osunut2

Sounds like it's time to close this post.

This really is huge for both teams. Both Powell and Central have been sloppy, but Central has definitely been the underachiever. Powell is right where most people thought they would be at this point in the season. 4 wins to bad teams and 3 losses to good teams. Central has been very up and down this year. This one could go either way. Still, Powell hasn't beaten a "good" team yet. Their best win was a blowout win against SD. Still, Central should be upset after what happened on Friday, and if that doesn't fire those guys up, nothing will. The SD loss should motivate Central enough to win by a TD.

As a Powell fan, I agree 100%. Even though Halls clearly won the game Friday against Powell, they are very beatable, as are all of the teams in region 3-4A, aside from Maryville. Halls is a very Jekyll and Hyde team, and that wing-T offense is very vanilla, particularly when they are playing a well-disciplined defense.

I agree, Jimmy Franklin (#1) and Jordan Allen both need to keep their cool. Whatever happened to making a play, going back to the huddle, and getting ready to make another play? In close games, those kinds of mistakes can haunt you. I watched the replay on WMAK today, and this was a bizarre game. I still can't figure out Powell, or Halls for that matter. Both teams had their chance to win this game, and Halls came out on top. I'm not sure if I agree with some who say that this was an ugly game, particularly in the second half. Halls did what they had to do to win this game. If you can make the wing-T work, run it. I'm still not sure how Powell was unable to score more than once. I felt the same way about the Powell-AC game. Powell looked like the better team for almost 3 quarters against AC; they failed to cash in on a couple of key scoring attempts, and that cost them late in the game. After SD's stunner over Central, this looks like a really bad year for region 3-4A. Interesting log jam in the middle of region 3. West, Central, Powell, and Clinton are each 2-2 in region play. The amazing thing is that these 4 teams all play each other during the next 3 weeks. Should be an interesting finish, especially with SD's upset win. There is still no reason why Maryville and Red Bank won't meet up in the state quarterfinals, because I don't see any other team in either region 3 or 4 challenging them.

I'm not sure if I can make it tonight or not. I'll call you if I'm able to go. Either way, enjoy the game! It should be another great one.

Hey powellfan, you going to the game tonight?

I 100% agree. Like a lot of recent matchups between these 2 rivals, there is a lot riding on this game for both teams. I know we still have a few more weeks to go after Friday, but I think it's reasonable to assume that the winner of this game will gain the inside track for a playoff birth.

BJ Coleman is probably the best QB I've seen here in East Tennessee in the past 10 years. No one could throw a dart quite like BJ. I remember when McCallie played at Powell his senior year; he really had a cannon, not to mention some serious accuracy. He had the height, but the biggest knock on him was his size. Cade Thompson was solid too. Brent Burnette and Jake Ryan are both pretty good current QBs.

I think Halls will win a close game, but that's a pretty bold statement that I doubt would ever be backed up.

Riddle me this then, who paints the field for this season? I guess things have changed. Also, the band has never practiced on the football field during the week before a Friday game, unless that suddenly changed this morning.

I can remember when I was at Powell that some guys from Halls supposed scoured our field with graffiti before the games in 1999 and 2000. Semour, Coach Macy (who recently retired) used to paint the field every Friday, so I'm not sure what you mean by the Powell coaches never painting the field.

That is a horrible analogy. So basically, you are saying that these boys are getting zero support, zero praise, and zero encouragement from the coaches/administration. Is there not someone supporting these guys, at least a little bit? I'm not sure what it is that you want them to do, but they aren't going to sugar coat life for you, wipe your mouth off when it's dirty, and tell you that you're special because you are different from everyone else. Playing football doesn't guarantee that you are going to win football games; in fact, it doesn't really guarantee you anything. Some of the toughest and most important life lessons can be learned in situations like these, where you have to overcome serious adversity. No one likes to lose. However, I have a lot of respect for a guy who plays football for 4 years at a high school that might have won one game in those 4 years. You can't just quit and give up because the chips are down or because the team isn't winning.

The problems that are facing South Doyle are very similar to the problems facing both Clinton and Lenoir City. It has a lot less to do with coaching and a lot more to do with personnel, talent, and the community. The hardest thing to do when you have been facing these tough years is to somehow find a way to win more often than lose. Unfortunately, community support often hinges on the success of a program. That's just the "winning" mentality that we are taught when it comes to sports, and there is very little that can be done to combat that. Playing in region 3-4A doesn't help either, because you have to compete with Maryville, Central, West, Halls, and Powell. Coaching plays a role in this, but there is a bigger problem at SD. I watched the Cherokees play Powell on Friday, and this SD team has talent, a lot more than I've seen from them in recent years. However, just because they have more talent than previous years doesn't mean that they are going to make the playoffs. These are high school athletes, and the most important thing that can happen for these boys is to gain support and receive praise from their friends, families, and community, no matter what the outcome may be on Friday night. The same can be said about LC and Clinton. You can't just turn around a program overnight, and it takes more than a good coach and a few good athletes.

