FatCat

Very sad to hear this news. I am just finding this out since we have moved away. Shane was a great guy and an outstanding mentor to the kids...I know he will be missed. Prayers from Montgomery Central.

Okay, Bisonpride, I got ya. They say that for good reason about larger schools as I said above. However, having a greater population doesn't guarantee greater depth and talent, just increases the chances. However, good coaching can take average talent and depth a long way to equalize the bigger schools. I think our region has several very good coaching staffs...Greenbrier, Station Camp, White House (oh that hurts to say that), Sycamore, and maybe Pearl Cohn...that can get the most out of their players and make them better than they "ought to be". That means there will be one very good team in our region left out of the playoff mix....and that will be a true shame. The #3 and 4 seed out of Region 3-3A will not be nearly as good as any of our top 5 (at least they haven't been the last couple of years). It is a shame that someone will miss out.

Nice post Manny, but you continue to show WH arrogance. Aside from the title in 97, what has WH done compared to Alcoa? Alcoa has 4 State Titles since the turn of the century to include the last 3. They've also made three state semi-finals since 97...WH has only 2. That's a pretty good record, but it is not on the same level as Alcoa. If I'm not mistaken, the only team that has beaten them the last 3+ years is Maryville....and it was very close each time. WH has been a consistantly good/great program since Porter arrived, but they are not a "storied program" across the state...just in y'alls own mind. Miracles do happen, but I just can't see WH going on a 3+ hour road trip and beating Alcoa at their place. I could see it happen if Alcoa overlooks WH, though. To a power house school in East Tennessee, WH (and their supposed "storied program") is not threatening. It will actually be a let down, like most opponents would be, after playing Maryville. Alcoa doesn't have to even bring their A game...they just need to bring their B game...but if they don't, then that might be a scenario where WH comes out with a win.

Can't help but reply to this one, Bisonpride. If "school population doesn't mean that much," why do they even have classifications? Where in the heck do you think all that "depth" and "talent" comes from??? The larger your student body...the more likely you are to have talent/depth. Of course "make the least mistakes" and "make the most plays" is what wins games. But greater depth and talent goes a long way in making that happen. That said, the official TSSAA student population for Station Camp last year was only 906 students which still keeps them in the 3A category, barely. That was the 201st most populated school and 202 is the last 3A school. There are other schools whose 2006 population would put them in 4A if they had grown 20% or more: Giles Co., Montgomery Central, Creek Wood, David Lipscomb, Fayette Ware, Sequoyah, Mitchell, Dyersburg, and Fulton. However, they remain in 3A for two more years.

Tough game for the guys tonight, especially since they played so well. They just couldn't quite get it in the end zone as Lipscomb's D was proverbial...bent without breaking. Aside from the three big plays, I feel like Greenbrier outplayed Lipscomb, overall. There were a lot of hard hits (Bobcat D forced 3 or 4 fumbles) and outstanding pass coverage by both sides. Regardless, this is without a doubt the best passing offense the Bobcats have had since I've lived here. The Offensive Line gave Grogan plenty of time as Lipscomb was unable to mount any real pressure. Justin made a lot of tough throws on the money and the receivers did a great job running their routes. Unfortunately, Lipscomb played well on their pass coverage. Justin also made some very wise decisions to tuck and run when he did, instead of trying to force the pass. Gotta love a QB who will run over linebackers! And, kudos to the receivers who threw some great blocks on DE's and LB's in the running game. Big Country, don't be deceived by game reports you get. The line play was a draw (if not in Greenbrier's favor) as Lipscomb couldn't mount any sustained drives tonight...just got what they needed on three big plays (one of them a KO return). Greenbrier's running game was much more consistant than Lipscomb's tonight. Lipscomb's overall defense was the real difference. It will carry them far! Keep it up Bobcats and hold your head high. There were a lot of positives in this loss. I see some great things happening this season!

