DBHS1

Fulton wins it...it's their time again. It's gonna be "www.youcan'tcatchboobiemiles.com time" in about 2 weeks.

I have two that come to me off of the top of my head:

1. Fulton vs. Catholic in last year's quarterfinals (2005)

- The definition of a "down to the wire" football game

2. Dobyns-Bennett vs. Sevier County

- SC was #1 in the state, DB was #2. SC scores w/ no time left and went for

two to win it, but was stopped by DB

Looks like it was a pretty evenly matched competition. Way to show out Falcons!

Gerald Sensabaugh - Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett/Jacksonville Jaguars

Jason Witten - Elizabethton/Dallas Cowboys

Aubrayo Franklin - Science Hill/Baltimore Ravens

It's true...

Rogan currently holds offers from Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Ole Miss, and MTSU. They all want him as a running back. Rogan evidently had a very good showing at the NIKE Combine in Athens; one-on-one RB drills specifically. Will be interesting to see when/if UT offers him...

Well said BigLon. I played at DB 98-00 and knew some of the younger boys well enough that they would listen to me. I remember having at least a couple long conversations with him when I'd come back to visit about what he could do if he really wanted it bad enough. Simply put, Lamon has made some bad choices. I'll be the first to say that I have, and we all have. I can't, and won't, judge him on those choices simply because I've never been in the situations he has been in.

As a coach at a -what some call- "inner city" school, and having the opportunity to really get to know many kids from situations, and with ability, similar to his, you come to realize real quick that if you can just, in any way, make them realize that the gifts they have been given and the amount of people there to help them can translate into something far greater than anything they could imagine, then you're well on your way to doing exactly what you were put here to do. When they make mistakes such as his and people in the town know about it, they sometimes think everyone around them is just going to give up on them. I think some kids' situations are one of those things that is hard to fully comprehend unless you have really been in it. Whether they be in football or not, he, and any kid, still has the opportunity to make a ton of good decisions too, so let the critics be critics and keep hoping. Never give up on them because we know they can do amazing things.

I could tell some stories that still bother me, and make me wonder what might have been, of several former childhood role models, close friends, and teammates at DB who had everything they needed on the field to go BIG places in life and have almost thrown it all away for all different reasons. The next thing I would do is tell you about some close friends to this day, guys like Teddy,"Craig Yeast" Henry, and Gerald who have had the opportunity to do what we all dream about when we're young.

Sorry for such a long post.

I wasn't ranking those guys I was just making a list as they popped up in my head. Rogan and Smith are both great backs whose teams should advance deep into the playoffs this year. In fact right now I have a Knoxville Catholic-Fulton matchup taking place in the quarterfinals of the playoffs this upcoming November.

 

I'll stay away from that argument and create a new one by saying that the best back in Class 3A is Matt Elrod from David Lipscomb.

You are right cherries...Rogan has a 41" vertical.

Well, well, well...here we go again. This rivalry right here is what high school football is all about! Call me crazy, but when I played the team who lost in the regular season always won in the playoffs (with the exception of 1 year). Oak Ridge seems to have had no problem dispatching Sevier Co. and Farragut. The Indians have played two very tough teams so far in the playoffs. No need for a prediction this early in the week (if at all in this one), but I have a strange feeling that this one will come down to the wire...Ha! If the Tribe's offense shows up on Friday, then I honestly don't think there is a team in the state that can play with them, but if the Cats are able to slow down Ferguson, Williams, and Co. then they could lay one to us. Good luck to everyone...and one more question...whats for dinner at the tailgate this week b/c there will be one hungry college student headed over from Knoxvegas for this one? Roll Tribe!

If you would like to see a picture of the play in which Lamon was ejected for holding up the "#1" then go to www.tricitiessports.com which has a great shot of the play and judge for yourself. The picture was taken about 1 second before the flag was thrown. That was quite possibly the most ridiculous call I have ever seen in high school football (playing and non-playing days), and it is nothing but a "cop out" by the TSSAA to say that b/c it was a judgement call that it can't be reviewed. Who cares if it was judgement or not?...don't take away a kid's opportunity to play the game b/c he gets excited that he just scored a touchdown to seal the game. Honestly, I wonder what DB has done to the TSSAA to make them despise all that is Indian football. The boys in Nashville will be hearing from me via handwritten letter (which will probabaly be quickly discarded) about what "class" they have shown in their handling of this situation. Great job TSSAA...you should be ashamed of yourselves.

The only team in the state I see knocking off Riverdale is Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett...and I have a stange feeling that they will do so in the semis.

Here's a "dream" schedule for Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett:

1. MBA (Bring this series back please...two of the greatest high school games I've seen)

2. Oak Ridge (Best rivalry in the state)

3. Riverdale (Why not find out whose the best in the east early?)

4. Brentwood Academy

5. Science Hill (Been beatin em down too long to quit now)

6. Louisville Trinity

7. Valdosta GA

8. Evangel Christian LA

9. Maryville (Now this one should seriously be going on right now)

10. Tallahassee Lincoln FL

You think you guys might be leavin out a couple of NET boys on that "perfect beast" of a squad. How about WR Lamon Williams and QB Duran Ferguson from Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett.

