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Just saw this on Yappi; it's actually from a link to a Tennessean article from last week: The Green Wave worked at 14 Nashville Sounds games in 2009 and used proceeds from their steak supper/auction to raise about $23,000 for the trip. More kudos to Gallatin. When there's a will, there's a way.

MBA's seventh grade team plays at 4:30, and I assume the varsity would be practicing at the same time, thereby leaving both fields unavailable. The Blackman website indicates school runs until 3:30. My guess would be the game was scheduled later to keep the players from running from class to locker room to bus to a field 45 minutes away all in under an hour.

Texashsfootball.com

Name isn't coming to me immediately, but it's a small world, so potentially.

Do teams these days practice more than 12 hours per week? Assuming no practice on Fridays and Sundays and maybe a one hour run/conditioning on Saturday morning, a team could practice 2.5 hours each day Monday through Thursday and only be at 11 hours. And I can't imagine any team practicing that long on Thursday.

I'll save you the trouble of reading his pattern of posts and reinforce he was being playfully sarcastic.

Best of luck to Gallatin this week - always one of my favorite programs outside of my own - even if the final game of my high school years was a loss to the Green Wave. I'll never forget seeing the great teams of the 70s and 80s and thinking I was seeing the second coming of the Green Bay Packers. I will not profess to know anything about McKinley to the extent an OmahaVol or jlmac4 does, but my gut tells me Gallatin will do Tennessee proud in this one. Just to get to play a storied program in a tough football state is a big win in itself for the program.

DSM, don't get me wrong - Alcoa is fantastic. I can't claim any knowledge of knowing Alcoa other than what I see on TV in the state title games and those huge margins of victory seen in the paper. And, in recent years, I do believe they are good enough to beat anybody in the state. Fictitional matchups - for example, Alcoa vs. MUS in 2009 - are really diffcult to discuss. They are not real, and the victor on paper is largely going to be decided by allegiances for and/or biases against a certain team. But, we generally do like to debate these what-if matchups, and as such, I like to approach assessing the matchup in a resume-like manner. And it is just hard to find a flaw in MUS's resume in a side-by-side comparison last year. Their out-of-state opponent was stronger (but I do know Bell County was good, and I think Alcoa fans should be flattered by the way Bell County's fans came around after the game on Bluegrass Rivals when they were non-believers before the game). Even their best opponent was stronger - and while some could argue it is just as difficult to determine if South Panola is better than Maryville, I think consideration of most factors - each school's previous multi-dozen win streak, classification, and most importantly, Mississippi's long standing dominance of Tennessee schools in head-to-head matchups - would tilt the scales in SP's favor. Alcoa's schedule is what it is, and there are some good programs on the schedule: Fulton and Loudon are old programs with multiple wins and titles. But look at what MUS had to go through. Go 5 deep on their schedule and you may be looking at a team like White Station, and we all know how WSHS ended its season. This is a long-winded way of saying I hate the DI/DII segregation, even if it has some merits. Trust me, Alcoa deserves any accolade it has received in recent years; actually, for many decades. And I do understand the funding issue and would never expect nor want any school to undertake something for athletic purposes that would take away from academics or be burdensome to parents. There are ways - Riverdale has made it to OH, A-E has made it to NC, Brentwood High to FL, Gallatin is heading to OH this year - and yet I don't fault a school's decision not to travel if it doesn't make sense for its program/families. I only brought up Alcoa as a comparison in a vacuum to the one school in TN last year that, on paper, had a stronger resume. Outside that vacuum, Alcoa likely had few, if any, rivals last year. Apologies for perhaps painting the wrong picture. And thanks for taking it easy on me. I have probably blabbed too much today; off to bed. Good luck in the annual grudge match this week.

You are not (were not) throwing stones; I was talking about having stones (to schedule). I was the one who made the turn-the-tables reference earlier. It was in reference to rematches in the same season, not in subsequent seasons. And more importantly, it was made in the context of a previous comment someone had made about continuity in coaching from season to season. My purpose was to show that MBA has shown the heart to schedule ambitiously across all three coaching ears in the DII era, and also has shown the same ability to defend turf and exact revenge when rematches presented themselves in the same season. Also, to address a point previously made about financial aid. If someone wants to say that MBA benefits from the new aid rules created with DII, I am OK with that. I'd also like to point out that, without legacies and neighborhood kids, MBA would have had a fraction of the success it has had. MBA's three draftees in the DII era - the first lived two miles from MBA, was the son of a CEO of a NYSE-traded company, and was an Academic All-American in college. The second lived, I believe, within five miles of MBA. The third was a National Merit Semifinalist and the son of a colon/rectal surgeon in the Nashville area. Add in the legacies - MBA's Mr. Football winners in 1999, 2003, and 2007 were all legacies, with fathers or brothers having played at MBA - and you have a program that may benefit from aid but is also largely manned by the type of student usually associated with the school outside of sports message boards. Again, no disrespect intended. I'll follow your posts wherever they are and read with great interest. But we MBA supporters have to defend our turf when questioned, and when the subject of scheduling comes around, or how financial aid helps in relation to other student demographics, I strongly believe some similar, difficult questions could be made just as easily to others. As for Byrnes and the negativity, no one likes to get beat 62-14. We've had to read from posters of programs who will not even play a Harpeth Hall powderpuff team how the score could have been 100-0 (which is comical; 62-14 proved the point). No one even bothers to mention how MBA, the next week, beat Trinity, the eventual state champion again in Kentucky. It goes beyond support for one's school. It's hard not to bristle when an MUS runs the table two years in a row...in DII...with an All-American QB...and beats South Panola...and yet see others think running the table with a Bell County, KY opponent (good, but no South Panola) and relatively one legit in-state opponent is the real cat's meow. You have been a supporter of DII schools in general, to the extent of being generally complimentary and logical, but I'd love to see these difficult questions asked much more on the DI threads. You are neutral enough to get away with it; many of the rest of us are not.

