kevinlhs37

You mean Springer? Not sure...Maybe he doesnt wanna be head coach. Some guys just feel more comfortable being cooridnators. It gives them more time to work one on one with the kids. Or maybe he didnt apply...who knows?

Don't know much about this Crane fellow, but if Springer is coaching with him, he must be okay. I have known Heath Springer for years. I have played with, played for, and coached with Heath both in college and at Lebanon. He is an intense, hard-nosed defensive minded coach. He will bring the fire back to the Blue Devil Defense. I just hope this Coach Crane does not get caught up in the politics. Keep the parents and the boosters in the stands. Play your best 11 no matter who their mom and dad are. If he does this, then the Blue Devil will be ok. I am glad to see Heath back on the sidelines though, or maybe even in the lift..... Kevin

Interesting hire by Lebanon. I think a few of Brown's assistants will be asked to stay. I love the hire of Heath Springer as D-coordinator. If any one can bring pride and toughness back to the D it is him. I played with, played for, and coached with Springer...and let me tell you something...I would love for my son, if I had one, to play for him. He is smart, intense, and hard nosed. There is no gray area with this guy. You either do your job as a player or you are on the bench. Not sure how many points they will score, but they wont give up many. Good Luck to the Blue Devils this year..I will be watching from the Peach State!! -Kevin

I had no idea this had happened to Hamm. During my years at Lebanon, Hamm was one of my assistants before we lost him to Blackmon. I hated losing him. I remember the kids loved the way he coached. Also, I remember some of my students looked up to him. A lot of these kids did not have that positive male role model in their life, and Coach Hamm filled that role graciously. I have also read the things Hamm placed on his FB page...wow really racy stuff (sarcasm). I think Hamm would be an asset to any school's wrestling team, both as a coach and a mentor. It seems to me, judging by the article, that the principal dropped the ball and is passing the buck. If it is not too late I would like to submit a letter. My e-mail is kevinlhs037@yahoo.com. -Kevin Adkins

Hey 66in74 and jcraigp23, not sure what your guys ties are to Cumberland and Lebanon, but I will say this. I played ball at CU from 96-01 and coached at Lebanon for a total of 8 years in wrestling and football (both as a non-faculty and faculty coach) Let me say this, the city of Lebanon and CU have a special place in my heart. I met my wife there, had my children there, and started my professional career there. And during all this time, I have heard every year about how all these great updgrades are coming to CU's football facility. It aint gonna happen for two reasons. One, as long as the baseball team is doing its thing, they get what they want. And two, the current president is so much against the football team, he tried to shut down the whole program when he was first hired. He called it a waste of time and money and stated the players bring down the academic standing of CU. (True story..told to me by a Board Member) The only way any improvements will be made to CU's football facilites is if a former player with deep pockets gives the money to have it done...oh wait, that happened back in 2000 and guess where the money went...that's around the time the baseball field was remodled....jsut saying...dont hold your breath!! -Kevin

Not sure what's going on with the search for a new coach. The new administration there is not to inclined when it comes to athletics. Also, you gotta remember that Coach Brown was the co-Athletic Director and an assistant prinicipal when they pulled the plug on him, so they have to fill those positions too. Truthfully, I don't see Brown sticking around Lebanon to stay in Administration, but you never know. I left a couple of years ago, but I still have friends and family on the "inside". So, for the next head coach at LHS, let me throw some names out to you. These are the guys you need to keep at arm's distance from your team. They will glad-hand you and pat you on the back when things are going well, but when there is adveristy, they will be the first to throw you under the bus and want your head on a silver platter...Jeff Lassater, Larry Tomlinson, Mike Sloan, Brad Hicks, and Mickey Hall. There are others, but these are the leaders of the pack. Anyway, whoever the new coach is, good luck, buddy. If you can keep these guys at bay, you may get some things accomplished at LHS!! -Kevin

