peterw

Don't forget that my alma mater West High School shocked everyone last year when they upset #5 Oak Ridge in the District 3 Championship and lost to #8 Bearden in overtime in the Region 2 Semifinals. Their program has come a long way and they could be a Cinderella this year. Also Fred J. Page in Franklin could be one to watch in A-AA if things go well for them. At 9-4-3 and a 4th seed in District 11, they are way under the radar. Unranked since 2003, they've knocked off 4 Top 10 teams in the last 7 years and have a propensity for stepping up their game in the postseason. They still are the only 6 seed to reach a District Championship in Tennessee history.

First, anyone who knows James personally knows that he is ANYTHING but selfish. Second, he understands the qualifying system quite well. He is a student of track and field and knows a great deal about it. He was well aware that only the top finisher in each sectional heat was guaranteed to qualify. Third, he's running with a very painful knee injury. Give him credit for toughing it out so he could help Page take a shot at the state championship. Fourth, if he HAD qualified for the 200m, he probably wouldn't have been able to run it anyway. His parents are insistent that he go to his graduation that night after the 4 x 200m relay. Fifth, BHSFootball doesn't even know James. He is hardly out of shape. If his knee were 100%, he could run a 21.9 with no problem. But since the knee injury, his times have instantly dropped to 23.9 to 24.2 and he's never been faster than that since the injury. Maybe you should change your name to BS Football. That would be more apropos (if you even know what that means). Finally, if you want to talk bad about somebody, talk about LaRay Foote. James may have been runner-up in the 200m last year, but LaRay was the gold medalist, and he's not running either because of a knee injury. All he's doing is long jump, and the loss of his other points could cost Mitchell the state title. Do you call that selfish? Or maybe just trying to keep from injuring his knee even worse? If you don't know the full details about a situation, don't talk about it like you're an expert on it.

James Vaughn was indeed runner-up in the 200m last year and also won gold in the 100m. He was known as the fastest man in the state. The reason he was unable to qualify was because of his ongoing battle with a bad knee injury. I've heard he's been fighting a lot of pain, but he'll still give the 100m some excellent competition, even when he's hurt.

Oh boy, that Sycamore team is tough. They just earned a whole TWO POINTS in the Buster Relays and finished 4th to last. Watch out, those War Eagles are gonna be tough at sectionals.

Vaughn was not a senior last year. He was a junior, so he'll be back to defend his title as state's "fastest man". And Foote beating Vaughn in the 200m by one step last year (0.14 seconds) does not make Foote the fastest man in the state. The 200m is endurance as well as speed. Any time you watch the Olympics, you only hear the announcers mention "The Fastest Man in the World" during one event. That's the 100m. It's a test of pure speed.

Adrian Bentley is impressive, no doubt about it. His 10.62 in last season's AAA sectional was the best state qualifying time in TN. But 9 runners in A-AA, AAA, and Division II beat Bentley in the 100m at state on Briarcrest's track under equal conditions. I would hesitate to bet money on someone with that kind of showing at the most important track meet of the season. But he still has much respect from me. It will be a great race between Bentley, Foote, and Vaughn for the A-AA crown. Tennessee's three best runners are from small schools, not from AAA or Division II this year. Bentley the best in the Southeast? That may be overdoing it just a little. Tridon Holliday from Louisiana was running a 10.47 100m and a 21.39 200m last year. Lajuan Taylor from Georgia was running a 10.52 100m last year. But lucky for Adrian, they both graduated. I've heard of at least one runner in South Carolina already running a 10.5 this season. Is Adrian in the Top 5 in the Southeast? I'd agree to that.

James Vaughn set the Middle Tennessee Sectional record last season, and he literally jogged across the finish line. The second best sprinter Yi Chieh Chang from MLK wasn't even close. Of course James won the gold at state in the 100m as well (vs. the very talented Laray Foote). Vaughn's winning time was a 10.75 (which isn't even one of his top 5 times), and Vaughn beat everyone from AAA and Division II under the same conditions on the same track surface. That speaks a lot for James. Nobody will touch him in Middle TN in A-AA.

No, I can't say that I've eaten at Ryan's in Murfreesboro. That restaurant is bad no matter where you go. I've probably eaten at 15 or 16 restaurants in Murfreesboro, and they all stink. Logan's Roadhouse is usually good, but it's terrible in Murfreesboro. You can usually trust Papa John's and Pizza Hut, but they're both terrible in the boro. The Demo's is horrible compared to the one in downtown Nashville, even the Dairy Queen tastes weird compared to the others across America. And almost none of the restaurants stay open after 9:00 on week nights like they do everywhere else in the U.S., and almost nobody will take a credit card in the boro, even franchises that usually do take plastic in other cities. It's a strange place. Many people have noticed these same disturbing facts about Rutherford County. It's very odd. And the slow traffic. MY GOODNESS!!!

