etcoach

If 32 Hammer wants to Hammer me, I'm game. I signed up to be in administration. I can take it. That's why my name is on the bottom of my post. Leave the comments up. Remember I don't like the mercy rule.

Speaking of Middle School, WB vs Maryville Thursday night at MHS. Should be a good one. We will broadcast it with live video stream on www.truthradio.tv.

Even though he is being heavily recruited by some other schools in the area according to some texts I have been made aware of and saved on my phone, Parker McGill is all WB. And he will finally bring some serious speed to the table. We missed on Ervin, but got Parker. Getting 1 out of 2 isn't bad for us.

What if Regions and classifications for high school football were constructed based on more than just enrollment?  What if they were constructed, instead, by a combination of three things..

1) Success (Record previous 2 years)

2) Enrollment

3) Location

Why?  ENROLLMENT ITSELF DOES NOT DEFINE FOOTBALL ABILITY

So, for example, if the T$$AA wanted to continue to crown 8 State Champions (silly) with 6 public school classifications, they would

1) take the number of schools 310 and divide that by 6 and have a little more than 50 teams per classification.

2) split them into mid eastern and mid western regions

3) take all the teams and rank them based on record over a two year period.  

 The hardest part is mixing in the enrollment with the success...in other words it is hard to put Greenback in the top 8 as a 1A team and putting them in with Maryville/Alcoa...etc.so you would have to be a little creative there.

4) Split those up in groups of 6 or 7 or 8

5) then after two years you restructure again based on the same criteria.

Pros

The games would be way more competitive across the board week in and week out

Different teams would actually have a shot at getting deep in the playoffs

Cons

The best teams (Maryville and Alcoa) would be lumped in the same Region and could not win the gold ball every year.

Now I know what some would say.  Why don't everyone worry about becoming a better team instead of making it equitable.  Work harder.  Practice more. Whatever.  Funny.  To think that the teams that can't beat Maryville (lost 3 games in 79 years it seems) are not working hard or have poor coaching is silly.  It is called having better players.  Always having better players.  Winning produces more winning.  It also draws in outside players because of success.

Anyway, I know it will never happen but it would be fun to see a league that included all the top dogs in it.  At least from a fan standpoint.  What about a league with

Maryville

Oak Ridge

Fulton

Greenville

Alcoa

DB

Science Hill

Anyway.........just a thought.  Sure beats watching an Alcoa vs Loudon game.

1) The mercy rule for football is 35 points (5 scores)

2) The mercy rule for basketball is 35 points (minimum 12 scores if all are 3 pointers)

I have watched hundreds of both over the years.  I did Maryville radio for two years.  They hit the mercy rule in over 60% of those games.  Sure, I was getting paid by the game not by the hour so as far as that is concerned....fine.  Officials also benefit.  But what about the kids who play 2nd and 3rd string?

I can remember Quarles running in a different quarterback every play just to get someone in.  One play isn't enough.  They should at least be able to get one drive, but it is impossible with the running clock.

Basketball hardly ever gets to the mercy rule.  So these two are not parallel at all.

3)  The mercy rule in football is not consistent.  Some stadiums once the mercy rule starts, the clock never stops unless there is a time out.  A team scores a touchdown, and the clock just keeps on running through the extra point and never stops for change of possession at all.  Other stadiums do stop it on change of possessions after a touchdown.  

To me, the mercy rule in football should be 49.  Let the kids play for goodness sake.  If you lose 91-0 then.............you lost 91-0.  It's something you can tell your grandchildren.

The mercy rule in football IS A JOKE.  No one has time to put anyone in.  The clock was running after a TD was scored for goodness sake.  Then I love it when the officials confer for 2 minutes about something and the clock just keeps on ticking.  So what if a team loses 66-0 versus 45-7.  It is still a beatdown.  I thought the game was "for the kids."  It is very hard to reach a 35 point lead in basketball.  It is not in football.  It needs to be 49 minimum.  Parents pay money to see their kids play in the second half of blowouts.  The only people who like the mercy rule are the officials.  TSSAA needs to rethink this. 

