KingofdaJungle

Yeh, I'm not referring to the Bridges Kickoff Classic - I'm talking about invitations to national events like the Herbstreit Classic in OH and TX, of the Nike Kickoff in Miami, etc. FL also doesn't have a "week 1", so the games played in the Nike Kickoff this year counted for the visiting teams, but were "exhibitions" for the host FL teams. Didn't matter though - the TV audience for Long Beach Poly CA vs. Miami-Northwestern was great. By the way - the Prattville AL vs. Brentwood Academy game on ESPN2 this season had the 3rd highest TV rating of all the prep games aired on ESPN this season (behind Don Bosco Prep NJ vs De La Salle CA and St Thomas Aquinas FL vs. Elder-Cincinatti). As far as money sharing goes, everyone around this game understands that everyone has to benefit or it doesn't work for anybody. If you are connected at MUS, I'd recommend you keep your ears and eyes open for the opportunities that will come your way - and they will come soon, especially if MUS takes the title back to Memphis. I know lots of folks don't think too highly of these kind of events and all the hype, so I'll leave that debate to others to discuss. I'm just sayin' the opportunities will be there.

For what it's worth - So Panola is among the top 3 on ESPN's target list for big-time televised matchups in '09. "Open date" schedules for many of the nation's more recognized programs (which would incl. BA, MUS, MBA & Maryville if they would do it) may not flesh out until sometime in the spring. So Panola's new head coach is much more open to inter-state matchups than was the former coach. I expect you will begin to see them play an impressive slate of teams over the next 2-3 seasons. Unfortunately, our economy will have a huge negative impact on these scenarios because media dollars are absolutely necessary to cover expenses. Anyway - back on topic - MUS vs. BA will be an excellent game, especially for the fans. You can expect lots of action and plenty of big-play opportunities on both sides of the ball (for both teams). You can throw BA's not-so-hot W-L record out the window because it is now a 1 game season & BA won't go out lying down. That said, I don't think BA will be able to keep it too close in the end. I see MUS over BA 34-21-ish. Best of luck & congrats to both teams!!! You have much to be proud of!!

No doubt - that's why I posted both of them. They are head-and-shoulders above the other RB prospects in this year's class. There are some other very good ones, but not in the league of these 2 monsters. Excellent video footage is easy to find on the net for both of them - makes for fun viewing.

Toss-up to me between: Trent Richardson 5'11" - 219 lbs. Escambia HS (Pensacola FL) - commit to AlabamaBryce Brown 6'0" - 215 lbs East HS (Wichita KS) - commit to U of Miami (FL)

If you want a state-vs-state deal, at least play the AL state champions. Hoover is on the mend from the Propst-era trash, and making good progress under Coach Niblett. However, the 2-time defending AL 6A State Champions are the Prattville Lions - not the Bucs. They still have to get back to Birmingham to try to earn that title again.

For what it's worth - I just saw unapproved website prediction: MBA 22, MUS 21 I think everybody knows this one is a toss-up between 2 very good football teams.

I saw Barry Brunetti & Co at the National Select 7-on-7 at Hoover this summer. He will be a coveted recruit next year, no doubt. You are a seasoned football spectator to see weaknesses in his game! MUS' win over Olive Branch was big (though not unexpected in my mind) and helped them get some props from some national media (doesn't necessarily mean much, but some of them are very knowledgable and insightful). I'd look for Barry to respond very well to being put in the spotlight and asked to make decisions on the field - he will get better every week. Rivals has him on the top 250 watch list for next year's class, for good reason. IMO, this game is the championship game. MBA's advantage, if any, is the momentum they are riding over the past 3 weeks or so. Other than that, this game is a dead heat to me. I think MUS pulls it out in a pretty close one, but it could easily go either way. If I didn't have a great Prattville vs. Opelika game to see this weekend, I'd make the trip to Memphis just to see this one. Best of luck to both teams!!

Many thoughts and prayers from the Prattville (AL) Lions folks - God bless.

