419carpet

Maybe the Jackets don't have some of the talent like they use to have. There is no Reggie Harper, no Donnie Oldham, no TC Payne, Michaeal Scruggs, Dewayne or TT Harper. But the Jackets still have a couple of things on their side. Coaching is there. Coach Satt has something up his sleve. Trust in that. TC is the home team on their own turf the most dreaded place in all of Tennessee football. One thing that has become a staple for all of TC teams is that they win when they are not suppose to. FRA in 90, every game in 93, 98 South Pitt, 99 CPA, 2001 Portland. Don't count em out. I wouldn't say we are in a drought. We've lost 2 games this season. 2 years ago no one in our region or around the midstate could touch us. Have we fell that far off in 2 years. Ok, Trey McDonald is not TT Harper and Dillehay isn't as good at qb as Satterfield was but we still have good players to step it up and maybe you will see it tommorrow. Some one will step it up and take on the tourch of former players that set the bar of success so high and the players that played with swager. We will get it back. Maybe tomorrow. Just make sure you can see the field.

As a fan and former player for the TC Yellow Jackets I have been thinking to myself just more than a few times. A few thoughts that are running through my head are as follows: 1) What has happened to the "Creekbank"? Has it run dry? We lost two in a row. I don't care who you are the Jackets just don't loose there. I remember back in the 70s there was a 52 home game win streak. In the 90s it was a 23 game win streak and up till TC got beat in OT of the semis a few years ago I heard we had a 24 home playoff win streak. Now Portland and LA? Come on. Has our 12th man died? I can't bear to think this and I will not. We have the best, the best, home field advantage and we always will. Everyone knows that and if they say we don't they are lying and they know it deep inside. No one wants to come to the Bank. Snap back to reality, we have dropped two in a row at home. Portland turnovers they will get you beat. Livingston we got behind early. Make no bones about it we have our backs against the wall. Carthage on the Creekbank doesn't get any better, any more important, any more pivital than FRI nignt. Have we ever lost 3 in a year at home? Not that I can remember and I can't see us starting now. Which leads me to ? #2. 2) How will this generation of Yellow Jackets respond? Will they be like last year and go 7-4? Or will they turn it around and not loose again? Without a home playoff game it could be another disapointing year. Please tell me we have more heart than to let that happen again. 7-4 good for some teams but we are TC. We play against people 3 times our size and beat them consistently. In 1A we have to play powerhouses from out of state just to fill the scheldule. Maybe I sould direct these statements right to the Jackets themselves. It is time for this generation to step up to the bar that we have set so high and get the job done. Whatever it takes.

Franklin Co. is young. We have 3 seniors 2of which were hurtmost of the season, 6 juniors, and 1 sophmore. We don't have freshman because our high school starts at 10th grade. We have been starting 5 juniors and some times 4 juniors and 1 senior. Very talented young ladies from this high school.

I vote Jennifer Hawkins from Franklin County. Shes a post at 5'6. Shes got the skill to go all the way.

The jamboree game was an effort to restore a rival game. It was like a test drive for the real game. Just didn't work out between the two after the occurrence. Sort of put a damper on that one. It's a good rival now. Should have been playing it throughout the 90s. Just makes it that more exciting now though. Macon is also a good rival. Brings a lot of folks together that have ties to each other (cousins, friends and things). Knowing about the other team on a personel level makes for that much more hatered between the two come gametime.

Ok guys I'm sorry for talking about TC so much. Just can't get over we're not playing. Not use to sitting at home and going on Fri to watch other teams play. I'm just upset and frustrated. I usually go watch practice on Thanksgiving morning don't know what to do tomorrow. Hopefully next year will be different. To Macon fans and supporters. Good luck in Fri game. I'll be there on your side supporting. And to the Fulton fans, I have just one question. Where in the heck is that Cobb boy that played LB last year? He was the best freshmen player I've ever seen.

