PowerSet

I agree that Haywood is the more athletically gifted team than Obion. But, the final score in their contest a couple of weeks ago is a little deceiving. Obion had the ball inside the Haywood 10 twice in the first half and didn't convert. That is a credit to Haywood's very stout defense. Also, in the 2nd half, a couple of Obion turnovers (a fumble and an int) deep in their own territory gave Haywood a short field for two scores. Again, kudos to Haywood's defense for forcing turnovers and converting on offense. They were the better team at the end of the game. Period. But, it could have easily been 14-13 OC or 13-7 HC at the half, then without those two turnovers, possibly a 21-14 score heading into the 4th quarter. With any game, when you are outmanned, you try to get to the 4th quarter within striking distance; you give yourselves a chance. A couple of plays here and there, and OC would have been right there. Again, this is not taking away from Haywood. Deservedly, they are the best team in our region, and they are the class of West Tennessee AAAA. They will quite possibly will be playing for the gold ball in December- with a good chance to bring it home. I'm not saying that Haywood wont win by 50; but I'm also not conceding that it's an easy victory against an OC team that plays ball control, and if they can take care of the ball and get a few defensive stops, it could be a slugfest. All that said, on paper, Haywood should take OC to the woodshed. Good thing the game is played on the field. Good luck to both teams for a hard-fought, injury-free contest! Side note: Region 7AAAA is one of only 3 statewide in all public classifications to sweep in Round 1. Great job by 4 class-act coaches and teams. Congrats!

Great game by 2 great teams. Excuses, whining, and trash talking can be left at the door. I applaud all the young men who played their hearts out tonight. Anyone who wants to disrespect these teams and players needs to do it elsewhere. These kids......from both teams.......only deserve praise and admiration from posters on CoachT. Congrats to Covington.

Yankee- No one is disputing that SS would probably win all 10 games if we played 9 more times. The loss isn't the point. We in OC know that SS had the athletes Friday night and made the plays. Yes, SS's defense did create some of the turnovers. We know that. BUt our team is not the same one that walked off the field at the end of last season..... The point is that if you had seen us play last year(and this is no disrespect to Coach Driggers).....mercy-ruled 7 times.....never scored more than 14 points in a game.....outscored for the year 485-65.....you would see that there were several positives to take from the game that were not present in the last campaign. A couple of long receptions and some nice kickoff returns showed us that we are more competitive this year than last year. A couple of 3-&-outs on defense were huge in building some confidence. With where this program's been over the past couple of years, we're trying to walk before we run. As far as the game was closer than the score indicates is because we turned the ball over 2 times inside the 10-yard line (one of those being an interception returned 85 yards for a TD) which would have allowed OC to hang around a little longer. Would those scores have made a difference in the game? Who knows? SS took advantage of their opportunities and executed their game plan better, and that's why they won the game. Those growing pains can be expected of a team that hasnt had much successs in a while (only a handful of this year's seniors played as sophomores in '06 when we finished 6-4), is very inexperienced, and was playing in their first game. Not at all that I'm making excuses.... Give OC a couple of games to grow into the offense and work out some kinks in the defense. Whether it shows in W-L, this team will improve. Maybe we'll even shock some people.

As for the Black Oak players in the all-county photo, there were 4 members on the all-county team, but only two made it for the picture. Three of them are still in the program at OCCHS, and one also plays basketball. He was quite a contributer in both sports. The other player is now an 8th grader and is planning on playing football and basketball in high school. I think wtnoff is way off base as well. Those kids from the 4 feeder schools havent transferred to other schools. They simply wont make the effort to play high school football. Like Purple said, its very different playing against 14 year olds and then stepping on the practice field with seniors. For many kids, the dedication isnt there. Also, many middle school kids play football and basketball and then choose one over the other in high school. These kids, for whatever reason, seem to be choosing the roundball over the oblong one. Just my 2 cents worth....