1. DB vs. Sevier County - 2000

(DB won 35-34 by stopping a two point conversion attempt with no time remaining.)

2. Any DB vs. Oak Ridge game

It is obvious that no one knows 100% for sure that Lamon is or is not on the team at this point. What I do know (for the outsiders who think he will waltz back in and play with teammates who dislike him) is that coach Clark will let every player on that team -- definitely his senior class -- vote as to whether they want him back on the team or not. I've seen it happen before. Like someone correctly stated before, Lamon needs the team more than the team needs Lamon.

I definitely agree with you DRDB about Rhett Bingham as being one of the best defensive ends in the last 10 years at DB, especially as a rush end. He was ridiculously quick off of the ball...and if he had played even one more year then there would be no doubt at all that he would be on the squad.

kingbrian,

Last I heard was that Lamon was gonna be wearing the maroon and grey this year and has definitely taken some steps to get himself and his life together. As we have all learned, it is day to day with this young man but lets hope he gets himself together and becomes the person and player everyone who knows him believes he could be.

OK...my turn now. I have discussed most of my picks with several other DB football alumni (and friends) over a great 4th of July at the lake, so hopefully they are decent. Let me know what you think.

OFFENSE

QB - Josh Dingus or Ryan Wagner (Toss Up)

FB - B.J. Clendenin

TB - Adonis Johnson

C - Ben Cook

RG - Brandon Burleson

LG - Sam King

RT - Matt Christian

LT - Matt Rivers (Unfortunate injury)

TE - Jamaar Sensabaugh / Phillip Tritapoe

WR - Chris Henry

WR - John Dickson (HANDS)

DEFENSE

DT - Curtis Scretchen (Spelling?)

DT - Cedric Hodge / Chad Hyder (when under control)

DE - Mark McClintock

DE - John Bovender (Hardest hitter I've seen at end) / Bo Corum

MLB - Shane Pierson

OLB - Andrew Foerster

OLB - A toss up (Jacob McMillin, B.J. Clenenin, wish I could say myself...lol

CB - Teddy Gaines

CB - Jeremy Graves

SS - Gerald Sensabaugh (Even though he played corner in high school)

FS - Chris Machen (Would hurt you BAD) / Fred Powell

I know I've left many people out like Jesse and Kevin McMillian, Jermaine Carpenter, Rashid Dunn, Duran Ferguson (Off to a great start), Lamon Williams (If he plays again and gets his mind right), and several others.

All you DB fans out there come up with your all decade team (1994-2004). This one could be difficult so put some thought into it...still working on mine so it will be up shortly.

Skunk,

I was wondering if you could give me the results from our spring scrimmages. Hopefully I'll at least get to make it to a practice or two this summer...and maybe even a scrimmage if any of them are in Knoxville. Thanks...

At DB, there is no real nickname. It's name is J. Fred Johnson Stadium, but everyone in Kingsport knows it simply as J. Fred.

It's always good to see some Indians in the Tennessee-Kentucky game down here in Knoxville. I can't wait to walk to the stadium and see them play tomorrow night...I live about 300 yards away. From what I have heard from some of our other former teammates, Adonis will have two years left at Tusculum, so we wish him the best. I've never seen a tailback at any level with the moves he had in high school. About the Tritapoe thing...he was absolutely amazing last year and he knows I think that, but I can think of one other tight end who very possibly might have made him and anyone else look only "OK" Jamaar Sensabaugh. I don't get home as much as I used to anymore, so any practice updates would be great, especially from you Skunk. One last thing...Gerald Sensabaugh will be starting at either free or strong safety for the UNC Tarheels this year...last he said they were still deciding. He has also set a new team record with a vertical leap of 41". Congrats to all of these guys and Roll Tribe!!!

I'll be there as well

I think that this yearly mid-summer debate should definitely be looked into further. From my experiences, lately D-B has had only one rival that makes the hair stand up on your back with electricity every time, and that is Oak Ridge. Thus, I don't see why adding Gate City--which would undoubtedly draw a D-B vs. Oak Ridge size crowd at J. Fred--is such a bad idea. To me, high school football is about rivalries and all of the other events that go along with them from the pep rallies to the pre-game cookout and one last singing of the school song win-or-lose. This debate got quite strong about the time school let out after my junior year and practice was just getting ready to start again. I remember talking to three of my best friends on the team about how bad we wished we could get after them. Some of our dads had played in those early-70's games, and we definitely remembered scrimmaging Gate City our sophomore year with all of the hype and talk regarding the "scrimmage." I met some of the Gate City boys on a couple of local recruiting trips and they felt the same exact way about the game. Simply put, D-B vs, Gate City would make for one incredible high school football scrimmage, even if a game is not conceivable. Let the best in NE Tennesee and the best in SW Virginia go at it without worrying about whose bigger and classified higher and find out whose better. I have a feeling we'd be able to more than hold our own against the Devils on a pretty consistent basis...sorry but I had to say it.

The fullback (Chase Flanary) is definitely getting looks. Rumor has it that he wants to stay close to home, and I can't blame him. I'm sure that many of the seniors will be getting looks including Throp, Tritapoe, Gaines, Flanary, etc.....mainly from about the same caliber of schools, where I believe each and every one of them can make an impact.