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looks like an interesting upcoming season, the big 4 and the little 4 lol. DB, South, SH, THS at the top, w/ Boone, DC, Volunteer, and Central beating up on each other at the bottom. It's a little early for predictions, but heck why not? 1- Dobyns-Bennett/South- Being an SH grad, i hate to say that DB and SS are the best in the conference, but thats the reality of it. The winner of this one finishes 1st in the conference i'd say. 3- Science Hill- W/Soddy Daisy being the opener, the Toppers will be tested early on. Away games at South, THS, and Mo West will be tough, but winnable. If they take care of business against Boone, DC, Vol, and Central, they should be in prime shape to finish in the top half of the conference. 4- THS- man Sheppard is a beast, however, the Vikings will need someone to look to when the defense stacks the box. Saw much more throwing from the Vikes when they played SH last year. They took a whoopin w/the new system, as opposed to their usual 4 passes a game, but Stubbs knows how to utilize his athletes, and he wouldn't suddenly change his system if it wasn't going to produce results. An easy start w/ east and crockett could help the Vikings and then dates w/ Virginia High and Science Hill should show the Vikings true colors. They'll be good, but I don't see them beating DB, South, or SH, so they're 4th. 5- Boone- IMO, the most underrated team in the conference. Boone always has two things: scrappy kids, and heart. Those two things could combine with some decent talent and produce some upsets. They've got a favorable schedule: Cherokee, North, Central, Volunteer AND Crockett on the same schedule. North is coming off a rare good season, could be a toss up when these two play. If the Blazers can steal one against SH or THS, the last few weeks of the season could be very entertaining. 6- Volunteer- Same story as Boone, tough kids, lots of heart, not the "greatest" talent. If they get overlooked, they'll take a decent team down to the wire, and somebody might slip up. Maybe if they still had that all-galaxy Cradic kid under center they'd compete for 4th or 5th, but it looks like Volunteer will be on the outside this season, playing football in the same over-matched conference that they play basketball in (w/the exception of the absence of East in big 8 football). 7- Crockett- I wanted to place Crockett and Central at #7 and #8 in no particular order, but then I realized, Crockett is better than Central. Crockett ,while not improving much in the win column, has improved on the field over the last two years (compared to where the program used to be.) They won't be challenging South or DB any time soon, but look for tight games against Boone, and Volunteer. A win over either SH or THS would help the team, but even more importantly, establish the program as a competitor. 8- Central- It's an uphill battle for Central, w/ the conference alignment not working to the Cougars advantage AT ALL. Crockett and Volunteer look like the best chance for conference wins this season, they won't touch any of the top 5. Match-ups w/North, East, and Virginia High could potentially increase the Cougars win total, but recent history suggests not to count on it. -Postseason- DB takes the automatic bid from SH, starting a more painful streak than losing to DB every year since the Clintons hit the White House. Now SH has some added motivation to beat DB, but DB has just as much motivation to prevent a loss to SH, especially w/ the playoffs on the line. Boone, South, and THS get the rest of the playoff bids, w/Boone scratching and clawing its way in, South dropping 1, maybe 2 conference games at most, and THS regaining its previous form. Can't wait till August!

Ryan is somethin serious, he's quick and he can shoot the lights out. Plays pretty good D as well. I go to Milligan and I play with him about 4 times a week and still haven't beaten his teams /dry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

Haha it must be, that or Central is simply rendered speechless. So much crow for them to eat, they're gonna have leftovers for a while too /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />. The moral of this story is: Don't guarantee a victory and then come out and lose by 25, at home! Atleast keep it close boys, jeez... See you at the Palace, Central! /hungry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":hungry:" border="0" alt="hungry.gif" />

There is definitely something to that, Chris is an outstanding player. He might actually be the best overall "player". Josh is just in a better position to put up bigger numbers when he runs the point and signing with UTC puts him in the spotlight early in the year. Chris is just a terrific athlete, he could succeed at any sport he tried. I vainly tried to convince him to play football before I graduated but spring ball would've interfered with tennis and he is also a very good tennis player. Chris has scored in the 20s in his last 3 games, and was recently named POTW. The article is on tricitiessports.com I believe. Having a D1 signee and a potential D1 signee in 2 different sports is a good problem to have, I can't complain /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