Hey we love playing in 3A. It's awesome. No one is complaining about us being overmatched, althoug it is true. we've got in the same region as some of the teams that refused to play us. We wanted to renew old rivalries between MC and SC but they wouldn't play us until they had to because we were in the same region. Us playing 3A makes for exciting games every Fri. These past 3 years in 3A has been more fun than I ever thought it would. The games mean more. And if we win we get to say that we beat teams with 3 times our enrollment. It's fine with us. That's why you guys (MC and SC) would never schedule us. Ya'll didn't want to get beat by the small fish in the pond. So Macon people before you keep on bashing us about how we bring out the little fish in the big pond line every time we get beat just realize that we are the little fish. The little fish that has played like a big one and held our own even against teams better than us. That's what TC football is about. We might not have the biggest team, the strongest, the fastest, or the best atheletes on the field but you best believe we will find a way to win. I have seen much similarity between the TC teams and this year's MC team. Your boys this year, for the first time I've seen, believe that they can win. They play wide @$$ open and for 48 mins. I have witnessed a changed MC team. They are mentally tough. Maybe it's the senior leadership or something but you guys have turned it around and maybe you can keep it going in the future because one thing is for sure. TC will be back and in 2 years we will make another serious run for the gold ball. So Macon you boys keep on keeping on with what you're doing cause its working and when you come to the Creekbank in two years it will be another shootout. Go pull off that upset this week though

Not TT's. They aren't that good. That boy had it all. Speed/Strength/and you know the quickness and agility. These boys are built only on speed. They would be a great track team. Their QB being more agile concerns me. If you drop 7 or 8 in pass coverage he runs. Mike Vick style wearing #7. They can be ran on though. The longer the game goes the better chance MC has. TC had those boys puffing and blowing in the 4th on the last drive. OT gave them time to catch their breath. If TC had 1 more minute last season they would have won in regulation. Don't give up the big play and MC has a chance but its easier said than done

Well we do have 1/3 the enrollment you guys do. We've been in 3A for 3 years with all 3 going to the playoffs and 2 of those in the semis. Up until this year we had made it to the quarterfinals for 14 straight years. This is ya'lls first trip to the playoffs in like 25 years so don't be thinking yall are on the same level as us just yet. We will support region 4-3A this Fri. Go pull off the upset. But I'm warning yall, you ain't seen this speed EVER. Picture how fast TT Harper is. Picture 8 guys with speed equal or greater than TT. Even D linemen. That's what you're getting into. They all have speed like TT. Not as good as TT but just as fast

Probably there was more at MC/TC game. TC's bleachers hold more than you think. They were built for the Tobacco Bowl, practically the state championship before the playoffs. There was a great deal of people at MC on Fri though. It was packed liked sardines

Just looking back on the TC Fulton game last year. Trousdale's defense played the Fulton Offense very well. They only gave 6 points in regulation. They were able to effectively blitz and sack the quarterback. In part because they had good DB's and in part because Fulton's QB was big and immobile. This year's QB I hear is fast and can run. That might cause problems for the MC defense who hasn't seen much of a runner at QB. Portland's QB could run but wasn't much of a pass threat. Fulton's QB I hear has both weapons. MC defense is good. Really physical but I believe that Fulton will have certain athletic mismatches they can explore. Not to say MC doesn't have good atheletes but they aren't use to the speed in which they are about to see. Fulton had the talent last year to win the state. They averaged what seemed to be like 5 turnovers a game. TC only caused 2. 1 came on a hail mary on the last play of regulation. In the state championship Fulton had like 6 turnovers and still only lost by 7. That's how athletic they are. Turnovers will be a big key in this one. Especially if Fulton turns it over inside their own 30 which is probably an automatic 3 for MC.

The atmosphere at the Creekbank in the playoffs is amazing. When the jackets make it to the deep round of the playoffs, it is the only place I know of that there can be more people at the game on the creekbank than Troudale has in the whole county. We only have 7,000 people in our county and when there's a great game to be played or a rival game between SC, Portland, or MC the place is packed. Greatest atmosphere I've ever seen. The old men standing around on the fence rails in the endzone give a few choice words to the opposing teams players when they go by. Also I have attended a few games at the Pit in Lincoln Co. It is an awesome stadium dug into a hole and can contain alot of people. But the Creekbank's atmosphere is what separates it from the competition. Looking at the sign in the back of the endzone with like 15 region championships and 6 state championships and 10 undefeated seasons puts that tradition in the back of peoples minds.