And as far as Friday night's contest, the athleticism of Alcoa is remarkable.  Easy 14-1 State championship with their only loss to, of course, Maryville.  Same ole story...different year.

BORING..........If NCAA football was like Tennessee High School football, not many people would care to watch.  Same teams in state championship every year.  Absolutely NO PARITY.  It reminds me of NCAA Women's Basketball in the 1980's.  Every game was predictable.

I have to go because lunch is over but I am going to start a different thread discussing this tonight.  A possible solution to make high school football more entertaining.

And, for the record, Alcoa could beat Loudon 242-0 if they wanted.  These two teams should not be playing.  That is dumb.

WB will be solid underdogs against Gary's Group.....but WBHS just got a 21.8 to 21.5 victory over Alcoa on last year's ACT results...which may be the first time in the school's history that it beat Alcoa on the ACT.  Could there be a direct correlation Friday night?  Could the Govs pull the upset?  It is possible, but the offense definitely has to look sharper.  Funny that everyone critical of WBHS (including myself) after a 28-3 pasting last Friday night over a 5A team.  In my opinion, WB football is a very solid 5A football team that would win 6-7 games per year in the league Heritage is in.  Unfortunately, WB is not 5A.  They have to play with the big dogs (Alcoa is like a 6A team).  LC easily the worst team on their schedule.

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hard to understand at first but once you catch on to their lingo it isn't too hard

it is the best thing I have ever looked at with regards to weather

their timing on weather systems and descriptions are top notch

this is the site used by air traffic controllers

I cannot say that we were made aware of every little detail that showed up on the report during the hiring process, but we were made aware of most. As has been brought out several times, we talked to a number of people in Rutherford County and we kept hearing the same thing.  Awesome coach.  Awesome guy. Awesome family. Players love him.  Parents want their kids playing for him.  He is the kind of guy that players come back and see after they graduate.  And, after being around him for a year now...I would have to agree.  

I read the entire report.  It looks like the booster's bookkeeping at the previous school was not the greatest to say the least.  I don't doubt for a minute that Coach Shadowens took a gift card or six along with his staff.  I just don't think it was handled correctly in the books.  We are making sure that our bookkeeping with our boosters is on point.  Thus far, all is well.

 I hope Shad stays until he retires.  Although his record last year was not what he would have wanted, he did a fine job.  For those that are not from around this area, William Blount is a very difficult job.  It is a tough 6A league, and you have two state champions in Maryville and Alcoa within 10 minutes of the school.  It is not easy to keep your players around.  He has good numbers out this year, and the middle school with Coach Young is definitely on the rise.  

To be honest, I selfishly hope that this issue will keep his name from popping up at every opening that comes up.  He is building a house in the area, and I hope he rides it out here at WB until he calls it a career.  

I meant to put this on here last night but got sidetracked.  We only hired Shad because of his wife.  I remind him of that everyday.  She is one GO-GETTER!  And yes, having his wife and college daughters wanting to be at practice all the time shows just how tight his family is.

Blaze 45 is spot on.  Reminder folks......media has an agenda.  They pick bits and pieces of stuff to sell papers and ads.   

Roof has leaked today. They are fixing it. JV game cancelled

On Tuesday night, the Bearden Bulldogs were able to stave off a furious comeback to defeat William Blount by a final score of 92-80.  The Bulldogs improved to 5-1 (tied atop the District with Maryville) while the Govs fell to 3-3 in District 4AAA (tied for 4th with Heritage and Hardin Valley).  The high scoring affair was close until Bearden finished the half and started the 2nd half on a 12-0 run to gain a 14 point lead.  Late in the 3rd WB got the lead  down to 8, but, with 4:11 remaining in the contest, Bearden pushed it to 15 points at 76-61.  WB then made a furious run at the Dogs and cut it to 4 at 82-78 with 1:45 remaining, but a floater by the ever-talented Fair made it 84-78.  The Govs then missed a three pointer and then had to start fouling and Bearden made their free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.  For Bearden, Smith and Fair both notched 25 points with Smith dominating the first half by scoring 21 and Fair dominating the second half by scoring 22.  The Governors were led by Josh Young who had 18 (4-5 from 3) and Isaiah Hannah who had 16.  William Blount travels to top seeded Maryville Friday night.