Josh and Justin are both very good players, and each plays a style that differs from the other. Justin is a system guy who takes what the defense gives him, and makes plays for his team. Josh also makes plays for his team, but in a more freelancing manner because Coach Cutlip allows him some freedom after teaching him the system for the last 4 years. The head to head matchups will determine POTY IMO. DB-SH are usually the toughest games of the year, and how each player shines will be key. Last year, DB beat SH 4 times, and Odem wasn't a big factor in those games. If SH is to beat DB at all this year, Odem is going to have to play very well. Teams can game plan to stop him, but his length and quickness make physically stopping him a difficult task. Sylvester has more polished and fundamental players around him, while SH has athletic, but sometimes sloppy players complementing Odem. It's a toss up right now, but the way Sylvester played last year, he is surely going to be mentioned as one of the top players in the Big 9, as will Mr. Odem. The POTY race should be very interesting this season.

Central had better beat Crockett by 10, the way their fans were talking, they thought they were going to eat Science Hill up in that Cougar Den of theirs. See you later Cougars, you'll get your welcome in the Topper Palace soon enough.. /flower.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":flower:" border="0" alt="flower.gif" /> Good job to your ladies team though, they played very well and simply beat us. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

Can I add a couple who IMO will be players to watch?: Chris Smith (SH), Ashlon Adams (DB), Patrick Albright (SC). Also, Isaac Kinley, who took a year off from basketball and has been a 2 sport guy all thru high school (BB & FB) has rejoined the Toppers and should pick up where he left off.

Pretty sure it's O-D-E-M. Don't quote me on that though. Josh is a lefty point, bout 6'4, really skinny, but has a long stride and good ball handing skills. Seems like he is money anywhere from behind the 3pt arc, and his length also allows him to contribute defensively. His brother played at SH and was a good player too, must run in the family lol. But seriously, Josh has good size, good vision, and good decision making skills. If he wants to make it at the next level though, he needs to put on a lil weight, JMO.

I can respect that. But, tell me how you think that the rest of the conference will look? We've agreed on DB 1st, and I'll put money on SH for 2nd, and we've both got Central in the top 4, so let's hear where south, boone, volunteer, crockett, east, and Tn High will end up in your opinion.

You pretty much nailed it tricitiessportsfan. Coach Smith is at his best when he can put the ball into Isaac's hands and let him loose. Personally, I think that he was a better corner than safety, but he is still a very good defensive back, period. He hasn't been as big in the return game as he was last season, but he still makes an impact. He punts fairly well, and having him back there makes teams honor the fake. This is a kid who wants to play, plain and simple. He plays with intensity and a passion that none seem to match. He is very gifted, but he also works very hard, and that has paid off over his whole high school career. Not to take away from the team, because as a whole the team is pretty good, but Isaac is the guy that makes this team work.

Skunk is on it. Pretty accurate, from what I saw, it was around that much time left.

Larry Smith and Jamieson Hamilton are who you're looking for I believe. Also, don't count out Chris Smith. The lesser known of these three, he combines a very strong body type and good size with a very fast first step and great fundamentals. The rest of your list looks pretty good. Maybe Corey Young from TN High, but is he a senior? IDK, but he has been around since before I got to high school, he's still playing and I'm an 08 grad lol. Regardless, he could make all conference.

SC? SC?! Who exactly is this "SC" that you are referring to? /blink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blink:" border="0" alt="blink.gif" />

Hey man I'm a Gator fan, and even I have to admit that Peyton Manning got screwed. He faced better competition and made more of an impact on his team. Yes Woodson was a better athlete, but find a corner that is less athletic than a pocket passer, it just doesn't happen. Peyton was one of the greatest in the SEC (again, coming from a Gator), and he will go down as one of the best in the NFL. I agree with you wholeheartedly.

Jeff Co is better than their record states. They've got physical kids with good size, and the offense that they run chews up clock and typically makes most of their games low scoring. Bearden is underrated. They were the 2nd best team in their conference, and they can play with most anybody. Their tailback (a soph who already has 5 or 6 D1s looking at him) is very talented, and in the playoffs, establishing the run becomes even more important. Bearden has a decent line, Devrin Young will be the difference in this game, and Bearden squeaks by.

