4th&Goal2Go

We need to go back to the way it used to be. Bring everyone back together but keep the multiplier but just 5 classifications across the board. move some teams from 2A up or down to make the numbers workout or add another classification (6) and let the really big public and private schools slug it out!

52! Thats my defense. We ran it in HS and I love to see it on Friday nights. You can certainly make adjustments and do other things with it.

How many times have you heard the old saying; ???What have you done for me lately???? Great coaches are let go every year because they don??™t produce! This year alone, several men that have state championship rings that I highly respect did not get rehired because of too many losses. On the flip side they do what they have to do rebound and produce winners. Atkins went to NC and became a winner. He coached at a school larger than FC and won. He went to a school in MS and won district. We do not know what will happen in FC but the one thing I do know about the man is that he can coach football. Like the LostOldDad said, ???Anything can happen!??? Why don??™t you reserve judgment and let??™s see how it plays out!

Ya??™ll have a happy Easter and remember to go to church tomorrow!

From Wayne Academy (A Private school) to Franklin County (5A) is a big jump. Not to mention administration support. Do you think he will get the same offer as Coach Mac; money, one class teaching load., etc. If so, I hope that he got it in writing. Plus, how loyal is the administration? Or will there be a turn-over again in a few years.

Only time will tell. Don't know anything about FC administration but I do know coach. He will do fine. He has coached at large schools in the past. It will be interesting to see how the kids take to the spread offense. I heard he was shopping for assistant coaches.

Wondered the same thing. The wikipedia link sounds like he is from NC, but local paper says he is coming from MS. Don't know how long in MS or record there.

Word from FCHS he will meet with players tomorrow.

I know he has coached in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Mississippi.

I read somewhere he was a region coach of the year in NC in 2005.

Was he the head coach, OC, DC, position coach or what? If not the HC who was? How many games did Spring Hill win?

I played for coach my junior and senior year. Bill Cox was the head coach. We won our region one year and came in second the other year.

We had some good coaches. We had some good years on DA HILL! We beat a lot of good teams in those days. We beat Coach Mac's Moore County team twice, Marshall County twice, we beat Columbia Central in the jamboree, we had winning seasons both years. When our team graduated and things went bad for SHHS.

I have never heard of a head coaching search where they saddled the new coach with a specific offensive scheme. For the record, you can run the wing-T angle blocking scheme out of the I-Wing and the spread or double slot offense. You do not limit yourself by just calling it the Wing-T. It just seems strange to me they are being so picky about what they want. You should hire a head coach and let them do just that, serve as head coach.

I have been catching up on all the opionions on a possible new coach for Spring Hill and someone's own "Glory Years". I have a stake in a new coach on various levels and I was surprised and shocked to even see Lee Atkins' name mentioned as a possibility.

 

When he was an assistant at SH, Atkins manipulated the head coach to play his own son, who unfortunately was not the best quarterback at the time. When that ultimately didn't work out, Atkins made his son quit and then quit the team himself. To me, this is not "hard nosed" nor does it "rally" the team to do well. This is not what Spring Hill needs. We have had enough turnover for a while. Also, once Atkins quit, he came onto this site and posted unkind remarks about Coach Cox. The team needs a new "people person" who can get along with students, co-workers and other teachers and willing to stay for a while. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

I am very sure that your facts are very wrong. Both Atkins and Hertzog quit at one point (a couple of years apart) for the same reason and it had nothing to do with QB's. Both had disagreements with Cox. I think lots of people did in those years.

I graduated the year before but I was around the school in between going to college that season. I know that his son never quit and was the starting QB for all three years he was at SHHS and then went on to play at West Point. I saw Chris a few weeks back at a SH football game in on leave from Iraq with his brother who is also a coach somewhere. Anyway, your story is off a little IMO.

I can tell you from personal experience you will never find a better teacher or coach than Atkins. He was always good to me and my family. He wrote a letter of recommendation that helped me get into college and I will always be thankful to him. I think some of your remarks are out of line. I know that both Herzog and Atkins have made a name for themselves since leaving SHHS (as has others) as high quality coaches so whatever grudge you may have against them is biased and has nothing to do with their coaching abilities.

