papa chaos

I don't think that anyone is seriously predicting Heritage to win this game, but I'm hearing a lot of talk about the Heritage defense. I'll give credit where it's due, but I just have trouble believing that any continuation of the program which I've watched stagnate over the years will have anything that can be expected to slow down an offense as powerful as Maryville's. Should the Rebels be slowed down, I suspect it will be the result of their own mistakes and not the Heritage defense. The Rebels just have way too many weapons for them all to be defended. Typically I go into these games wanting them to be closely contested with the Rebels getting a W in the end. This time I'd like to see MHS put it away early so I can beat the traffic home and catch a large part of the Florida State/Miami game. Maryville will score over 40. I don't expect to see Heritage score while Maryville's first defensive unit is in the game.

i just want to relay a story. my disclaimer is that this is not my opinion and i'm not even going to give my opinion...i just think this is a funny story. when i was playing midget football many years ago, we had a party for all the players and the cheerleaders. the mother of one of the cheerleaders was ribbing the coach a little bit about how her daughter should be on the team. the coach politely sidestepped her comments until she very directly posed the question: "coach, what would you do if a girl wanted to try out for your football team?" without skipping a beat the coach quickly replied "ma'am, i'd gladly let her try out. i'd try her out at center and let every guy on the team take a turn trying out for quarterback." needless to say the mother was appalled by his response and left in a fury. just a story. please don't kill the messenger or nail me to the wall for sharing it.

i'm out of the loop apparently... what's wrong with clement? how much longer until garner gets back? any further update on parnell?

After all the excitement building up to the game, I was pretty disappointed with the actual event. Maryville looked sharp early. They scored easily on the first series and then failed to convert touchdowns on the subsequent possessions. I think that the early dominance of Maryville lulled the Rebel fans into complacency (or maybe that was the unyielding heat). It really should have already been a blowout by halftime. I think that if MHS had put up the points that had narrowly escaped them, then they could have gotten away with playing so flat in the second. Having said that Maryville was clearly the better team, Alcoa definitely deserves the credit given them for not giving up. Against all odds they fought back. They should be proud of that. Warren is a stud. And he's a nice kid. I hate that some people are talking a lot of trash about him. He could not possibly be expected to have a huge game against a good defense like Maryville's that has enough skill to defend both the pass and the run. I also thought that Alcoa did not put enough pressure on the defense down the field by attempting enough deep passes. The bottom line is that MHS is a complete 4A team. Alcoa is a complete 2A team. The depth of Maryville was overwhelming in that stifling heat. I mean, I stretched out, drank plenty of fluids, conditioned for weeks and still almost cramped up from standing there watching. I think the hype from AHS was a little unrealistic, but I wish them continued luck.

does no one else have a problem with all the people on here putting duck in the same sentence as riggs? i'm not saying he isn't a great player, but he's not proving it at the 4A level every week. i only get the opportunity to see him play when it's alcoa vs. mhs, and if he goes wherever he wants tonight then i may change my tune. it will take a whole team to win tonight. i think mhs has a complete team and alcoa has a nice collection of stars. the average player at mhs (i believe) is better than the average player at alcoa. i'm hoping to see a great game. i hope that both teams bring their A game and that it is closely contested and that the best team wins. i hope that both teams walk off the field with their heads held high respecting that the best team won. i hope that all the fans handle themselves with class and dignity and give credity where it is due while firmly taking responsibility and placing it where it belongs. having said this, i think that anytime it's close mhs becomes the favorite. they've been in the big games in the spotlight before. GQ and his staff have been there before. so in a close game i give the edge to MHS for maturity and for superior staffing (and this is not to demean Reid and his crew or AHS and its players at all). get it on!

do you guys have a pretty good kicker over there at alcoa? just curious. and i know i'm jumping into this conversation a little bit late, but whoever it was that predicted alcoa to go 5-5 may have made the most absurd statement i've ever read on here. alcoa contends for state during its bad years. this is not a bad year and they are still playing AA.

Let's not get carried away alcoa. You guys looked great Friday night, and Maryville didn't look as good as I expected. But even so, this rivalry has been pretty lopsided in recent years and I'd think twice before making any promises....not to say that you aren't right because only time can answer that one. But in any event, I don't expect to see MHS get blown out by anyone due simply to the fact that they have so much offensive firepower. Good luck though. I like close games a lot more than I like the ones that Maryville ends in the first half.