There is one glaring difference offensively in this matchup. Both teams run exclusively, but Ooltewah is much better at running the ball. They've got better athletes, faster, stronger, and more players on their team. Campbell County doesn't have much depth, if they lose any one guy, then he will be very hard to replace. Their players that wear single digits are the best athletes on the team. I believe that Ooltewah will run the ball very hard, and score early and often. Campbell County can't play well from behind, and their offense does not allow for it. They are option football, 100% of the time. They attempted 6 passes when I saw them play against Science Hill, and the stat was 0-6. The 1st pass was an interception, and the other 5 did not come until it was emergency time and the clock was working against them. Hopefully, after Ooltewah is ahead by multiple scores, CC will come out and try to establish the running game. The clock will work against it, but if they sling it all over the field, that will lead to turnovers, and Ooltewah will have the clock running the whole second half if they get extra opportunities, via turnovers. The best chances for a W in region 1 come in the McMinn Co at DB matchup, and the Soddy Daisy/Bearden game. Farragut has too much for Science Hill, and Campbell County just needs to try to get out of Ooltewah without the assistance of a running clock. Region 1: DB over McMinn, Bearden in a sqeaker over SD (Young is just too good, and Potter ain't bad either). Region 2: Farragut beats SH by multiple TD's (but the score doesn't reflect how close it will be), and Ooltewah starts its JV at the beginning of the 2nd half in a tuneup game against CC.

Ok, now that I've taken time to think about it, that was a good strategy for us on defense at the end. Yes it is going to be very rough for region 1. With Campbell County getting in over Sevier, I think they will get WAXED at the big O, and that SH won't have enough for Farragut. That being said, I believe that Bearden and DB are region 1's best chance to go far. DB is from the tricities, they are the team that SH, South, and TN will have to go through in reclassification to become the best. I want my team to become the best, it's that simple. Now, all of that was an explanation for what I'm about to say. I can't believe I'm coming with this one, but here it goes: Roll Tribe Roll. /blink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blink:" border="0" alt="blink.gif" />

Here's what I like, take it or leave it: 1) DB- DB is the pride of sports in this area, and they always have a target on their back. They'll deal with that target fine, and the addition of Adams from SH makes them a consensus #1 in the Big 9 2) SH- SH is the only team with a shot to beat DB more than once. They boast a very athletic lineup, and that will win you games more often than lose them. 3) TN High/ SC- TN High has Corey Young, and that is it. But, he is outstanding, and could do big things for his team this year. Central is returning alot of players, and they always have a scrappy club that gets a couple upsets. Whoever wins the head-to-head matchups between TN and SC will finish 3rd. The other, will get 4th. 5) Boone- Lost their best player in Blake Moncier (Milligan), but they always fight, and their JV was very good. Look for these guys to get some varsity time. They won't make much noise this year, but they will compete, and their young guys will be a force once they get some good experience. 6) South- Only saw South play once last year, but they weren't terrible. Could surprise some teams this year, but would do well to challenge for 5th in the conference at best. 7)Volunteer- if they can keep all of their players on the floor and out of foul trouble, then they could get up to 5th. More of their basketball players should be on the football team, or maybe even wrestling. 8) East/Crockett- like TN High and Central, these two teams have the best shot at taking out each other but will finish in the lower half of the conference, with their head-to-head matchups being the difference between 8th and 9th.

The University of Florida: 42 The Ohio State Middle School: 14 The Louisiana State University: 38 The Ohio State Middle School: 24 The Pac-10 even did it to them earlier this season (35-3) The University of Tennessee beat the University of Wisconsin in bowl action last season, and most will agree, Tennesee is the garbage of the SEC. But, the Big 10 drives the garbage truck. Should I even talk about the "University" of Michigan? Penn State is the only thing up North worth talking about. The South is clearly better. The North, not so much.

Here is what I saw from the stands: Isaac took the snap, and ran right, as to run, however it was sealed off. He shook a tackle, rolled back to the left, and set up to throw. He had two receivers in the endzone, #1 and #2.. Steele got caught up in trying to get Isaac before he reached the 1st down marker, and Isaac would've had him beat. It was 4th and 5 from the 19, and Steele was at the 5. The two receivers I referred to were WIDE open, and Isaac threw an easy pass. If the receiver, who is actually a tailback, came back to the ball, game, set, and match. But, Isaac put just a little too much air under it, and Steele, who should be credited with a clutch play regardless, was able to make up the ground and bat the ball away because the receiver sat and waited on the ball, instead of coming back to it. If he takes one, maybe two steps forward, he makes the catch, or pass interference is called. That would have been the only way to defend it if the receiver had just approached the ball, rather than waiting for it to come to him. Also, the other receiver had a chance to catch it himself, because Steele hit it up into the air, but he couldn't get to it before it hit the ground.

