good on a given night, just like the players.

That's exactly right and we have this discussion on CoachT every year, so let me be sure I am understood. In football, they keep score for a reason - to determine who is better between two teams. You may THINK your team is better when they lose to someone, but they are not! On that night, for that game, and until the losing team beats the one who wins, the winner is better. No excuses! All games have things that happen that affect the score, teams make mistakes, teams cause mistakes, there are good and bad play calling, etc., but the better team wins because it is set up to use the score as a determination of who is better. You want to claim to be better? WIN THE GAME!

All this talk about woulda, shoulda, turnovers, Hail Mary's, almost sacks that turned into TD's, injuries, CPA only won because of blocked FG's, here is a clue - THAT'S FOOTBALL!! It's easy to look at players in warmups and judge who will win based on height, weight, and how athletic they look, but when the game is played, there are always penalties, big plays, injuries, turnovers, plays that work and don't work, and plain gutting it out that make the difference when you have 2 teams as good as CPA and PC. That is what happened in the first game. No excuses, both teams lined up, played hard, made good plays, made bad plays, and CPA found a way to win. CPA did the same thing against a Goodpasture offense everyone said couldn't be stopped, and a comeback with one minute to go and no timeouts. You can't say PC was the better team the first time or controlled the game (when CPA outgained them) and CPA only won because of a blocked FG. Plays like that are part of football (wide rights cost Fla. St. 2 national championships) and the best team is the one who wins. That is why they keep score. If PC wins this Friday, they will be the best team at the end of the game, and I will congratulate them regardless of what happens in the game. No excuses!

Where are these games?

People on CoachT don't only not know what a Hail Mary is, they can't even spell it. Weren't any Hail Mary's in the first win we had against PC. And by the way, a Hail Mary is a last play of a half end zone pass thrown to all of the receivers hoping one comes down with it. It is not a pass thrown high to a receiver who is taller than the defenders so he can outjump them. That is what happened twice in the GP game, but never in the first PC game. We had enough offense in the first PC game to outgain them in total yards without any Hail Mary's. Seems like a lot of people who said we could not contain Goodpasture's Reynold's (held him to 6 completions and 96 yards passing), are also saying we can't contain PC. Well, we'll see. Wait it minute, weren't you the same poster who said Goodpasture would own us and win by 13? You must be an expert on this football stuff.

Now that's a real HS football junkie. The CPA/PC game will be closer, so come visit us.

Saw WH play SC, and Maplewood play CPA. Maplewood by 3 TD's. WH will not stop Maplewood's running game.

So, let's review! You don't trash talk, but you lost because you have better players and better coaches,as indicated by the fact that you really could have won the first game but decided to (not too) give the game to (not too) CPA. But you just didn't try hard enough against SC and, darnit, you won. Too bad. OK, we thank you for the first gift, and hope you give us the next one. Keep posting, FB80, but upper case letters don't make your points any better.

Spell check and lower case please. Lower case is a CoachT rule, by the way.

Quick review on the first game since your memory is shaky. PC - 4 turnovers, CPA - 3 turnovers. PC - 264 total yards, CPA- 323 total yards. Now, in looking at your past predictions based on trash talk, not facts, I am feeling pretty good that you predict a 2 TD win by PC. Here is your track record on picks: - you picked PC over Harpeth, 35-7. It ended up 27-13. - you picked PC over DL, 35-6. It eneded up 14-7 LIPSCOMB! - you picked PC to win the district back in September with CPA 3rd. Well, CPA ended up 2nd and PC 3rd, not first. Makes me feel good about the accuracy of your pick for this weekend.

Firebird80, some posters lie to analyze the game (me) and some like to trashtalk (you). That is OK - room for both on CoachT, and nothing wrong with either way. I have already said PC is a good team, but you choose to trashtalk. That doesn't bother me, becasue the facts are you haven't beaten us, and we have beaten you, so your trash talk is just talk at this point. As far as discounting CPA win over PC because of turnovers, seems to me that was the key to your narrow win over SC, but you aren't claiming they were a better team. WHY? Because turnovers are a result of playing a team that knows how to create them and take advantage of them. We did it against PC earlier and you did it against SC. Just my opinion on the coaching and scheming, but how else do you explain CPA's small, slow players win over PC's big, fast, mighty athletes in the first meeting? I'd say there was a little coaching and scheming evident in the blocked FG that we got that won the first game, as well as the fact that we held you to one TD.

