bigdeal

I was on the sideline at the game at GP Friday and it had to be the muddiest field I have ever seen. It was like those mud games you see in movies, just totally unbelievable. Those conditions really helped GP b/c it neutralized AC's superior speed and didn't allow AC to have a passing attack. I also questioned the officiating, it seemed as if GP's offensive line was usually a yard off the ball by the time the quarterback ever got the ball from center. It was either a false start or the GP center was just that slow snapping the ball. But I'm not here to make excuses for AC. GP just flat out wanted this one more. AC had there chances in the 2nd half. I think they took possession of the ball inside the GP 30-yard line 4 times in the 2nd half and was unable to put anything on the board. I wish GP the best of luck against Fulton this week. As for AC's year, I just want to congratulate the senior class of this team. For the past 4 years, this class has been overlooked by coaches and fans alike due to the junior class below them. This senior class showed lots of leadership and determination. If you go back to this past summer, I'll guarantee you that pretty much no one expected this team to do what they did this year. The Mavs had a heckuva year and should have nothing to be ashamed of.

I'm really looking forward to watching this matchup Friday night. This should be a great "smashmouth" football game with both teams lining up to run it down the others throat. I look for the trio of Mav tailbacks (Sanders, Mounts, Miller) to have a big night against GP. The Mav defense will have a big challenge to try and stop GP's ground game. This game will come down to the kicking game and who makes the fewest mistakes. I just hope the Mavs aren't looking too far ahead to a potential rematch with Fulton in the quarterfinals. Anderson County 31 Gatlinburg-Pittman 21

Well Anderson County wants Fulton again bad too. The fans and players both remember how classless Fulton was in their antics following the overtime thriller. If AC can get through Sullivan North and the winner of the Kingston-GP game, then they will probably play the winner of a potential Fulton-Austin East game in round 2. The next few weeks should hold in store some great high school football action. Go MAVS!!!

I believe this game will be closer than the game last year between the Mavericks and Sullivan North, but still should be an easy win. Sullivan North has an improved team according to one of my sources that is an alumni from there. Anderson County is still short at quarterback and defensive back due to Rob Wright being out with mono and Chad Deal's recovering ankle injury. Sean Mounts should play well enough at QB to advance the Mavs to round 2. The offensive line must get back to the dominating play of several weeks ago in order to advance far into the playoffs. Anderson County's defense needs to get back on track after allowing Scott County almost 500 yards total offense last week in the 50 yard field fiasco up in Scott County. Anderson County 41 Sullivan North 8

Well the Mavs and Highlanders played half-court football Friday night. I'll have to applaud the officials for keeping confusion to a minimum during this confusing game. For those who don't know, Scott County had a problem with the lights on one side of the field. Instead of postponing the game to Saturday, the officials elected to use the lit side of the field. It worked by switching sides of the field when the offensive team reached the 50 yard line. This has to be a first. If anyone else has heard of something like this I would like to know. I also don't see how Scott County won only one game this season. Their quarterback is probably the best that the Mavericks saw all season. Scott County was definetely better than Gibbs, Lenoir City and Loudon in region 2-3A. They put more points (regulation) and yards on AC's defense than any team this season. Now the new season starts against Sullivan North this week. I'll post more on this matchup later in the week.

Well I'll have to eat some crow and remove my remark about the officiating. I've just have heard the rumors over the years about some occasional homecooking up there in Huntsville. I might have been confusing it with what you always here about Cocke County (you know, they're all kin up yonder). But if you know otherwise Answer, I'll take your word for it. It should be a special one for AC defensive coordinator Tony Lambert. As an alum from Scott High, this will be his first visit as a visiting coach. So I'm sure old Maddog would love to have his defense give him his second shut out in as many weeks so he can have some bragging rights with the folks back home.

Well I think this one maybe closer than what most people think. First of all the hometown officials should help keep things close. Secondly, the Mavs maybe looking ahead to the playoffs just a bit. This one will be close at halftime with the Mavericks outlasting and outpowering the Highlanders in the second half. Anderson Co. 33-Scott Co. 16

Just wanted to see what people thought about this great matchup in week 10 in region 2-3A.

I definetly think that the 3A State Champ will come from 2-3A. I'm hoping that the Mavericks can pull it out. I'll agree with Answer in that 2nd place looks like the place to be for AC. But AC has to pull for an Austin-East win over Kingston in week 10. If Kingston were to beat the Roadrunners, then AE is 4th and AC would probably play them in round 2 and Fulton would get Kingston. If AC can't win it all, I'm pulling for the Roadrunners. They have tons of class over there at Austin-East unlike what they have at Fulton. I was on the field after Fulton beat AC, and the Fulton players were classless in celebrating there win by taunting the Mavs with several explicatives. There lack of class (several personal fouls in the waining minutes) was also one of the reasons AC was able to come back last year in round 2 against Fulton.

Answer, My brother is doing alright. He's supposed to be able to put weight on it in about 2 more weeks...so he's hoping that he might get to start holding field goals again. Thanks for asking. By the way, do I know you?

AC tried to schedule a game with Halls or Powell, but didn't want to play. Seems like Knox West is the only non-3A team in Knoxville man enough to schedule the Mavs. It's a real shame because we had some pretty good rivalries going on with them. Guess they're just scared to get beat by a 3A school.

I have heard that Anderson County's non-region opponents for 2003-2004 are Greeneville, Knoxville West and Clinton. I'm pretty sure about Greeneville and Clinton, but West may not be correct.

