fromthetop2

Since this thread is on a high school football page, I was (am) assuming that your questions relate specifically to football. Training a track sprinter to become faster involves different techniques than training a football player to become faster. One of the areas you correctly identified is the aspect of core strength and flexibility, and more specific hip flexibility. This flexibility allows for quicker change of pace and acceleration. I don't think generally enough time is spent on creating a flexible, explosive hip girdle. High school weight programs for linemen concentrate on the explosive end of hip strength. However, not much is done for the DB's, RB's, QB's or WR's to amplify the flexibility as well as strength. It is interesting that many kids today really don't know how to run effectively. I think a large part of that is too many concentrating on one sport too soon. Running basepaths, changing directions on a basketball court, swimming for distance, stop and start acceleration in soccer, or riding your bike all the time; too many athletes do one and not all of these things that will make you more flexible and create a mental picture of the different types of strength you need to be an athlete. Some of the speed coaches I have seen worked with Pilates a great deal as well as stretching exercises. Some have redescovered the medicine ball or bells. All of this, plus really running will improve the most athletes abilities.

We know so much more now than 30 years ago about the kinetics, physiology, and training to increase one's speed and quickness. From what I've seen is that you can improve your speed and increase your quickness through learning how to run properly and efficiently, and training your quick twitch muscles specifically for the task. I have seen many speed "camps" and the training involved, and also have seen the efforts done at the collegiate and professional level. That being said, you cannot make a guy who runs a 5.9 40 into a guy who will run 4.5. I have seen improvements by as much as .5 seconds in the 40, but that is the extreme end. Most athletes might gain .3 at best. What I've seen the most is "functional" improvement in speed and quickness; that is where the athlete can become more efficient in doing the task. For example, a wide receiver being taught how to lengthen their stride and bring their knees up higher to acheive faster acceleration. They're not necessarily "faster", but functionally they are better. Working with high school kids is problematic, as their musculature and commitment to work is developing and not yet at their peak.

What's that sound "Scoobey-Doo makes?????

Just for purposes of rounding, if the TSSAA spent around $3 mill in the case, then BA spent approximately $4 mill. That would be: A.) A lot to swallow for Bass, Berry, & Sims as a pro bono case B.) A lot to write off the books at "No Charge" for Bass, Berry, & Sims C.) A lot for any group of high school boosters to raise to pay a bill (not counting interest or late charges) D.) With the debt service on the recently completed Fine Arts and Athletic Complex, this bill could easily double that amount. E.) With an enrollment of around 350, that charge per family to pay this bill would be outrageous How does one school, no matter how well-endowed, pay for this Quixotic mis-adventure?

Does anyone have the faintest clue as to what the legal tab for BA is up to this point? Where does the money come for paying this? The parents? Current boosters? Concessions?

Okay, not to dampen your enthusiasm, but let's do the math (and we go through this exercise each season): Who are you planning on knocking off to take the region? First order of business is that you have to beat teams that you've never beaten- or even matched up well with. The closest you came to beating anyone in the region was Columbia 29-20. Start there. Let's give you a victory this season. You were shutout by four teams, and scored two touchdowns total against the other two. You lost by margins of 33, 36, 39, 28, 35, and 33 points to region foes last year. Which five teams- which, at a bare minimum, is about how many you will have to beat to take the region- will you be beating? The region champion has historically lost no more than two games, oftentimes they've lost one or gone undefeated. This would also assume that the top teams in the region will be significantly worse than they've historiclly been. That would be your only chance, and if Vegas were to post odds on all of that happening at the same time- you are looking at a Million to one shot. Win your out of region games and at least one region game, and consider yourselves as having a good year.