A few questions and comments regarding the tourney as it has gone down thus far: 1. To those of you who had seen Oak Ridge play prior to the Maryville game Tuesday: I've heard talk that sometimes O/R brings their A game and sometimes they do not show up to compete. Which team did we see yesterday? Was that them playing well, or them not playing well? 2. To Rebelsman: I've read your posts all this time having no idea who you were. You don't know me, but I know your son. I just want to take the opportunity to say in a very public forum that I think you must have done a wonderful job raising him. He's obviously a great basketball player, but much more importantly he seems to be of exceptional character. And if he were my son, I'd be on here flaunting it as well. 3. To the Govman: I typically read and don't post that often, and I've disgreed with you silently more times than I can count. But I would like at this juncture to say that you should pay no heed to the hater for it is simple human nature to envy and attack that which we desire to be but fail to attain. Let's all enjoy the games thursday night and remember that basketball unites sworn foes into a fierce, frenetic dance but in the end we know that the dance could not have occurred without both opponents. We are not foes, we are partners. This is the finest time of year!

as much as it makes me sick to have seen Bearden hold the ball for half of two games last week in the district tournament, i have to say that high school basketball should not be about the fans or what we want. it's about the kids playing and it's about teaching them to play the game. fundamentals have suffered at every level in recent years. the nba is plagued with players who have jumped straight from high school to the nba based solely on raw, not refined, talent and without having polished their fundamental skills. the college ranks are missing those stars who have gone right to the bigs and have been forced to play their most talented players immediately for fear that they will jump to the pros before honing their talents over the full duration of collegiate eligibility. this leaves high school as the last battle front on which coaches have the full authority to drill on the basics that make players out of athletes. insituting a shot clock would force coaches and players alike to focus on yet one more thing on top of building fundamentals. at that level the game should be about getting better and building character much more than it should be about clock management.

these guys have had some pretty good games against each other in recent years. i don't know anything about this year's Oak Ridge team, but it's pretty rare for them to not be a formidable opponent for anyone. any of you keen eyes out there got any insight as to what you think will happen when these two teams square off tonight at 6?

I've not heard of most of these guys so I can't comment. I can say that the kid from Alcoa is not as good as Tony White Jr. at Bearden. I'm just not sure Jr. is a sophomore or a junior. I know he's got a great game regardless of what year of high school he's in.

whoa whoa whoa, let's not get ahead of ourselves here. yeah, wb is having a better than expected season, but let's be careful about saying things like maybe you'll get the bulldogs in the tournament....i don't suspect very many wb fans truly want that. does the potential for revenge here outweigh the probability of Bearden eliminating wb from the tournament? let's be rational redrage. good luck govs.

oakhill, you're comparing apples to oranges my friend. a program that exists by taking the top national talent and competing against other academies is a far cry from a team that shares the local talent with ten or 12 other programs in the same city. of course, i wouldn't expect you to comprehend that. i'm sure oakhill didn't recruit you for your score on the SAT.

You know, I'm an impartial observer here and I think there's a side to this issue that's not been addressed yet. Blevins took some heat last year for being hard on his team to the point that one of his starters walked out right before tournament time. This much we know. We also know that Blevins pulled that same star on several occasions as the game was winding down both in close contests and otherwise. This was not popular with the fans at the time. After such circumstances should we not at least consider it as a possibility that the coach has listened to the heat he took and is now working harder to keep his players happy? It's a lot easier to get your kids to give you 110% for a whole game if they think they might get 100 than it is to get that same level of effort if they simply think they'll be punished otherwise. Was it classless of him? Maybe. Would it be an issue in the pros? Not at all. In college? Perhaps. Yes, we're dealing with kids here. It's sensitive I know. But "prep" sports should be preparation for something. And if you're looking to play at the next level and certainly if you aspire to the one after that, you've got to understand that your opponent will bring it every time and all the time. If you're just a high school student who will go on to other things in life besides basketball, then this too is a learning experience. In college and in the business world, if you can't keep up you get left behind. Do you give up then? No. You learn from it and try harder next time. I'm afraid that as a society we too often fail at preparing our kids to deal with life in this way. We shield them from anything negative and then don't understand why they fold in the face of adversity and trial later in life. I don't mean to sound insensitive, but why are we making such a big deal of this? How about we just quit keeping score so that no one ever gets his or her feelings hurt? Having said all that, I admire the spirit of WB in not giving up and in looking to get this one back come tournament time or later in the season. Bravo Governors for not letting your spirit be broken.