Since the paper could only cover Maryville Christian and Alcoa last night, I thought I would write my own article to be read by at least 3 people.

The Governors pulled off a very exciting 78-76 victory in TRIPLE OVERTIME over Hardin Valley on the road on Thursday night to improve to 3-2 on the season in District 4AAA.  It was an incredible game with a lot of momentum swings and a game that either team could have easily won.  The return of Freshman Jordan Tarver after missing the last 7 games was quite noticeable as he had 10 points, 5 boards, and 4 steals.  Junior Isaiah Hannah led the Govs with 21 points as he netted 6 triples in the contest while the team hit 12 three balls.  The Governors are now 8-11 on the season which may not sound very good, but, in comparison to last year's 6 win season, and considering the team only dresses one senior who has only played 57 minutes all year, it is very encouraging.  The Govs now have 4 quality wins over Cookeville, Alcoa, Knox West, and Hardin Valley as well as two wins over Kings Academy along with single wins over Lenoir City and Oneida.  Last year WB did not win a AAA game.  This year they have 4.  Most of the games have been very entertaining as well with the exception of Blackman, Fulton, and Anderson County where they got blown out.  Their 11 losses have been to Blackman, Fulton, Bradley Central, South Doyle, Heritage, Farragut, Powell, Sevier County, Oakdale, Anderson County, and Cookeville.  Next week the Governors host Bearden on Tuesday and play at Maryville on Friday. 

I have seen both teams when doing radio.  After round 1 in the playoffs I felt as though Oakland would have a chance when playing MHS.  Strong QB, 2 good backs, 2 good wide outs and an impressive D Line.  I thought it was the best team William Blount had faced all year.  Well now I have retracted my thoughts.  Oakland's inability to cover in the secondary will be their undoing. Hopkins will have guys running around all night wide open and, as long as the line can protect him, he will pick them apart.  Final score MHS 35 Oakland 14.  It's just the same ole story just a different year.  Teams come from Kingsport/Johnson City/Sevier County/Murfreesboro.......and they all think they have a shot.  Then they look up and it is 14-0 before they can even get sweaty.  It is rather remarkable....but it is the truth.   

Unlike last year, WB actually won this game. They were more definitely more dominant. The coaches were as patient as they could be only throwing the ball 8 times. I can see how HHS has given up big numbers because our line was creating some MASSIVE holes. The difference, however, between WB and many other teams is we do not have a true burner. In the olden days backs like Brad Walker, TJ Walker, Darren Garner, etc would have scored with those holes because of their speed. Key and Myers are more possession backs that were getting 6-8 yards per carry but are not going to score on long runs. Thus the low scoring game. Possessions were at a minimum especially in the second half. Blount never had to punt, but did stall in the red zone on 4 different occasions because of some negative plays. The weather was also a factor in the low scoring game, and I also agree it favored WB. HHS was limited in the 3rd quarter because it was raining very hard and they dropped a couple of passes and snaps. WB just didn't pass and they really did not have to. I do agree with Gov91 WB recovered the fumble and came out of the pile with the ball. The officials decided that at some point HHS had recovered before WB got it. I do want to give a MAJOR SHOUTOUT to the officials. They got the 2nd half started as quickly as possible after the delay and they did not skip a beat in the half even though there was some lightning WAY OFF in the distance. It was obvious cloud to cloud and no where near the area. They could have easily stopped the game and taken all night to play. But they used some common sense. Kudos to Blackstock and his crew.

Anyway, WB wins their 19th straight over HHS. Absolutely an amazing streak when you consider WB's record the last 7 years. HHS, though, will finish 2nd or 3rd in their Region ad make the playoffs for the first time in a while. They are better than Powell and Halls and they have already beaten SDoyle. They should lose to West and the Gibbs game is a toss up. Richardson is a good QB, Wright is a beast at RB, and HHS has a fine corps or receivers led by Allison. They just have to improve defensively.