Being from Trousdale I have seen both last year's Fulton team and this year's MC team play. The thing that I see is that there is a great difference in speed. MC has basically the same team they had last year, their players are just older. When TC played MC last year, TC looked much faster than MC with players like TT Harper using his speed and quickness to score alot of points. When TC played Fulton however the Fulton team made TC not to look so speedy and their team speed handled TT very well only scoring on 2 FGs and a TD in OT. The big difference in this game I believe will be that MC must adjust to Fulton's incredible speed. If they can't they will perish. MC however is more physical and bigger but the holes that TC opened up last year quickly closed because of the team speed of Fulton. There will be alot of black jerseys around the ball Friday you can bet on that. MC might be able to overpower them however.

I have been making several comments that #14 had yet to become a great kicker because he hasn't had to kick when it really counted. After he hit the game winner against Grundy I still didn't know. The ball was a line drive and he didn't hit it good. But after I saw this kick I will give him the credit he deserves. He is a great kicker. I think he showed what he was made of. MC would have lost 2 games ago without him. I still don't think he is as good as Satterfield was from TC last year, not with Satterfield being able to kick the ball out of the back of the endzone on kickoffs but Smith is one heck of a kicker and deserves a postseason (All-State or All-Region Speical Teams MVP) award or something of that nature. I hope he can continue to make game winning kicks but something tells me that next week in Fulton won't come down to a FG. MC better be ready for some speed demons.

You know that TT is in junior college in Mississippi. I heard he started at WR and returned punts and kickoffs too. I heard he had a good year and that he might go somewhere big after next fall. I hear if you're good enough to start at a Junior College then you will more than likely go D-1A. I've seen this kid play against Carthage and he got fliped feet over his head and landed on his feet and kept on running. It was unreal. He isn't the fastest player I've ever seen but definetly the quickest

I remember that game as well. What a play on the fake field goal. I read in the paper that TT messed up the play and wasn't supposed to go out for a pass. Good thing for us that he did because Satterfield was fixing to get clocked. And that move TT made to get into the endzone. Oh my. I don't know if you MC fans saw the TC game last year but he had what I believe is the best punt return I have ever seen for a touchdown. And talking about punt returns, I don't know if any of you all are old enough to remember but back in like the early 70's late 60's can't remember the year that Mo Celsor returned a punt against Lafayette and everyone for Lafayette said he stepped out of bounds but he won the game with it with like 45 seconds to go in the game. That was a great game between MC and TC. Wish you boys were old enough to remember that one.

Maybe Portland did think they had it in the bag. The two games started out the same. Why wouldn't they end the same. But I was on the TC side and I heard the boys talk all that week how no one believed they could win and how they were really embarrassed the way they played the first time and how they intended on doing something to gain a little redemption to their self pride. This game is different. SC thought that they could have won the game and thought they should have. I bet they are determined this time to score when they get in the redzone. And ask the Portland fans and the Trousdale fans which game is more important. If Smith would have beaten TC in the quarters last year, which would have set in the minds of the players more. When they beat SC 29-6 for the region championship or when they lost to them. If Smith beats you guys you will understand that the title of Region Champions don't mean anything if you can't repeat it in the playoffs. And revenge does have a great deal to do with it. I've seen it work.

Livingston didn't do enough in the early part of the season to make it to the playoffs. Therefore how do we know if they were the best team. They aren't there. Maybe they were the hottest team but they didn't get to prove it. It's MC vs SC in the quaters. Who has made the most improvement between the two teams. This is now the real region championship. The regular season was just a mini-playoff to see where you would get put in the bracket. Now it's for all the marbles. Winner is region champ and moves on, looser goes home 2nd.

