chester77

Ego, to back up your point, CPA had 2 (count 'em, 2), African American players, neither of whom had any real impact this year- 1) Senior Eric Holt, an excellent running back/corner who was injured in the first game and was out for the entire season, and 2) Sophomore Jordan Dickerson, who barely played at all this year. Virtually every team CPA faced in the playoffs (with the exception of Wayne County) had superior speed, black or white. So this postulate of race-based advantage is yet another red herring.

dandy82, the general problem I have with the private/public debate in 1A is the 'conspiracy theory' mentality. The idea that there must be something sinister for teams like CPA, Boyd, Ezell, etc., to become so good, and the refusal on the part of some to believe that it could well be coaching, school/parental support, and, yes, hard work that lies at the root of the emergence of these teams as powerhouses. The knee-jerk reaction is to chalk it up to recruiting/tuition assistance, or some other dark practice when, in fact, with CPA in particular, many of these kids have gone to school together, and played together, since kindergarten. Again, I invite you to show me where the blue-chip, recruited ringers are on the 2002 1A championship team. Show me the mysterious advantage they had which took them from an 0-3 start to a ring. Until someone can explain that one to me, I can't buy into the conspiracy theory.

dandy82, with respect to CPA, I think you're oversimplifying. Sure, several players from this year's team may have a shot a college ball (on some level), but I don't believe that, in and of itself, proves your point. There are other factors involved as well, such as the effort made by Coach Pack and others to make schools aware of these student athletes. My point is simple- it's not a matter of 4 or 5 kids possessing more pure athletic ability than kids in public school (in fact, I've seen more raw talent in some of the publics), but a combination of factors (some of which have nothing to do with school at all).

37421 and dandy 82, I agree with all of your four points save one-I don't think that the '3-4 excellent athlete' theorem is correct. Case in point, This year's 1A champs, CPA. The team had it's stalwarts (Scott Greenwood, Chris Peak, Travis Sikes, etc.), but the only player that you could truly say was exceptional (Eric Holt) was injured in the first game and out for the entire season. There were no standout 'recruits'- in fact, many of the teams players were CPA students since they were kids. CPA's success is rooted in great coaching, hard work, and hard-nosed play. While true of some privates, the 'recruiting' (or 'attracting') of athletes is the key to their success, it's not true of all.

Antwan, CPA really dominated the first quarter (actually, the entire first half with the exception of the last 2 minutes of play. They had Boyd down 17-0 and had a chance to blow them out (which would have been more likely had they held in the last 2 minutes of the half). Hats off to Boyd and Will Healy, who never stopped fighting. Healy is the best quarterback we've seen all year. They were a great team. One thing that I think is overlooked in all this, though, is the fact that CPA really had to fight their way through 3 weeks of championship-caliber games to reach the final. I believe they were emotionally drained after defeating 3 consecutive undefeated, championship-quality teams, yet rose to the occasion one more time to win it in OT. Hats off to the CPA defense, who, once again, played with 'one heart' to give CPA the win. CPA All The Way!

Antwan, CPA really dominated the first quarter (actually, the entire first half with the exception of the last 2 minutes of play. They had Boyd down 17-0 and had a chance to blow them out (which would have been more likely had they held in the last 2 minutes of the half). Hats off to Boyd and Will Healy, who never stopped fighting. Healy is the best quarterback we've seen all year. They were a great team. One thing that I think is overlooked in all this, though, is the fact that CPA really had to fight their way through 3 weeks of championship-caliber games to reach the final. I believe they were emotionally drained after defeating 3 consecutive undefeated, championship-quality teams, yet rose to the occasion one more time to win it in OT. Hats off to the CPA defense, who, once again, played with 'one heart' to give CPA the win. CPA All The Way!

CPA is for real. All the way CPA.roll CPA

Coach of the Year has to be David Pack of CPA. Written off by many 'experts' after an 0-3 start, losing their star running back in the opening game, CPA overcame an incredible amount of adversity through brilliant coaching and gritty team play.

Coach of the Year has to be David Pack of CPA. Written off by many 'experts' after an 0-3 start, losing their star running back in the opening game, CPA overcame an incredible amount of adversity through brilliant coaching and gritty team play.