DekeRivers

Bailey is the key if he gets a foot outside, he can;t be caught.. 4 touchdowns,189 yards against Johnson County on less than 10 carries. He was the big key in that game along with about 200 yards in penaltys on Johnson County.. 14 flags in the second half..

I'll cover all BETS. Cloudland plays in the State Championship game while DCA must buy a ticket if they want to see the game.

If Geronimo had of pulled his warriors out before the battle was over, Custer may still be here today...If Santa Anna had of left the Alamo before all were dead.. Davy Crockett may still be around.. If Cloudland called off the dogs and won by only a few points would it ba a big difference when it comes to the play-offs. Whether the score is 79-0 or 13-12... a W is a W and a L is a L.... Nobody has a problem when College team like Okl, NEB.etc win big. A player does not ever want to come out of a game..no matter what the score is.. Jellico hamered a few teams up here two years ago.. some 50-0 at the half... so paybacks are paybacks. Senior Players that play for Cloudland must play in second halves to build up for the big games ahead. If you only play a few minutes a game,, When Your needed to play the entire game on both offense and defense you may become tired quickly if you have sit on the bench most of the other games. These Seniors that have worked hard for four years deserve reconizition throughout the state and the only way Nashville, Memphis or TSSAA officials pay attention is the beat teams big. 79-0 makes more noise that 32-6.. Byrd started as a Freshman, has played hard in every sport for three years and I think he deserves to be Mr. Football in Tennessee. Nobody remembers the runner up.. Who lost the World Series or the NCAA championship last year or two year ago.??? But Archie Griffin won two Heisman Trophies, and people like Sam Rodgers, Sonny Smith and Grady Hill names are still heard every game I attend a game in this county..One more thing If you think 79-0 was a bad score Wait till this week when Cloudland beats Cosby by 99.

GRIDCOACH ,,, same coaching staff??? I don't see Dave Rider or Jim Hastings on the sidelines...

gridcoach.... i want bash you if you are a coach.. but if Betsy is having a down year how did they play with Science Hill (6-0) and Tennessee High (4-2) with one of the losses to Elizabethton. If you don't see the talent standing on the sideline ...then maybe you should be in the stands where you could see better and not on the field.. Maybe you could visit the fans who pay your salary and here what they have to say.... I heard some Elizabethton Resereved Season Ticket holders were scalping their seats after the East game.. I don't know.... One thing I do know the program is sinking fast and the Captain always goes down with the ship.

The coaches need to take a good look at theirselves... Talent on the sidelines standing..15 incomplete passes.. several fumbles..Wrong players in the wrong place.. If things don't change and change quick- they will finish last in the conference... You think they would have learned something from the last half of the Greenville game and the first half of the East game.. but I guess not. TOO POLITICAL!!!! and no one has control....NO ONE... Better bring by Rider before Friday or do like E.T.S.U

???????????

Krich is part husky.. He has wrote several great articles on the Huskies, Landers, Rangers,etc. Most of all he has wrote many stories of Interest. How to get into college.. The long road ahead.. He is now driving this road himself and he has climbed the mountain. He has travel to chucky doak, North Greene, Cloudland, Maryville and several colleges, attending games and talking to coaches to gather info for the parents of east tennessee. He was and still is the greatest football player that came form Unaka in my lifetime. You that don;t know him from Roan Mountain ask your good friend Mr. Birchfield, the coaches dad, about him. I'm sure he has many great stories. Richardson rushed for over 2000 yards and I believe he had a 315 yard game. Not sure but it may have been against Cloudland Not sure.. around 1974-75. (ut o i give away his age. Sorry Kim) Most of all he is a great man.. a excellant coach.. and a good friend. He has done almost everything for the children of his community and if u need a favor or anything.. all you have to do is call him.. he's the greatest. He is a great family man that has been with his children at all games, rain or snow or 95 degree weather. Keep up the good work scoop and you get my vote for Man of the Year..Sportwriter of the Century..and most of all Father of the Decade..

Scoutman you sure have not done your homework.. Peters no QB??? You have not followed this through must of the earlier years.. Peters Won the Gatorade passing contest in Tennessee for two consective years to advance to National rounds. Led the Hampton team to two straight titles over Elizabethton in Jr. League play. Jeffers had a bad game and yes Peters should have started in the second half.. Thats the biggest question in town right now.. Why,,, Maybe Coach Jenkins has an answer, I don;t know. If he gets the job or at least equal playing time at QB.. Betsy wins the conference and goes to the second round of the playoffs.. They could still go with Jeffers and win out. Both these boys were 1and 2 for the past several years in Carter County.. Elizabethton has plenty of sophomore talent, but so does most of the other area high schools

