futbolphan

I have been extremely critical of the quality of refering at the High School level this year. Yesterdays games at the finals did nothing to change my mind, as a matter of fact I left more disolutioned than ever before. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not going to take anything away from those that took home the big prize; it's just to bad that we'll NEVER know for sure who the best teams in the state are, specifically in A-AA and AAA. Congratulations DCA and Franklin. How can you allow a ref to take either team out of the game by the calls, or lack thereof that he makes? These girls, both sides, have worked to hard to have a finish like this. Yes, Franklin and DCA will enjoy the limelight, as well they shoudl, but there will always be a shadow of a doubt. FRA and Hendersonville can just sit back and wonder what would have happened had they had a top quality ref (and AR's for that matter). For those of you that were at these games, I am sure that you will have opposing points of view. You will obvously see it through your team's eyes, which is just human nature, but if we are to grow and improve the quality of our sport in the state, we need to address the issue of lousy (at best) refs. First of all, if this is the state tournament, why did the the TSSAA not bring the "best" refs in the state, instead, they used local (Chattanooga) refs? And if these are the best we have, I give up! I know that most everyone in presence would have been happy to pay an extra $1 to get in to cover the expense of transporting and lodging these folks here. Just to tell you how qualified this guy is (the ref at the AAA game) he gave the Hendersonville Head coach a yellow card! I thought that the "cards" were just for the players.. Well, at least they are at any other level of play! Any where else! From all my experience with soccer, this has always proven two things: One, that the ref has absolutely no clue, and two, that the ref is on a power trip. Which both were the case last night. Again congratulations to all the winners, and to FRA and Hendersonville, I'm sure we haven't heard the last from you yet!

hey reccos: I was not underestimating Tullahoma at all. And by no means was my intention to offend anyone... My apologies if I did! I just did not see a strong enough schedule during their season (only one ranked AAA team during the regular season) Their presence in the tournament last year has no bearing on their accomplishments (or record) this year. If that were the case, teams like Hendersonville, that have lost the big one at the sectional level the last 7 years, and a team that has never, ever made it to the final four, would not be there this year either. So I guess I'm 3-4 on quarterfinal predictions... not bad for statistics, HUH?! So, What happened to to Tullahoma last night?

Not benefiting from personal knowledge about each and every team in the quarterfinals, I have to rely on statistics (not just wins and losses, but a whole lot other things, goals made, goals allowed, etc) to make a prediction. Statistics is what got each team there (yeah, I know... statistics didn't play the games, but they tell the tale of the game), so if each team continues to play "their" game, here's what I predict for the quarter finals: Franklin beats Blackman Farragut beats Cordova Hendersonville beats Collierville Oak Ridge beats Tullahoma for the Semi-Finals, my prediction is: Farragut beats Franklin Hendersonville beats Oak Ridge and for the finals: Hendersonville beats Farragut Good Luck to each and every one in the tournament. Play Hard and Have Fun. Each one of you deserves to be where you are. Make Tennessee High School Soccer Proud!

I have watched Hendersonville develop into a "true" contender this year. Not only are they talented, but I have yet to see another team that comes to the field each and every game with the desire to "win". Additionally, it is one of the very few teams I have watched this fall, and I have watched a lot, that does not rely on the "physical" but rather on the "talent - skills" aspect of the game. I watched them play Beech, Brentwood (twice) and Rossview (tournament). These games were nothing more than a "rugby" matche gone bad! In my opinion, these three teams brought nothing to the table. With a team like Hendersonville, You Can't Do That! Good luck Lady Commandos, you deserve success.

It's Courtney Sanders

How did the refs handle the situation? How did it get out of hand?

I think that Farragut will win by a score of 1-0. Oak Ridge did beat them the first time they played but overall, Faffagut has played a tougher schedule. Their opponents combined wins are 276 vs Oak Ridge's opponents total of 205.... But, hogwash! these are the tournaments, and I firmly beleive that the team that wants it the most, that comes mentally prepared, will win the game. As the tournament moves on, the skill level and talent gets closer and closer. I think this to be true of each and every game to be played from now on, by each and every team left standing.

PLEASE, DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON THE "OFFSIDE" THING... FIRST OF ALL, THERE'S NO WAY, NO HOW, NOT EVER that a team of "two" refs can make what is already the most misunderstood call in the game, correct. You (Illini) talk about the FIFA rule book, show me which rule allows for "two" refs. One of the best teams I have ever seen, at working the offside trap (Hendersonville), is punished often because the ref is not in possition to call it. What's up with that?! The day the refs do this for free, is the day I stop expecting them to call as close to a perfect game as possible. I, too am a ref. I consider myself to be very knowledgeable of the rules of the game, but I know my limitations, unlike a whole lot of refs I have seen this fall. I do not want to go out and screw up a game that these kids have worked so hard for so long. They deserve quality refs, and they should get quality refs!

Is it just me, or are high school refs a little (or a lot) suspect this year? Could someone explain to me what it takes to be a high school ref? I have seen kids on the rec fields that show more interest and potential than MOST (no all) refs on the high school fields! And while we're on the subject, why is it that most schools use only two refs? Are they (the schools) not interested in a well refed game? And I would have thought that three refs would be used at the district games, but NO, only two are assigned? Who's responsible for this? And does anyone out there, besides me, care?