Heard some coaches say that this year's freshman squad at Maryville was the "best" they'd "ever had." Those are some pretty big words. Couple that with the fact that a lot of sophomores and juniors played pretty significant roles on this year's Maryville squad and I think that we'll be seeing the Rebels contend for state titles at either the 4A or 5A level in the years to come.

Did you guys miss the part where I said I wasn't interested in hearing about Motown and Mville? I've already got my own opinions about that one. What I'm saying is IF Maryville wins THEN who would be the more interesting matchup in the boro? I'd love to hear thoughts on that subject. Disclaimer: My personal feelings have no bearing on Friday night's game and thinking ahead by non-related parties has no effect on Friday night's outcome. The same would not be true if said of those in the contest. Thanks.

For those of you who are familiar with both Hillsboro and Melrose, who do you think the Rebels would fare best against: the team they've played before or a team they've not seen in person? The consensus opinion that I've heard is that both teams are more athletic than Maryville, and I am of the opinion that Hillsboro had the better team last year...but not the better program. So would Maryville's coaching staff, which is widely held to be one of the best if not the best in the state, prefer to square off against a team with real experience against them and the intricacies of their gameplans or a team that has only seen game film? And before everyone jumps on me for looking past the Motown West game, let me provide the caveat that I am not a player or coach or anyone affiliated with the Maryville program and that my opinions are in no way indicative or reflective of the MHS football program's and that I am just a fan who has seen both teams and who believes Maryville will win Friday night. I'm sure GQ will have his boys prepared to not look past Morristown. I'm not interested in talk about that game, only preponderance of what might be in Murfressboro. Thanks.

all things said and done, when these two teams came head to head, mhs walked away with the victory. it was no fluke. does that mean they will win again? no. does it give them a psychological advantage? maybe. the rebels did not play their best game, and from what i've heard that was maybe central's most mistake free game of the season. i think the rebels have that edge. not only did they win, but they overcame their own mistakes, responded with authority when central had positive plays, and made HUGE (read as loss of major yardage) defensive stops when necessary (i.e. in overtime and on several occasions in the red zone). I'm looking forward to the game tonight. Go Red Rebels!

you know, there's a reason they still play the games. we'll see if maryville is unbeatable or should i say good enough to go unbeaten. there will always be scenarios in which teams lose and make excuses or in which match ups never materialize and speculations are allowed to reign, but at the end of each season a champion is crowned. maryville has been there before, and i, personally, hope to see them there again. are they unbeatable? no way. on any given sunday, or friday in this case, any team can fall. having said that....go rebels.

These Miranda kids don't happen to have a dad that played for Notre Dame do they?

Well I certainly wish him the best both in his rehab and his future beyond that. We'll hope the Govs can rally and lay another Blount County style defeat on the Admirals just like Heritage did. Thanks for the info.

Hey Govman, Off the subject a little I know, but you said Grubb is a d1 prospect. I was just wondering who was looking at him right now, if you had any leads on where he might land next year, and also how that all might be impacted by his injury. How serious is it anyway? Thanks.

Govman, Do you think your boy can stop all three of them? Tough odds there. Good luck.

thanks trurebelplaya, i was wondering when someone was going to bring up the great maryville defense. i came into this season thinking that would be the weak point, but man they've stepped up huge. i hope this is a great game, and i've not seen wb play this year. but i'd be willing to wager that the rebels will prevail. they're just so good on both sides of the ball and have so many incredible weapons. i hope all those guys that keep getting named from blount bring their A games and then some... or else it probably won't be close. anyone know how many points mhs has scored on defense this year? i am pumped about seeing little ronald osborne all grown up and ready to play high school ball for the govs... heard about that big runback last week .good luck kid.