McNine4MVP

The job Ravenwood's two tackles did in the Antioch game against Buchanan and McAdoo was impressive. You won't see a more athletic pair of ends than those two guys and Ravenwood's OT's were phenominal in that game, which was a great game of ebb and flow, much like the Ooltewah- Smyrna game. Smyrna does lack playmakers on the D-Line, but with guys like Shadrake holding down the middle and my homeboy Josh Day coming off the edge like Shawne Merriman, their back 7 plays some really good football. The more I analyze this game, the more I think this will be a classic football game. These two teams are pretty evenly matched, but I'm going to go with the theory that it is hard to beat a good team twice. The thing that makes me feel good about this theory is that the team that I think will win the revenge game has a QB that has started about 30 games in his career. Becker is a FANTASTIC QB (I mean really good), but I saw something in Sonny's eyes last week that I just love about him. The way he got his team into the right plays, got the ball to the open guy, and just looked like the coolest, calmest guy out there was amazing. Smyrna 28 Ravenwood 24

I think LaVergne on a scale of 1 to 10 is a 6..........................but let me preface this by saying that it has the potential to be a 8 or 9, but it can easily become a 2 or 3 if things don't go right. LaVergne's positives: Growing area with affordable living, just outside Nashville's city limits Really good athletes OK facilities, that seem to be in the process of getting improved Great Region to play in LaVergne's negatives: Four or five more (or just as) successful 5A programs with 10-15 miles of the place (Smyrna, Riverdale, Ravenwood, Antioch, not to mention the other three Murfreesboro schools). At least two new 5A schools coming on board within 5 miles of the school by 2010 (Stewarts Creek and Cane Ridge (which is just over the Davidson county line, so it won't affect too much). Lack of tradition compared to its biggest rivals (Smyrna, Riverdale) WestTN, For the cliff notes version, LaVergne is really a boom or bust job. It has some good qualities, but it also has some negatives that any prospective coach would have to look at. The schedule setup being one road bump. You have to play Oakland, Blackman, Siegel, Riverdale, Smyrna, Wilson Central, and Lebanon each year in region, and then your non-region slate will be made up of some combination of Antioch, Ravenwood, Franklin, Centennial, or Brentwood. Out of all those schools listed, region and non-region, only Siegel hasn't made at least a one-year playoff run in this decade. If you want a challenge, LaVergne is a job that can validate a guy as a good coach, but it can break a guy too. Hope this helps some.

Click the link here, but it looks like the Raptors may be pushing the cart before the horse here. http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...090101/61201016

Yeah, I know, the "Metro coaches need to work harder" article in The Tennessean really probably turned a lot of people the wrong way with Smith, but you can't deny the guy's on-the-field track record. And to be honest, he's right about the Good Ole Boy network in the way Metro conducted coaching searches during that time. Now, they have stepped out of the box on guys like Law, Blade, and Woodward and they've all succeeded so far. Maybe, just maybe, the guy had a point.

Let me go on a rant because I grew up in this community in the 1980's/1990's. This is the school that should have been built to replace the old Antioch High School in the late 1980's/early 1990's. The new Antioch High School really isn't "Antioch High School" for all intents and purposes. It's kind of a Priest Lake High School that the true Antioch kids were sent over to. To be honest, Cane Ridge is kind of going to be the real "Antioch High School" (except for that horrific location) because all of the kids from the old Antioch zone will be attending there. I can remember being a kid and saying that the Antioch replacement should have been built in one of three places: 1. Down Blue Hole Road, near the current Maxwell Elementary. 2. Crossings Boulevard, right off of I-24 and Hickory Hollow Parkway, near where Nashville Dodge currently sits. 3. The current location of October Woods subdivision off of OHB and I-24. My compromise location was where they initially tried to build AHS.......the current site of the Super Wal-Mart on Hamilton Church, but there were some political issues at the time, due to who owned the land. Anyways, long story short, they messed up by putting AHS where it is. Now, they could have built a second HS on that site, but to call that place AHS is a stretch. OK, enough of my rant, but that actually still burns me up at almost 26 years old that I had to go all the way from where my folks live out there for school. If runtheball still posts here, ask him, Bush, and Dickey about those daily commutes to football practice back in 1997 to the old AHS for practice? How we made the playoffs that year was a testament to those guys' work ethic. I just wish that Josh Waller wouldn't have gotten hurt and that we would have had some of the guys we lost in the spring of 1997 (my sophomore year) to graduation (Adam Crocker, Jay Gilmore, Chris Smith, Charles Key, etc). We didn't lose that many guys in that class, but all of them brought something to the table. Those guys were good locker room guys that went though an 0-10 in Brown's first year to get that program on the upswing, and if not for a couple of heartbreakers, would have made the playoffs in 1996. Really reminiscent of what Independence's senior class did this season. Cane Ridge is going to have a major effect on Antioch High School, McGavock High School, and Overton High School, to a lesser extent. Cane Ridge, I believe, will have an excellent zone with many athletes and will probably have the more affluent neighborhoods in the Antioch area (i.e. the new communities south of Bell Road and West of I-24 like October Woods, Cane Ridge Farms, the new Antioch/LaVergne planned community between OHB and Waldron Road, etc.) I imagine that they will probably poach some of the bustling Nolensville Road areas south of Bell that used to be zoned to the Old Antioch High School back from Overton, like Bradford Hills, Lenox Village, etc. This area is quickly growing, I just wish they would have actually built the school in Cane Ridge, instead of J. Percy Starwoodioch. How stupid is it to place two 2,000+ Comprehensive High Schools within a mile of each other on the same road??? Typical cheap Metro. For the football job, the names that will come to mind are: 1. Terry Anderson - (I always thought his move to OHS was ill-advised...........it was home, but Antioch was 3-4 years away from becoming a gold mine, while Overton's best days had just passed under Coutras and Mullican). I wonder if he wouldn't take this job for 2-3 years and hand the job over to Trent?? 2. Bobby Baskin - This job would beat the brakes off of Hillwood, that's for sure. 3. Scott Blade - Just a hunch here with nothing to back it up. 4. Steve Carson - If he doesn't get LaVergne this year, Cane Ridge is just 2 exits up I-24. Plus, that would be perfect timing, considering Rod and Sonny will be leaving at that time. 5. Scott Smith - Don't laugh, I hear grumblings down in Williamson County, and he's a Antioch guy. 6. Eric Felts - Cutting his teeth under SS at Indy, but he's another Anderson Antioch player who knows the neighborhood as well as anyone.

Yeah, I know Gray would have to move and all of that good stuff. However, it isn't like he'd have to move FAR to be eligible. That is an issue for he and his family to decide. I hope he stays at LaVergne, but when you add up the fact that A-Rod's graduating and Thomas is leaving, can't really blame him for investigating it. If you're a D-I player, who do you want throwing you the ball, Sonny or some young kid in a potentially run-happy scheme. I just detest the Wing-T for that very reason....if you have a player or players who are potential D-I athletes, especially at QB and WR, very little the Wing-T does translates and it hurts the kid in the long run. Now, what Dewayne Alexander and Wes Elrod schemed it up over at Wilson Central a few years ago was neat, but nobody else runs it that way.

Carson is a good choice for that job. He's still fairly young, and he's learned a lot from some good coaches like Shadowens, Robins, and he cut his teeth so to speak with Scott Smith back in the day. He would be a great hire. I wonder how soon the "Chris Gray to Smyrna" rumors start if they announce this "Wing-T Guru" as their head coach. I'd have my special transfer papers out if I was that kid. Wonder if HSsportsfootball has any comments on this ???

There is good ol volman09, who spouted about how great the competition is in East Tennessee last week. Haven't seen him until just now. Amazing how Ooltewah fared when they finally faced a team with some athletes on the roster, isn't it??? The Owls have a great team, but (as a flashback) I told this guy last week that Smyrna could match up with them any day of the week because they play better comp and wouldn't be awestruck by this great Ooltewah team. He got all huffy and talked about how bad he wanted Ooltewah to win, so I would shut up!!! i love it when I get under people's skin for telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. McNine4MVP runs a no-spin zone baby, and you're just caught in the vortex. I've been around this game for awhile in Tennessee and there have been some great East Tennessee teams. Alcoa, Maryville, DB back in the day, Fulton is good now, Sevier County had their moments, but with the population explosion, better coaching, and some other demographic factors the best ball is played in the Nashville Metropolitan Area, and its been that way for about a decade now. The fact that these two teams are playing for the title is not a coincidence.

82 cat brings up the elephant in the room and he better not get criticized too much. I'll pull up the Antioch - Ravenwood thread if anybody debates this because there were some "covert" comments from one or two Ravenwood supporters that seemed a little classless and "uppity." I love watching both of these teams and will be happy that one of them will be the champ, but like I said, I think there have been a few Ravenwood fans who have that "since I live in the 37027, we're automatically superior in all fascets" mentality. Now, 98% of Ravenwood's supporters are great, but there is a vocal minority that have made some comments that should not have been made. You can say that about any fan base though.

Yeah, Josh Crouch has stepped it up BIGTIME. I'm really happy for that kid. Next time I see him, I'm going to let him know it too. He made a mistake, paid a price, and learned a lesson. That is what high school football is all about. The play he made to knock the ball out was a great hustle play and showed why you never give up on a play. This thought about Ravenwood getting in his head because he responded on this thread is RIDICULOUS!!!! Josh posts regularly on this board and its neat to get the perspective of a guy who is a really good player on a great team. I hope he posts more often.

That game back in Week 5 was a very strange game. Shadrake getting ejected, Crouch losing it, the weather with those 40 mph winds was eerie, Laidlaw's coming out party, like I said that was a strange game. I think what happened more than anything is that Smyrna lost their composure. Now, as a completely unbiased spectator who likes both of these teams, I do feel Smyrna got the short end of the stick on some calls in that game early that could have made that 12-0 lead 19-0 or more. But they have to show more composure in this game if things do not go their way. I left that game thinking Smyrna was far superior athletically, but that their maturity left a lot to be desired. After seeing Ravenwood a few times since, I can tell you they are a far better team since, but I think Smyrna is playing a lot more heady too!! Should be a great game.

I see the crying is still going on this morning in here!!

I don't like Boy Bands, but a certain singer from Tennessee that was in a famous boy band, came out with a song about guys like Owlbino........CRY ME A RIVER, OH, CRY ME A RIVER!!!!! Geez, get him some Red, Red Whine with that. We told you guys all week that the 13-0 in Southeast Tennessee was equivalent to about an 11-2 in Region 4, 5, or 6 in Middle Tennessee and it showed tonight. Ooltewah has about as good of a team as anybody left, but their lack of functionality in a tight spot hurt them. Can't blame them because they blew out everybody they played. I've been keeping tabs on 5A football since the split and the differences in the abundence of quality Middle Tennessee 5A teams really shows in these playoffs. Like I said, these Smyrna kids will have played over half their schedule against playoff teams (Riverdale 2X, LaVergne 2X, Ravenwood 2X, Lebanon, Brentwood) and Brentwood, Riverdale, and Ravenwood have guys that have won state titles in this millennium calling the shots.

I thought the officiating was equally bad throughout the game on both sides. The PI they called against the Owls #28, I believe, on Rod in the end zone was a ticky tack call, but it was like 1st and Goal, so its really hard to judge the impact of that one. I don't think the kid deliberately tried to take a cheap shot on Sonny on that late it, but it was just one of those plays that looked SOOOOO bad, they almost had to call it. Ooltewah I felt got a break on the PI they called on Jonah when they tried the Steve Spurrier WR pass. Jonah went for the pick and got it. There was a little contact, but that was a jump ball. Also, on the Maceo fumble, it lloked like he was down and I was sitting right in front of it. That directly led to 7 points. I really thought Monroe's poor clock management that led to multiple delay of games and chaos in the hurry-up offense is what really killed Ooltewah. They were lucky that Antoine gave them life with that late fumble. All in all, a great game that went almost like I thought it would.

Good analysis WIP. I thought that this was a game of big plays and gut checks. Ooltewah is a talented team and has nothing to be ashamed of, but I think the key to this game was that Smyrna has been tested throughout the season, whereas the Owls were drinking Gatorade while they were beating some poor team by 35. I think some East Tennessee folks on here took offense to my earlier post questioning the quality of play in East Tennessee. I wasn't questioning Ooltewah's ability to play, I was questioning the people they played and I thought it bit them in the rear tonight. Monroe got his team at least 4 delay of games with his archaic method of getting the plays in. Their hurry up offense was more like a crawl, because they obviously haven't had to run it more than twice this year, and never with a game on the line. To be honest, if these teams played 10 times, they would probably split at 5 games apiece, but Smyrna made some great plays when they had to. Josh Day was everywhere on D and Rod Wilks just absolutely was a matchup nightmare for Ooltewah. Neither team ran the ball well, but Marshall was deadly in the screen game for the Owls. Whoever the guy was that stripped the Ooltewah player inside the five and caused the touchback is the player of the game though. I couldn't tell if it was Josh, Jonah, Orlando, or Rod, but that was a great, great play to not give up and get there.

Good luck to you and the squad Underdawgs. You all really deserve it and I want to see you all get to make the 10 mile trip to MTSU next week. But its all got to start right here, right now, in about nineteen hours. Defend your turf, that's all you have to do. You can't ask for anything better than a homefield game, in the state semi's, as a senior. Just do what got you here and you will be fine. Play together and for each other, cause that is what this game is really all about. There are a lot of haters on this board that don't realize the schedule and distractions that you guys have played through this season. Nobody else in this state has accomplished what you guys did last week in winning in the playoffs at Riverdale, BUT ITS ALL FOR NOTHING BUT A MEMORY IF YOU DON'T DEFEND YOUR TURF TOMORROW NIGHT!!! The Bulldogs have an opportunity to accomplish something no other Bulldog football team has accomplished before, EARN A TRIP TO THE TENNESSEE 5A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!! Just lace em up, let your pads do the talkin, and EXECUTE!!! Good luck Bulldogs, we're rootin for ya'll.

OOOOHHHHH, Touchy, touchy. Man, it would be one thing if my facts were wrong, but I came at you with researched logic. The ten year thing is applicable because a lot of these powers have had consistency in staffs and styles in their programs during that time. So, where was I wrong Mr. Wise Guy Vol Man???

I meant moreso at the 5A level because there are a number of 5A schools in Middle Tennessee that have played for the "chip" in the past 10 years. But this notion that the real football is played in the East is laughable. You must have forgotten about all the private school powers in Middle Tennessee like MBA, Goodpasture, David Lipscomb, Ezell-Harding, Donelson Christian Academy, Christ Presbyterian Academy, Battle Ground Academy, ......all of whom have played in title games in the past 10 years. Other than Maryville, Alcoa, Oak Ridge, D-B, and Red Bank's Gerald Riggs years, who in the East has consistently been good?? Shoot, I can't name another contender. Sevier County was good in the late 1990's with Matthews, Youell, and those guys. D-B can't get out of the first round and plays in an athletically inferior region. Your argument doesn't stick. Murfreesboro Riverdale, Murfreesboro Oakland, Brentwood, Ravenwood, Franklin, Nashville Glencliff, and Hendersonville are Middle Tennessee 5A schools that have played for titles in the past 10 years. I admit that this is somewhat skewed by the East/West split that sends some Nashville area schools West in the playoffs, but the point is that these teams play each other with regularity, scrimmage and play 7 on 7 in the summers, and are ready for the playoff wars. Trust me, Ooltewah may beat Smyrna, but its not going to be because the Bulldogs were "WOWED" by their speed. I mean, there is the potential for a Ravenwood- Smyrna game next week. Those schools are 20 mintues apart (if you know the Rocky Fork backcut) and have already played in a heated game less than two months ago.

I'll admit my bias and say that in this state, when all things are equal, you have to go with the Middle Tennessee team in these cross-sectional matchups, especially when the opponent from East Tennessee is not named Oak Ridge, McCallie, or Maryville. This is not a slap on Ooltewah's program at all. They have been solid for a few years now and a win Friday may establish them in the ranks of premier Tennessee teams. Recent history just shows that there is better competition in Middle Tennessee, week in and week out, than there is in either East or West Tennessee. Shoot, McCallie had the best team they have had in years and they needed a huge comeback to beat a not-so-great (by Warrior standards) Riverdale team. I've seen Smyrna play some really good teams this year that made a playoff dent or are still alive in the race (Riverdale twice, Ravenwood), not to mention some of the quality teams they matched up in preseason. There is more good 5A competition within 25 miles of Smyrna's campus (Riverdale, Ravenwood, Brentwood, Antioch, Franklin, LaVergne, Gallatin, Hendersonville) as there is in all of East Tennessee. The Ooltewah RB is a very good player who is smallish, but runs behind his pads and is stronger than he looks. The key to this game is for the Bulldogs on D is to load up eight in the box and for the OLB and DE to contain. The Owls do have a physical kid outside who reminds me of the Maynard kid at Lebanon. Match up out there with him and make Woods beat you with his gun. Conversely, I think Smyrna needs to spread the field and throw the ball early and often against the Owl secondary. Rod has been quiet during the playoff run, and I suspect that getting him the rock early would be high on the priority list. Crouch has been clutch, but Will or Torres or somebody needs to make some big plays out of the slot in this game. Sonny could have a huge game, but he may have to. I think this is a great matchup, but I really think Smyrna is battle tested and ready to stay "home" for a possible Ravenwood rematch. Smyrna 27 Ooltewah 21

Smyrna, they don't respect you guys, I can sense it in their posts!!! I want Ravenwood and Smyrna to represent this week to prove, FOR ABOUT THE SEVENTH STRAIGHT YEAR, that the best football is played in the Nashville Metropolitan Area, and particularly in Southern Davidson, Williamson, and Rutherford Counties. Put it to Ooltewah. I really think the Bulldogs have an advantage in the speed department across the board in this game. Ooltewah has some players that can really run, but Smyrna has them across the board when you talk about Rod, Crouch, Maceo, Antoine, Jonah, etc. I think Sonny can have an effective game passing against these guys, I really do.

The Bulldogs just wanted this more. I've said it before, and I say it again.........you better be able to pass in November to win, and Riverdale is so one-dimensional, its crazy. I love Coach Aydelott, but he better join the club and bring his offense into the 21 Century. Smyrna just keyed on the Jet Sweep and stayed home on the Counter O series and just frustrated Riverdale. Smyrna blew some opportunities and accomplished this on a night where Sonny didn't have his A game, Rod was struggling with an injury, an OLB got hurt bad, and when Horsford had an uncharacteristicly bad night kicking the ball. They missed two scoring opportunities in the red zone early, yet persevered. To answer the question from the guy not familiar with AAAAA football not understanding the 51 point swing between the two meetings, it is really simple. Riverdale was in Smyrna's head for years. Most of those years, Riverdale had the better team with better players, but this year is different. The Bulldogs just got psyched out in the first meeting. Smyrna has some great talent. Maceo should play at the next level, Antoine can play at the next level, Rod WILL play at the next level, Sonny will be pitching in the majors in about 5 years, Shadrake is a player that somebody should take a look at, and Crouch, I mean what can you say, the boy is a str8 baller. I think all Bulldog players and fans will agree, the best play of the season was by whoever convinced Shad to let Crouch back on the team. He has made the most of his second chance and I congratulate him. I knew he would bounce back, he's just that type of kid. Congrats Bulldogs.......I do some business in Chattanooga and have seen Ooltewah once and they can be beaten. Smyrna has more raw talent, but you still got to bring it.

Sad, but true. Smyrna needs to just be quiet and go play. Riverdale has put up some basketball scores on them the past few years and I do not see much that is going to change that this. Smyrna's only chance is for Scott to put the ball on the ground 2-3 times and for somebody else to do something. Somebody on Smyrna is going to have to do something big early to get them some momentum.

I agree. I'm just coming to the defense of some people I know. One thing is for sure, if you have ever done anything nice for me, I'll always get your back. Nununu, runtheball, moonwinx, work in progress, and guys like that are almost like family to me. Like I said, I generally love rapbwood's takes, but this one struck a nerve with me. In closing, I agree with rapbwood on a lot of kids, not just Jeremy, have to realize that people are watching them and you rarely get a second chance at a first impression. With that said, there are plenty of people on this board who knew me at 17 years old, and I hope they don't hold some of the things I did then against me!! Let's move forward and remain civil towards one another. Good luck to Ravenwood this week. I wish those kids success these next few weeks. I think a Ravenwood-Riverdale final would be great.

Oh, Please quit whining rapbwood. Your attacks at Nununu are futile at best. That guy has done more to mentor at risk youths than anyone on this thread. He's a good man, who puts in the time other people just think about doing and he's infinitely more qualified to speak on this subject because he knows Buc personally and he takes the time to understand lots of different kids. WIP is also more qualified because he coaches a feeder school and knows all of these youngsters, grew up in that neighborhood, and he learned a lot about class from his father, who is as respected a coach as there is in Nashville. I'm lucky to know a lot of the kids on both sides of this game and they are almost ALL good kids, some of them just come from differing backgrounds. However, you guys from Ravenwood talk about class, but trust me, #5 in red and black can trash talk out there with the best of them (I don't blame him, it had to be tough growing up with Big Daniel beating you up all the time). And the guy before him, who I love to death, had some character issues that could have cost him Mr. Football. I've posted here for years now and have never really called out a poster, but lets call it what it is. Here's an older white guy from the right side of the tracks calling out a young, 17 year old black kid from just on the other side of those same tracks who represents this supposed "hip-hop generation". Not trying to be Ray Lewis here, but it smells like a different set of circumstances for two different groups of people. Be really careful here, I'm not calling you racist rapbwood, but just showing a bit of ignorance on something you don't particularly care for or understand. I go to Titans games all the time and between plays and during TV timeouts, there are many times that I'll see a Keith Bulluck or back in the day, Kevin Carter, dance between timeouts. You won't find two better character guys in Nashville than those two. Anyways, Work In Progress, how did you guys finish this season and how is this different campus thing working for you guys??

I don't know Woody too well, but I know him well enough to know that if the kid was a problem child like some on here portray, he would not be out there on the field. I'll let him be the judge of these perceived character flaws. Good luck to Jeremy in his future endeavors and good luck to Ravenwood this weekend.