Sports writers from several area newspapers are predicting the Science Hill Toppers will beat Kingsport. This will be the largest, crowded, ballgame in ten years. If this writers are correct and the Hill can even play with the Indians. Then this statement is TRUE.. Cloudland is the Best TEAM in Upper East Tennessee. There is no way Elizabethton could play on the same field with Cloudland.. Johnson City had to score in the final 18 seconds to defeat Elizabethton.. For four weeks no one scored on the Toppers.. If Coach Lunsford wanted to run the score up on teams.. they would not score... You may think I.m crazy but Cloudland would beat Kingsport.. and Johnson City.. We hear alot about Byrd..Christman,,Benfield... and Horny but what about that line... Don;t know all the names but Gibbs is one..and the rest spread out from hash line to hash line...Best team since the 74 Vikings.... But I don;t think Johnson City Beats Kingsport.. But Cloudland could

Cloudland under 50??? No way. Byrd and Benfield will score 50 in the first half.. The Landers are on a role to set the State Highest Scoring record ever... And there will be no letting up.,.. After Cloudland scores 65,, then the Freshman will add the other 25-30 points. Jellico will not even get a first down..

if the Highlander players bus breaks down... and they have to run from Bean Station to North Green High School and don't arrive until the end of the third quarter... they still win by 30... Look for a rematch in the State Championship game with EZELL_Harding

In response to your sarcasm, homer. Oh, never mind; would be a waste of time. You're pathetic, homer.

Coach McKinney, you said "CHARLES IS GOING TO BE A GOOD PLAYER BUT RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A SR.JR,SOPH IN FRONT OF HIM" Charles is already a good player as former coaches, players bookeepers and fans have told you,... as you never scouting this out for yourself. He was hitting homeruns in middle school games as a sixth grader. He was putting baseball on top of middle schools last year. I could go on and on about what he has done, but the word is what he could do for you. You said " IF YOU WANT TO COMPLAIN STAND IN LINE, I don't come to the games anymore because that's all i would hear from every direction, complaints complaints complaints, and it wasn't about any of the kids. So you can guess what is was about. You have the greatest players in Tennessee on your team. I can prove that to you, Zack Stipes has won two State Championships, Nat Tradway has won two State Championship, Travis Bowers, Ricky Garrison, Charles Peters, Michael Shields have won State Championships. But Jr. Babe Ruth don't count is your record book. And Yes I stated Michael Shields because he should be playing. You may not care if he plays or not, but what is Coach Ensor at Unaka didn't care if Swearingen played or not??? You are a great man in a High place. All these kids look up to you, not only in high school but in middle school and in (Jr. Babe Ruth), Little Leagues ETC, they all want to play high school baseball. You stated "BASEBALL IS NOT SOMETHING YOU JUST PICK UP ON THE BACKYARD" Holy Cow! My son did, and most every kid I know started learning the game of baseball in their back yard. The first step to learning baseball is throwing with dad or hitting in your back yard. Your Stat keeper has taught several kids how to throw a ball and field in his back yard. They sure don't just step out of playing basketball and walk onto the field and learn to play. This is the clincher you said "SWEEP THE DIRT OUT OF WATER HOLES AND PLAY" How do you sweep dirt out of a water hole, I can see you have no experience at this, it would be better to sweep the water off of the field so kids can play. not just say well the field is wet, we can't practice today! see you tomorrrow. Your were a great player and your a good coach, and one of the finest men i know,but putting messages on bash boards for kids and sports critics isn't part of the game. Whether Charles, Shields, or any other player makes the varsity isn't any of my business, thats what you get paid to do, but when coaches don't make the right choices or decision, they are just like the captain, they go down with the ship.

mr. buryljr if you have watched the jr, babe ruth teams play then you should know that most of the players on the Elizabethton team played on the jr babe ruth state championships teams, Soundslike your punishing a player for playing basketball. Also havent seen you name on the payroll at Eliz. High School, must have over looked it what do you teach? Ask your head coach how many games he has attended, should be in the neighborhood of 1 and closer to none. How long did it take your seniors to make the grade after basketball, 1 day??, They had no problem ajusting, ah! Baseball season ends in a couple of week it this not right?.... Like May 2nd or 3rd.... 13 days away, about to late to bring anybody up this year. [Edited by DekeRivers on 4-20-03 12:02A]