I will say this about Lebanon High School and its players. They have great athletes. However, most of the kids that walk those halls have the "I" mentality. The best team Brown coached was the year he went 9-3 and made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs. That was a special group. They did not have any individuals on that team. They played as a TEAM. During the rest of Brown's tenure, he dealt with pre-madonna players, parents who thought they knew more than he did, and sub-par facilities. Through all that, he was able to still be competitive every week. Coach Brown demanded a lot out of his players and his coaches, and he was well-respected for that. But, when you have to explain to a parent every Friday night that "little Johnny" is not good enough to play,it wears you out. One thing I liked about Coach Brown is that he played the best 11 each week; it didnt matter to him who your momma or daddy was or how much money they threw at the Booster Club. He stuck by his guns...but eventually, they got him. Whoever is the next coach at Lebanon better get ready for an uphill climb. If you can keep the parents in the bleachers and off the sidelines, you will be successful. The biggest problem at LHS is that most of the kids have since of entitlement and it comes from the parents!!!!Here is a word of advice from myself, a former coach, to the current parents...stay off the field, stay positive with your kids, and be supportive of the coaches around the players...Most of all remind your kids that football is a TEAM sport!!! Kevin

Coach Brown stepped down as Head Football Coach at Lebanon this past Friday. See the Lebanon Democrat website for the complete story. I have gotten to know Coach Brown since he arrived at Lebanon. I was on his staff during the first two years and again in 07-08. Some of you have your opinions about the guy, and that's ok. But I had the honor to know the man both on and off the field. I can say, without hesitation, that his #1 priority with these kids was to make them better men. He always pushed them to be their best. What he was able to accomplish at Lebanon was short of a miracle. They had 4 playoff years, upgraded all the facilities and made Lebanon football respectable again. He is good family man with high moral values. Anyone who says different should be ashamed. I am greatly honored to call Coach Brown my friend. Good luck Coach in your future endevors. I wish you, Karen, and the boys all the best. -Kevin Adkins

Who was the Lebanon kid that won 152? How did the rest of the Blue Devil squad fair? Any brackets available online for this tournament?

Any updates on this game? News links? Video?

As of last season, Temple's program is scholarship. The coach is still recruiting like crazy. Right now, he is looking for quality wrestlers to keep his numbers up. Their coach is a heck of a guy, former Navy Seal...he was so impressed by a couple of guys I had last year, he drove from Chattanooga to Lebanon to take them down for a weekend to visit the campus. But be warned...this guy will work your butt. Also, they do a lot of practices and off season workouts with UTC so you will get that experience too. If this sounds like something you are interested in e-mail me at kevinlhs037@yahoo.com. Good luck to you this year!!!

Any body have the complete results of this tournament. Place winners? Team rankings? etc. How about a link to the brackets?? anyone...anyone

This "band-aid" they have used to fix the problem only will get them through this school year. Even the Director of Schools Mike Davis knows this will come up again next year. Also, they are still making cuts from busses, books and support staff. Also, they had to take close to $1million from their "rainy day" fund just to make it through this year. This is far from over. Being a former coach at Lebanon, I am glad they are keeping the coaches pay...but their is a reason these kids are called "student-athletes" and not "athletic students". The board and county commission are walking a thin line between keeping the people happy and doing whats best for the students. This aint over it, folks. I see a lot of feathers being ruffled over the next 12 months in Wilson County. By the way read the article on the Wilson Post website. http://www.wilsonpost.com/index.php?option...4&Itemid=13 This is interesting....

One thing a lot of you are missing is that the property tax increase is needed just to keep the same level of funding as last year. This is not for extra money for the new school, teacher raises, new textbooks, etc. I know for a fact that the America Government books used at LHS right now still has Bill Clinton as president and 9/11 has not happened it. Another thing, there has to be better planning in the future. Wilson County is one the fastest growing counties in the state. We have averaged over 400 new students a year for the past seven years and the County Commission nor the BOE has done anything to compensate that. Also, if you explore the Wilson County BOE wesite, you will see the plans for a third large high school built between 109 and 70. They have called it North Central. This school is projected to go up after the new LHS is finished. Also, rememeber this folks, when the new LHS is built, it will include the county Vocational school. That's another 100 or so students from Watertown that takes those classes for career training. Also, the old LHS will be updated and turned into a middle school pulling from Southside Elem, Tuckers Crossroads, and Carroll Oakland. Wilson county has a whole lot of issues to deal with over the next five to ten years. If we as citizens and voters do not have the right people in office, we will be losing a lot more that just our sports programs.

Check out Lion's Pride Grappling in Lebanon, TN. It's at the 109/70 Intersection just off I-40. Go to their website at www.lionspridegrappling.com for more info.