I realize that this isn't pee-wee, and wins and losses count, but if the only way you can measure success is by wins and losses, you can't see the forest for the trees. Success can be measured by progress. OC is making progress. It wasn't that long ago that OC was getting completely destroyed by the teams that they are competing with now. The Covingtons, Haywoods, Ripleys, Crocketts, and Dyersburgs of the world used to have their way against the Rebels, but those days are slowly fading away. The players, coaches, and community are getting the mentality of doing what it takes to win. You have to crawl before you can walk, and OC is getting to the point that they can compete in every game. OC has averaged winning about 6 games per season in the 90's. Thats not great, but for a team with the history of Obion County, it's progress. Yes, OC does have wonderful facilities, but to the best of my knowledge, those don't win games; players do. And maybe OC does deserve more credit for their talent, but it's obvious that the athletic ability in Troy pales in comparison to the schools mentioned above. The Rebels might have a stud every few years, but not at every position on the field. I could just about guarantee that each of the teams mentioned above would have an athletic advantage at 8 of the 11 positions on the field on every play of the game. However, what OC lacks in ability, they make up with determination. That's why they win games that they probably shouldn't. Certainly, as coaches and players, they go into each game expecting to win. But on paper, they shouldn't have beaten Covington, last year or in 2004. They shouldn't have been within a total of 6 points of Haywood the past 2 seasons. The same Haywood that beat the 8AAA champ each season. But they didnt care about who's better on paper. They played as a team and were successful. We finished the season above .500 and didn't make the playoffs. That says a little about the strength of the region. As a former player (who was definitely not the most athletic on the field), I can say that from experience. Believe me, we do expect more. But we also know that all good things take time.

Trust me, I'm on your side. I'm praising them both. I know the importance of the contributions each made. I'm in no way comparing apples to oranges. I realize that Coach Hill did great things, but to say that OC went backwards under Coach Bowling is complete nonsense. I have a pretty good basis for my opinions. As a former player (before the time of either of the aforementioned coaches), I can see the benefits reaped from each of these men.

Hill made definite strides, there's no question. But regressed under Bowling...... /laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":lol:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> /laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":lol:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> /laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":lol:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> /laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":lol:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> /laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":lol:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> keep thinking that......

I think Coach Counce's remark was that Coach Bowling "does more with less" than he's ever seen. Obion Co. won games they had no business winning athletically, and they did it more than once. They did it with grit, hustle, and determination. Has any other 7AAA team beaten Covington 2 times in the past 4 years? Only Dyersburg, and its obvious that Dyersburg had more athletically gifted players than OC. Bowling can take a player who is average and get above average results. It remains to be seen (at least until this fall) what he will do with some real D1 talent (Caldwell & Taylor). He had some pretty good results in Lousiaina and Mississippi, before taking the job at OC. You will not be disappointed with the team he puts on the field. To put icing on the cake, he is one of the most humble, family-oriented, straight-talking men you'll ever meet. He's the kind of guy you want your daughter to bring home. If Dyersburg lets him get away, they'll be sorry. And yes, he did take OC to the playoffs in his first season. Guided them to their first-ever playoff win. This year he was two plays (Covington & Haywood Co.) from going again.

Ditto on the congrats to Westview and Dyersburg. Now for your question... Sometimes you just decide to "dance with the one who brought you." If Coach Suiter had changed the way his girls have played all season, it could have done more harm than good. My guess is that he wanted his girls to play their way out of a jam. They clawed back from and 18 point deficit, outplayed Westview over the final three quarters, and had a chance there at the end. A loss is never good, and moral victories are for losers , but maybe, just maybe, the Lady Rebs grew up a little bit last night. Hopefully OC vs. WV Round IV is on the way. I don't know who might win, but I'd put money on the fact that OC isn't held to 2 points in a quarter again . There's still a lot of 13AA basketball left to play......... Go Lady Rebs!

They weren't all that impressive at Franklin Co's playday.They were down by 18-20 late and lost by about 8. Could very well be there at the end, though. There are a few teams that will give them a run.

Kelsy Williams was definately a man among boys. He had something like 470 yards of total offense against us in the first half alone. 4 rushing TDs, a KO Return TD, and a punt returned for a TD. 3 of those 6 he wasn't even touched. During the film session, our coach didnt even yell. He just said d@*$ that kid's got some zoo-zoos (speed). He had something like 50 TDs his junior season (1995).

They wont run away from him. We'll find out how the rest of the defense behind him stacks up. He is good, no doubt, but he will have a hard time stopping Grooms, Grady, and Calhoun or Clanton by himself. Discipline and execution are the names of the game both running the veer and defending it. OC has more of both. OC-24 HC-13

Obion Co.'s 1st 3 offensive series- 3 Obion Co. touchdowns West Carroll's 1st 3 offensive series- 3 first downs, no scores Obion's starters took care of business, as they should with a smaller school. QB Logan Parker had TD runs of 18 and 24 yards on option keepers and finished the night with around 80 rushing yards and was 4-5 passing for around 55 yards. Not bad for a quarter of work. With a 21-0 lead after the first period, OC's starters were spectators the rest of the evening. OC played 2nd, 3rd, and 4th stringers the last quarter, and that's when all of WC's scoring took place. A glorified scrimmage was no place to play for a win while risking any starting players. When the starters were on the field, there was no question who was the better team. Way to go Rebs!