I doubt either of them will want to come back to SHHS anyway. I'm sure Maury county does not pay enough for either of them now. We will end up with some young gun who has never been a head coach. Thats what happens when your team is way down. The only school in the county who has a booster program that can afford to bring in coaches who make the big bucks is Columbia Central. They have the resources to pay for whatever is needed.

You are right about needing a good people person. Both of those men were just that. Herzog maybe one of the best defensive minds in the state. I would love to see him come back to SHHS. I think he may have applied at one time for the position but didn't get it.

Like I said before, Cox had his faults. No doubt about that but he did produce a quality product until we moved up to AAAA. We have not had a solid program since those years and thats why the players from that time remember them. Stone was always a good coach too. I would hate to see him leave the school. You may not like it but those of us who played for those men still respect them and would love to see that type of program again. Like others have said repeatedly, the Raiders were feared back then. No one scheduled us for Homecoming back then except for Hickman County and we rocked their world for it!

In closing please no one else write about how it was back in the glory days of Coach Cox, when i saw that i threwup in my mouth a little..

I don't think they are saying Bill Cox was the great coach but he had people on his staff that worked the boys hard and have since gone on to be great head coaches and coordinators at other schools. Also, that group of boys who played in 97-98-99 were a great combination. We have not seen that group of hard nose kids since that time IMHO. I know Cox had his problems but most of that happened after he had surgery and he seems to be doing great in KY now! Think about how many of those boys are now in the coaching ranks! A lot of good talent came through SHHS between 1995-1999!

Speaking of Hoath, both of those brothers were as good as it gets in football talent, but talent alone isn't enough. You must have the right scheme to match the talent and a good head coach and total coaching staff. We have not had the right mix of all three together since 1998-99 IMHO. Some years we have had two parts of the puzzle but not the whole pizza. Yes, you are right, they need to reach outside of the area to find the next guy but that doesn't mean there aren't well qualified people who are in the area.

I agree wiith the underlined portion of your statement. When things aren't going your way it's really easy to point out the negative and completely forget about all the good things that have happened to this program and these kids. Things have been a lot worse and have improved over the years. Dedication and success is a commitment that has to be made by everyone associated with a program, school(system) and community. I would have to say some of that has been lacking.

In addition, for those of us that want to say SH is laden with talent..... Yes there are some athletic young men, there are also rules and boundaries that everyone must comply with, sometimes that is hard. And fortunately/unfortunately, the last time I checked it takes more than 2 or 3 talented players to make up a complete team. Based on my experience it's the little things that get the big things accomplished.

I agree with most of what you've said and McKnight did make improvements to the program but now that we are back in AAA ball and he has resigned, we should look to someone with head coaching experience that knows how to turnaround a program like this. The trick is someone who has experience at either building a program or turning one around. That is very different from just being a good coach.

To Blue Devil... I agree with most if not all that you're saying. But, I do have a correction. Coach Cox only played Columbia Central once before he left and that was in 2001. It was a good game, maybe only a one or two TD margin. That was a pretty good Central team too since they found it easier in 4A. (Of course). If you are referring to the almost annual scrimmage in the Jamboree that Spring Hill and Central played against each other in. Then, I wouldn't exactly count those as "wins". Yes, I realize that a lot of emotion went into those Jamboree matchups on both sides and that was all anyone had to guage as far how the programs compared. But, remember they were just that, Jamborees. Although it's hard to deny that beating Central in just a Jamboree was big for Spring Hill... By the way, I'm pretty sure that Coach Stone has turned down the job before in previous coaching changes. I guess he doesn't want to be a head coach. Just a guess.

The jamboree loss was important enough for Coach Wright to lose his job two weeks after losing to SHHS in the Jamboree! Yes, the Raiders played those Jamboree games as if it were the first real game of the season and we won!

I can promise you that it was much more difficult to win in AAA than it was in the 80's to win in A ball. The level of competition now in AAA is very tough with DL moving up a few years ago. I was never a huge Bill Cox fan but since he left and that staff broke up, I have watched the Raider program slowly slide and it makes me angry and frustrated. Yes, the talent level has not always been constant but much of it comes down to the weight room and the off-season program. I don't care if they run the spread or the I, we just need someone who knows how to teach boys to win games.

