tennsportsfan

I'm sure Kingston will get someone who is already close to the program. The administration doesn't really care about athletics at all. They have proven that over the last few years. They have abolished most of the booster clubs, and have allowed smaller sports to all but go away. The statement has even been made by administrators that they wish they could get rid of certain sports!! It's sad that the principal and athletic director care so little about the student athletes.

I would agree with that, but having 4 privates vs 4 publics in the first round? Seems strange...

How are the matchups determined? I thought I read somewhere that there is a blind draw. That seems very hard to believe if you look at this year's pairings.

Sad day for Kingston wrestling. The program has had only 1 coach in its entire existence. He has done a tremendous amount of great work with the kids while building the program from scratch. No one realizes how many young men's lives have been positively affected during his tenure. To a Coach who cares about his wrestlers like they were his own kids, enough thanks cannot be expressed.

All State teams have been announced, but I have yet to see All District or All regions teams for A/AA in Region 2. Shouldn't that have already been done???

Thanks for all the input. At first, it didn't make a bit of sense to me. But after reading these comments, I can understand it. Most high schools wouldn't see a difference in being ejected in a football game or getting a red card. So in that sense, I can see the logic. I just wasn't aware of the rule. Thanks for all the help!!!! (fortunately, I didn't make an a@@ of myself at the game where this was called)

So it is a rule used in Tennessee, but may or may not be recognized elsewhere? I thought a red card was a red card. Does anyone know where else this rule is used?

I certainly don't claim to be a soccer rules expert, but I have a question. Any soccer I've ever seen, when a player gets a red card, regardless of the cause for the card, their team plays with 10 players. However, I saw a different scenario this evening. A player got a yellow card, then another yellow card. This becomes a red card and that player was ejected. However, according to the referee's explanation as I understand it, that team was able to substitute a player in the game. The referee stated that because the red was the result of 2 yellows, they could substitute. If there had been no yellow, and the player got a red as the first card, then that team would have to play a man down. Maybe I misunderstand the rule, but that is not the way I thought it was. Any referees or rules experts care to help me out?

Season starting next week. I would have expected to see predictions for upcoming season by now. What does A/AA look like?

So who are the most likely successors for the Oak Ridge position?

You seem to have a bias against private schools. I`m not gonna deny that having extra funds is a benefit, but if you want to argue this point then why not be open minded about it? A few years ago Germantown`s baseball team raised around $90,000.00 for their baseball team. At the same time my son played at JCM and we worked our butts off to raise 15,000.00. The fact is that there are public schools that are located in very affluent neighborhoods. Williamson and Rutherford are very wealthy counties. That`s no reason though to call them out. Germantown is a rural county school in an affluent area of Shelby County. Melrose is in the same county yet they are located in an area that has economic problems to say the least. Yet you`d complain about it when it`s a private vs. public, but I don`t see you saying anything about the obvious disparagement when it comes to public vs public. The bottom line is that you can`t legislate monetary resources. It`s just something everyone has to cope with. I don't have a bias against private schools. I have several friends whose kids go to privates, and I don't have any negative feelings toward them at all. My only point was that it appears the privates do have an advantage that comes through more in certain sports, such as soccer. I don't think there is much of a difference in a lot of other sports, like football, baseball. etc. You are right in that it all comes down to money. And no, I don't think that the parents of private school kids don't work. We all work hard every day to try to give our kids the best. And there are parents who can certainly afford to send their kids to privates who don't for one reason or another. Maybe it's more of a location issue. You mentioned public schools that have been very effective at raising money, but stated that they are in affluent areas. My guess is that most (not all) smaller schools are in more rural areas that might not be as affluent. (I know there are exceptions) And these schools can be at a disadvantage. But when all is said and done, that is life. We all have to learn to play the hand we are dealt. Either we try to make it better or we don't. Again, I don't have anything at all against private schools. And I am not saying they are doing something they shouldn't. They are playing within the rules set out by TSSAA. I'm not trying to be a jerk, just stating my opinion. Your bottom line is exactly correct.

Can anyone shed some light on this District final? Pigeon Forge and Gibbs tied during the regular season, and I was expecting another close game. But Pigeon Forge won 6-0. What happened???

Um, plenty of public school parents can afford to send Johnny or Suzie to play on competative summer teams. Your apparant argument that only private kids parents can afford this is foolish at best. You want the small public school kid to have the exact same opportunities that you claim that only private school kids parents can afford? Go raise the money. That is what the privates do. Insist that your school administrations put more emphasise on getting better coaches for your small public school. Stop crying to have a game take a step back to meet you. Step UP and meet the game. Work harder and improve. Seems pretty simple to me. I'm sure it seems pretty simple to you. Sure there are public parents that can afford it, but unless you live near a metro area where you can drive to competitive practice it is not feasible. Most parents in the real world work for a living and cannot leave work early every day to get their kids to practice, which is what must be done to play competitively. And if you think it is as easy to raise money in a public school as a private school, then you are foolish at best. There is a financial advantage that the privates have. Just a look at their facilities proves that. Our small school has enough financial issues just trying to keep from cutting academic programs. We have volunteer coaches in several sports, so if you think we can "insist" that our administrators get better coaches, you are not in the real world. I'm not crying. I just think that, just as larger schools have an advantage over small schools, private schools have an advantage. TSSAA tries to level the playing field as far as enrollments go, but they do not level the field when it comes to the private schools. Put them all in DII. Seems pretty simple to me.

While the privates do seem to have an advantage in most sports, a sport like soccer gives them a HUGE advantage. Not because of recruiting, but simply because of economics. If you look at a soccer roster (boys or girls), almost the entire team plays competitive(which the parents of private students can afford), giving them the best coaching and the opportunity to play year round. These teams play smaller schools that might have one or two players that play competitive, or maybe none at all. The smaller public school has no chance in that situation. If you want proof, look at the rankings for the state in soccer. Or look at who is going to be playing for the girls state title this fall. Anyone can see the advantage in this sport.

What happened in the District Final? I heard that Pigeon Forge won, but have not heard any details? What was the score?