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I'm going with a 2-3 TD win for Baylor. MBA has 1 win this year over a team with a .500+ record (Pearl-Cohn@ 6-5 with last wks playoff win). Baylor is battle tested, they have beaten a good EHS team and Columbia, and I just think MBA is in over their heads this Friday. Get ready for basketball and wrestling practice Monday boys.

First of all, why don't you come over to BA and see for yourself. Also, please elaborate on what I should look for when you say "walk up and down the halls and tell me how many kids look that are not playing football look like those that are.". Also, Max Staver came from JPII and was fully eligible. Do you blame him for changing? I don't.

I agree. I don't have a solution, but for BA to play JPII and MBA to play a Briarcrest team that certainly was overmatched is a waste of time, money, and it risks injury for all teams. Also, it's good to see MBA end the year with some wins. I'm picking Baylor next week, but they should rebound next year and return to the program they should be.

"but the mercy rule came into play a lot later in KY than in TN" My bad, didn't realize Trinity has played another TN team. Maybe that's MBA's problem. Fans find a positive in a 45 pt loss when the D is GASHED for over 600 yds.

MBA gave up almost twice the yardage as the other TN team you are referring to. Oh, and the mercy rule kicked in during MBA's third game as well (BA 42-MBA 13).

baeagles1982--what do you think the offensive problems are?

The parking isn't great, but Ryan does a wonderful job shuttling people in. It is a wonderful facility and a great atmosphere. The type of facility fitting for a school with Ryan's history and tradition.

Poor officiating at Baylor was a legitimate beef--,i've seen the film. Poor field conditions at BGA is humorous in the denial of the obvious. Since I've attended a game at Father Ryan, I am expecting a beautiful setting and poor ingress/egress. No beef when when one's expectations are met. Also, I don't expect a blow out. Ryan plays hard and with passion. BA better have their heads' in the game--and I expect they will.

I look forward to seeing a beautiful lush green field at BGA soon! However, I wish the groundskeeper could have skipped a day of overzealous watering--I guess to get Rye to germinate it requires a daily dousing, even at the expense of tearing up the existing turf, to achieve that beautiful lush, green grass that will please the fans for maybe 2-3 (tops) home games to come.

He's a 10th grader, Rashaun Gaulden. Very good player.

Sorry to hear about the groundskeeper--I have already apologized to BGA fans everywhere in an earlier post. It was absurd to make that claim. I am still perplexed why the field was so wet.

You are right--I shouldn't have said that. Sorry, I apologize to BGA. But why was the field so wet?

Don't think he saw any varsity playing time last year, and if so, he missed most of the year with an injury.

Max is everything but a hot dog. Super kid, and certainly a team player. I shouldn't have said he needs to grow up...I meant he needs to grow into the position, get more comfortable making all his reads, making quicker decisions. He will--he's green...he is going to be a great player.

BGA has a good QB and some good receivers. But please, don't act like BGA fought back to make this a game! Wasn't it 45 or 48-7 before BGA scored twice? Maybe not, but BGA is on the right track, but they were totally outmanned. IMO, BA is a state championship caliber team. However, there is a lot of ball to be played, and BA needs to eliminate the penalties which have haunted them over the last several years. Also, they need the QB to grow up. He has skills, but a lot of room to grow.

Did anyone else attending the game think it odd that BGA's field was SOAKED? We haven't had rain in days, but you would have thought the midstate had suffered through a week's worth of rain. Pretty bush league on BGA's part if they did that to slow BA down. However, maybe someone accidently turned the sprinklers on for the last 10 days.

BGA impresses me. They appear to have a lot of fight in them, and showed as much with a convincing bounce back win over McCallie. BA has them next week, and BA needs to be focused and ready to play...with a QB like BGA has they always have a chance. McCallie's hangover after the Baylor loss is no different than BGA's tough loss at EHS. BGA was the more resilient team last night. I don't know anything to justify this comment except the results, but BGA's new staff is doing a great job. Getting their kids back on track last night is an example of that. If I coached BA, I would start today erasing the Baylor game from my team's memory and get their mind on BGA quickly.