I could not agree more! We need a proven coach he doesn't need to be 80y/o but someone that knows how to win. As for the "glory years" well I consider that any time from 1983 to 1998. And yes I am a former player from that time and it kills me to see what it has come down to. I'm a "Saturn brat" we moved here but I tell you all what when I moved here SHHS had a reputation that was great. You work hard, never say die, and the other team never looked forward to playing you! The problem now is those teams that used to fear us now schedule us for home comming. I would just like to see us be the more physical team (right now were soft). If we can start there I think we will be moving in the right direction.

 

"BLOOD MAKES THE GRASS GROW" KILL KILL! Former raiders will remember that!

Amen brother! We played smash mouth in your face kind of football and we had some great memories. Practice was long and hard and there were days that I thought they were going to kill us but you know what, I would drop everything I am doing and go back and strap up just to play one more game with those guys and those coaches. Look how many young coaches came out of those teams of the 90's. Ask anyone who played for those men and they will tell you they respect them to this day. Cox may have lost it in the end with the brain problems but you know what, I wish we had that staff back today. They knew football and they knew how to prepare us for games. When we played Hickman County or Marshall county people feared us! That is where we need to be again and I don't think it can happen over night but it can happen with the right man at the helm.

Why doesn't Stone want the job?

BTW for what it's worth: Bill Cox is the head coach at Warren Central in Kentucky and has had a winning program almost every year since leaving SH. Atkins was NC Coach of the year in 2005 and is now coaching at a private school in MS. Herzog has at least two championship rings from Hillsboro HS as DC and I believe he is now somewhere in Williamson County. You can google any of their names and find out where they are. All of these men were and still are very successfull coaches. There was never anything wrong with SH football until that group of men left SH. Each left for different reasons at different times but it was after that group of coaches and about three classes of boys left that the bottom fell out. The trip up to 4-A ball killed the Raiders and it will take sometime to get us back on track but great coaches can make a difference and if the administration can understand that and are willing to work with the boosters to make it happen, we can get our program back on track.

Herzog is the defensive coordinator at Page or Ravenwood I think. Forget which one.

 

After reading these posts it sounds like Spring Hill is living in the past. The players from the 80's and 90's are gone and it is time for them to either support the program and quit living in past. Tis is about the future not the 80's/90's. These kids do NOT care what happened in the 90's and definitly the 80's. It is time for them to start their own memories and program and for that I think SPring Hill needs a young coach with enthusiasm. Yes these older coaches are good but it just sounds like most of you Spring Hill guys just want them because they were great coaches when you were there, they will make them tough, bring back discipline. Come on guys quit living in the past and move on. Get someone relativly young that is going to excite these kids and go with it. There are some coaches that are dimonds in the rough in that area. I am an outsider and I support Independence so neither one effects me. Just an opinion.

 

By the way there are a lot of good coaches living in Spring Hill area that work for Williamson County schools. The staff at Independence all of them live in Spring Hill. Several on staff at Page live in Spring Hill. Coach at Hillsboro does live in Spring Hill but he would be nuts to leave Hillsboro.(still not sure how good he is 4A is very weak)

Maybe true but proven winners is what we need and I know of a few who are out there who might be drawn back to the hill. I don't know that any of them would be interested. That remains to be seen but one thing is for sure, we need someone who has a track record of success and I don't know if we need to take a chance on a guy who has not been a head coach before. I know every one has to start somewhere but it takes more to be a good head coach than just knowing the X's and O's. Please don't hire the first guy that comes along. The administration needs to look for the right man whoever that is.

First off I'd like to thank Coach McKnight and his family for their dedication the last four seasons and good luck in his future career in the Tennessee National Guard. Coach McKnight will be missed by a lot of people...