cbg - you have always been one of my E.F. Huttons on ths board. But with the pleasantries out of the way: How many TSSAA schools play football? 330, give or take a couple? MBA has traveled to Jacksonville to play Bolles...traveled to Louisville to play Trinity...traveled to Cincinnati to play Moeller...played Byrnes in Nashville...traveled to the bowels of Northern Mississippi to play a program (albeit not a good one) that shared no stage with MBA (same goes for a trip to Lexington, KY)...traveled to Kingsport to play the state's all-time wins leader....and plays, year-in, year-out, in the strongest classification in the state. Frankly, I don't care if Byrnes has asked to play MBA again. Heck, I would too if I throttled someone 62-14. But, if you're going to start slotting programs in this state that don't have the stones to play anyone (good or not), to travel anywhere - go ahead and slot MBA at 330. Heck, you can even co-slot them with Brentwood Academy. Seriously, I do read your posts with more interest and respect than most others. But, if you're going to start talking about scheduling moxie this past decade, go barking somewhere else. There are some surrounding counties in Lane Kiffin's old stomping grounds that would be a lovely place to start.

Sure, there has been some turnover, and with a new participant in the game heckbent on throwing enough money at something until it sticks, the threat of turnover will likely continue. Yet, even with the changes, sometimes year-to-year, some trends have emerged in the DII era for MBA: > The two head coaching changes have resulted in state titles in the new coaches' first years > All three coaching eras have featured blockbuster out-of-state opponents (Bolles, Trinity, Byrnes, Moeller) > All three coaching eras have featured MBA teams that don't like to lose twice to the same team in the same season and don't fall victim to the "hard to beat a good team twice in the same season" theory.... DII Era 1 '97-'01: 2-2 avenging a loss in the same season, 5-0 protecting an earlier win in the same season DII Era 2 '02-'06: 4-1 avenging, 2-1 protecting DII Era 3 '07-'09: 3-0 avenging, 2-0 protecting If someone wants to call it paralysis by analysis, I can accept it, but if you look beyond the numbers, there's a very strong argument that tradition and pride carry over from year to year in any era. To me, these numbers really speak loudly: MBA has avenged a loss 75% of the time; their opponents have avenged losses only 10% of the time. And, for what it's worth, those 9 avenged victories haven't been cheapies: 8 of the 9 have been double-digit turnarounds, and 2 of those have been 40+ point turnarounds. Heck, just the BA games alone speak volumes. MBA is 4-for-4 in flipping the tables on BA when losing to BA earlier in the regular season and 2-0 when facing BA in the playoffs ('00 and '07 title games) after beating BA earlier in the year. And these, too, are trends that have carried over all three eras. I think the past doesn't play much, if any, role in a single game scenario. MBA's 15-0 record versus P-C will likely not be in any of the kids' minds on the field at kickoff tomorrow. And, as they say on Wall Street, past performance is not an indication of future returns. But, I think anyone who saw the three regular season games versus EHS, BGA, and BA last year and then saw what happened in the playoffs against the same three would have a difficult time not believing that there's something in the water on West End that's working.

I am having the same issues with mine. Connectivity to the boards ceased about a week ago.

I would not read much into that comment you saw, considering it's really difficult to see other teams play that aren't in your immediate area, unless you are at the championship games or watching the title games on TV. Most people are at games on Friday nights, but if they're at home watching a TV game, they are probably seeing a game in their own market. Coming off a quarterfinal appearance in one of the larger classes wouldn't qualify as "bad" in most people's minds.

rumble, I think you may be slightly too close to the situation to understand people's skepticism. My guess is that most, if not all, of the questions raised on here are borne in perceived reality more so than they are ill-willed or prejudice-based. Earlier, you had used the term "high level DI offer". If you consider in general terms - and not specifically as it relates to any QB discussed or not discussed on these message boards - I think there are about 15,000 starting quarterbacks in the country on the high school level. Depending on what constitutes "high level" (BCS conferences only? I-A/FBS? I-A/FBS and I-AA/FCS?), we're probably looking at, at best, about 200-300 scholarship offers at a high level in a given year. That's about a 1-2% chance of making the grade. When I think of a "high level" football program on the college level with perceived QB issues going into the season, U. of Tennessee quickly comes to mind (who would have ever imagined that?). While the starter remains to be determined, the player that gets mentioned often threw for almost 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns his last two years of high school (and that was at a high school that is considered a top 25 national program)..and UT is a program with huge question marks at QB?!. Unfortunately, the state of Tennessee has not fared well at the QB position in recent years in terms of follow-through on scholarships at the high level, although Brunetti seems to be special and have a ton of promise, and Cobb, although not a prototypical QB, is making waves at UK. But, we have had many a former Tennessee high school QB star find the sledding tough in recent years at the Notre Dames and South Carolinas and other high level schools of the world, and they have had to transfer to FCS schools in many cases - and have had to compete vigorously for playing time even there! The great thing, though, is that it's now time for the players/teams to let the play on the field speak for itself.

