Gerry Bertier

Found Mr. James stats Darius James Fairview RB 1353 All Purpose Yards 968 Rushing Yards 24 TDs these are totals through 7 games played

A couple of SOS formulas I use actually have Anderson County about 10 pts higher in SOS than both White House and Macon County. The Mavericks have a talented squad but they play in the toughest quad by far in 4A which will cause their season to come to an end sooner than later. A team like White House will benefit from playing in a weak quad.

Watch 7 game films on Smith Co. and they are not a Top 10 3A team at all. They are maybe the 15th best team in 3a.

The 2 TD loss to Smith County is not helping Macon's cause in my poll. Smith County is not a very good team in 3A.

Lewis Co. is not the region champ just yet. Their match up with CA this week determines the region 5 winner. Should be a great game between the two squads.

Finally got a chance to sit down and watch some film on some top 4A teams across the state. So for the 1st time in 2017 here is my Top 10 in 4A. 1. Greeneville (8-0) - Right now the Green Devils looked poised for a return trip to Cookeville. They have the most impressive resume thus far. With Ballard at QB and a suffocating defense. I find it hard to see a 4A beating them unless the injury/turnover/penalty bug hits them in the playoffs. The rematch with Elizabethton in the playoffs is a spot that could get tricky for the devils. 2. Anderson Co. (8-0)- The Mavericks have a high powered offense, but I worry they have not seen the competition that Greeneville has up until this point. Do they have what it takes to make a run in November? I think their season comes to an end against Elizabethton in the 2nd round. 3. Haywood Co. (6-2)- The Tomcats showed they are for real by boat racing Crockett County last week. They have played a tough schedule with 2 losses to Memphis Private schools. Right now they are my favorite to come out of the West and take on Greeneville in Cookeville. 4. Elizabethton (6-2)- The Cyclones have made a successful jump to 4A. I am high on Coach Witten and his staff for making strides throughout the season to get his team ready for the postseason. I think the potential match-up with Anderson Co. in the playoffs will be a classic. 5. Marshall County (6-2)- Coach Osteen and the Tigers set up their 2017 schedule to get them ready for a post season run. They will enter the postseason with 3 losses but not many teams will want to line up against the physical Tigers. They are my favorite to make the trip to Greeneville the day after Thanksgiving. Last time Osteen visited Greeneville the day after Thanksgiving he left with a 21 pt. loss but gave a great Greeneville team a run for his money as OC. 6. Crockett Co. (7-1)- The Cavs ran into a buzzsaw last week and must get ready to rebound against Top 10 3A team Covington this week. 7. Memphis East (4-4)- This can be a headscratcher for some but the drop off after Crockett Co in terms of top 10 teams is drastic. The reigning 4A champs will be a tough out come playoff time. Look for the Mustangs to make a potential Quarterfinal run. 8. Dyersburg (6-2)- Trojans are quietly putting together another quality season. They had a surprising loss to Obion County early in the year but they are rebounding nicely. 9. Livingston Academy (7-1)- Wildcats are the best team in region 3 even though Macon County fans may say they will have something to say about it. The 1 pt win over Smith County really has me questioning how strong a team they have this year. 10. White House (8-0)- The poll is bookend with Devils. White House's record is unblemished on the season but who have they played? They will benefit from being in Region 5 and they have a chance to make a Quarterfinal/Semi final run due to Region 5/6 being the weakest quad IMO. Next 5 Out: Spring Hill, Maplewood, Chattanooga Central, Springfield, Lexington I am sure others will have opinions on this.

I’ll have some free time this week. I’ll watch some film and put together a 4A poll.

Whoa there my friend I think those Roadrunners from Knox County will have something to say about that.

Only 3 more weeks until the playoffs start. Coach Boone and Coach Yoast use to preach to me you can't win a state championship in October, but you can lose it if you don't put in the hard work and determination at practice during that time. I still remember that day when Blue complained about water, and Coach Boone got all over him. He made us tough and tough and grit is what wins in the playoffs. So lets look at who has the grit and toughness in 3A to make the top 10. 1. Pearl Cohn (6-2) - The Firebirds got a quality win over 6A Cordova this week propels them into the top spot. Up to this point I feel like they have a better resume than Alcoa so Coach Brunetti and Co. take the top spot this week. 2. Alcoa- (5-2)- The Tornadoes lose their top spot in the rankings due to Pearl Cohn's impressive win against a better 6A team than the Tornadoes beat the week before. It is looking like PC and Alcoa are destined to meet in the 3A Championship barring a major upset. 3. Austin-East (6-1)- The Roadrunners one blemish on the season is a 20-14 loss to rival Fulton. This team can play and will be Alcoa's biggest hurdle in returning to Cookeville. They will need to stay away from the injury and turnover bug to make a deep run. 4. Raleigh-Egypt (7-0)- The Pharaohs keep rolling along with HC Major Wright. Granted their schedule is not been the strongest, but they have a quality win over Arlington. Great athletes and great coaching= November Success. The Pharaohs could make the trip up I-40 to face PC in the semis if they get through a brutal Quad 4. 5. Covington- (6-1)- We are about to see how for real this Chargers squad is this season as they have a tough 3 game stretch to close the season. Probably the toughest out of any team in the top 10. If they are 9-1 heading into the playoffs, look out for them to make a deep run. 6. Fairview (6-2)- Since the Jackets drop a double OT thriller to Waverly they have been on a tear outscoring their opponents 180-7 in the last 4 games. They are off this week but they are stepping up in classification with a showdown with Ravenwood. This game will show us if the Jackets can hang with some top notch competition. 7. Giles County (4-3)- The 1st of two 3 loss teams in the rankings. But Coach O'Conner and the Bobcats have watched a lot of Marshall High School tape from back in my days in Virginia and they love to throw the ball around the yard. Tough to defend offense. I question their defense and line play, but OC has a gold ball on his resume and knows what it takes to win in November. 8. Red Bank (5-2)- The Lions dropped a close game to Walker Valley this week. The loss to the Mustangs drops them in the poll this week as a begin to question the quality of football in the Chattanooga area. Looking forward to the Week 11 match up with Loudon as the winner of that game will give us an indication who will make the semis to face Alcoa. 9. Milan (4-3)- Coach Morris and the Bulldogs may have 3 losses but I would not want to be a HC who has to face them in November. They have the hardware to prove they know what it takes to be successful in November. Their toughness and perseverance reminds me of Rev, who was a great teammate that overcame a heartbreaking injury to bring us. 10. Loudon (6-1)- The Redskins keep moving along after dropping their 1st game of the year against frequent Cookeville visitor, Greenback. The end of the season match up against Red Bank should give us a clear idea where Loudon stands in the 3A ranks. Next 5 Out: Johnson County, South Gibson, Bolivar, Kingston, and Cheatham Co. Last week some yahoo from down in the Valley tried to call into question my poll. As Rev use to say, "God we come before you today and ask you to soften Big Bolddust's heart. He does not understand the Squatch is not a top 15 team in 3A this year. So please work on him as he sits in his beat up Ford Pinto everyday watching the Indians practice while he takes meticulous notes that he "shares" with Coach Caine every week that he hopes will be implemented into the game plan but doesn't realize are discarded in the dumpster soon after he leaves the reservation." Discuss.

Indy has already clinched a playoff spot.

Pearl is hands down best team in Metro and I could argue possibly best team in 1A-6A on the West side of the bracket. Anything short of Cookeville will be a disappointment.

If they would commit to being a run first team then they could make some noise in the playoffs like bcd said they have some talent most teams would kill for. Coach Blade is a great coach but he is so stubborn when it comes to running the football.

Really tempted too. CPA in Pearl’s region would have been great. Great catch on Cheatham. Their out of region schedule has not been the greatest but I say they are top 15 for sure.

It is October and the regular season is starting to wind down. Each team has played 6 or 7 games and we have an idea of what types of squads will be brought to the playoff table is November. Here is my first poll of 2017 for 3A. 1. Alcoa- the Tornadoes may not be an F5 this year but they are still the team to beat in 3A. 2. Pearl Cohn- I would put up the Firebirds schedule against any in 3A. Coach Brunetti and Co. look like a serious contender to return to Cookeville this December. 3. Austin-East- the Roadrunners are putting together a strong campaign and the only blemish on their 2017 slate so far was a close loss to Fulton. Roadrunners must take on the F5 if they want a shot at the gold ball. 4. Raleigh-Egypt- the Pharaohs are putting together a quality season in Memphis. They will have a tough playoff road against some quality region 7 squads if they want a chance to meet Pearl Cohn in the semis. 5. Covington- The Chargers are looking to return to Cookeville and will more than likely need to beat Milan, RE, and PC to do so. 6. Fairview- the Yellow Jackets have two blemishes on the year but after 50-49 OT loss to Waverly they have shut out three opponents in a row including state ranked Greenbrier. A showdown with PC looms in the quarters barring an upset. 7. Milan- the Bulldogs have three losses but all three will be playing into late November. You can never underestimate a Coach Morris led squad. 8. Red Bank- Lions seem to be the toughest 3A team in Chattanooga. If they play to potential, they will have a match up with Alcoa in the semis. 9. Giles Co.- the Bobcats have a Division 1 QB which can spell trouble for many HS defenses. Look for Coach O'Conner to have some November magic in Pulaski. They will need to beat both Fairview and PC on the road to get to the semis. 10. South Gibson- Hornets seem to always start strong but struggle come October. Is this the year they right the ship? We shall see. Next Five Out- Johnson County, Bolivar, Kingston, Loudon, The Squatch Look forward to some great discussion.

Foot can be on the goal line as long as ball does not go in the end zone.

Mt. Juliet's opponents have a 7-16 record with two of their opponents being winless. They have not been tested because they haven't played a quality opponent. Gallatin is an average team. This schedule will come back to bite them in November book it. Kudos to PC for scheduling Cookeville. Not many 3A teams would schedule a 6A team.

Since McConnell arrived in Waverly, Fairview has been a thorn in his side. 2014- Fairview denies Waverly a district championship as they shut down the high power Waverly offense and win 21-7. 2015-Waverly comes out as gangbusters in the 1st half against Fairview. Fairview makes some halftime adjustments and wins the game. 2016- Great shootout between the teams and Fairview comes out on top. In all three years you could argue Waverly had the better team but it seems the Yellow Jackets had Waverly's number. It should be a great game down in Waverly Friday night.

As I was eating my Kellogg's cereal this morning I read where TMZ sports is reporting a Mr. Football winner is in the 37062 this Saturday morning looking at real estate for the coming season. My eyes Ogled at the report. Also reported the Squatch is making a push down in God's country.

Turf price tag of $750,000. i think one could argue that you could put $25,000-$50,000 dollars a year into your field and save money. I know a high school that gets $10,000 a year to upkeep their field and they have one of the best in the midstate. To me turf is not a fiscally responsible decision for schools. Also add in the increase of injury.

Wrong. https://brentwoodhomepage.com/bhs-football-field-project-underway/

Turf is a waste of taxpayer money IMO. The price tag is not worth it. For $10,000 a year for maintainance you can have nice grass field that can hold up to multiple uses by the team, band, and even Youth programs. So double that amount to $20,000 a year and you are saving half a million dollars every ten years. The problem when you see bad high school fields is that the coach has not made it a priority. To have a nice field you have to put in the work.

Really because I am pretty sure Williamson athletics would love all the indoor facilities Rutherford schools have. Who cares about turf when the practice facilities are the game changer. I don't think any Williamson County High school in any outdoor sport has an indoor facility.

Just recently. Coach Turner accepted the job at Olive Branch HS in Miss. This type of job could have a domino effect across the state if another HC is hired by Liberty.

Just recently. Coach Turner accepted the job at Olive Branch HS in Miss. This type of job could have a domino effect across the state if another HC is hired by Liberty.

Any front runners for what some may consider best job in West Tennessee??