 

A detailed and LONG Spring Hill football history from the facts I have:

 

If my research is correct, Coach Cox coached from 1995-2001. I know for a fact that he had only one Region Championship and that was the 1998 season. I think looking back he was a pretty good coach, but to call these the "glory days" for our Alma Mater is wrong in my opinion. In my opinion, the so called "Glory Days" were the early Eighty's through about 1992 which was the first year in the new high school. A couple of GREAT athletes and a great head coach and his staff deserve many of the thanks for those times. During that span (1980-1992)Spring Hill had 9 playoff appearances, won the Class A State Championship in 1986 and came within' four points of another Clinic Bowl birth in 1992 in a 17-14 loss. That semi-final game against BGA in 1992 was a great game by the way. What happened after that is what we'll call "growth" (SATURN). The growth finally forced the school to have to move up to 2A in 1993. Mediocrety set in then as the program could not keep up with the school's population growing and not long after that the school moved up to 3A in football in 1995. They did however go to the playoffs in 1993 and 1994 in an apparently bad 2A Region that they were in at the time. The enrollment was growing but the amount of football talent hadn't caught up yet. I believe Coach Cox was hired before the 1995 season as they moved up to 3A. The next season,1996, was Coach Cox' first playoff appearance as he went 4-6 and had a playoff win. And in 1997 he went 6-4 with a playoff win. Spring Hill finally settled in during it's fourth season in 3A when they won the Region Championship in 1998. That team had a lot of talent, but you would also have to give Coach Cox a lot credit for the success that season. But, the team wound up losing a dissappointing second round home playoff game to McNairy Central... That was the last sniff of success Spring Hill had in football until the playoff appearance and first round win last season... I believe prior to 1999 the (for lack of better words) "convenient rezoning" of the Spring Hill/Columbia Central zones took place that forced Spring Hill to move up in classification once again. This time it was up to 4A. This severly damaged all of athletic programs as the school did not have the talent to consistently compete in 4A in football as well as 3A in basketball. I believe Coach Cox was let go after the 2001 season, for multiple reasons, and the school has now gone through their second coach since then. They were the bottom dwellers of that Region 5, 4A group with other schools like Hickman County and White County until this "rezoning" was changed back in time for the reclassification before the 2005 season that allowed Spring Hill to rejoin Class 3A where it should be. Now don't get me wrong, Spring Hill could still continue to grow and be forced to go to 4A again, but this needs to happen from natural growth and not as a result of "rezoning"... Back to the subject of the 1990's being the "Glory Years". Now, was the school a good, fun place to be on Friday nights throughout the Ninetys like most high schools? Yes, it was. But that fact hasn't changed to this day in a lot of ways. Looking back, it wasn't the "Glory Years". But I'd have to admit that compared to the last ten years since 1999, with the exception of last year, it would SEEM like "Glory Years". With that being said, Spring Hill High School on Friday nights is STILL more times than not a fun place to be. In my opinion, the football was just "respectable" post 1992, except for the 1998 Region Championship due mostly to their six year stint in 4A. I think Spring Hill is still trying to recover from that 1999-2004 stint in 4A because of what it did to the whole moral of the football program... Sorry for the long post.

 

By the way, I'm going to refrain from posting any comments about potential new coaches on here until something is official.

I was a player in those Cox years and I can tell you the competition was much more difficult when we went up from AA to AAA ball. After I left, they went up to AAAA ball and that is what killed the program. Coach Cox, Atkins, and Stone were the heart and soul of those years 95-98 and we were either district champs or #2 in district every year. We were winners on the field and we were taught discipline and the fundamentals of football. Stone is the only coach left from those years. Cox is coaching in Kentucky, maybe retired? and Atkins has been a head coach at several schools in TN, NC, and MS since then. Look, you can through all the stats around you like, the boys who played on those teams know that we had a solid football program back then and we were a team to be feared back then, unlike today.

I respect Coach McKnight, he is a good man and a good coach and I pray for him and his family as he serves his country but I do feel that if we could bring back someone who understands the area and knows how to motivate players it would make a difference. I have said this before and I will say it again, there is a lot of politics at SHHS. You guys know what I'm talking about. The old preSaturn folks don't always get along with the Saturn folks and there is a balancing act between the two.

Another name that comes up everytime the position comes open is Hertzog. He was the D-coordinator in the early Cox years and did a great job. That is another possibility. I don't know where he is at but he certainly is a great football coach.