WB, on the other hand, is now 2-2. They travel to Bearden next week where their season ended last year with a BITTER TASTE. To me this is the game that will determine the rest of their season. If they win I will predict anything from 4-6 to 6-4 and a middle of the pack finish in their conference. If they don't win it could be tough sledding. Their lack of speed is concerning. They have some great kids with tremendous hearts and a coaching staff that I absolutely love, but the team needs some wheels!

Anyone who wants can go watch the HHS game on truthradio.tv. Hit the AM1 button, then go to archives and click on WB vs HHS. Not sure if it is up yet but it will be by the end of the weekend. Also you can always watch live during the games. We had a big audience last night in the second half when many left due to the weather. It is good, quality video. The audio, well, you gotta listen to me so you get what you get.

Believe me we try to get kids to play. But you can't make them. The answer I usually get is "I don't mind football, but the practices are too hard and it is too hot." So what can you do? Build an air conditioned indoor facility and give each kid $500?

Here is one thing I know. If PS just had about 10-15 more bodies that were decent athletes who would buy in, then he would have immediate success.

Hopefully we can find the bell. I think Phil Porter hid it!

I am in agree with etcoach to some degree. There are limited numbers of athletes. But, WB has a lot of good athletes that aren't playing football. If Shad will walk the halls, and talk the biggest kids he sees into playing football, it would improve his team. Talk the other sports athletes into playing football, he could put a competitive team on the field that would sometimes beat Alcoa or Maryville. Do that enough and eventually your kids quit transferring to those other schools and you beat them perennially.

Friends, Romans, Blount Countians

Lend me your ears. Call me Negative Nancy. Call me crazy. Call me a moron. (I get called way worse in my office each day.) As long as Maryville and Alcoa continue to have ridiculous success, WB and HHS will suffer. It is already mathematically astounding that the 2 most winningest programs in the COUNTRY over the last DECADE are located in Blount County Tennessee. There are only so many kids in one area. So I think it is mathematically impossible for all 4 schools to have 8 or 9 win seasons CONSISTENTLY. And yes, when Meadows had his 3 good years in a row, we did have a run of players and he did a good job with them. However, when he left, the well went DRY. Phil Shadowens has the ability to make WB a consistent winner. He is STRONG! But he is not a miracle worker. He has to have players. WB has several very good athletes that are 9th graders right now, but most of them are basketball and baseball players. We must get them on the gridiron. But that is easier said than done. If PS can grab some players, he will win (maybe not 8-9 games, but at least 6-7)

Maryville Alcoa game has lost some it's luster the last few years. Heck EVERY MARYVILLE game has lost some luster lately. I have told GQ that he has ruined football in East TN. No one can compete. I don't think (could be wrong) that even Alcoa cares that much about beating Maryville like they used to. They would like to win, but it isn't a big deal anymore. They just work towards a gold ball. So that is why I say the WB/HHS game has more entertainment. And an 18 year winning streak is on the line. HHS has beat Maryville since they have beat WB. Now there is a stat for you.

Anyway, should be fun. It is the turfless jumbotronless county game full of entertainment. Good luck to everyone!

Hammontree will remain at HHS as long as Hammontree wants to remain at HHS.  HHS, along with WBHS, continue to fight an uphill battle due to Maryville and Alcoa both having incredible success.  For the record, Principal Earl MacMahan retired this year.  They are now under the leadership of Jake Jones.  As far as Friday night, WB is probably better than HHS.  However, HHS has been better in many of the past 18 years in which WBHS has won.  For the most part, this game will come down to turnovers.  As long as WBHS takes care of the ball, they should have success in being able to generate points.  If they turn it over, they could find themselves in trouble.  I do believe the South Doyle victory was crucial for the mental state of HHS.  They HAD to have that game, and they got it.  WB, on the otherhand, is coming off two losses.  Although they were against quality teams, they were still losses.  So the mental part will play into this one as well.

Regardless, I would much rather watch WB and HHS as opposed to "the other game" this Friday in Blount County.  The level of ball may not be as good, but the entertainment value when these two match up is off the charts.  Last year's 50-48 game was by far the best worst played game ever!  These two teams will keep you on the edge of your seat for sure.

Final score

Winner 49

Loser 48

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

I won't put what I really think the score will be, because I am biased.  But I promise the game will be well worth the price of admission. 

I was doing the radio. The penalties were a big factor in that game but the penalties were deserved. Too much hitting and jawing after the whistle. Practice on Monday was not much fun. Passing game Friday night was VERY good. Running game was not. Defense really played well minus the one big play. But the 15 yard penalties made it difficult (own fault not refs). Shad is really an awesome fit for WB and he knows what it takes to turn programs around and I think he likes the challenge. Not many coaches do. Time will tell if he can pull it off but he is one of the few who can. Alcoa is big and they are good. If WB can catch a few breaks and clean up their mistakes from Friday they have a chance in this game. Regardless I AM PERSONALLY GLAD THR GAME IS BEING PLAYED. The schools are 10 minutes apart and the crowds are decent. It sure beats us playing Sevier County (1hour away) and Alcoa driving to Kentucky to play.

For those that cannot make it we will of course have the broadcast on AM1470 and also on internet and smartphones at truthradio.tv.  If you would like to watch the game live you can go to truthradio.tv, click on AM1, and watch away!

There are a lot of questions surrounding this whole deal. I would like to clear some things up. First of all, the only person who should absorb blame here in terms of Rick Young is myself. It was I who approached Rick and asked him if he would be interested and below is the timeline of events of how it all played out:

In January it became obvious that Coach Ridge was more than likely going to remove football from his plate. The problem was, at the time, we had no clue if we would have any teaching jobs available as Ridge, of course, would remain on staff as Assistant Principal and AD. So I asked Ridge "how about Rick?" This would give him the chance to do what he has always wanted and we would not have to have a teaching position since he already worked at the school. Also, he had done a fine job with the middle school program. So I approached Rick to see if that was something he would be interested in. He said yes. I said okay there is a good chance you are going to get this. Shortly afterward, however, a teaching job did become available so the job posted. I once again told Rick that he would still have a decent shot even if it were posted. I, nor anyone else, had any idea that Shadowens was going to apply. When he did, it all changed. I told Rick the Saturday morning after Shadowens came on campus (at a pancake breakfast) that things were not looking so good anymore for him. I told him it would be difficult for us to not give it to this guy because of his resume. Then, again a few nights later I called Rick and apologized. I like Rick. I always have. I like Justin. I like Jon. I had no intentions of leading Rick on or hurting him. But I did. I told him it looked like Shadowens was going to get the job. I also told Rick as much as I liked him, I had to go with Shad also. His history speaks for itself. I called numerous people in the Murfreesboro area and all I got was great things about the guy. Not just as a coach, but as a man. So that is how we got where we are. The only thing I can do is apologize to Rick which I already have. I have learned a valuable lesson as a young administrator. Patience. If I had never approached Rick and got his hopes up, he would not feel the way he does now. I sincerely hope that he continues to do the middle school job because he is a valuable asset to our program. So the article is a little vague in the paper today about what actually happened. I hope this clears it up for some of you. I take full responsibility for Rick being upset.

As far as Shad goes, I am extremely impressed. His whole family seems to be as genuine as they come. I hope that it all works out.

No reason to apologize. I don't know for sure who we will get, but I do know that I have spoken to a lot of people about Shad and all I have heard is positive comments.

My name is Scott Cupp. I am an Assistant Principal at William Blount High School. I began looking at coacht about a week ago when all of this started after taking a long break from it. I have to admit, there is some good entertainment on this thread. Good stuff TraeRae. One of the reasons I removed myself from this site several years ago was I was afraid I would "mad text." Now I always have to be careful because as you will see at the bottom of my posts my name is there. Anyway, we will see what happens but some of the material has been some good reading.