Wow...what a difference a year makes. You could tell a big difference from last year's team just seeing them on the sidelines and the way they carried themselves last night. This group of seniors has obviously worked very hard in the off-season, appear much more confident, and play very much as a team. Great job last night Bobcats...especially in the fourth quarter when it counted most. Keep it going and take it to DL.

hudsonj, Coming from someone who made a royal behind of himself questioning the coaching decisions, I can say you are way off base (as I was then). First, from what I saw in the first two games, they tried to open up the passing game and the team had very little success. Then, returning to the running game, they found success again on the offense.....racking up 30, 35, and 36 points in the next three games. A couple of those games didn't see a single pass. Then, after a couple of tough games, injuries to 2 or 3 key starters came into play. That probably had a major impact. Second, passing can only work if the players can execute it. Without good blocking from the offensive line, the QB throws incompletions...interceptions...or takes sacks for huge losses. Bottom line is that this staff has proven itself many times over and do not warrant second guessing. Last year's phenomenal season after losing a loaded senior class was proof of that. Coach Williams has proven in the past that if the players can execute it, he will call many pass plays. It would be foolish to call plays that would put your team in a bad position if you know they have a low probability of executing. No play calling will work without execution from the players. They must execute. And, to do that, they have to have worked hard in the off-season. From some of the posts on here....seems like the senior class didn't want it very badly....who knows? Personally, I have come to have nothing but the utmost respect for Coach Williams. There is a lot more to his job than just calling plays, and he does an awesome job. Too many of us get caught up so much in the winning and losing that we tend to forget about what role this game of football really plays in the big picture of life. Some of life's greatest lessons can be learned when you are not successful. I know from personal experience that Coach Williams not only coaches these boys in football, but also in life. He has made several great play calls when it comes to that!

Let's go Cats! One win over your rival that also keeps them out of the playoffs can sure make a lot of bad memories fade much faster!

Outstanding coacing job by Coach Eidson to get the boys to this point. Outstanding performance by the boys to perform in the clutch the way they did and outdo everyone's expectations! Way to go Greenbrier.

CoachT, I know it is only Middle School, but the TNT Tournament is a pretty big deal each year. Have you thought about trying to run a scoreboard showing the results from that tournament?

Hey Coachhard....how did the guys fare? I haven't been able to find any scores.

If you go look, all of their losses were close ones (with the exception of Fulton) against very good competition. And, they play in arguably the best region in 3A. So, they were tested with fire and ready for the playoffs. Not hard to understand at all!

I will say the privates with former NFL players as coaches are the D-II schools (MBA, BA, etc.). That is not the same with D-I privates. That said, what world are you living in? You must not have seen many 1A public schools. Go to Adams, TN and take a look at what Jo Byrns has. They reflect the typical 1A program. I have seen the facilities at DCA. Same with Davidson Academny who just left D-I competition. Much better than your average public school, no matter the classification. They DEFINITELY have better facilities than public schools of their size! I didn't say their are no broken homes in private schools. I just said much, much fewer. Most of the kids come from stable homes. The level of discipline and stability that are present at private schools is probably the number one advantage they have over public schools. That is a HUGE factor. You act as if it is no big deal. And, in addition to that, the ability of private school kids to go to camps and get private instruction is well above that of your typical public school child. Money makes a difference. Am I saying all private school players do that....NO. BUT, there are many more private school kids who get additional instruction in the off-season than public school kids. The whole situation is apples and oranges. That said, I like the publics playing the privates with the multiplier in place. I like the idea of playing better competition. It can only make you better if you want to excel. You can stand by what you have said. However, you can also remain to be ignorant!

Yes I can. REAL ADVANTAGE #1: Coaches. Privates schools don't have to have coaches who are teachers. This gives them a much larger pool from which to choose from to be their coaches. How many public schools have former NFL players beating down the door to coach??? But, there are several private schools who have former NFL and college players coaching them. At some (not all) private schools, the head coach has no other job. He can spend an inordinate amount of time preparing a game plan/reviewing film that a public school coach cannot do. REAL ADVANTAGE #2: Environment. Coaches at privates schools get a pool of atheletes that come mostly from good, solid homes and very, very few off the field problems. Discipline is not hard to establish at private schools as you must have it to even attend the school (and stay there). Public schools deal with so many broken homes, undisciplined players, etc. The coaches have to spend a lot of time establishing discipline with students who don't live that way. Discipline and fundamentals are so very important in high school football. REAL ADVANTAGE #3: Equipment and facilities. The supporters (parents and alumni) of private schools funnel lots of money into their athletics programs. This provides state of the art equipment and facilities for many of these private schools. Public schools are constantly struggling for money. Don't need to say much more about that as we are all taxpayers! Those are the three biggest REAL ADVANTAGES. They are not perceived.

Please tell me of a magnet school that dominates in football? The magnet school is academically based, period. The privates do have advantages that the publics don't have. The multiplier does even out those disadvantages. It is not unfair. So, YOU need to stop all of YOUR whining!!!