Whoever we get it must be someone who has a winning record and knows how to teach fundamentals and rally the boys to victory. BTW, I don't think we lost to Columbia back in the Cox years until the last year or two he was here and that was after that great coaching staff broke up and those players had graduated. If Callahan is smart, and I know he is, he will ask the former players who they want to be their head coach. He knows all of those men because he worked with them in those days. He will make the right decision for the team.

I would love to have someone from the Glory Days to coach for the Raiders. I prefer that, actually. If we can get someone from back in the day, the town will rally behind him. But if nobody is available that has proven that he can win, then I will take someone not from the Raider Tradition.

One problem with this coaching search is where they can fit them in as a teacher. McKnight was a P.E. teacher.

 

Classof80-Who was the alumni you were referring to about being interested? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Do you think that Orlando "Papa" Wade will start coming back to games?--Heard he didn't quite enjoy this staff.

I just spoke to some one who knows the Atkins and Hammell families and they thought Atkins would be interested. Talk about a hardnosed coach that could rally the boys to victory! The problem getting him will be the same as for any highly succesful head coach, money. Three years ago he told me he would love to be back on the sidelines at "Da Hill" with some of his old football players from the glory years coaching with him. He certainly knows how to win. I read that his team in MS won the district championship this year and he was named district coach of the year.

If not Atkins, I would love to see Coach Stone be the head coach. I loved those years I spent with him as my defensive coach. Too bad he has said he is not interested. He could motivate a team better than anybody. I think the real problem in Spring Hill is politics. The good old boy system is always at work and the school administration is always under the micropscope. Too bad for our Raiders, maybe they will find someone who will bring Raider football back to where it used to be!

I know a coach who would be interested in the position but I doubt they could get him back to Spring Hill. Coach Atkins was an assistant under Bill Cox back in the glory years of Raider ball. I think he is a head coach/AD in Mississippi now coaching at a private school. He was coach of the year in NC a few years back. He has a lot of us who played for him back in the day and I bet if someone called him he might be interested. Someone like him would bring back a lot of the old Raider boys and I for one would love to see him. Also, I think one of his sons coaches with him. Since leaving Da Hill he has become one of the most respected coaches around. I just think the principal should check it out. His family still lives in Spring Hill.

What about Coach Stone? Does anyone think he would be interested? Wasn't he the interim head coach for a while? The problem in Spring Hill has always been too much politics. Will that ever change? Good luck Raiders.

How much does the head football supplement pay in bradley county and does the booster club offer an incentive package?

proven quality men. on paper there are three or four that really jump out at you with proven track records, that appear to be good fits for us and them. I would love to give some names and you would immediatly agree but that would not be the thing to do at this time.

I'm not going to burst your bubble but I'll bet some of those 'big names' are just using your school to get a pay raise out of the boosters at their own schools. Unless your boosters are willing to double or triple the money the county offers head coaches, you won't find too many big names taking a pay cut to come to Monroe County. Men are in this profession to earn a living and you know the saying "money talks and BS walks." I hope you guys do find a top notch coach with the experience to do it right but the odds are against you. My guess is the first one or two men who you offer the position to will turn it down then you will settle on some up and coming coach who is an assistant near by.

Not to bring up any negative stuff but you guys haven't had a good program except for one year when Meadows was coaching.

What makes you think a coach is going to turn it around?

I will say this, if you think it is all about a lack of coaching then you better find one that knows how to win with less. You guys had better find a man who has been a head coach or former head coach at a program like yours (rural and mostly good ole boys) who has been there and done it before. I'm not sayin yall don't have no talent but you do play in a tough region with lots of talent. Them Hamilton county boys are tough and so is Polk Co.

Marshall Co. must have their guy already. This was posted on the TSSAA Website. Notice only 1 day to apply!

 

FB - Marshall County High School in Lewisburg, TN is seeking applicants for the position of Head Football Coach. Teaching qualifications have not been determined at this time. Deadline to apply is Friday, November 17. If interested, please contact the Board of Education at (931) 359-1581. Contact persons: Angie Williams, Darlene Johnsey, or Rhonda Poole - Personnel Dept. (11/16/2006)

I think you are right. They already know who they want. I heard the same thing that Mctigerfan heard. Some guy coaching out of state but has some ties to Middle Tennessee.