...someone who is cares more about players than stats ...someone who cares more about teaching than winning ...someone who cares more about the game of life than any other game Thats what I try to be for my players.

Need some Cheese?........... The best team on the court yesterday won, and would have won on any court. No home court advantage will overcome a 20 point thrashing. End of story. Get over it.

Early start on the reverse psychology?? You're not fooling anyone. Westview has too much tradition to concede anything. You are losing some good seniors, but the cupboard is far from bare. There will be some great battles in 13AA next year, and Westview will have their share. They will be at or near the top when the dust settles next year. Maybe we'll be there, too.

Obion County took Northside to overtime before losing by 3. They also lost to Hillcrest (who put a whoopin' on McMinn) by 5. If AE is on the top 2 or 3 in the state, OC has to be right there. Go Hillcrest & JNS!

I think Crockett County was there in 98. They had a good guard, Tracy Webb, who played at UT Martin. There were some pretty good battles between CC and OC during the late 90's. Bobby Mullins was the head coach then, before giving it to Lyle Larue. When Larue left for Westview, Mullins took over again.

Hillcrest has a team like no other region 8 team has had in about 5 years. Your coaches know; they were scouting them a few days before the region semifinals . They are a very fundamentally sound team, something you don't see from Memphis schools all that often. It appears that their coach does things right. Add skill to the athleticism and you have a pretty spunky team. Given that they are on the opposite side of the bracket from Austin East, Hillcrest has a good shot at getting to the Championship game. Hopefully a game between Jackson Northside and Hillcrest looms in the not-so-distant future. Maybe at least one of these teams will bring back the gold.

Roney might have been on the bench, but Delk would have been keeping her company. On one play in the first half, Delk (already with two fouls) MAULED an OC player under the basket, yet when it was reported to the table, it was given to a NS guard who was above the free throw line. Go figure. When a team has a stud player (and Gwen is a great one), they tend to get more calls. Can you remember a game where Michael Jordan fouled out? Larry? Magic? The last thing I'm trying to do is make excuses; both teams played hard, but NS made the plays at the end. The refereeing was questionable at times, but wasn't the difference. If OC shot their average from the free throw line, there would have been no overtime. They didn't, and they lost. Two good teams, several good players, two good coaching staffs, ONE GREAT GAME! End of story. Both teams live to play another day. Best of luck to OC and JNS on Saturday night. May both of them be in the 'boro next week. Go Lady Rebs!!

NS could have definately been competitive. OC finished the regular season in 4th place and came in 3rd in the district tournament, so NS could have been right in the mix. I doubt, however, that they would have sailed through the district undefeated like they did in 14AA. But, that's neither here nor there..... Congrats to both teams. Lets shoot for a rematch, say on Saturday at 6:45??? Go Lady Rebs!!!

The foul situation was not the result of poor officiating. Obion County's gameplan was to get the Lady Indians into foul trouble. A vast majority of the fouls called were obvious. OC was constantly driving to the basket and forcing NS to stop them. This resulted in a greater number of fouls. The Lady Indians were patient enough to pass the ball inside so that their towering post players could get a shot. Many of these times, NS had such good position OC could only watch the shot fall through. As far as the game should not have been that close, you are right. The Lady Rebels usually shoot MUCH better from the free throw line, so there could have easily been no overtime. This was a game that could have gone either. Let it go and enjoy the win. Maybe we can meet again in Murfreesboro. Go Lady Rebels!!!

Final / Overtime Jackson Northside 71 Obion County 68

The team that stays out of foul trouble will have the upper hand. JNS is so big and athletic, OC's best plan will be to send those big girls to the bench. Look for the Lady Rebels to take it to the hole and initiate contact so that their deeper bench can take over. Abby and Gentry will be happy to get some kick-outs from the penetration. It won't be easy, but nothing worth having ever is. heavyd- Where did you see Mitchell play last week? Since they beat Hillcrest in the regular season, I figured they would be in the finals of that region. Oh well. Go Lady Rebels!!

Anybody know about the Memphis region, 8AA? I know Hillcrest and Whitney Houston are tough, since OC had to play there last year. I saw where BT Washington beat Mitchell last night. Wasn't Mitchell supposed to win that game? Mitchell actually beat Hillcrest this year. Anyone know anything about BTW?