Brentwood's offensive success has largely depended on who was available to successfully run the scheme. It has happened more than a few times that as personnel changed, so did the scheme. Coach Crawford is not adverse to changing the scheme- even during the season. On defense, Crawford runs a 4-4. That is what he is comfortable with and has had success. He's tried others during the years, but that is his base. While he doesn't run the offense or put together the offensive game plan, he does oversee what is going on. If he thinks things aren't running right, he will suggest a change- and it's up to the OC to put the change in and be successful. More than a few times they've changed QB's to find the right fit. The opposite was true when Jack Daniels ran the show. He ran the offense, the DC ran the defense, and Jack's offense is wide open. But you have to have the talent to do his offense. In the past few years, BHS hasn't had the QB or wide receivers to run that style of offense, but they did have a number of running backs. Consequently, they have run the ball far more than they would under the "Jack Attack." This year could be something different depending on how the personnel shakes out. Either way, they will have the offense that bests suits their personnel and gives them the best chance to win. You need to look no further than who the QB is to figure out what style the Bruins will run. Same goes for every school- unless you are Riverdale and are married to one style only.

Winning will become possible for Northeast once they get out of 6-5A. Not to point out the obvious, but they will be heavily challenged to win even one region game this fall. No tradition of winning, young untested rookie head coach, new staff, too small of a talent pool and overwhelming odds just to compete against even against weaker teams that have had the benefit of at least an offseason of cohesion. It just is what it is. If I were them, I would prepare for 2009 season starting today. Use this season for experience purposes only and a chance for everyone to get acclimated to the new regime. In '09, they will at least have the opportunity to play against similar sized schools. Good luck to the Eagles and chance to play with a clean slate.

Nice to see the administration at the school finally got around to hiring a football coach. Unfortunately, Coach Johnson now has to wait for the dead period to end before he can start being in contact again with his players. This little fact may not have been known by the administration, or maybe the significance of it flew right by them (again). They seem to think since football practice doesn't start until the end of July, he will have plenty of time to organize a team. What about a staff, or do they think they have enought teachers willing to stay after school to help for a few minutes?

Just a little background on Prattville: Prattville is a fast growing suburb just north of Montgomery, AL. The Lions are the defending 6A Alabama State Champions going 16-0, and are loaded on defense for the coming season. They defeated Hoover in 2006 to also win the 6A Championship They finished last year as the #2 in the nation in the USA Today High School Poll. Supposedly their last regular season loss was in 2002. Routinely, they have a number of players signed to play D1 football each year. A number of their players have gone to Bama (surprise?). Vandy signed their QB, who was the 2006 Mr. Football in the state. They will be featuring a new head coach, as their previous coach Bill Clark, left to take a job with the University of South Alabama in Mobile.

Mason just traded to the Blues for a 4th round draft choice.

Suter appeared to have the light come on during the second half of the season. I just wish he was built more along Shea's lines; which is one Pred they have to re-sign. Any thoughts on what we're gonna do in goal with Ellis? I can't see letting him just walk. but as we know they are in a bit of a quandry. They can't have three goalies on the roster next year, and you don't want to let Renne get traded until he has shown whether or not he is NHL- worthy. Is Mason a perpetual #2 guy? If he is, I would trade him and his big salary. On another topic, I read where Poile might consider drafting another defensemen early. Probably built like the rest of them. David- Sully ain't coming back! We need scoring at some point!!!

In looking at the new Region 11, you have former recent state champs Ravenwood and Brentwood; silver ball winners in Franklin, Ravenwood, Indy, and Hillsboro; and cannon fodder Hillwood. Basically, region 6-5A dumped Columbia, Dickson, and Northeast for Hillsboro, Hillwood, and Overton. You won't have to travel 20 miles in any direction to go to a game, with the farthest being Hillsboro vs. Indy. Definite upgrade to a potential murderer's row lineup. The top teams might all have 5 losses!

That sure came out of left field. I'm not sure anyone, from Bettman's side to David Freeman's side, to Craig Leopold saw this one coming. Was Boots just a house of cards? Don't know, but it can't be great news to lose someone who owns 27% of your franchise get sued and declare bankruptcy. From what I've gleaned, the Preds already have his money, so they are good. Leopold doesn't (as also apparently a number of creditors). Word on the street is that others not in the group are wanting to step up and become investors, most notably a fellow with the moniker of Dandy 82. I told a friend of mine who is a "source close to the situation" that I could become a 1/2700th percent owner if needed.