You had to bring that up, didn't you? LOL!! Yes, I'm well aware of the problems X has had since we scored less than they did in our season opener. That was a very tough game, and the injuries thay have had since have been devastating, primarily the loss of QB Luke Massa. They were 3-1 with him, and 1-5 without him. He's just a Jr, so he'll be back. They also have played the most brutal schedule I've ever seen a HS team play - completely insane.

Prattville is 8-1 going into tonight's 1st round playoff game - sorry. Our loss was to St. Xavier - Cincinnati OH in our season opener. Your point remains valid, though.

I'm a Prattville homer, which automatically makes me an outsider, so I understand you'll take this with a grain of salt. I was at the Prattville vs BA game early and spent a lot of time watching your boys warm up. Our environs are such that we can be right beside/behind the players in the end zones, and our sidelines are close enough to hear nearly all of the dialogue between coaches and players (normal speaking, not huddles or anything quiet). I then watched Prattville pretty neatly dismantle a pretty solid BA football team. I'd like to make a couple of observations that are relevant to this thread. First, since I read your post first, Brandon, I wouldn't call myself a "BA faithful" if I were you. You may be a BA alum and a BA follower, but "faithful" is a stretch I don't think you can make. When you spoke of young men with "no heart" (even if you know them), you used the word "they" an awful lot - kind of interesting that a "faithful" would dissociate himself so much from those guys that are laying on the line week in & week out for your alma mater. Around here, our faithful call our boys OUR boys, and when we have issues, they're OUR issues - not theirs (coaching and admin are a different story - grown folks can fend for themselves imo) I started watching CoachT's TN site naturally because we had an upcoming game against BA. One thing I'll say is that if this environment is what the BA players listen to and are surrounded by regularly, then I'm not surprised you find them to be underachievers as a team. You find D-1 prospects all over the field because these are the kind of kids that are excellent - on and off the field - and they show up every day and do their thing whether their "faithful" appreciate them or not. Teamwork is a whole different matter, though. It requires chemistry, confidence, balance and leadership - all very tough to grow when you don't have the respect of the people you're trying to please. Second, Oblong, if your boy was on the sideline in Prattville then I say congratulations - you have kids you can be proud of. I saw a bunch of guys that were glad to be there, had a good time as a group and played with heart and enthusiasm in an environment that is very difficult for visiting squads. I commend your team and your school for stepping up and stepping out to challenge your guys to be the best. I'm sure you will find that they give it everything they have. A 6-4 record IS disappointing - noone in BA's locker room needs to be reminded of that. The least folks can do is join arms with those kids and help them figure out how to be better (and get better results) - I wish you and your BA crew the best.

I tend to agree with RRR-DA (for District Attorney, right?) - if BA is able to run the ball, BGA may be in for a long night. I think it might be close, but BA will eventually wear out BGA on both sides of the line of scrimmage. How close the game is will boil down to special teams play, imo. BA is capable of scoring on the return side of both KO & punts. If they win the field position game AND the line of scrimmage game, BGA will be fortunate to be in the game in the 4th qtr. That's just my opinion (and I know I'm an outsider, so my opinion is just fodder for the thread) Best of luck to both teams - I'm enjoying learning more about TN prep football.

KWoodroof - I know I don't have a dog in this hunt, but that was funny.

DBP deserves huge props for this win, despite DLS' error-prone performance. 3500+ mile trip to play the most decorated team in prep football history (other than the ancient Valdosta GA program) and to gut out a never-give-up win is really big. Lots of miscues and poor execution by DLS, no doubt, but DBP still had to execute to win. Ironically, St X lost QB Massa to a collar bone injury that night (diving out of bounds) and DBP lost Tommy Jones to the same thing (also diving) the same night! Wierd, huh?

Corey Shelton is the guy (#1). We will definitely use him as much as we can. He's a Jr, so we'll get him one more year. Very exciting kid. By the way - THANK YOU, THANK YOU for the link to the St X game video!!!! That is the best game film I've seen. I've shared it with a number of our folks who were unable to make the trip. Excellent coverage of the game. Don't be a stranger - I'm on the Coach T AL site pretty regular. Thanks again.