I'll let the Ohioans be the final authority, but while the 2008 version of Moeller was far from any glory year with a 6-5 record, they did beat the defending mythical national champion (Cincy St. X, who, if memory serves, lost their stud QB earlier in the year) and finished 6-5. Three of those five losses were by 8 points or less; another one was by 14 to Elder. The fifth loss was to MBA by 15 (I am not going to pound the table for the validity of using comparative scores to compare talent, but while it is not a be-all, end-all indicator, it is somewhat of a baromter, and one that does gain more validity year by year as teams travel beyond their own state lines more often). MBA lost to eventual champ MUS by 28 in the semis, with Brunetti at QB as a junior. That may shed some light on why many have looked very favorably on MUS locally and nationally the past two years, underscored primarily by the South Panola victory in 2009.

41-7 was the score shown on the DII baord under the "Predictions" thread, although there were basically no details provided.

Any time those D-B scores are ready, let me know. They will be a great addition to the site. On the list, yes, the guy in Texas is keeping records for all 50 states and does a great job of keeping tabs on it. He sends me e-mails every December to get the TN results, so I always want to make sure they are as accurate as possible. A few dents have been made on schools on the list in the past year, thanks in large part to fan help, particualry with Baylor, Christian Brothers, Union City, and Trousdale County (which was not on that 2008 list due to lack of records but is on the Texas guy's lists now). And I should have all of Memphis Central and Germantown loaded before 2010 is over, as one of the long-time Memphis journalists is sending me many Memphis school histories bit by bit (ECS being the latest addition). At that point, only Knox. Central, Alcoa, and Tennessee High would be the big gaps to be filled.

I am just too confused with all of the conflicting opinions and mathematical complexities to make any sort of reasonable prediction of a winner in 2010. I will predict this, however: the quarterbacking legacies of Ingle Martin and Barry Brunetti will remain as strong as ever no matter who takes home the gold this season.

I don't like to quibble on scrimmage scores - mainly because they are meaningless - but for the sake of non-grapevine clarity, Siegel never led and did not kick any field goals. The scoring went as follows: MBA TD (missed XP) >> MBA 6-0 MBA TD >> MBA 13-0 Siegel TD >> MBA 13-7 MBA FG >> MBA 16-7 Siegel TD >> MBA 16-14 MBA TD >> MBA 23-14 Siegel TD >> MBA 23-21 Again, not trying to nitpick on a meaningless score, and I certainly could not give an accurate assessment of when the scrimmage was not a "1s vs 1s" matchup, but it is at times helpful to provide color on rumors when misinformation is provided. To say Siegel held its own would indeed be accurate, however.

On the subject of Metro Nashville schools, for those interested in the football histories of the older schools, I have spent part of the offseason compiling scores/records during the playoff era (1969-Present). There are a few gaps here and there, and there likely may be a mistake or two in there, but these should be close (click a school for results): Antioch (1969-2009): 202-227-1 Glencliff (1969-2009): 165-254-5 Hillsboro (1969-2009): 253-202-0 Hillwood (1969-2009): 179-244-1 Hunters Lane (1986-2009): 151-107-0 Maplewood (1969-2009): 235-202-2 McGavock (1971-2009): 219-194-0 Overton (1969-2009): 287-164-1 Pearl-Cohn (1983-2009): 139-162-0 Stratford (1969-2009): 235-200-2 Whites Creek (1978-Present): 197-155-0

Not that the victor matters in a scrimmage, but one observer saw the EHS-HHS scrimmage differently: Ensworth-Hillsboro Scrimmage Recap

2009: 4-for-9 2008: 4-for-13 Combined: 8-for-22 >> .3636 (36%) These yearly statistics are available on the conference website. There is a reader on a local paper's message boards with a similar username that is not buying into a different set of statistics provided by others; I wonder if the two are one in the same. Nevertheless, the data provided on that paper's message boards and here - at least in terms of the aforementioned completion percentage - is accurate.

Really? That seems contradictory to the rules in place for DII. If true, then I think the wording would be more appropriately stated, "If one of these excellent students decides they want receive the scholarship, they are not allowed to play athletics by TSSAA rules." Yes, the end result is the same, but the TSSAA has absolutely zero say-so in who receives aid; that is the school's choice. The TSSAA has say-so only in the athletic eligibility of such students (and yet, I don't understand why the aid mentioned above at BGA is more punitive than aid provided at any other DII school).

Check out the City Paper for further post-article toxicity (re: e-mail story we exchanged this past week).