ColumbiaBlueNScarlet

I agree that it is watered down now. The championship scores from 1996 (the year before DI and DII were implemented) are as follows: 1A DCA 51, St. Benedict 3 2A Knox Webb 27, Goodpasture 20 3A Melrose 32, Tyner 12 4A Pearl-Cohn 18, Knox Halls 14 5A Brentwood Ady 28, Jefferson Co. 7 Brentwood Academy beat Riverdale in 1995. In 1996, 1A and 2A championship games were all private. Five out of 10 (50%) teams were private; three out of five (60%) champions were private. Currently, private schools make up approximately 14% of the high schools in TN (I don't know what it was in 1996, but I would guess that it was similar to what it is now). In 1996, schools making up 14% of the population made up 50% of the teams competing for the state championship and made up 60% of the football state champions. I would assume that other sports had similar percentages. So yes, public schools competed, but I think it showed that private schools had an advantage.

Since you are asking "when has" questions... When has Alcoa lost to a team in their classification? When has Alcoa not won the state? Was this a fluke? When has Alcoa lost 5 games in a season? Was this a fluke? When has Alcoa lost to CAK twice in a season? Was this a fluke? IMO, it doesn’t make the game a fluke just because Alcoa did some uncharacteristic things.

Ok, I got it. Your plan would make for some interesting match-ups. I think a lot of people would have problems with public closed zoned schools having to compete with private financial aid giving schools.

My comments regarding Wall were an evaluation of what I saw early in the season in 2011. After getting some experience, refining his game, and possibly growing a few inches in the offseason, I'm sure Wall will be ready to lead Alcoa in the 2012 season. He's an underrated runner too. He's not an Oggs, but he is athletic and capable of keeping drives going with his feet. As long as Rankin is coaching, I don't think Alcoa will throw the ball much. He seems to lean on playing good defense and not making mistakes on offense... turnovers are more likely when you pass. I went to the Fulton-Alcoa game in 2006, and I don't remember Alcoa passing a lot with Cobb either. Did Cobb throw the ball much at Alcoa?

I'm not saying Austin-East would've beat Alcoa a second time (... it would've been a good game to watch), but IMO the win was not a fluke. I think Alcoa had five turnovers, and they were not unforced turnovers. 108 yards of total offense is not a lot, but it is more than 100 yards. Both teams improved after the initial game, and I would like to have seen a rematch.

I was just curious about your logic. A silver ball is nice to have in the trophy case, but it doesn't necessarily mean second best team in the state. It means best team from your side of the bracket. I gold ball definately means best in the state. Thus... #1 CAK #2 it's fun to talk about

I agree with Warrior2011. The backup QB was not going to "beat you with his arm" either. IMO, Oggs was a very underated passer. When asked to do so, he threw the ball well against Maryville (3 for 3, 36 yards)... he wasn't asked to do it much though. I only saw them play Austin-East and Maryville.

Just curious... Why did you place Tyner ahead of Austin-East? Tyner lost to Brainard and Alcoa Austin-East beat Brainard and Alcoa

I'm a little confused... Webb is private, they are a financial aid giving school, and they have a little less than 500 students... which classification would they fit into?

In football, most schools that win the championship 2 out of 3 years don't win the championship for the next 3 years anyway... mainly just Alcoa and Maryville, and Maryville currently plays in the highest classification in their division. IMO, making teams change classifications based on season results is not the answer... JMO though.

Thanks for the compliments. I got on CoachT becuase Austin-East didn't have much representation, and I got tired of people saying non-factual things about Austin-East football. A couple of years ago, I got a little carried away with aggressive comments regarding Austin-East talent and tradition. I learned a lot from you and Warrior2011 on how to voice my opinion in a more reserved, less in-your-face fashion. You always speak with humility. I hope you and yours have a Merry Christmas also!

Alcoa's offense seemed to be more diverse this year than last year. They've never thrown the ball a lot. The QB runs were an addition to the offense. Misdirection QB run plays forces the defense to play their responsibilities more... you can't just run to where you think the ball is going.

Good point. I never looked at it from that perspective. TSSAA has a hard job. For the most part I think they do a pretty good job. The only TSSAA decision that I don't like is the one to make eight classifications... I think that is too many... but that's a different conversation for a different thread.

Like your team, my team is on the list of teams that CAK beat this year. Sounds to me like the poster was just trying to highlight the fact that God is omnipotent, all-powerful, all mighty, etc. Even though we may not understand His plan or how He can be in control if we have free will, it is what it is... God is in control. It was God's will.