Just heard the rumor that Elizabethon Great Brandon Collins has signed with the North Carolina Tarheels, is it true can any one help me out with this. Will he play basketball and baseball there

they all said he couldn't play football as a freshman and he proved them wrong, they said no freshman could play basketaball and he proved the critics wrong and the only reason he's not playing baseball is because none of the Cyclone Coaches has ever seen him play. Baseball could be he's best sport. He was only 13 year old co mvp in the Jr. Babe ruth and won the batting title his 14 and 15 year old year. But the key is the Cyclone Coaches didn;t attend their feeder programs games. Peters also played on two state Championship all star teams, the only teams in many many years to make trips to the southeast regionals. Ask Acie Ensor at Unaka or Greg Hyder at Happy Valley if he can play, they can answer that question because they attended the games. When you have seniors batting in the very low 100's how much worst can anybody do espicailly from the bench.

remember North Carolina State in 83

why not have it the final four instead of the final eight. let the east tennessee teams play in knoxville and the middle tn. teams play in murf. or nashville and the west tennessee teams play in memphis. take the final four teams in both boys and girls and play the championships in Murfreesboro or Nashville which is central located and look at the money every one would saveand the more the TSSAA would make. Same number of game more fans in the substates because the would be closer, and then having the boys and girls championships at the same time would fill the Murphy Center. And I would not have to make two trip and spend two weeks in Murfreesboro each year!!! any more comments

This is not a kids decision it is a management deciesion. For teams not to play teams because one is better than the other is only adult leadership decesion. Kids, True Players, won't to play. When I played there was only one division, not 1-A, 2-A, 3-A etc., but this didn't matter to me. I wanted to PLAY. On game night I wanted to play. It didn't matter if I was playing Hampton, Elizabethton,Sullivan West, Lynn View or who ever, I wanted to PLAY. From the start to the finish and I NEVER ask a coach to take me out of the game. Today the most fustrating thing to see is a kid point his hand at himself wanting out of the game. TIMES CHANGE! If you poll the kids you will find that all of them want to play against each other. I think if and when we play, we should play our best, play hard and play to win. But when the game is over IT"S OVER. We should be friends, and we should back each others team when we are playing a neighboring city, county or so on. I made the trip to Murfreesboro to see the Cloudland girls play and I wish I could of seen a lot more Carter County/Elizabethon fans there. We should of packed the arena with fans. I also attended last year when Unaka played. A better crowd, Good thing it was an election year. haha! Lets pull together and support the kids for without them they would be no games. Lord knows most of us doing this typing that our fingers are the only body parts we got left that still works.

6 string why u say that, Sure WB isz a great player, but the Cyclones have not missed a beat, With all the players they have lost, the other have stepped up, They lost Walter at Sul Central in the furst minute of the game, They beat Central on Central's Floor and then beat Volunteer twice without walter, by 20 at olunteer, they won the distrist without him abnd the Regional without him. So can you explain a little further?? As for the State Championship, rarley does the team that suppose to win, wins. So when you reach Nurfreesboro everybodys record is o-o and there is no consolation!!! Go Betsy Go!!!

JOhnson County came to Elizabethton in the Regionals on a mission to go to the state tournament.. They have a great bunch of boys who hustle their tails off. They beat no.1 Claiborne Co. which every body said they would not. They beat sul. Central who had beat them three times before and by 31 the last time they played. They took Betsy to the final seconds of the game when eliz hit 14 free throws in the final quarter and they only let Big Vince Redd take one shot the entire game.. The Upset of the night Johnson County upsets Fulton who is overlooking them and think they are already in the state tournament. Johnson County to win

Unicoi Girls and Pigeon F plays first at 4 pm on Monday, Elizabethton plays South greene boys at 5:30 West Greene Boys play Volunteer at 7pm and the night cap isJohnson co and claib. county Tuesday sul centeal girls play at 4 volunteers boys at 5.30, eliz girls play south greene at 7pm and Sul Central boys play at 830

From the first day of practice until the District Championship, Coach Hardin has had his work cut out for him. Losing several players along the way has had people wondering about the grit of Betsy. Other teams have shot at the Cyclones all year and with the recent loss of Porter and Brown, you would think the Cyclones would lose concentration and fall by the wayside. But Hardins team is on a mission and they want stop till they get to Murfreesboro. Once again on Wed night the Cyclones will meet up with Volunteer with the winner going to the substate. Will lets hear the comments on this game, I sure the Falcon fans want another shot at Betsy.

At Milligan College on Friday night it was announced the Bradley kid , who is not able to play because of his age next year, was MVP. University High lost twice to Unaka and twice to Cloudland and to say that this kid was better than Rusty Chambers or Tolley kid from Cloudland is unbelieveable. They are both juniors and 16, 17 so someone exlain how this third place in the conference and third place in the district tournament team gets the MVP player. I'll take Chambers or Byrd any time for four quarters, they are in shape and play both sides of the ball. Can anyone explain how a third place too old jr. gets MVP?????????? Is Milligan College recruiting Bradley???