basketballisbest

I was one who thought this game was going to be much closer. It was kind of like there were three different parts to this game. Ooltewah won the first quarter. Farragut dominated the second quarter and opening five minutes of the third quarter. Then the Sanders kid returned that kickoff for a touchdown and it seemed to break the backs of Farragut. All Ooltewah the rest of the way. I agree; it is hard to lose key players and keep on winning. We've all been there and it's tough to go through. I never would have thought the Owls would be here when the season started. In fact, I picked Farragut to take the region at the beginning of the year, but I have to say, Ooltewah has really stepped it up and deserves the credit for being 13-0.

Ooltewah is definitely for real. Very happy for the team, the community and Coach Monroe. I understand Marshall (19 carries) outran Sterling (26 carries) 170-145 total yards. He also scored on a 33 yard screen pass. It appears that Farragut couldn't overcome their injuries--qb and fb were out for this one, but other than the second period, the Owls dominated this game. Pretty impressive. I really thought Farragut's defense would be tougher than that, but they had no answer for the balanced attack: Marshall running, Woods passing, and Jensen receiving. Final: 42-14. Hey, ImaOwl, how about that td run by the little brother! Good luck Owls in the semis. Looks like a close one in middle Tennesse right now.

Interesting you say that; but how far you are from the truth. I don't know who FHS_Admiral is, nor does he know who I am, and you have no idea what you are saying. You probably haven't found anyone take more of an objective, middle ground position on these two schools than I have. Interestingly, I have been accused of favoring several differnent schools on coacht, and when commenting on some of the other sites, I have almost been chased off--with those posters thinking that everyone does not have a right to comment on their "exclusive" threads. I am just trying to give some objective views about the games. I don't have any interest in all the name calling, and would prefer to stick to the game itself. I still believe this is going to be a good game; all the statistics point to that. Clearly, the home field advantage is Ooltewah's, and as the Admiral said in an earlier post, Farragut has lost their qb. These two factors definitely lean in the favor of the Owls. I watched Ooltewah play last week against Sevier and they looked vastly improved over what I had seen earlier in the year. But I bet Coach Monroe wouldn't be on here bragging about how good they are. Although I am not a Farragut alum or fan, you have to respect them for all of the sports accomplishments of that school. At the same time, it will do nothing for them on Friday night. At the same time, FHS_Admiral has a very good point--Ooltewah will have reason to shout if they win it all--in the meantime, it would be wise to tone it down just a bit. There is an ole proverb that says, "Pride comes before a fall." I have been excited for the Ooltewah community and they have a lot to be proud of--but that kind of pride is different than gloating. There are just a few posters that seem to get carried away, and most everyone knows it is not all of the posters who have such skewed views. But those that do get carried away, taking it way too far. I personally respect both programs, and I think there is much for both schools to be proud of. Unfortunately, some people on this site want to take objective comments and interpret them anyway they want. No way you could say I have leaned one way or the other, unless you are so blinded by your own views that you can't see the facts. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but a little refrain could go a long way. At any rate, good luck to both teams--Ooltewah in a close one--a touchdown or less.

Very similar. I think this would be a vast improvement over the current playoff system. Picking five at large teams would also increase the possibility that some of the teams that should have been in the playoffs still made it (i.e., Independence in 5A this year).

FHSAdmiral has some good points. Now before you jump all over me, I am not from Farragut . I think I have made it clear that I didn't attend any of these schools, but unfortunately, there are many OHS fans who don't look at everything realistically. I also think it is a shame for so many to fault the Owls fans for their enthusiasm. They have reason to be enthusiastic, and it looks like that will continue for at least another three years (I have no idea what the middle schools that feed their program look like this year). Both schools have reason to be proud for different reasons. Farragut has won a lot of championships in high school sports. They have also been a real nemesis for Ooltewah over the last couple of years. I have watched as very good Ooltewah teams fall short to Farragut. And the 30-28 game earlier this year is a perfect example; that game wasn't over until it was over. I fully expect Friday night's game to be another barn burner. Don't be surprised Ooltewah fans if Farragut's back gets over 100 yards this time against you. Don't be surprised Farragut fans that Ooltewah has improved significantly since that game. I think anyone going to this one is really going to enjoy it. I would in the end give the edge to Ooltewah, primarily because of home field advantage, and they just seem to be winning and playing great ball.

When you start getting that far apart in years it is near impossible to compare. All you can really do is guess. I don't think the RB team that won the state was as good as some of the more recent Maryville and Riverdale teams. I saw Red Bank play several times. Without Riggs, they wouldn't have come close. Riverdale and Maryville have always had a host of good players.

I disagree. Riverdale was better a couple of years, but I think considering the entire five years--it's Maryville.

The truth is that Marshall is hurt both by the few number of carries he gets and the fact that he is so small. Sterling is tough; I would have a hard time differentiating, but you know, Marshall isn't up for the back of the year in 5A so I guess it is a moot point. Just to respond to the original post--a little bit of a stretch to say that Andre can't carry Brian's jock strap. Even if you were to conclude that Brian is better, that is just way too argumentative.

Hard to keep up with you guys in MT when you have two posts on the same subject. I know, you think it's hard to keep up with you anyway.

After that shellacking during the regular season, I find it awfully hard to pick Smyrna. I believe Riverdale will win 35-14. Riverdale is to big, to athletic and you can't stop them on the ground. I've heard people criticize them for that, but you can't criticize what you can't stop.

I have to agree. If you want to put an end to Maryville's dominance, then you have to beat them on the field. They are hands down the best team in TN over the last five years. Others have come and gone and may have been equal on given years, but year in year out, and putting the five years together, they are the team to beat. Until someone beats them, I think they have to be the favorites.

Money and the time it takes to get across a state so long east to west is what drives this whole issue. I agree it would make for a better playoff to cross the brackets, but I am confident the $$ will make it impossible, much to my chagrin.

If the two best teams in the state in a classification meet before the semis they can't meet in the semis. One of them gets eliminated, and that is the concern being expressed by the original poster. You can't have the two best teams "find a way to make it to the semis regardless" if they have to play each other before that.

Polls express statistical analyses and opinions. But you can't say they are invalid, any more than your conclusions are invalid. I certainly respect your opinion, but both your opinion and this poll are of equal value. I would say the value of the poll is to discuss the pros and cons of who is the best team in the state. Right now, Ooltewah is the last 5A team undefeated and Riverdale has not been beaten by any 5A team. So, they are logically the best two teams in the state. I agree the final championship will be played on the field, but it still makes it interesting when you try to determine final rankings by the end of the year. As some of these teams lose this week. The one loss teams will find themselves moving up in the top ten poll, but they will never have the chance to be state champions. I believe Ravenwood's experience from a year ago, will make them a team to reckon with in the state, while Hunters Lane seems to have just gotten hot at the right time. It won't matter because Ravenwood will probably finish them off next Friday anyway. It's a little bit of a toss up between Smyrna, White Station and Wooddale, but I think their is logic for placing them even in this order. So, even your logic supports the logic of the poll.

I have never seen a game in my life where the refs cost a team 20 points. If you are the better team, you will win regardles of the officiating.

Unfortunately, it is because of comments like this that people say the same thing about Ooltewah fans. Thanks goodness Chattanooga only has to put up with a few of them, because I have found most folks from Ooltewah to be great people. What do any of these comments have to do with the game? And I have always been treated with the utmost respect by the people from Farragut as well. Stick with the facts and debate them, and stop all these personal attacks. They are completely fruitless.

You just have to consider the source sometimes, ImaOwl. I guess when you sit at home all you can do is sit on the sidelines and take pot shots 100% of the time.

So, another look at the top ten teams in 5A after the second week of the playoffs. I know there are those who are going to say that Hunters Lane should be in the top ten, because they are still in the playoffs, but I just don't think so, and they will be out of it after this week, because Ravenwood is probably going to beat them anyway. And even if they do beat Ravenwood, then Ravenwood would drop out because of five losses (I don't think that will happen). 1. Ooltewah -- 12-0 2. Riverdale -- 11-1 3. Smyrna -- 10-2 4. White Station -- 11-1 5. Wooddale -- 10-2 6. Farragut -- 9-3 7. Ravenwood -- 8-4 8. Ridgeway -- 11-1 9. Dobyns-Bennett -- 10-1 10. Gallatin -- 11-1

In my heart I would like to pick a Chattanooga team, but I just don't think Red Bank is going to beat Maryville. What a long-standing tradition Maryville has, and this team is no slouch for sure. Red Bank finally has the kind of team that can take it all the way, but I believe Maryville will come in with a lot of swagger and confidence and take the home field away from the Lions. It should be a good game though. My pick is Maryville 14 and Red Bank 10. Actually, for the previous poster about which team comes first... in a line score you always place the home team last in a line score, but when posting a final score it is completely appropriate and normal to list the winning team first.

We'll see about which one of these teams are better. I do agree with you, Watson was a tough football player. For not being a really big guy, he was a gamer. He got back up off the deck and kept playing. I would love to be a coach for him and anyone with the heart he played with.

Good post. Unfortunately, a few of the Ooltewah posters have continued to talk smack, rather than put up the facts. It is the players who do the playing. I think there are entirely too many posters on CoachT who attack their coaches. This is high school football. Give em a break.

I don't think so. I was not going to say anything, but your comment prompts me to say a little more. This is not humble pie at all. And I decided to go to the game to see what I thought was a pretty good match up, so let me explain. First, Sevier County did not get blown out. I never said Ooltewah wouldn't win; I said that Sevier County would be a good test for them. The score was 27-14 and could have been closer; I would readily acknowledge it also could have been by a wider margin as well. Second, Ooltewah dominated on the ground (249 to 82 yards) and Sevier dominated in the air (238-102 yards). Total yards in the game were pretty close -- Ooltewah--351 and Sevier County--320. That is not by definition a blowout as was being predicted by you and many of the Owl faithful. Third, Ooltewah almost self-imploded on the last drive of the first half. What in the world was going on? The Turner kids hit on the sidelines, long after a very high pass sailed past the reciever, was absolutely unnecessary, and had the ball been catchable, I would not have had a problem with the hit at all. Two more unsportsman like conduct penalties prior to the touchdown pass were hard to understand, because all we could see was the defensive front jumping all around from the stands, which leads me to believe they must have been saying something they shouldn't have. And though I'm not sure the Lansden kid should have been thrown out, his behavior was a little out of control. Yes, that drive was a little frustrating to watch, but you can still control your actions. Fourth, Ooltewah struggled with pass defense once again. I saw the Farragut game on TV and it was much the same. Some pretty quick Ooltewah defenders just give too much room to the receivers. This happens time and time again. No, I don't think I will need to eat humble pie. The game was hard fought and closer than the Owl faithful thought it was going to be. I believe Ooltewah was the better team, and having seen them play a couple of times during the season, they have improved greatly. But no... no humble pie here. Why don't you cheer your team for the efforts and quit trying to attack people who gave an educated and objective view of what was going to happen in the game. Ooltewah can be proud of their accomplishments. 12-0 is not bad at all. There is still more to play and it will get tougher. Farragut is a better team than Sevier County.

I agree. If the teams were seeded, or if regions were forced to play outside of their normal regions, we might have a greater chance of seeing the best two teams in the finals. As it sits now, most of the time, great teams knock each other off in the quarters or semis, simply because of the east/west split in the playoffs. I tried to discuss this in an earlier post and simply got blasted. But I do agree that travel costs have really played into this. It is getting tougher every year, although, it would seem to me that most booster clubs could handle those costs for the playoffs.

Lost Old Dad and SCN08FearTheSpear and soap 093, You are making my whole point and I agree, you can't just go on who won a specific game, and you can't go just on win/loss record. That latest post was an effort to show how ludicrous it would be to just base who is the top ten (or sixteen) in the state on who is in the playoffs and won/loss record. Decent teams can beat great teams on the right night--a few turnovers, a little momentum and playing outstanding football during a game when the better team is not at their normal best, spells upset. Beating a team does not mean your team is better, other than on that particular night. We've all seen it, when a team pulls of the upset of a more talented football team, and we know that if they played 10 more times the more talented team would win. It is not my belief that this is how the teams should be ranked; it is simply an attempt to show a word-picture of what I think some of the previous posters were saying about only teams in the playoffs should now be ranked. The whole problem with that theory is that good teams can get upset. Otherwise, I agree; your points are all well-taken.

I do agree that there will be some tough Middle TN teams to deal with, particularly Riverdale. They are almost scary, because they have been lying fairly low after the early season loss to McCallie. If it wasn't for that, everyone would have been talking Riverdale. Gotcha on the keeping things alive. I missed it first go round.