I’m not sure if Knox County schools pays for equipment and transportation for athletic events. They do pay the coaches’ salaries and maintain facilities, but public school is a public service. When a student attends a private school, that student and his family are making a choice not to use the public service of schooling. On some level, it’s the same as… Choosing not to use a park, Choosing not to use the transit system (if you live in the city), Not needing the services of KFD (if you live in the city), Etc. What about families that don’t have any children? They won't receive a direct benefit from public schools. The multiplier works for me. Maybe it is slightly too high… maybe not. Maybe open zones should have some sort of multiplier… maybe not. I don’t know. IMO, the multiplier seems to equate the advantages of private schools.

You're making me have flashbacks... I think Austin-East had enough cover guys this year, but you are right about CAK WRs going up to catch the ball. Several times we had really good coverage, and the WR (seemed like it was Davis Howell every time) went up to get it and the defender didn't jump at all. It's hard to prepare for because you can't get that kind of a look in practice, and Austin-East DBs were not accustomed to playing passing teams. This year Austin-East will be rebuilding their secondary. I'm going to miss watching four year starter David Rucker playing about every secondary position. They still have some capable guys that saw a lot of playing time this year, but they have to become more consistent. CAK seems to throw more flat routes and more passes to the backs when they know that you are playing man coverage. I agree with you about CAK's defense being built to stop CAK's offense. I figured that out after I saw CAK play in person.

They will eat up a cover 2, especially if that's all you play. CAK doesn't throw a lot of balls to the flats. They throw a lot of multi-level crossing routes in the middle of the field. Even if you are in a zone, you have to be able to match up with the crossing routes to stop them. Coverage wise, I think you have to disguise and play a lot of different coverages. Front wise I agree with you... scheming and stunting is important... I think you have to send between 5 to 7 guys every play.

So I guess Maryville is going to have to start playing in the college DIII playoffs?

CAK's special teams do a good job of not making mistakes. I didn't see the championship game, but I heard that the WRs bailed High out a couple of times. Like I said before, there are not many teams build to stop CAK's offense. You almost need three really good cover guys that can cover WRs and a LB that can cover a RB out of the backfield. Most high school teams in TN, especially in 3A, do not have that many capable athletes in their secondary. I didn't say it's impossible, and I haven't conceded that CAK will win the championship in 2012. It will be a very tough task to beat them though.

Sounds like a plan.

The ability to score on CAK’s defense, and having a kicker for the end of the game could be the recipe for beating CAK in a shootout next season. I don’t think there are many teams that are built to be able to stop their offense regardless of defensive scheme.

Great post! I agree with ever point. Control what you can control, and don't worry about the other stuff.

Good discussion. It is true that the percentage of football players to students can be high for public schools also. My point is that if a private and a public each have 300 male students to choose from, then the private has the advantage due to not being restricted by a zone. Name a public school that can compete with a private school from year to year when their enrollments are similar. There are not many… if any at all. IMO, the potential for problems when it comes to coaches being paid is exclusive to the privates. Booster clubs can pay coaches additional money on top of their stipend/salary, but the difference in public and private is that a student doesn’t have to pay tuition to go to public school; instead, the student has to get a transfer approved if he goes out of his zone. With privates, a coach can agree to pay a father and “put him on staff†to offset the cost of the student’s tuition. Again, I’m not blaming anybody… just discussing how schools can get around the rules. It’s good that CPA has some accountability with the church board.

Just my opinion, but I would guess that 30% would be a high percentage if you ranked all high schools in TN. Also, I never said that athletics is a key to admission at CPA or anywhere. It's good that 80+% came up in the CPA program. Continuity with players and coaching staffs are things that help an athletic program. There's nothing wrong with a non-faculty coach that has a son on the team, but there is a difference between public and private. In Knoxville, Knox County Schools pay non-faculty coaching stipends. I've been told that it's not very much. Private schools have the ability to pay what ever they want to pay. They can even pay an amount that is similar to the amount of tuition required for a student. I'm not accusing anybody of anything. I'm just saying that is a way for a student to receive a scholarship without receiving a scholarship.

Drew Brees, Doug Flutie, Mike Vick... yes they are all no taller than 6'0" and are or were great NFL QBs. but... How many SEC QBs (past or present) can you name that are less than 6'0"? People keep mentioning Drew Brees. Brees was the Texas 5A Offensive Player of the Year. Competition in 5A in Texas is a little different than 3A in Tennessee. I'm not saying that High is not capable. I'm just saying that these are things that are considered by recruiters. As good as Robinette is, he still didn't get a lot of offers (as of eary Summer 2011) from SEC schools.