I have a good friend who coaches baseball down that way and he thinks the next coach at MCHS is now coaching football in another state. He said they wanted to hire someone who is a succesfull head football right now, someone who can get the job done quick and bring order and discipline to the program. He didn't give me a name but I heard they will be in place after Christmas.

FC will probably win the region or be one of the top two teams. Trousdale is down and I expect FC to win it.

Heres the problem, Clay Co is terribly weak. They have so many problems I can't begin to explain why they lost. My cousin plays up there and I can promise you it starts and ends with one man. They only have a few kids out this year and it was obvious when they played Jackson Co they didnt even know what they were doin. I remember just a few years back they had 40 or 50 boys out. Now I bet they don't have many more than RBS.

If they win two games I'll be shocked.

Clay Co seemed unprepared. They were ready to play pre-game you know the type of teams, jumping yelling, slapping pads ect. But it seemed like the very first play just took the wind out of them. They showed some life the first FCS drive, but were just getting knocked of the ball and hit... hard. Also i noticed the entire game an overall lack of comunication on Clay Co defense. The linebackers were constantly in the wrong spot and running back and forth before the snap not knowing where to go. Plus there were huge holes in the secondary with the Clay coach yelling at the players to shift over and such. After that it seemed as if they just were stuck in quicksand and things just got worse and worse and worse for them. After a few scores, Clay just threw in the towl. The lack of preperation shocked me because FCS didn't run any new plays or offenses from what i could see, everything was the same from the Davidson game, so i was shocked that Clay was not at least prepared on how to line up better.

One word: Coaching!

Online moderator I'm not going to mention his name so you don't have to lock this thread.

When all the other teams in the state were working hard this summer, their coach took a day off and went back home to whereever. They didn't condition very well this season and most of the talent has graduated over the past few years and has not been replaced. The numbers are way down to the lowest in 6 years and very few respect the man at the top.

Jackson Co is on the way up with a great new coach and a new direction while Clay co has hit rock bottom. They haven't looked this bad since 1999 when they went 0-10. RBS will probably be the only game they win and even that game is a question mark.

There is lots of talk about regime change in C-town and it is coming from the parents and the school board. I'm just happy that J-County has finally brought in a coach that has our boys believeing in themselves and winning some games.

What happened to the mighty Clay County Bulldawgs?

Jackson County beat them 22-6 and I thought, well maybe they just need some more work. Now FC put the whoop-Ace on them a76-6 nd I ask myself, "What's wrong with this picture?" Has the mighty Bulldawgs forgot how to play football? Has the mighty Coach Jeff Daniel forgot how to coach? Did he ever know how to?

What is going on with this football program?????

Will they win another game this year? Let's see who they still have on their schedule?

Fri Sept. 08 Upperman LOSS

Fri Sep. 15 at Red Boiling Springs WIN (Maybe)

Fri Sep. 22 at Westmoreland HUGE LOSS by at least 50.

Fri Sep. 29 Watertown R HUGE LOSS by at least 50 (W-town beat T-Dale)

Fri Oct. 6 at Trousdale Co. R LOSS

Fri Oct. 13 Monterey R LOSS

Fri Oct. 20 at Mt. Juliet Christian R (toss up this year, my money is own Crusaders)

Fri Oct. 20 Gordonsville HUGE LOSS!

My predicition is this: Clay County finishes the season 1-9 and Jeff Daniel takes a walk.

Too bad for the might dawgs. Your program has certainly taken a nose dive from the glory days of the 80's. Ain't much goin on in C-town except for basketball.

It's about time! We needed someone who would come in here and shake things up. I hope the community will support this man and let him do his job. I hope the baseball and basketball players will play football this year. We need all of the boys in uniform on Friday nights. I hope we can get a big crowd out that first game to whip Clay County. Lets all get behind this new coach and give him our support.

Some body told me he was from South Carolina? Is that right?