I would amend that from BA was lucky to the fact that Baylor is lucky they weren't blown out. BA was overwhelmingly dominant defensively. Stats from the paper showed Baylor had around 145 yds of offense, and they were very fortunate in that they fumbled 6 times and recovered the first 5. BA has a TD called back on a ridiculous penalty for face mask on the ball carrier (I have watched FB for 40 yrs and have never seen that called), and penalties kept several Baylor drives alive. The officiating was ridiculous, the officials must have huddled 5 or 6 times trying to figure out what the call was, they were a train wreck. That crew was incompetant and should stick to Jr Pro FB. The spot foul referenced was a blatant missed call to give Baylor a crucial 4th down conversion with time running out, and who has EVER seen a flag thrown for a sideline infraction with a game in the balance and 15 sec remaining? That penalty gave Baylor a shot at the potential game tying FG. BA winning was due to a talented, hungry team never giving up in spite of ridiculous circumstances, and I think it would have been a travesty if Baylor had won that game. I hear W Baron has a knee sprain and will miss a couple of weeks.

Agree Chattcity. BA ends with Baylor, BGA, Ensworth, Father Ryan, and McCallie. This is a tough game to pick. I'll let others pick a winner!

Ok, make that a 5 TD win.

I predict a 2-3 TD EHS win. just my gut.

Here is the proof: http://rivals.yahoo.com/tennessee/football/recruiting/player-Max-Staver-115616

We are happy to have Max and his family. Great folks. Don't know if he is one of the best QB's in the state, time will tell. It is impressive though that Louisville has offered him.

Bill Parcells is known for saying you are what your record says you are. MBA was the inferior team vs Trinity and BA. Heck, was it 28-0 or 35-0 at the half vs BA? BA had 2 TDs called back! Love it...playing the best team in the country was the reason Trinity hung 600+ yards on them--but playing a rival, and getting run out of the stadium....poor game, like if they had played the way they were capable of they would have made it competitive. MBA will get better, they have a good coach and the future is bright. But...they were flat out beat by BA and lost to Baylor...no sense offering excuses of blown plays, etc. That happens to every team every week. Good teams overcome those errors.

Baylor's coach has a high opinion of BA: In the next three weeks, Baylor will face Montgomery Bell Academy, Ensworth, then McCallie. All three are Division II-AA games, but the struggle for the Red Raiders will be to avoid overlooking a 1-2 MBA team in anticipation of a state title rematch with Ensworth or the always-important rivalry game with McCallie. MBA’s two losses came against Brentwood Academy and Louisville Trinity. “They got beat by two pretty good football teams,†Baylor coach Phil Massey said of the Big Red. “I think Brentwood Academy is about as good as Brentwood has been in a while, just looking at them on tape. And I think Trinity would walk through our league unfazed, just with their level of talent. I have to take those two losses they have and really tell our kids that they are a better ball club that what their record has shown.†The Red Raiders have not even discussed Ensworth this week. In some ways, the MBA game is more important for playoff seeding. Ensworth is likely to earn either the one or two seed. Regardless of its result against the Tigers on Sept. 16, Baylor could earn the other top spot in the bracket if it wins the rest of its region games. Last season, Baylor hosted the Big Red and won a defensive struggle, 14-10. If the team from Middle Tennessee hopes to stay in this game, it will have to slow the Baylor rushing attack. Senior quarterback Matthew Oellerich is always a threat with his feet, and junior Connor Davidson has rushed for more than 100 yards in the last two games. That success has pushed Davidson to the forefront of a trio of tailbacks featured by the Red Raiders. “Connor has definitely stepped up as far as taking advantage of his opportunities,†Massey said. “But with George (Porter) being back healthy, and Houston Clements already in the mix, all three of those guys are going to be used quite a bit this week.â€Â Massey said the running backs will likely rotate each series, with an emphasis on keeping fresh legs in the game at all times.