BrotherJim

It sounds like a lot of people are heading to Oak Ridge for this one - I wish I could be there! One piece of advice - go early. There are only a couple of ticket booths at the stadium and Big Ed's isn't the biggest place in the world. Factor that in with a 7:00 kickoff and some who are travelling might consider taking a couple of hours off at the end of the day Friday. Good Luck to both teams- should be a great game.

Thank you Joe Black and others like him. Every time I'm at a game involving a Blount County school it seems like Joe is on the sidelines taking care of kids (I'm not a Rebel,Mountaineer,Gov, or Tornado). Mr. Black is truly outstanding in his care and concern for the young people of Blount Co. Joe is one of the hundreds of trainers here in TN caring for our athletes - men's or women's, football to volleyball - they do a stellar job. Thank you all!

Sorry WaCo - I was merely trying to think of the more active posters from upper ET. Didn't mean to imply similarity in content or attitude.

I agree, Soddy looks strong. Anybody who thinks this is a one or two horse race is wrong. I even look for ooltewah to make some noise before the season's up - - not to mention McMinn and W-B. Of Course, Booker and company are the one everyone's aiming for...... I know WaCo, Jpats5, and others will vehemently disagree (isn't that the point of these boards anyway!), but top to bottom the TVAC (2-5A) is stronger than the Big East.

I respectfully disagree with the majority of opinions on this post. I thought it was wrong to play the Friday after 9/11.

DB vs. OR in the east, Riverdale-Lincoln Co. in middle.....that looks like some good 5A action. I'll take the 'Cats and Warriors but, no doubt, these could go either way.

All due respect to Brentwood (defending champs) and Riverdale (sustained dominance); however, has anybody looked at the 5-A playoff scores from last season? Most games throughout the state, from the second round on, were decided by less than a touchdown. My point: 5-A is wide open.....should be fun!

Catwatch, Either your credibility or your integrity is in serious question. Booker's not even in summer school this year....but keep spreading negative rumors and blatant falsehoods on a message board. If you've got to promote your agenda, that's fine, but check your facts before you start calling a kid's character into question.

Sounds like a pretty good year for running backs! I'm not sure if he's part of the Class of '04, but the Sanders kid at AC is an excellent rb as well. Also, I haven't heard any specific names, but Greeneville and Dobyns-Bennet ALWAYS have outstanding running backs. Could someone from upper ET fill me in?

Ronnie Phelps is more than a "class act" and a "good christian man," (although he most definitely both). He is also a heck of a football coach. George and Stanton are OUTSTANDING coaches, but don't forget that Coach Phelps knows a thing or two about football. More importantly, though, he also knows a thing or two about people. If you take a minute and think about it, after everything the Blount kids have been through with their last few years - Ron Phelps is absolutely the right man for the job! **Clarification..... I apologize if I upset with the comment at the end of my original post. I did a poor job of making my point. The point I was trying to make was that the WB players and fans have put up with a lot of turnover the last few years, all the while being on the cusp of competing for region titles. I think given the opportunity, Coach Phelps will bring stability. My apologies if I called into question anyone's character.

Rebelron, I'm not the greatest Maryville fan in the world, but your "fondest memories" were pretty cool. There's no better feeling in the world than watching someone you love succeed in such an atmosphere.