FlyBy

Byrnes did not look very good today; however, they were facing a very talented team. Did you catch it on ESPN2?

Thanks. I do not think they intend this to be a home/home series. It is simply a weekend of great match ups.

Please elaborate.

I have been away for a while, but it is nice to get back into HS sports. First and foremost, congrats to BA, Ravenwood, McCallie, and Riverdale for playing the kind of games that we all want to see. I hate the fact that these match-ups are not the norm. Speaking of match-ups, I am curious to know if there has been a thread already established on the Herbstreit Challenge of the best Ohio schools against top tier talent from around the USA over one weekend in September. Here is the link.... http://www.ohiovsusa.com The teams include names like De La Salle, Moeller, Elder, Don Bosco, and Byrnes (I am sure MBA is still having nightmares about those guys from last year; possibly the best HS team I have ever seen). These match-ups are fantastic, and I would ultimately like to see MBA, Riverdale, BA, Oak Ridge, Maryville, etc... join them in a year or so. It says there are still slots available for next year, and next year's list include teams like Evangel, Dematha, Hoover, etc... Play hard tomorrow, Big Red!

I believe the Blue Tornado wins this one and many more this year; it should be a good year for the Chattavegas boys in Blue.

Thanks RX3! It is very interesting to see opinions of folks from other areas, and it is good to see that everyone has a lot of pride in their own programs. I particularly got a chuckle out of the comments on Brentwood Academy. I can't believe that anyone from anywhere in the Southeast would question whether or not a program like Brentwood Academy could compete in any division from any state around here. Give me either the Brentwood Academy or MBA teams over the past 10-15 years and pick a state, and I can promise you we would "belong" in any division we choose. We may not have won all of the titles, but we would have won our share. Good luck Big Red, and thanks again for the link.

Once again, I am looking forward to seeing the Big Red take on Trinity. This has turned into an excellent series with two solid programs. If I remember correctly, they have a message board very similar to this one; does anyone have that link? I'd like to read up on them heading into next week's game. Best of luck, Red.

My guess will be L Right 26

Brentwood Academy up 34-13 late in the 4th

Heard you ran into one of my guys at Furman. MBA is getting "handled" again; doesn't look good.

Hope I am wrong, but I think MUS takes this one. MUS 17 MBA 14 FlyBy

McCallie 24 Brentwood 14 FlyBy

I think both MBA and Brentwood Academy win round one, but I think it will be tough for each of them to then go on the road and win at solid programs. As many have mentioned, DII AAA is an extremely level field this year. I think one will make it, but I do not see the other one there; as for which one, I could make scenarios for either making it or not. Both will play with heart, and I know MBA will be mentally prepared, but they still have to execute. Hopefully the MUS loss was the result of an off night, but it sounded like to me it was a physical whipping. Can anyone provide information to make me feel better about that? FlyBy

Coolio, All coaches that are worth anything teach their O-line kids how to hold, including your own. Usually, they are ok as long as they do not extend their arms. If one wanted to, one could probably call holding on every play. Itzme is right, this was a great game that could have gone either way. Depth played a key role in the third quarter, but the same "tired" BA boys put together two fantastic drives in the 4th which speaks straight to their character. I am afraid that we will not see the rematch; I hope I am wrong, but I don't see it happening. FlyBy

Careful RedTwin, D&C was good when I was in school. You are beginning to sound like an old man like me. FlyBy

Hey folks, Even if the game is, has, or has not passed him by, do not forget what he has accomplished. I am not saying that you are not respecting him; I just want to remind you of what he has done for Tennessee HS football. He is and always will be a coaching legend. Without his drive and determination for perfection, TN HS football would still be turning out limited numbers of D1 players. He is largely responsible for making other teams like MBA and McCallie take their programs to a higher level. FlyBy

Obviously, most of us would name coaches that coached and impacted our lives; I am no different. The two best in my opinion come from my times on the local football fields: they are Tommy Owen and Calvin Short. Owen did more with less than anyone that I know of. Short always fielded a well coached and disciplined team. In addition Short usually had solid talent as well. What Owen brought to the field was lessons in life. Sure, he loved to win as much as anyone, but he also loved to teach young men about life in order to prepare them for the days when football would be over. Owen understood that life is the greatest game you can play and that football serves as the best scrimmage game a young man can have. FlyBy

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Itzme, I had hoped to start this year off differently. Read my post again; I do not suggest Tyler move back to QB. I simply stated that I thought the passing game would be the ONLY weakness; come on. I would prefer to watch Tyler at Free as opposed to LB though. He is truly a joy to watch play the position. The only other person I have enjoyed watching play Free as much as I do Tyler is Barton Simmons. They both understand the game and play it to its maximum. I hope we can watch him in either Orange and White or Black and Gold next year! FlyBy

BA looked solid last night for the first scrimmage. DC is not a push over by any means. This should be BA's year. BA has tons of talent as usual. My biggest question for BA is the passing game. Even though they completed some balls last night, several times the receivers were left exposed over the middle of the field due to high or errant passes. IF DC had had a head hunter for a safety, he could have done some damage to BA's receivers. Should be another fun year. FlyBy

As usual, I'll pick BA to win it this year. With that kind of talent, it is hard to pick against them at the beginning of the year. I can't wait to see Tyler Griffin at FS as a senior. Flatt, don't put him at QB. He is the real deal on the defensive side of the ball; let him go one way and be devastating to opposing offenses.

There were several excellent teams in the state this year. I was very impressed with Huntingdon. Hillsboro and Germantown were solid as well. I would have liked to have seen Lincoln County and Germantown face off, but LC didn't hold up their end of the bargain. Don't forget about Franklin's impressive year as well. CBHS and BA continued with strong runs in D II. Eventhough there were great teams from the East, Middle, and West, I do not think anyone could have handled the Big Red at the end of the year. Congratulations MBA on another great year. Roll Red Roll

Are any of my Norandal boys coming to Nashville; if so send me a PM; I'd like to catch up and talk some Huntingdon, MBA, and UT football. If you are going to the game; let me know. Thanks FlyBy

I've never cared too much about Riverdale. I think that Rankin is a good coach, but I have always thought that he is one of the big reasons we have the trouble that we do regarding the split. However, I'll be cheering for the Warriors to keep the Gold Ball from 5A in the midstate! Go get'em Warriors! FlyBy

OK Burros, You had a great season last year, and I thought you had it won. Congratulations on making it back! Now, go finish the deal and bring another Gold ball back to the midstate! Let's go Burros! FlyBy