LSMFT, I don't know about Maryville moving up to 5A (which should be a lock), but it is not because Williamson County Schools will all be 5-A. Page and Fairview High Schools could in no matter shape or form garner enough students to make the move. The only 5A schools in WillCo are the ones in Region 6. If Northeast drops down to 4A, that won't be a huge factor for 6-5A. You could easily swing Overton into that group, geographically speaking. At least it would be a huge football upgrade. In a few years, Nolensville High School (if not one further south) will be built, so another Williamson County 5A will be added to Region 6.

If you didn't watch the series, then you missed some compelling television. Game 5 was a classic, and how Game 6 played out, with the puck sliding parallel to Osgood about three inches from the line as time expired was as good as it gets. We aren't into hockey? Nashville was the #7 market for the finals. Beat out NYC, Boston, Chicago, and Dallas. Vegas was in the top ten, but we all know the reason for that. Great way to end the season- looking forward to the Preds being there someday!

Celtic D was impressive last night. And as Pat Summitt said, rebounding wins championships. Celts punished the Lakers on the boards. Kobe had very few clean shots all night. Should be a very interesting series with the top two teams going at it. I hope it is as exciting as the Stanley Cup was!

Interesting reading when you start comparing individual schools within a system- who's bringing scores up, who's bringing the average down. It may help to explain why some schools have tougher times attracting talent than others- both administratively and as teachers.

No matter how talented freshmen are, they are at a physical mismatch with 18-19 year olds. Some skill players might get some PT, but in large part they might be running for their lives against the players and teams on their schedule. If Blackman starts a number of them, they will be in for a rough season. The good news would be that by the time they are seniors, they would have four years of varsity experience and could be title-contenders (see Ravenwood and Indy).

At this juncture, it is a viable question, "Will Northeast offer football in the fall?" To me, it would be no different than the kids who attend a school that doesn't offer a sport, and are immediately eligible for that sport in a neighboring school. The administration owes not only the students and their families an answer, but also the other teams in Region 6-5A. They would need to hustle to set up a game to fill the hole in the schedule. No need to have a repeat of the Hillsboro-Franklin situation of last year.

Frankly, from all of the comments, I was surprised that you had a scrimmage. Nice work on the video. Any scoring results?

The stone cold facts are that even if NE had a stable coaching situation, you were still looking at being the last place team in the region. Since moving up to 5A- and having the unfortunate curse of being in Region 6- the Eagles have been outmanned and outschemed. The reality is that they will have to improve tremendously to have a chance against even the lower echelon teams of the region. They are not competitive with Brentwood, Ravenwood, Dickson, Franklin, and Independence. That's five losses guaranteed. Centennial is not far away from the big five, so add a sixth loss. You are almost guaranteed a losing season coming in. Prospective coaches look at this situation and know it's not a fair fight for the Eagles. Add to the malaise with administration, and it is a lose-lose propostition. Maybe the NE Administration recognizes this and have decided to further de-emphasize football. At least basketball gives the school some credibility. I hope whomever takes this position has a ton of patience. It is THE toughest assignment in the region.

It was great to see Brentwood and Ryan in the finals of DII. There is a long history between those two squads, and a history of very intense, very physical games. The series in 2000 when Brentwood and Ryan played is one I'll remember for a long time. First game, Brentwood squeaks out an OT win, second game, Bruins crushed Ryan at their place. The second game was memorable for the intense checking and turned when Ryan's leading scorer got thrown out of the game in the second half- and nearly had an old fashioned street brawl after the game. Since it was the last game of the season, both teams were told that it might be the only reason they weren't banned from playing anymore that season. Not a lot of finesse play back then when things deteriorated. Trust me, it is a lot better play now.

July in which year? /dry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" This is an absolutely terrible situation. Whomever the school gets to take this thankless job will have to be a miracle worker just to catch up far enough at this point to see the tail lights way off into the distance of the second worst team in that region. Unfortunately, the Wildcat players are the ones who will pay for this administrative malpractice. In reality, if this goes on much longer and I am not entirely joking, they should forfeit most of their region games and schedule JV just to get experience and give the coach a chance at putting in his system. Sorry Wildcats. Your administration apparently does not think football is an extracurricular activity important or worthy enough to treat it any better than the Science club.