Kitts should get his yards against this undersized Panther defensive front. Anderson County struggled to run the ball early against Powell, but by the end of the 3rd quarter, their ability to pass the ball really opened up the running game. South Doyle had the same struggles running the ball against Powell, but they were totally unable to complete a pass. If Halls is unable to have success running the ball early, they can duplicate the same success AC had if they can hit a few deep balls. Powell finally seems to be taking care of the football and minimizing penalties, which were both huge problems for them early this season. Kier Houston has really come into his own, now that he is beginning to run the ball more out of the spread "read" formation. This really will be a competitive game, especially if both teams minimize mistakes.

Look at who both of these teams have beaten. West is the only playoff-caliber team that either of these teams have beaten (which I already pointed out). Sevier County is 3-4 (with wins against Campbell County, Karns, and Seymour) and Clinton is 2-4 (with wins against Campbell County and that stunner against SD). Everyone already knows that Powell hasn't beaten anyone, so I'll say it again, neither of these teams have beaten anyone, outside of Halls' comeback win against West.

AC doesn't charge anymore, at least they didn't when Powell played them 2 weeks ago. As far as the game is concerned, this should be a good one. This game could go either way, although I do think that Halls' comeback win against West does give them a bit of an edge, since neither team has really beaten anyone else. I look forward to watching this game!

I would also like to praise the play of Kier Houston! I've been watching his progression over the past few games, and he really is a special player. He has excellent command of the spread "read" offense, and it showed Friday night. We are definitely going to need more of the same against Halls next week.

Just a thought, but what do you think about the possibility of Duncan becoming the head coach at SD? He had some great years at Powell, do you believe that he could do the same for SD?

Great looking win for Powell tonight. They were able to minimize turnovers and penalties, and they took advantage of their opportunities. The biggest thing I noticed in this game was the great tackling by the Powell defense. South Doyle has some playmakers, but Powell really bottled them up because they didn't miss tackles. That has been a major strength for the Panther defense all season. Now, the schedule enters a very difficult stretch, with games @ Halls and Central, plus home games against West and Clinton. The next game at Halls will probably be a make-or-break game, as far as playoff berths are concerned.

As far as the Knoxville-area schools go, Maryville will likely move out of region 3-4A into 5A, and Knox West may be large enough by 2009 to move up to 5A as well. The new Hardin Valley HS should be 5A, but it won't take enough students from Farragut, Bearden, and Karns (many Powell students will be rezoned to Karns) to bump them all down to 4A. Four schools will likely be moving up from 3A - Seymour, Knox Catholic, Fulton, and Anderson County. Seymour would likely play in region 2-4A, but the other three schools would have to play in region 3-4A. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, especially with the new high school opening soon. The new region 3-4A would have some great teams - Catholic, Fulton, Central, Halls, and Powell, plus Anderson County.

I'm pulling for Powell just like you, but fyi, Carter beat Karns pretty easily this year.

Neither of these teams have beaten anyone. SD averages 400+ yards of total offense because they have a schedule that is no more difficult than Powell's thus far, and they haven't even played a team like Maryville yet.

I agree, this is a very interesting matchup. If Halls can run the ball, I don't think Clinton has much of a chance. I want to pick Halls here, but the way Clinton has been playing, it could be a tossup.

I'm still not ready to pick Powell in a game like this. Last week, I was unwilling to pick Powell because they hadn't beaten a playoff-caliber team. Anderson County hit some big pass plays in the 3rd quarter that exposed the Panther defense. Throwing the ball well enough kept the Panthers on their heels. AC is a good football team, and they are better than SD. I still think the Powell defense is good, but if SD is able to throw the ball down the field a few times, this one could end up like the AC game. Powell's offense has been clicking, but they need to continue to throw the ball well. AC was much bigger than Powell up front, and it showed in the running game. AC's defense forced Powell to beat them with the pass last week. Powell needs to get back to playing assignment defense. I'm still baffled by this Powell team, since their 2 losses have come against solid opponents, but this is a game they have to win if they want any playoff consideration. I think this will be a close game, and it could go either way.

This was a really good game, for about 3 quarters. Powell scored on 3 of their first 4 possessions, and Kier Houston really had the offense moving. Anderson County pounded their way to a 20-15 halftime lead, and they did it mostly behind an offensive line that really took advantage of Powell's small size. Both teams struggled to score through most of the 3rd quarter, turning the ball over a few times, but eventually AC put the ball in the endzone (on a long slant pass). The Mavericks were able to blow the game wide open late in the 3rd with another long TD pass, and after that, Powell was playing catchup. The Mavericks looked like a very good team, and they will definitely win more games this year. This was the Powell team that I expected to see from the beginning this year. They have the ability to move the ball, but they were absolutely manhandled while on defense. AC was able to run the ball very easily, and that will be trouble for the rest of the year for the Panthers. I like the way Powell runs their offense, but they have to avoid holding penalties. This is not a team that is going to hit you for a 30 yard play on every drive. This is a true spread offense, where a 10 yard pass play is considered a "big" play. Powell cannot afford to get behind because they don't have a quick strike offense. Good win for the Mavericks, and a very telling loss for Powell. Powell's defense has to toughen up, if they want to make the playoffs.