Hubbard

Thanks for that report. I agree that they do not compete very well in most sports but I just cannot figure why the poor performance in football year after year. As you mentioned, the school is one of the largest in the state. It really looks like a void of emphasis on sports in the community even before the high school years.

Does WC lack talent or are they focused on other sports?

What's up then?

I think there can be a difference between who is the most valuable player to their team and who is the best player in the state. Playing more than one position on a team may make you the most valuable player for the team but, in itself, not the best player in the state.

I see your logic, and you could be right. I think that the overall team talent level keeps DB from advancing deep in the playoffs. I think it is more realiastic that Clarke would come to Mid TN (almost happened a few years back) than a great Mid TN coach go to DB.

I think Graham Clarke at DB should be mentioned as well. He has a solid program in Kingsport with perennial good teams. He just lacks the state championships.

bud, you seem a little excited. Now, the Tri-Cities are just up the interstate from Knoxville so let's not pretend they are so deep in the backwoods that you can't get there from here. There are plenty of kids from small towns that get 2-3 stars. I think what you have seen with the DB players currently in the NFL is that they continued to develop. Congrats to DB that those players worked hard and developed into NFL players. However, their success has no bearing on the talent of the kids currently playing in J. Fred Johnson Stadium. I think Graham has a solid program there and it shows with a strong team each year. However, DB seems to hit a ceiling each year in the playoffs. It would be interesting to see him coach a team in Middle TN. We got fairly close a few years ago. Best of luck to the Indians the rest of the way.

My thoughts are that the best high school football player is just that. It is not neccessarily the football player that may develop into the best college or pro player.

I remember Jeff benching over 250 while laughing because he was being teased about his girlfriend. Solid muscle and ran at an angle that made him impossible to tackle one on one. I also remember the playoff game at Oak Ridge where he ran most of the plays. At one point he was knocked out a few plays until the smelling sauce brought him back. Then he went on to run about every play again. I did not know about his NFL play. The last I had heard about him is that he got his knee tweaked while playing for Memphis State.

How many AAA State Champs have come from Rutherford County vs. other counties?

Indy is not a real rival with Franklin. Brentwood is the long term rival of Franklin with Centennial being the little brother rival who beat up on big brother this year.

Franklin looked good against McGavock, but otherwise, has not been impressive this year. I give Franklin the edge but that is mostly based on hope. Franklin is a fairly young team with a good Sophomore QB. Is Smyrna young this year as well?

When you put up your little game toys and talk like a man, maybe you will get some respect. Both men are trying to improve their programs and I see no reason to doubt that they will. FHS is down on talent this year. However, I like the way they kept fighting Friday night. Speaking of Friday night, neither team looked impressive as a whole. Both have a lot of work to do. FHS took advantage of mistakes and made a good call with good execution on the on side kick. I believe both teams have better years to come.

I think you need to read comments in context and not try to portray something that is not, in order to feel pious. A school is bigger than their athlectic programs just as they are their lunch programs, however, we are not on an academics nor lunch forum. Warren County has found themselves to be a very mediocre football program, at best, for the past 20 years. It is reasonable to wonder what factors contribute to that performance. Is it available athletes? WCHS is one of the largest HS in the state and has not seen talent depletion from new HS in the county (such as Lincoln Co.). Is it facilities? Again, it is the sole public HS in the county and does not have other HS competing for athletic dollars. Is it a lack of football training infrastructure? This could be the case. How are the local middle schools football programs? Does the community have football programs outside the schools? Is it the coaching? WC has gone through a few coaches in the past 20 years. I am not suggesting that is due to poor quality coaches, however, that inconsistency has to play a part in the long term health of a program. While a school is bigger than its athletic programs, school pride, which contributes to the high school experience for it's students, is many times ignited and supported through the success of it's athetics. The high school experience is more than As and Bs, while that is an important part, it is about learning for life.

WCHS made it to the playoffs one year with a losing record. If you are familiar with the program you know its woes.

Congrats to the Cougars. They seem to have grown up as a program and the school spirit is at an all time high. As for Franklin, no doubt that a fall off of talent is in the mix of a weak team so far this season. Outside of that, my biggest concerns are the lack of team energy and the defensive play. The defense looked confused in defending the pass.

Warren County football has been down since the early 80's and Jeff Womack running the ball. How many head coaches have come and gone at WC in the past 30 years?

My point is that DB is a perennial power in their district and a strong competitor in the region. That is not a bad thing to be. To move beyond that, you have to have exceptional players at the skill positions. The players you mentioned might be good but I was thinking more like Ralph King, Travis Stephens, Santonio Beard, or Randall Cobb.

I did not know this rule either. It seems like a technical is over the top. However, it might be the appropriate type of foul to call. How would you call a personal foul if there was not contact to justify? It is a sportsmanship issue that needs to be addressed.

DB has talented kids but their coaching is the key. Graham has ben there enough years to establish a program that produces simliar results each year. In the past, South has seen very good teams as well. However, it is a smaller school and the coaching staff consistency is not the same as DB. I would expect DB to make the playoffs each year but not get out of the east bracket unless they have an outstanding player in a skill position.

This event is a sad representation of each school. I hope this does not carry over to future games. That would be a great disservice to the players for both schools.

In laws are coming to town this afternoon from Kingsport and I will be at the game. I don't know very much about either team. However, in looking at the regional games and the scoring of these two teams and their opponents, it looks like Red Bank has a higher scoring average than DB while holding their opponents below their average. Based on this, I have to give the edge to Red Bank tonight. Go DB and Todd Halverson! Good luck!