Bruinsoccer, did Newbern transfer? I'd hate to think she wasn't playing anywhere at all as good as she is. Patagonia, you would at least put Grace Lawson in your top 3 wouldn't you? Who is the top player in your opinion?

Cindy Parlow was definitely a junior for Germantown in 1994. By 1999, she had already won a gold medal in the olympics and several national championships with North Carolina.

Very funny. I don't typically cheer for JP2, and I'm not a relative of Grace Lawson's. I have however seen 30-something soccer games this year (including every Top 11 team in every class except St. George's and Madison Magnet). Weighing the strengths and weaknesses of every player I've seen, I think Grace Lawson has the most potential to play at the college level. Did you see her against Baylor on Saturday? Unbelievable. My brother is a college coach in California, and I put Lawson at the top of my scouting report for Tennessee. Of course, everyone will have their own opinion, but I think anyone who wouldn't put Lawson at least in their Top 3 or 4 is crazy. I wish Monica Dunham would have played this year. She might be better. To Bruinsoccer, last time I checked Geneil Newbern was starting for Georgia. Is she no longer? Injured perhaps? She was incredible in high school!!!

Barry didn't give me anything on the boys. I wish I knew their stats as well. I met Barry at the 1994 girls soccer tournament, I started asking questions, he saw how interested I was in statistics, and the rest was history. We almost had the girls all-time scoring list added to Eurosportscoreboard (soccerinfo at the time), but Coach McCloskey wanted to get a boys scoring list too before we made that move (just to make it equal of course). So that idea fizzled because nobody has the boys list. I'd be interested to know if anyone out there has a girls list of 100+ goal scorers as well. Barry said he had the only list before his death, but it's possible someone else was keeping track. I believe the 20 girls I have listed covers everyone of them, but with 247 teams statewide, I suppose someone could have fallen through the cracks.

P.S. PitchFever, as far as the convoluted (I used the correct spelling) theories of mine, I think it's reasonable to consider AAA Region 5 different from the original Region 5. If the Titans for example moved from the AFC South to the NFC South, this would not be considered the same division. Sure, they're both labeled "South", just as Region 5 was still labeled Region 5 after one division became AAA, A-AA, and Division I in soccer. But the AFC and NFC are different conferences, just as one single classification is different from AAA, hence making them different divisions or regions altogether. Trust me, I give Hendersonville much credit for winning 10 straight titles in 2 separate regions combined. I was just pointing out a stat of a different type. The fact that Tullahoma and Hendersonville had won every region title since becoming a AAA team (until Beech stopped Hendersonville). More importantly, that Tullahoma had the longest active streak going until Siegel's impressive run this season. It's exciting to see new teams step up.

Good question BigGExpress. TSSAA unfortunately does not have a position for Tennessee Girls Soccer Historian. I suppose this title was bestowed upon me years ago when I least expected it. Shortly before the legendary Barry Redmond passed away, he knew I cared enough about statistics and girls soccer in Tennessee to maintain all the work he had done over the years. He gave me the only existing copy of the all-time scoring list and every bracket from 1986 to the present. I've faithfully maintained those stats over the years, and I believe I have the only copies of every bracket and all 100+ goal scorers. The TSSAA always consults me on girls soccer records, but I don't think they'll be giving me a corner office on Lebanon Pike.

As I mentioned on another thread, JP2 is the most impressive team I have seen since the '94 Germantown team with Cindy Parlow. Lawson and Forrester are unbelievable! To defeat a Jimmy Weekley team like that deserves much credit. I believe that was the first state championship of any kind for Pope John Paul II in their short school history. Congrats! What a contrast between a school with 85 athletic state championships (more than double any other Tennessee school) and a school just earning their first.

The first half that JP2 played against Baylor on Saturday was the most skilled half of soccer I've seen in Tennessee in a decade. It was November 6, 1994 when Cindy Parlow (U.S. National Team) was a junior playing for Germantown in the state finals on Brentwood High School's field. Pope John Paul is an amazing team this year, best in any classification! I've seen Grace Lawson play quite a bit over the last 3 years, but after watching her performance Saturday, I haven't been this excited about a player since Ridgeway's Geneil Newbern 1998-2001 (now a starter with Georgia). After debating throughout this season, Lawson is the best player in the state!!!

