@38320

I was worried about the Lions until the tornado approached Camden from the west Tuesday afternoon. As it got near the high school the boys were practicing for Friday night's big game with Goodpasture. (Ward can do a lot of things but he can't coach against a tornado I thought.) The tornado huffed and puffed and got to 641 just as McDowell was finishing one of his famous MacArther speeches. While the rest of us good citizens of Camden were hunkered down in basements and under our duck blinds, coach Ward and his men went to work. McDowell directed the troops into the school and to the secret rooms where the janitors usually hide to sleep. Ward ran for the lawn mower and started mowing the practice field. I was amazed because Knott didn't even get mad as hail and dead grass flew out of the lawn mower all over his ham sandwich he had been trying to gulp down during McDowell's speech. About that time, Wyatt raced across the parking lot in his suv with sparks flying out from under the back. He had obviously run over a shopping cart and it was stuck under the transaxle. In the middle of all of this confusion, Coach Blow ran to the field house as fast as he could. Ward cut the lawn mower off and yelled, "Coach Blow, where you going?" Coach Blow looked back over his shoulder and said, "I'm going to the bathroom cause they never had tornadoes like this in Huntingdon." Just as things were getting really exciting and it looked like Camden was going to be stormed away, the clouds split and one went north and the other went south. The tornado was scared to come across the Lion's field because it knew Ward had a plan to beat it, even though it was bigger and badder than the whole Lion team. Now that's the end of the tornado story except one thing. The only one missing from the playoff practice picture was Coach Hollowell and we all knew where he was and not one single one of us blamed him.

The east fence at the football field was blown down. The ads on the fence turned it into a sail. Beaz and crew will have it repaired before the game Friday nite. If necessary, Freddie Dean and I will help him today after school. Freddie can get jobs like that done in a flash.

I'd like to see Alcoa grow and play in the division with Maryville all the time.

How much do the Camden Lions mean to us? I'm going to go down Fri. evening and get my grandmother out of the nursing home, put her in the car and prop her up for the game. I'll park the car next to the east end zone so she can watch her Lions from the comfort of the car and hear the voices of Flash Melton and Kenny Cooper, the best radio announcers in high school football land. She might not live to ever see the Lions get to Murfreesboro - but she thinks she will, and we hope grandma is right. I just wish now we could make her stop checking out Coaches Ward and McDowell. You see, she's a wild old thing and we can't convince her that they are both happily married men who collectively have 23 children. She thinks they're college boys and wants to go out on the town with them!

Are you sure about Madison or could it be C-a-m-d-e-n?

The field goal was not good for sure. As it was sailing by the goalpost, it was on the Camden side by 3 to 4 feet.

I don't have anything to say. I just wanted to post with my new Plus Membership. I just wish I'd have done this earlier. Free membership is like a TV antenna; Plus membership is like the best cable money can buy. Come on Camden Fans, let's go Plus and take it above these trash talking boards.

I like the way everybody had counted Milan out and here they are again.

My hat's off to Coach Taylor and the Richland football team. They are going to be around region the 6 AA title hunt next year. They're a young group of players that have as much heart as any team Camden has played this year.

Lions will have their backs to the wall next week. That's when they seem to do their best.

I really wanted D'burg to win because they never seem to win when it really "counts."

I'd be afraid to go that far and say things like that.

Camden went to the quarterfinals last year with wins over Lewis Co. in round one and Fairview in round two. In the third round they allowed Huntingdon to get out to a lead and then played them a good second half only to let Huntindon pull away again in the fourth quarter.

These are two teams that were both huge underdogs last week. No one thought either of them could win. Regardless who wins this week, both coaching staffs and teams deserve a big pat on the back. Let's keep it clean on the posts this week and have a hard hitting, clean football game Fri. night. I saw the post about the Richland fans meeting their team at the railroad tracks in Lynnville. That is great for a small town to support their team like that. We expect our entire town of Camden to be here Friday night to support our Lions. The students, the regular fans, and the bandwagon riders will all be here. It will be a big night in Camden for our folks and the Richland fans too. There's nothing better than small town playoff football, as long as everyone tries to act like civilized people.

OK boys, what about this? Have a West TN, East TN, and Middle TN champion from each division (1A - 5A) and each region send a team to Murfreesboro. For instance: 13-0 Alcoa would play the winner of a Huntingdon (12-1) and Goodpasture (10-3) game. Alcoa would receive a bye due to their record. Then, we'd have more championships, more fans, and more money for football.

Riverside High School had the best team on the field this year I have ever seen them have. They were 7 and three very close losses going into the playoffs. They were underated all season and didn't get enough press from Jackson or Nashville. They had heart and guts and were a solid team. I hope several of their seniors go on to Lambuth and Bethel and such. My hat's off to the Panthers. Keep up the good work in Parsons and Decaturville and we'll see you when you come to Camden next year.

I'd like to see the Carver/Huntingdon game. I think Carver will play with H'town for awhile but will bow out in the second half. I'm just wondering Stang fans, has Huntingdon ever had to travel this far, this early in the playoffs before? It seems to me like they always are at home.

We understand your Lewis County talk. Look who's still playing football on Friday nights - the Mighty Camden Lions. You can shut the deer stand down for the winter.

Congrats to a fine EH team for defeating Lewis Co. at home. We know how hard it is to beat them at home. Congratulations to the Camden Lions for coming back after losing to Lewis last week, winning at home against DCA, and representing the region so well in the playoffs.

Lions win in Camden! Final score 28-21. This was our biggest win over here in several years. Hats off to the DCA players, coaches, and fans. They played hard and acted like gentlemen during the game and when it was over. I have a new respect for DCA after seeing what a nice group of people they are.

DCA fans. The directions to Camden Central High School on your DCA website are wrong. (Do not take the first Right after Wal-Mart!) There is a signal light immediately after Wal-Mart. After that traffic light, continue on 641 North appx. 1/2 mile and then make a right. Once you go up the hill the road will split. You need take a sharp left, and the high school is within sight on the Right.

What the city boys don't know is the country boys are not playing for their school, they are playing for their town. Win, Win, or lose - it means a lot to us down here in the sticks. Go Camden!

I thought it looked pretty bad when some of our Camden students went over to the Lewis Co. side with no shirts. Not that it's right, but it sort of reminded me of the last time I was at a football game in Hohenwald (when we lost 12-13 in 03) and some of the adult Lewis Co. fans were on the Camden side - drunk. I want to see a good rivalry over the next four years. Let's keep it clean boys and do it right!

08---15 Waverly Fan, What day is it on?

Well Ekard, we let you down. We didn't get the job done this week. I wish the Riverside Panthers the best in the playoffs but I really don't think Riverside and Camden will meet again until next year. Camden would have to defeat DCA and probably E. Robertson, and the Panthers would have to beat Goodpasture and the E-Harding/Lewis winner. I'd like to see Riverside come to Camden but the odds are heavy against that happening this year. Have a good rest of the playoffs.