Rodman15

Let Boyd play Trousdale...that'll be a good test for them.

How is Marion County number 10? Please, help me understand that. There is NO WAY that the Warriors should be number 10. I am happy they are even ranked, goodness knows we've waited long enough for that, BUT...give them their props, they beat down a team 34-0 and held a team to under 100 yards total whose only other loss came to Westmoreland (who is 8-1). Not only that, their two losses are to defending State Champions South Pittsburg, to which I will say that if the Warriors played them today with the confidence they have now, it would have been closer than the first time (Not saying they would win Pirate fans, just that it would be closer). Marion seemed to defeat theirselves that night. Plus, Boyd, they lost to by one point. Which is all that South Pittsburg beat Boyd by, one point. Since those two losses, the Warriors have outscored their opponents 280-73. That is outstanding. They beat Tyner for the first time since the glory days, the win at York was impressive, and have dealt appropriately with their schedule. These guys deserve a little more credit. Their opponents overall records right now are 42-39, BUT, Marion has put up 20+ points in 8 games this year, as compared to only 6 games last year in the whole season. I think they deserve to be higher, I think they just lost two games at the wrong time. I don't know if played now that the results would be different, but I do know that this team is much different than the 5-6 team from last year. Congrats Warriors! Second place finish in the Region will certainly be an accomplishment! Beat the Indians!

I'm really proud of the way these boys have been playing. I can't go to the games, so all I see is the stats, and when you put up 20+ points in all but one game, that's some serious offense. That's definitely been what Marion has been missing the past few years. And moving down to A next year (or i think that's how it's looking), should be a bright future. Good job Warriors, way to light up the scoreboard.

South Pittsburg- 7 Boyd Buchanan- 0 4:00 2nd Quarter SP Touchdown by David Jones, second play from scrimmage.

Wow, so Marion County is listed as A for next year, if I'm correct. That's pretty big. Tyner is AA still, as is Sequatchie and Bledsoe, but Boyd Buchanan and Marion are going down to A....Bledsoe barely missed the cut off. Wonder how the regions are gonna look.

I would love to see a Hall of Fame Game take place at the start of everyone's schedule. I would love to see South Pittsburg take on the likes of Alcoa or Maryville. Maybe they could or couldn't hang with them, but I say Hall of Fame games because I have been told at least in basketball, that a loss doesn't count on the record...maybe I am wrong. But man, I would love to see it. I get tired of watching Pittsburg beat up on people. I love that they win, but man, they have to get bored too, ha. Trousdale gives them a good run every year, and Tyner has been a great game for both teams the past two years, but until playoffs, SP never sees much 1A talent. I would love to see them play bigger schools. South Pittsburg really does eat live and breathe football. You can see anyone and everyone at a game. This entire valley is rich in football tradition. I think South Pittsburg has an outstanding feeder program in little league, which is I think key. They're getting taught right. Pittsburg by number can't move up....but they are taught to dominate young. I'm hoping I can make the trip in to see them in Murfreesboro.

Did I hear correctly that Alabama coach Nick Saban was at the game scouting David? Maybe it's already been said, but it was a rumor I heard.

Thanks for the thoughts, but I am not actually working for the US Military. I appreciate those who are, but I am actually just workin in the "Lord's Army" Over here doing mission work. But I do appreciate the comments. And seeing another culture really makes you realize how important an education is. It really needs to be one of our top priorities. But while I am not serving in the military, be thankful to those who are. America really IS the greatest country in the world.

I have been a little behind on this thread. Mainly because I am in the country of Ukraine right now. Bill, now that I realize who you are, it makes it much easier to know who is talking in these statements. I agree with you, and I had you in class just two years ago, and we did work, every day. I appreciated that class, because you made us aware that there was much much much more to life than just school work. I appreciated that. I enjoyed your class thoroughly (not sucking up, I just realized who it was) But as far as this conversation goes. I do feel like our schools are at a disadvantage. I felt this while a student at MCHS as well. I am friends with many students at bigger schools, who had many more classes and opportunities than I had. I have friends who are going to automatically skip college classes, saving money, because they had great opportunities in high school, that colleges recognize. I have heard about opportunities and scholarships that I did not know about while in high school (though, I would like to state that Mrs. Ramsey did an excellent job at helping to get whatever she knew about. That woman is one of the hardest working in the school.) But I did feel like we were at a disadvantage. When students fill out the ACT packet, they are asked to check what activities they are involved in. I distinctly remember stating that I had none of these opportunities that they were asking about. Here in Ukraine, I have been teaching English, however, I had no prior knowledge of the Russian language. Why? Russian was definitely not offered in school. When I tell my students that the only language I know is English and some Spanish they are amazed. Here, to live in Ukraine, you learn to speak Ukrainian, German, French, Russian, and English. And we say we just need a year of foreign language? I was grateful for that year when I visited Mexico a few weeks ago, but I would have liked more. A bigger school could have helped. I know that nothing in this world is perfect, including consolidation. But I know that there are many things that we could consider and figure out that would allow for more course offerings in a way that would be effective. The introduction of the virtual high school three years ago was a good step in this direction. I just hope that the small town schools we have here can produce the well rounded individuals that are needed in the world, and that are being produced other places. I enjoyed my experience at Marion County High School, and we ARE doing a lot of things right, but let us never settle for contentment. While we in America sit on contentment, the rest of the world is striving for excellence.

While there are good and bad sides to combining schools (which will never happen, especially now that there is a building of a multi-million dollar gym), there really is not as much animosity between the schools as you think. I ran track last year for South Pittsburg, and I was from MC, and I was treated fine. As far as we were concerned, we WERE representing the entire Marion County because we were the only track team in the county. I had no problem wearing the orange and black at all. I think it's great that MC (or Jasper, whatever you wanna call it), runs track with Pittsburg. It has obviously produced good results. I wish we could get Richard Hardy and Whitwell involved as well. And as far as what the thread is about, I do think the Sequatchie Valley gets overlooked, and I ESPECIALLY think that colleges overlook these 1-A and 2-A teams. There is some serious talent here in the valley, and it needs to get looked at very seriously. Good luck to all teams this coming year.

I am really liking the new decal. Pretty sweet. Would REALLY like to see some new uniforms. Looking at the team pictures from last year, those plain purple with white lettering are just....not exciting. Would love to see a purple/white/black(?) new home jersey. It's amazing the type of changes that the new coaching staff is bringing in this year. Very encouraging, and might work more magic than we think.

Ha..only one problem with Jurick at Tennessee. His last name isn't Smith.

Pretty sure Zephan Guyear will be on this list when it's all said and done. Over 1,000 in 3 years is pretty impressive. One of the best passers and most athletic players the school has seen in a while.

I am excited about the future of this Marion team. The five to seven rotation we have seen the past few weeks is going to make this a serious contender for the next two years. I can definitely understand their tiredness after that many games so close together. After injuries, they don't have a whole lot of depth. But when the oldest player that plays is a Junior, and you're still keeping up, you've got something. Marion beat theirselves tonight though. Turned the ball over way too much, and just refused to take it to the hole to take the foul. Jurick played well yes, but I am sure they could have limited his minutes if they would have gotten inside and maybe got him to pick up more fouls earlier in the game. I honestly didn't see him as a player who can fit in to Pearl's system. He came off lazy, not moving too much, and that is definitely not Tennessee basketball. But I will get behind him once he gets the orange on. I was impressed with Cody picking up the 11 points and however many rebounds he did get. If he puts on some muscle, and gets himself a base where he won't be pushed around, we will be looking at a D-I Prospect. There is a lot of talent on Marion's team. Zephan is a natural when it comes to running a team, and if everyone played with the hustle and intensity that Corpeio did, this would be a VERY scary team. But everyone is stepping up. I think Marion should be very content with where they are right now. They have talent, leadership, and a lot of potential. Don't let the losses get you down, you're holding your own, and next year (and the next), you guys will be a serious contender. Keep your heads up. Still some season left.

Anybody believe this (not questioning you, truth, just figured if it was official, there would be tons of posts saying so, not just yours)? It sounded like they were keeping everything under wraps, has anybody else heard this? Just wondered, Purplegrad had said something about no announcement until 2008, but I guess great if they figured it out.