It does appear that way, doesn't it? As a former coach, a daily shootout practice was paramount as soon as the regular season was over. It's so important! You never know when you might be in a shootout, and you MUST practice. It gives the coach a chance to fine tune their top 10 shooter list, move the order around for strategy, and give advice on how to hit your PKs. After playing 110 minutes of soccer, it's the only way to end the game. By the way, I really felt like Oak Ridge played a much better game than Collierville. But I kept thinking, all the Lady Dragons need is one opportunity and one goal and they could pull the (so-called) upset. And that's just what they did. They had fewer scoring chances, but they made it pay off.

Dear coachof3, I wasn't a week late, nor was I on the wrong thread. I was responding to the post just prior to mine by BRSoccer who said they were happy to take the Region 4 title over Tullahoma. I'm not affiliated with Siegel, but was merely congratulating them on an excellent accomplishment. You sound upset, even touchy. Perhaps you're a Tullahoma fan. Dear PitchFever, I did do my homework. As a matter of fact, I AM the homework. I'm the state historian for girls soccer in Tennessee and I have every bracket ever made since the first official championship in 1986. So allow me to explain my point. I am well aware that Hendersonville technically won 10 consecutive region titles, ended by Beech on October 14, 2004. But I take into account the fact that the first three titles were in the old Region 5. The next 7 were in Region 5 AAA, which technically speaking is not the same region. After the split in 1997, some teams ended up in completely different regions, so even they may have consecutive titles, but not in the same region. I separate these stats by pre-1997 regions, 1997-2004 regions, and of course 2005-present regions which were recently scrambled by TSSAA except for the regions that did not change at all. Tullahoma and Hendersonville happened to be tied with 7 consecutive region titles under the AAA format. That is the stat to which I was referring. Again, I despise domination. I, like most people, enjoy seeing new teams step up and compete for a state championship. Thank you Siegel. Who wants to see the New York Yankees win the World Series every single year (besides Yankees fans)???

Trivia: What girls soccer team holds the state record for the most consecutive Region Championships in any classification or division? Answer: Tullahoma, 7 straight Region 4 Championships, a streak that extends from 1998 to the present ... ... UNTIL SIEGEL knocked them off! Congrats Lady Stars for grabbing that Region 4 title this year!!! I despise domination by one team.

Well, well, well. Chuckey-Doak finally played a ranked school. There are a lot of unranked schools that lost to FRA this year by a similar score (Ezell-Harding, MLK, Page, DCA). It looks like Chuckey-Doak's #5 ranking was a bit inflated.

The Fighting Irish vs. the Fighting Irish should be an awesome game tonight! I know the FRA vs. Chuckey-Doak won't be.

Very true duce777. I'm telling you, somebody get me free food and a seat up in the box at Finley Stadium out of the frigid weather and I'll do play-by-play for every game.

Dear flashgordon, Yes, I realize that FRA, CPA, and CCS all three have very small enrollment. That's what makes it all the more unfair. The fact that they can even compete with AAA schools should illustrate how unbalanced the scales are. How fair is it to compete against private schools with 125 female students (15 of which are travel soccer players) when you're a public school (in the middle of an area known for soccer talent) with 1000 students and 1 travel player who didn't run off to a private or magnet school? If every member of the TSSAA could have stood in my shoes when I coached, they'd send the private schools to Division II right now. When I saw 7 travel players go from the middle school right across the street to various private and magnet schools, the frustration was unbelievable. One of those players ended up as the state MVP (and scored a hat trick against us to eliminate us from the playoffs). Another of those girls ended up making the practice squad for the United States Olympic team. These girls lived in our small zone and could have brought home a state championship but were lost to other schools. You cannot have zoned schools who draw players from a small zone (losing some to private programs) competing against schools that bring in elite players from EVERY zone across a 75-mile radius. Should the Super Bowl champions be allowed to get even stronger by plucking the best player off of every other team in the NFL? There would be a public outcry. But we digress.

So true my friend. So true. I spend time watching a lot of soccer in Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga, Franklin, Murfreesboro, Knoxville, anywhere you can imagine in Tennessee. Georgia and Virginia too. Murfreesboro has the worst restaurants in the state, no entertainment, and the most boring atmosphere for the state tournament. Besides, you can't replace Finley Stadium as the perfect place to play a championship game! Especially not a soccer park. To CaraByrd, I'm not sure why they wouldn't choose the site near Siegel over the Smyrna site. It makes more sense being IN Murfreesboro. But my credible sources have Smyrna as the front runner right now. Who knows why?

Inside Scoop: TSSAA is actually eying the soccer complex in Smyrna for state next year for girls soccer. So they won't be in the boro, but close by. All of Spring Fling will relocate from Memphis to the Murfreesboro area; track, baseball, boys soccer, you name it.