Just wondering what everybody thought about this matchup between the Mavericks and Lenoir City. I think Anderson County will come out a little flat after a key Region 2-3A victory over Austin-East last Friday. But the Mavericks will prove to be too much for Lenoir City to handle. AC needs to work on their passing attack the next two weeks to give their quarterback some confidence heading into the playoffs. Wright showed some improvement against AE with some key passes in the first half to contribute to the 17-0 halftime lead. AC 38-Lenoir City 7

I'll have to agree with oskie on this one, Tony Lambert is the man!!!

Fulton is a great team, but they have made the mistake of winning region 2-3A. If you win region 2-3A, you give yourself a tough road to travel to Murfreesboro because you will more than likely have to play Austin-East and Anderson County again in the second round and quarterfinals. Ask Anderson County how tough that is from 2001 when they had to use a miracle to beat Fulton in the second round and lost to AE in the quarters. It's extremely tough to beat a good team twice in the same season. The team that finishes second in that region has the cat bird seat if things play out like last year (AE was there in 2001 and won it all).

Hey Swamp, I just read the thread, "Best games played, past and future". I just took that as any time. By bad if that was not the intent.

My all-time favorite would have to be in the 2nd round of the 2001 playoffs. Anderson County found itself down 36-14 with less than 5 minutes to play against Fulton. Somehow Anderson County was able to score 22 points in a little over 4 minutes to tie the ballgame and send it to overtime. AC came out on top in OT 39-36 in what is now known in Anderson County as the "Maverick Miracle." The 1996 Anderson County-Cleveland matchup in the quarterfinals is also a memorable. The Mavericks ended Cleveland's 54 game winning streak by stomping the Blue Raiders 31-7.

With Anderson County coming off a heartbreaking loss against Fulton in double overtime, the Mavericks must bounce back in a hurry because the Roadrunners will present another tough challenge this week. The two keys to a Maverick victory are creating a real pass threat and no mistakes on special teams. Anderson County has not completed a pass in three games. And it's not because they can't catch. The quarterback hasn't delivered a pass that has been catchable. I hate to be critical of that, but even band parents were noticing that last week. Rob Wright has to really step it up this week or the Mavs may lose two in a row. If I was Austin-East, I would just put 9 or 10 guys in the box on defense and make AC beat me by passing the ball. Anderson County must not have any special team breakdowns. In the last two weeks, the field goal/extra point team has been an adventure with 3 botched snaps and 2 missed kicks. The Mavs also need to do a better job containing kickoff and punt returns. One plus from the Fulton game though was the Anderson County defense. If the defense can play as well against Austin-East, they give the Mavs a chance to win this one. Anderson County 20 Austin-East 14

Anderson County has 6 combinations. They have navy, silver and white pants and jerseys. As a former player, I think that at home the blue on blue combination is just awesome. I definetely like the new blue jerseys, they have the Ohio State style stripes on the sleeves. But I do think that those silver jerseys ought to be burned. They remind me of the old, terrible Mavericks of the late 80's. Stick with the white ones Mad Dog....

Kristi, If you had been reading any of the other posts concerning the AC-Fulton game, who would have seen where I had picked Fulton 28 to 27 over the Mavs. The Mavs are definetely my team, but I picked Fulton due to the fact that I indeed thought that Fulton would line up 8 or 9 in the box and potentially could stop AC's running game. I knew going in that we would not be able to pass on Fulton if they were able to stop the run. As far as speed goes...I didn't see Fulton with two 50+ yard runs up the middle like AC had. If "speed kills", why did Sanders and Mounts run away from your fast defense??? (From last week) The match-up between Fulton and Anderson Co. this week should be a great one. This one could go either way. If Anderson County's offensive line can pound the rock down Fulton's throat like they did against Kingston last week, the Mavs have a great chance to be 7-0. The Mavericks need good play from "Mad Dog" Lambert's defense (a.k.a. ACDC) in order to stop the aerial assault of the Falcons. But if Fulton can stop the run and force AC to pass, I look for the Falcons coming out on top in this one. Fulton has been waiting for this game for almost a year after what happened last year in the 2nd round of the playoffs in what is know known as the "Maverick Miracle." Fulton 28-Anderson County 27 [Edited by bigdeal on 10-15-02 7:36P]

You say speed kills Anderson County huh. Well I hate to break it to you, but the Mavs have several guys on the the that run a sub-4.6 40-yard dash. I dare say that the Mavericks are the fastest bunch of white boys in the state. Besides, who needs speed when you just flat out run over people. Plus, the soggy field tonight will slow down that "killer" speed that you are suggesting that Fulton has.

The match-up between Fulton and Anderson Co. this week should be a great one. This one could go either way. If Anderson County's offensive line can pound the rock down Fulton's throat like they did against Kingston last week, the Mavs have a great chance to be 7-0. The Mavericks need good play from "Mad Dog" Lambert's defense (a.k.a. ACDC) in order to stop the aerial assault of the Falcons. But if Fulton can stop the run and force AC to pass, I look for the Falcons coming out on top in this one. Fulton has been waiting for this game for almost a year after what happened last year in the 2nd round of the playoffs in what is know known as the "Maverick Miracle." Fulton 28-Anderson County 27

I agree that Oak Ridge shouldn't lose to a 3A program. But give Anderson County credit, they are not your typical 3A program. When you start losing to the likes of Kingston, Loudon or Lenoir City you can complain. Just admit it....the redneck white boys at the north end of the county can play football.

So in other words, AC fans should get there early or expect to stand around the field behind the fence. Appreciate it fellas.

I was hoping that a Kingston fan could tell me a little bit about your stadium (how much parking and how big is the stadium and what time the gates open). I was curious so I could know how early to arrive for the big game against AC on Friday night.