Do you know if PC's starting QB played against Harpeth? he didn't against SC. Wharton and Williams were neither 100% the whole game against PC the first time. The teams are very equally matched. PC has more size and athletes to a degree, but CPA has an edge in coaching and scheming. Also, I like CPA's intangible of a certain sense of destiny. Hard to explain but they are very resilient and seem to "find a way". Should be a great game. This year I believe the final 8 are all capable of winning it all.

5-Sport, i would be very careful about judging the persons who post on CoachT about a game assuming you are qualified to judge who has pride and who is or is not humble. Especially since you choose to logo your posts with a statement about the Bible and truth. I've read the Bible daily for over 35 years, and it tells me to "let your speech be seasoned with salt", and "judge not that you not be judged", and "remove the log from your eye before you try to remove the speck from another's eye". Then you post: "Heads up - all students at CPA are recruited ...and don't forget, RICH!" -- is that type of shot to fellow Christians at CPA consistent with your signature: "The Bible tells us the TRUTH. Our problem is, we'd rather believe what the world tells us sometimes!" How about a little humbleness (and grace) on your end, Brother?

Coach Epps is the strength and fitness coach that was at CPA several years ago when they were doing their state champ runs. He returned this year after being gone several years. The kids give him a lot of credit for their success as players.

Make that 2 Hail Marys caught and one dropped in the end zone. The long TD pass before halftime was not really a Hail Mary. It was just a great long pass where Cranford got behind the defender - was thrown almost 60 yards in the air on a rope. BTW, Reynolds had 97 yards passing, and 30 of those came on a Hail Mary that should have been intercepted. I must say though Reynolds is a great athlete and QB, and I have enjoyed watching him play for 4 years. He just had to play a great CPA defense twice this year that bends but rarely breaks.

Don't know if Wharton could be said to be held in check when he got 98 yards rushing and over 6 yards per carry. Also, GP kicked the ball out of bounds twice after taking the lead at the end to keep him from getting the ball, and ended up giving CPA field position at the 43 YL. And CPA had a 5 yard penalty right before the GP offsides prior to the last FG. Amazing 38 yard FG on the last play by a freshman into the wind after being "iced" twice.

Reynolds completes 2 passes in the 1st half - one a wounded duck that should have been intercepted, but the GP receiver caught it after it was touched by 2 CPA defenders. CPA got their int., as I predicted, to stop one GP drive. Reynolds 6/13 for 97 yards. GP didn't score over 28, even though CPA lost tons of yards on penalties after good gains (100 penalty yards total), and had 2 critical fumbles. CPA's defense held GP to a FG after GP had 1st down on the 5 with less than 2 minutes left. Even though Wharton didn't return the next KO, the fact he was on the field and they didn't want to kick to him caused 2 kicks to go out of bounds, then gave CPA starting field position on the 43 with 1:06 to play and no timeouts. They gutted it out from there,with a great long jump ball pass (one of many)to Cranford, then an amazing clutch kick into the wind with 4 seconds left by FRESHMAN kicker, Osborne, after being iced once by GP timeout and once by the officials. GREAT GAME by 2 good teams. Shame one had to lose, but great to see CPA finally get by GP in the playoffs.

GP has a better passing game than PC and Maplewood, but that doesn't make them better offensively. PC and Maplewood's running game is better than GP's. CPA's pass defense is the best GP has seen this year, including the game CPA beat them and held them to 14. GP's passing game has been very good, but they have played teams, for the most part, who couldn't defend the pass, so they have scored a lot on those teams. Reynolds won't throw at will against CPA like he has against weaker teams. He will complete passes, but I also think if GP can't run, he will take some sacks and throw some int's. Just my analysis - we will see.