I think that this is the real region championship. It shows how much improvement that you have made over the course of season and it is the last meating between the two top teams in the region. Why wouldn't it be the real region championship? It determines who is better now.

PPride brings out a good point. It's more difficult than people believe to beat people more than one time in a season. I think everyone agrees that in 2001 when Portland was the defending state champs that they were obviously better than we (Trousdale) were and we still won. They had 2 times the talent we did. The revenge factor works wonders. We had beaten SC convincingly the past 2 seasons in the regular season and in each playoff game that we played against them the past two seasons they were at one point in the game ahead. They could have easily won last year's playoff and the year before that's playoff game. We had the creekbank magic on our side then. What I'm trying to say is Macon beware of the revenge factor because it has more to do with the outcome of the game than you think.

Trousdale Co. is a 1A team. 3 years ago TC had the largest class in school history which bumped their enrollment up and they were still only like 10 people over the limit to move to 2A. Since that 1 year, TC is well under the limit to be in 1A and have been playing in 3A the whole time with a 1A enrollment. So we are a 1A team playing in 3A and holding our own. If we had been in the correct class we would have won 2 more state titles the past 2 years. However playing in 3A has been fun renewing the old rivalries that we had in the past. Maybe we could have the best of both worlds playing SC, MC, and Portland in 1A in a few years. And as for only using the 1A thing when we loose, winning with a 1A team makes it that much more special.

So we had a rough year. Anytime we don't win the state isn't a great one up here although I do think we have proved ourselves against schools that have 3 times our enrollment. Yeah we lost to Macon and Smith in the same year which makes us sick but I can remember a similar team 4 years ago who had about 8 sophmores or freshmen starting on each side of the ball. 2 years later no one in Region 4-3A could touch'em. This season was similar and we went 7-4 in 3A football. Give us 2 years and we'll make another run. Heck maybe even next year. And as for TC being the football "KING". Football is king here. Everything revolves around that creekbank in Hartsville. Even the county courthouse is overlooking the field. Football is the only thing that puts TC on the map, except that giant cooling tower at TVA that never has been used. So Macon don't be getting cocky with a win this year. Enjoy it cause it won't last forever. Oh and if we do drop to 1A in a few years still play us if ya'll aint got enough yet.

Don't get your hopes up

Big reid, The point that I'm trying to get accross is how good those Knoxville teams are. They are very atheletic. I'm not sure what you're talking about kicking it and win. Maybe the FG that TC faked and didn't get against Fulton in the Semis. I thought it was a good call. We had a great kicker but we were going for the jugular. If the fake worked we would have won and went on the the BC Bowl. We were down 3-6 in the forth and we were going for the win. We hadn't got that close all night. Who knows if we would have got down there again. If the call would have worked then Coach Satt would have been the greatest coach in Tennessee. We still went to OT and they were the ones that took the risk and went for 2 but made it. Portland fans can tell you we faked a FG against them that ended scoring the winning touchdown. What I'm saying is that we had, by far, the best offense in the region last year, with Mr. Football TT Harper and Satterfield at QB,and we only scored 6 pts against Fulton. How do you think that this year's region 4 team will do with them? You can't sit here and tell me that MC or SC offense is better than TC's last year. Not even close. You know that. And I've heard that AE and Fulton are better. That's why I've said that the Region 4 rep gets beat by 50. 50 may be exagerating but by at least 5 TD's. Wait and see.

I can relate to how the MC team feels on not getting any publicity. In 1990 when Trousdale won the state, they were playing Franklin Road Academy in the semis. We hadn't been too good for the past 15 years and the headlines of the paper on that Friday moring read "Franklin Road Looks Forward to Taking on Bruceton in Clinic Bowl". That made us feel unrespected and angered us but we ended up winning. Now everyone knows not to overlook us and that we can win any game. I've concluded that respect comes with winning. The more you win the more respect you get. Lafayette just has to keep winning and their get their respect. However, I've also learned that people not hearing about you leads them to overlook you. This in my opinion is good for MC. Don't worry about publicity. It's amazing what can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit.