McNine4MVP

Even though I think LaVergne has shot themselves in the foot, I will take the time to defend their schedule and Antioch by saying they are really not a cupcake. Antioch's losses came to teams that have a record of 24-4 this year. I feel pretty safe in saying that their are some Region 6-5A teams that probably would like to steer clear of them. As a matter of fact, I think their defense against LaVergne's spread is what Siegel duplicated and won with.

LaVergne isn't man enough to beat Smyrna, end of story. And the worst part about it is that at the skill positions, LaVergne has more personnel, but the personnel isn't necessarily better. There is a difference!!! Sonny, Rod, and Bryson will be the three best players on the field, with Chris Gray being the one guy LaVergne has that can crack the Top 5. That loss last week was just another illustration of why LaVergne is, once again, a very talented pretender. Both of their losses have been baffling, to say the least. They should move the ball with ease against anyone they play, but they lose their discipline and focus. I went out to Siegel expecting to see a well-oiled machine, and saw a clunker. Crocker still has young QB syndrome. He makes one great throw and then makes one that makes you scratch your head. And to be honest, whoever calls their plays loses me at times and does nothing to help Michael. The last three plays before the FG attempt against Lebanon will live in infamy when they are playing in a bowl game and not the playoffs. And this game, with their below average run defense, is a recipe for disaster because Bryson can flat out run the rock and the Bulldogs will make them pay. Gray and Tillery will make some plays, but Smyrna is just way too good at the fundamentals of football. The Iso lead play will get about 5 yards every play against the Rines. Smyrna 28 LaVergne 17

I have heard that too, but I find that to be an incredibly short sighted hire by the powers that be in Metro. No offense to Abner, who really has a job that is possibly tougher than Hillwood at Glencliff, but wouldn't you go after someone who has some track record of success on the field for that job?? Cane Ridge could be the plum athletic sports job of the city, due to its proximity to athletes, but a good mix of some upper middle class neighborhoods in "Brentioch" that will be zoned there. To be honest, but I'm not so sure that a Mike Woodward wouldn't be a better fit there than right down the road at Antioch. But, as Runtheball and Batman have told me on here in the past, nothing Metro does makes a lot of sense. People think I'm stupid, but I think a veteran guy like Buddy Brown or Terry Anderson would be better fits for that job. They know the area, they understand the foundation blocks for building a program, and they could groom a young successor, like a Trent Anderson, to take over down the road. But that........................would make too much sense.

Good post. I don't think you can necessarily say Tennessee is a "small state" population-wise (I think we are 15th or 16th in population), but it certainly is not big enough to need 5 classes. I think that four classes would be optimal, unless they do away with the Public/Private split altogether, which I would be for as long as there is a multiplier for the BA's, MBA's, and Ensworth's of the world. Then, you could maybe justify five classes. Otherwise, just have four D-I classes, two D-2 classes, and championships would mean more.

As we head through the midseason point, I decided to look back at a post I made in late July regarding my projections for Regions 4-6-5A. I must admit, I'm not too bad at picking these Regions /popcorneater.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":popcorneater:" border="0" alt="popcorneater.gif" /> . Now, I totally blew Region 6 by picking Indy, but I also included that things could change if a certain someone could not get it together. I will give myself credit for being about the only person on here who was on the Wilson Central bandwagon and although Hendersonville has made a case for themselves in Region 5-5A, Antioch has an opportunity to reach my projections for them.

I reallly, really like the Big Blue in this game. I got a chance to see Antioch beat Gallatin in person and I think we're seeing that brutal schedule this young Antioch team played early starting to pay dividends. Plus, Woodward, much like his mentor Rector, seem to get their teams better week after week. Its a trend that I have observed watching Ravenwood and Antioch these past few years. With TD back in the fold and other guys stepping up, this is an interesting game for sure. I just think Antioch has too many athletes and they are starting to execute the system. No slight to Hendersonville, Bruce seems to have righted the ship, but Antioch just matches up well with the Commandos.

You have to like WC in this matchup. They are a physical team that just flies around the ball. I got a chance to see them dismantle Independence in the preseason and their hot start does not surprise me at all. Coffee County seeems to be doing a great job, but I like WC's defense against just about anybody. They have a great defensive unit.

All LaVergne needs to do is to avoid the silly turnovers and penalties in this game. To be honest, I'm not real impressed with Lebanon. I was at the Lebanon-Smyrna game and they just got lucky with a couple of well-executed fake punts when they were down 21-7 and got the benefit of a bad call when Sallis threw the ball backwards out of the end zone (which is a safety everywhere I have ever been), or they would have gotten beaten by 10+ points by Smyrna. Give them credit, they played keep away from the Bulldogs and controlled the clock with their big O-Line. Sallis and Maynard made some plays, but if they played Smyrna ten times................... well.......................they got their one. LaVergne is a different animal. The Wolverines are bigger up front than the Bulldogs were, so a lot of those inside QB designed runs won't be as effective. As long as Crocker plays within the system and doesn't turn the ball over, I think LaVergne can roll in this game. They have more good athletes and the homefield, so I'll say: LaVergne 31 Lebanon 21

I got an opportunity to see WC scrimmage Independence and I can tell Oakland one thing for sure........................... YOU BETTER GET YOUR CHINSTRAP BUCKLED UP The Wildcats bring in fellas, and that is why I think they win.

Josh, Scott Smith had a prior tour of duty at Antioch under Terry Anderson, and then Buddy Brown, before he took the Greenbrier job. He was there my freshman year and came back my senior year. He was a candidate for the Antioch job when Anderson left for Overton. That's what Jesse is refering to. Other than that, I agree with everything that you said Josh. I thought Coach Brown did a very good job, considering the circumstances at AHS. And that's not to say that I agreed with everything the guy did, but he had his heart in the right place. Brown did not have the luxury of having support of athletics from the top (the principal at the time was wayyy more interested in her horses than she was high school athletics). He had to take that program over two weeks before a season started and implement his philosophy in no time flat (brilliant Metro for you there). He had to coach a team that was displaced and had to practice 5 miles away at the old facility for a year or two and made it work. He finally gets the program to a playoff run, and his best player tears a knee up in Tullahoma (one of the most heartbreaking moments of my athletic life, because I love J-Dub like a brother). He really had a lot of bad luck, but still left the program in a lot better shape than it was when he got there. You have to give a man credit for that. But it is interesting to hear your opinions Jesse, becasue there is a definite line of guys that liked/disliked coach based on when you were there. I knew some of those older guys because of my cousin and they definitely had a different opinion of BB, probably due to them being coached by Anderson for those years and having the rug pulled out by wanting Scott or Alvin Jones. Then you have the guys that I thought were the most underrated class that ever came through AHS, and that was the last group at the Old AHS, that were seniors when I was a sophomore. That Gilmore (who stepped up his senior year big-time), Crocker (whose nephew, ironically, will probably have a nice game tonight for LaVergne against the Bears), C. Smith (who posts here sometimes...Quack4...could have ruined our chemistry, especially in 95, when all of us, parents, players (even us Freshman), even some other coaches) thought he should have been playing QB, but he had too much class to rock the boat), Anderson (Mr. Loose, who kept Gilmore and Smith getting along, which wasn't happening at all my freshman year (1995-1996), and laughing all season long), Newsom (Mr. Hustle), Charles Key (a good athlete) class was small in numbers, but those guys got us back to respectibility (we lost a couple of absolute heartbreakers that year, LaVergne and Maplewood were two horrible endings). I still say that if we could have redshirted (HAHA!!)Gilmore or C. Smith, we would have been lethal my Junior year, 1998, even though Lankford did a good job for us. That C/O 1998 group, as a whole, might have been the best class to come through AHS. When you look at Jackson (just a physical specimen), Woelk (Who was just Mr. Intensity), Edwards (The best 185lb Center in Metro), Roberts, Tackett (Really gave our team what Newsom did before), Robinson (Got in shape and got much better), McGregor (The most consistent receiver at AHS in years), McMillian (played with a swagger), Tigg (smart player when he matured), Fischer (The smartest guy I ever played with), and the rest of that group, you had some great lunchpail guys and they were great to team with my Junior class of talented misfits, LOL! I learned more from Leon and William every day in practice than you could imagine. Then the 99 group, when Coleman was with us, might have been the fastest team speed class ever with Lunsford, CJ Smith (who was the most underrated player we had at AHS, he was a key player on the 96, 97, and 98 teams),Lankford, Stallworth, Waller (before the knee), but we had too many other things going on, off the field, to be successful. What happened after that is when I graduated, but I could certainly see that DeQuan, Bowen, Blackwell, and that bunch got it going again. Anyways, as you guys can see, I love reminiscing about those days in Lower Antioch. I grew up watching and looking up to those kids and coaches before me. I can remember the 97 group starting the Thursday night Ryan's/Hooters tradition...those were good times and me being a youngster tagging along with the those older cats. I think you are being a little too hard on Coach Brown Jesse. Nobody is going to agree with everything coaches do, but he put in the time and effort, and I know that I was better for playing for him. When you look at the fact that guys that have played for him have done some great things in their lives, I think you can attribute some of that to his style of coaching. With that said, tonight, I wish I could say Antioch, but it just ain't gonna happen. But I really like LaVergne's team this year and look for Crocker, Gray, Patton, Gardener, and Tillery to put up some numbers. LaVergne 31 Antioch 14

First of all, you're showing some ignorance because I think Antioch has been to the playoffs more times in the last five years than LaVergne and Lebanon have, so your angle that you are working on gets shot to hades before it even starts. This is a program that nine months ago gave the then-defending state champs (a state championship that was coordinated on one side of the ball by Antioch's current head coach) a run for their money in a second round playoff game, so that suggests to me that Mike Woodward and his staff know what they are doing. They are just having a rough go of it right now. You say that these Antioch kids don't pan out, but I know of 6-8 kids who have come out of the Antioch program who are still playing college ball. How many kids at some of those other schools you listed are doing that?? Secondly, there are some demographic factors on why Antioch has some struggles. One of which is the fact that the community has changed in a lot of ways in the past 10 years, and not all for the better. And I don't mean that in an ugly way. I graduated in 1999 (second class at the new building) from AHS and the fact remains that that school is totally different than it was in 1995, when I stepped into the facility on Blue Hole Road as a 14 year old. You have a lot of these kids now who come from single parent households who have moved out to Antioch from the inner-city and still have some of that pull from the streets, or they are having to help support a situation financially at home, or both (which you know what that means). A lot of those kids have way more on their minds than playing football. When I was there, a lot of the guys had outstanding parental support coming from home. Now, I'm not so sure. Trust me, Antioch has had some good coaches (Buddy Brown and Mike Woodward are excellent coaches) and Woodward will get it turned around there, I promise you that. He's just at that phase where things may have to get a little worse to get a lot better!! But I think you are being totally unfair in your assessment of Antioch's struggles being a coaching issue.

LILAL seems to be needing his ADHD medication today, so we'll ignore that. Congrats to Hunters Lane on a big win. I admit, I picked the game wrong, but you guys showed me. Good luck the rest of the season. Also, mad props to Mike Woodward. Sometimes life's lessons are wayyy more important than a football game and this was one of those cases. I hope that kid can regain the trust of his teammates and coaches at some point, but those kids at Antioch need structure and tough love, and Woodward is giving it to them. Its a sink or swim world and those that can swin will make it and those that can't will drown. That's life. I just hope he can hang in there because Woodward is the type of coach these kids need.

Smyrna lost a lot of really good players off of their team last year. They lost some very good lineman and both of their running backs. They also lost a lot of glue guys like Slater and Bolton who were essential to their success on D. I've been saying for months now that their biggest loss would be Josh Crouch's graduation. He was the guy on their team that played with a swag and they are lacking that in their secondary right now. Add that to Josh Day's injury situation and you have a young, small, inexperienced defense that got exposed Friday. With that said, I think that if Sonny can play (and that is in question a little bit), they will play better against BA, but that probably won't be good enough.

I really think that this game will come down to how efficient Michael is with the ball. If he is as accurate as he was two weeks ago, I could see LaVergne winning this game 28-17 or something like that. If not, Oakland has a shot. But I don't think there is any way in hades that Oakland has the personnel to cover Chris Gray and QP. To be honest, I'm not so sure that LaVergne's skill position personnel, AS A WHOLE, isn't the best in Rutherford County. Now, Michael isn't Sonny and nobody is Rod, but when you put Crocker, Tillery, Bather, Horton, Gardner, Williams, Gray, Patton, and the rest of that bunch together, whew, that's a lot of talent on the field. I really feel like LaVergne, as long as Gray and Tillery keep that team together, could be a big time sleeper come November. I know what kind of heart Crocker has and he'll just keep getting better and better as this thing goes along. He actually fits their personnel better than A-Rod did because Michael is going to get the ball out to those talented WR's and let them make plays. HSSportsfootball, Would you agree that MC fits what you all are doing better than A-Rod??

This game is a sucker bet big time. You have a 2-0 Hunters Lane team who is very talented, but really didn't get tested in their first two games playing against an Antioch team that is 0-2, but has played two of the best teams in the Midstate and played them fairly well, until the fourth quarter. Add the fact that Antioch has beaten Hunters Lane four years in a row, and you have sucker bet city here. Everything points to Hunters Lane winning, but Antioch may just be more tested at this point. As an example, I believe that this game parallels the first Ravenwood-Smyrna meeting last year. One team is hot against inferior competition, while the other is cold, but has been battle tested. The battle tested team will almost always win in this situation. Look for Antioch to grind out a win by a score of 19-17 or something like that. I just think Woodward knows what he's doing with his schedule.

I'm just finished up my degree in Accounting. It took me a while (I'm almost 26), but I finally got it done. Thinking about getting a Masters, but I think I want to start my career first. I hope Antioch does well too, but that first month is brutal. You're right, that Region is tough, but I think that some of the heavy hitters in 6-5A may start to have some trouble this season, and that could open the door for a Centennial to may a run. What position are you coaching at Centennial?

Coach, I haven't gotten to see much of anything in the way of scrimmages. I've been finishing up school this summer and have been really busy. I did get to see Wilson Central beat up on Independence in a scrimmage, but I haven't gotten to see anybody else. As much as I run my mouth, I don't like to run my mouth too much on things I'm not qualified to answer. I haven't gotten an opportunity to get over to Antioch, but I have heard they have struggled. I have heard some good things about you all over at Centennial, and I think LaVergne may be pretty good too. So, for once, McNine is uslesss when it comes to this topic.

Scott Pettigrew is one tough customer and he's vital to a team like Indy that, without he and Lawrence, absolutely lacks toughness! I was on their bandwagon in the preseason, but I got a chance to see them get absolutely PUNKED by Wilson Central (in more ways than one) and I'm completely off of that bandwagon. The offense sputtered, the QB still thinks he's got 6 seconds back there, and they lack speed on defense. With Lawrence being hurt, I don't know if they will be able to stop anybody, and they certainly won't stop BA. This one has the potential to get ugly.

The Bulldogs win this one by as much as they want to. Siegel has some material from seeing them a couple of times, but I don't know about some of the things they try to do offensively. I just think that they are too rough around the edges offensively to give the champs much of a contest.

MBA by a score something like 24-14. Antioch is breaking in a bunch of youngsters on offense and I think they will sputter early against a disciplined bunch like MBA. Look for the Big Red to win this game, but look for the Big Blue to get better as the year goes on. They are playing murderer's row the first two weeks.

I want to know the answer to that myself?

I meant Woodward being the best coach in Region 5. In the Midstate, I would rank Rector, Crawford, Aydelott, and Shadowens (who I have been hard on in the past.......but he got his ring) above him right now. But, Woodward is climbing the ladder.

Hey, They lost to Brentwood in a game that could have gone either way on the road, got a tough break against Dickson County not having ZC, and they've already beaten Franklin at their own ball game of defense and special teams play. So, yes, they've competed on a high level. Ravenwood was the only team that "got well" on Indy last year. They had a pretty young squad that is back for the most part and I know that they are high on some upcoming Juniors like Shepherd and Wisdom. That Region is a crapshoot and Indy seems to be the team that may have the emotional edge to spur them on. Any of those four teams in WilCo could win, and I think Centennial could be a spoiler, but I just like Indy's balance.

Maybe a little bit, but I don't think there is a real reach in that bunch. Riverdale is always a factor, Antioch has proven to be tough with Woodward, and Independence has competed on the big stage quicker than anyone would have thought. I do know all of those guys and wish them well, but I haven't gone off the wire with these picks. All three could easily happen.

Region 4: Riverdale Smyrna La Vergne Wilson Central This is just a hunch here, but I think that this Region is the toughest to call. Blackman, Siegel, and Oakland could all make a claim to this spot, but something tells me that the Wes Elrod re-acquisition will push Dub-C back in the hunt. If they would have had any offense at all last year, they would have made the playoffs. Only Riverdale played Smyrna's offense any better, including Ravenwood and Ooltewah. I think La Vergne will continue their quest to be relevant contenders in this region. Chris Gray is a big time player when he wants to be and I think he knows that he needs a great year to get the collegiate offers he wants. I think Mike Crocker can get it done. A-Rod was a great player, but he bailed out of the pocket at times where Gray and company were breaking open. Crocker will play more within the system which could mean big numbers for Gray. But Wolverines, could you get a decent practice facility or stadium plumbing...............I swear you all are the redheaded stepchildren of Rutherford County. I'm taking Riverdale over Smyrna just because I think everybody is glossing over the loss of Josh Crouch for Smyrna. As good as Sonny, Rod, and J-Day are, Crouch was always the guy making the big play. The strip against Ooltewah, the TD against Riverdale, that team never gets there without him. I just think Riverdale is going to be out for blood. Region 5: Antioch Hunters Lane Gallatin Overton I think we started to see the rebirth of Metro Nashville 5A football in last year's playoffs and that this trend will continue this year. Antioch has the best coach, the best talent pool, and the best player in the region. That, along with a murderers row out of region schedule will have them tested by Region time. Terrance Davis is the best skill position talent in the 013 since Coker and PB. Hunters Lane is for real, but they seem to struggle playing Antioch early. I think Gallatin toughs out a third place finish. They could very well win this region (you can never count them out), but they have fallen short with greater talent and on paper, this may be their most questionable team since Robert has been there. I'm going with Overton fourth, because their RB and Defense will be stout, as most Terry Anderson teams are. Doesn't matter if he has Mose Phillips, Demetrius Reeves, Jacques Wordlaw, Tony Arnold, Terry Salter, Eric Covington, Daniel White, or whoever running the ball, his teams are going to be able to do it well. Region 6: Independence Brentwood Ravenwood Franklin I really think, all things considered, Independence is the best team in this Region. No slight at all to Scott Smith, but I think that this team will be inspired to win in his absence. Jason Eubanks is an outstanding young ball coach and he is going to play to his team's strengths. Scott Pettigrew, if he can stay healthy, could be the MVP of this region. You still have to respect what Issac and those guys outside can do, but I think they are going to spread it and run the rock. If Cordell can keep his head and not make crucial mistakes, they will win this region. I think Ron Crawford is the man, and I believe that Brentwood will surprise this season. They have a lot of holes to fill, but Coach just puts them in position to win games. Ditto for Ravenwood. My days of doubting Brian Rector's Raptors are over, but I just think Mike Becker will have to carry this team as far as they will go. He's capable, but he's had injury issues and if he goes down for any length of time, they are flat out done. They lost those great Tackles they had and a lot of glue guys that carried over the leadership from the 2005 Championship team. I just don't have a lot of faith in Franklin right now. That QB carousel last season was just detrimental to everything they were doing. When you have a D-I receiver and you can't get the ball in his hands.........................what are you going to do without him. They lost some really good players in Casey Dykes, Josh Frohock, Todd Campbell, and that rangy FS they had. Their coach rode into town on a high horse, but they are nowhere near as good as I thought they would be. Anyways, those are my predictions and I would like for this to generate discussion, whether you agree or disagree.