Science Hill stood toe to toe with Dobyns-Bennett all night long, and lost on their last play. Couldn't ask for more out of the guys, they tried their best, they had it in their hands, but Derrick Steele took it from us.. he was the game MVP. Fumble recovery, INT, blocked kick, and of course, the pass break up in the endzone on 4th down. One of two things will happen: the Toppers, ignited by their showing against DB, will practice hard this week and go to Farragut seriously believing that they can win this one. They will play angry. Or, #2, the Toppers will be crushed after the close loss, and go to Farragut very tentative. Either way, I think Farragut may have too much for us. If we can put points on the board though, I give SH a chance. We've got the defense, but we struggled to put points up on DB (10-6 L) who has a very good defense of their own. I'd like to learn more about Farragut before I make a pick, that will come closer to game time.

WaCo, you could certainly help me with this one: what year is Steele? I'd like to say a sophomore, but I'm not entirely sure. Regardless, he played like a seasoned veteran last night. Though we came out on the short end, it was a well played game, entertaining all the way to the end, and definitely worth the price of admission. I only had one problem though: you guys are trying to run out the clock, and we've got senior leaders jumping over the line trying to take Jamie out. Didn't agree with that AT ALL. Best of luck to the Indians in the playoffs, represent the Tri-Cities well. I'd like to see a playoff matchup between SH and DB at J.Fred, but with SH taking on a very talented Farragut team in the 1st round (at Farragut) that is very unlikely. See you guys in basketball season /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

Senior Night for the Toppers, but Dobyns-Bennett prevailed 10-6. Good job to the Indians. Chris Sensabaugh is very talented, and Jamie Crawford, Joe Duran, and Derrick Steele all had standout efforts. Toppers, it has been a great season, and you have accomplished so much. Isaac Kinley, your last game at home as a Topper, and you came to play. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough at the end. The big play was there, we had the TD, and the DB defensive back just made a big time play. Jeff Green, Caleb Mancuso, Armando Canepa, Ryan Mitchell, all fantastic efforts. Moses Green, you came to play. Skylar Dejesus, kept us in it with that clutch catch. We've still got some things to accomplish, so take care of business in practice next week, and lets prepare for the Admirals.

Topper, I understand where you are coming from. I'm glad that there are still some people who support the team through the good and bad. The "Toppers" that I am referring to are a bunch of "fans" who can't take it when someone offers up some criticism of the team, and feel that they must publically berate someone who is simply being a realist and not making the team out to be the Tennessee Titans. That aside, good luck to all and hope that this is a good one! /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

I think that the South game was evident of the how the season would play out. We lost, but the margin of victory for South was not as much as in 07, and we fought very hard (it was 21-19 for the longest time before Taylor Fletcher put it away). Science Hill has always had the athletes, but Coach Smith did some interesting things last season. Before some "Topper" gets on here and bites my head off, get real, you know he did. This season, as I've stated before, he has made the playbook suitable to the players, and not the other way around. As a result, he's holding up his end of the bargin, and nobody is really questioning his hiring anymore. Also, Coach Overbay always has his defense fighting, but it seems like more of a collective effort this year from the coaching staff. Last season, Coach Smith worked primarily with the offense, as he does now, but this season he has been alot more hands-on with the defense, and that has paid dividends. I think it comes down to senior leadership this year, they've got seniors that simply refuse to lose. Last season's team simply didn't have that, this season's seniors were leaders last year as juniors. Before anybody disagrees, I was a senior on last season's team, and it might be calling myself and my boys out, but thats just how it is. There isn't much physical improvement, for like I said, athleticism was not the issue, it is that the mentality of winners is there now. They take offense to losing. It bothers them. It bothered some of us last year, but others played multiple sports and could care less, they were just biding their time till the next sport. This season, it seems like each of the guys have a common goal, they are behind each other, and there is unity. Last season, there was some devision among players, and that was key to our landslide that occurred after starting very well. So I can't say "well hey, the line is blocking better, the D is tackling, the O is putting up numbers" because they aren't blowing anyone's mind, but what I can say is that there is a collective effort to get the job done, and that is the difference between this season (7-2 w/ 1 left tonight) and last season (3-7, L 6 in a row). For the sensative "Toppers" that are going to get on here and tear my post apart, think about it, I might be on to something. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />