KWoodroof

Very prescient.

At times, it's passed the point of rivalry and become a vicious, ungentlemanly affair. I'm all for intensity, but I'm also a big fan of perspective. At the end of the day, it's a game being played by children, albeit very big ones.

Looking forward to it. I'd like to see the rivalry toned down just a bit. I'ts two very good schools with good football programs, and I'm hoping for a good game.

On the regular schedule, MBA and BA look to be the best shots, although the scare with McCallie certainly doesn't work in MBA's favor. I know nothing about Giles Co or any of the West Tn teams that will pop up in the play-off.

"What a brilliant and incisive post!" said no one ever.

Tell them you're a sportswriter...just don't tell them all you write for is CoachT.

I would prefer that they still have Bowers and Elder in the backfield (for this game only), but I suspect they'll make a good showing. I'm pulling for them, but i can't type "Go Tigers" any more than I can type "Go Irish."

A very good point, and probably (hopefully) true of all the Div II schools. Tommy Owen at MBA always said one of his biggest concerns was that frequently his players were sleep-deprived during theme weeks. And I agree with you: that's the correct order of priorities.

Point well taken. During Ryan's heyday (up through the early '70's), the private school options for boys in middle Tennessee were distinctly limited. There was MBA, Ryan, BGA, and a relatively new Brentwood Academy. Ryan not only commanded most of the Catholic population, but also a decent chunk of whoever else wanted a private education. I now can find 14 private schools in the Nashville area that play 11-man football (and another handful that play 8-man football). That expansion provides a lot more options for parents looking at a private school for their son. Viewed from the schools' perspective, a school needs something that sets it aside from the others. For JP II (and Ryan), that distinction is their Catholic affiliation. The numbers don't favor them at all. According to the Diocese of Nashville website, there are roughly 76,000 Catholics in the diocese (which covers 38 counties, many of which are fairly distant from Nashville), and two Catholic high schools. Contrast this with the Broward County (FL) area, home of St Thomas Aquinas HS, a perennial national power. Roughly a quarter of the 1.7 million people in the county are Catholic, and the county has 4 Catholic high schools. JP II and Ryan are in the unenviable position of being much too competitive for Div II-A, but not competitive enough for Div II-AA.

EHS was not a football school prior to Bowers. Prior to the addition of the high school, Ensworth sent a lot of boys to MBA; in my day, few of them contributed anything to the football team.

Excellent point. To carry it a step further, Ensworth's reliance on the run means that they keep their bread and butter, even in a driving rainstorm, or a miserably cold night.

Is Ryan fielding a team this year?

An MBA perspective...HC has a very solid team. Defensively, there was some bending, but MBA only came away with one TD. I'm not sure who all fumbled for MBA (ie, starters or subs), but HC swarmed the ball very well. I'm a big fan of opportunistic teams. The pick 6 was very late in the game, and thrown by a sub QB, although I have no idea if HC had starters or subs in at that point either. All things considered, 13-7 was a fair depiction of the game: HC made a lot fewer mistakes. And not to sound elitist, but I haven't seen a lot of public school kickers who could consistently hit 40+ yd field goals. And the young ladies with the water bottles were both beautiful and very friendly to the officials. I suspect y'all will have a very good season. Best of luck.

...at a time when you had to win your district to get into the play-offs, which consisted of a total of 48 teams in the entire state.

Just as Maryville is frequently beaten in the IFL (Imaginary Football League), Bowers continues to take a beating in the SFL (Speculative Football League).

I believe the school losing the athlete can waive the requirement that a player sit out a year. I can't speak to Hurd's case, but historically i know of several cases where MBA has waived the requirement for a player leaving the school. In this case, MBA would have had no real reason to object to his immediate eligibility, since Beech and MBA don't compete against one another.

A more fundamental problem is the fact that there are too few teams in Div II for it to be a truly legitimate classification, coupled with the extreme disparity between the bulk of Div II AA and Div II A. I really don't see a way to change this issue.

Some of the adults are coming back. Perhaps there'll be football talk this year.

Pearls before swine, dude. No need for evidence or proof, because everyone knows.

Two thoughts here...you can't steal kids from other schools. Corn Elder wasn't stolen from Riverdale or Siegel or anywhere else, because he didn't belong to them. He belongs to his parents, who are responsible for his education. I suspect he's getting a pretty decent one where he is now. Secondly, a major tangent in this thread revolves around the way Father Ryan football used to be. During Ryan's best days, a fair number of their players came from St Pious X and St Vincent de Paul in the parochial school league. Neither parish is ever confused with Belle Meade or St Henry's....

I haven't seen MUS, but certainly EHS is anything but one dimensional. Every time Elder got the ball, he had a hole 3-5 yds wide, and generally had a blocker with him at the second level. That will be there, whether Elder is in Cookeville or at home doing his laundry. Beyond that, Bowers passes very well. MBA has a very solid, even fast, line, and managed nothing substantial in 96 minutes of football. MBA has a pretty good team. Their only poor game this season was the BA game. They played fairly well against EHS both times, and lost by 28 in both games. I can't say whether EHS is better than MUS, who is always well coached and well disciplined. But I can say, painfully and with authority, that EHS is better than MBA by four touchdowns, on a good night for MBA.

My recollection is that we lost to Trinity, BA, and Ensworth. I don't believe any of them have had recent wins/championships stripped from them. I think for the next decade or so, we probably need to be careful how we toss about accusations of impropriety.

I think the only game in question is MBA-CBHS. MBA is not playing well. Severe fumbleitis, just not looking sharp at all. I know nothing about CBHS, but MBA is struggling against very poor competition right now. If they don't sort things out this week, it'll be a long trip back from Memphis.

If MBA can get two quick touchdowns, expect the mercy rule to be in effect. I don't think Ryan has the resilience or confidence to come back. If MBA lets them 'hang around," it could become an unpleasant evening. Ryan has some athletes, and will have plenty of incentive.

What an incredibly classy and touching post. I'd suggest it be shown to every young man on the first day of practice each year. Maybe at some point, kids would get the idea that all of this ends someday (generally much too soon), and that every game should be savored. There's a lot of life after football, but most of it pales in comparison.