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ruse? Thanks for the breakdown. They have amazing size for a 3A (supposed to be 2A) school. Hopefully, our depth will make up for some of the size issues, but for that to make a difference it will have to be a close game at the end. I do feel we can beat Catholic, but we cannot afford any mistakes. In an event, at last it is football time.

According to KnoxNews Prep Extra, there are 111 players listed on the Catholic team. However, 40 or so of those listed are freshmen. West has 107 players practicing with the varsity of which none are freshmen. We have an additional 40 of 50 on the freshmen team. However, the game is not won by how many players are on the sideline. West typically does not play players both ways (in certain situations that is not the case), but for the most part it is true. Additionally, there are probably another 18 players or so that will see some playing time in the game (around 40 consistently will play in most games). Again, this does not guarantee a win, but the players are not as fatigued as teams who have players playing both sides of the ball most of the game. There is no doubt that West will have their hands full on Friday night. I do not know much about Catholic, but their reputation speaks volumes. Both teams will have to play flawlessly for the win. The game will be hard fought and won by less than a touchdown. In the end West will take advantage of a Catholic mistake and come out on top. I cannot even begin to predict the score. In any event, this is just an opinion and hopefully will provide some basis discussion. I would like to hear about some of the Catholic players; size, speed, offense style, etc. What should West expect?

I was surprised how East defense played. With all the starters they have coming back, I expected a better showing. To give them the benefit of the doubt, I will say the QB runs from Greeneville were surprising and unexpected. However, East's lack of physical play was not because of the QB sneaks and was extremely surprising due to the expectations that have been built through CoachT and the Tribune. On the other side of the ball, East was what I expected; unexperienced. It will take some time to replace Ramsey. I do not doubt that Turner will be an effective QB, but he will not be Ramsey this year. I was totally surprised and impressed by Greeneville. I feel they had a great showing. They played very physically and had a very big team. Very sound on both sides of the ball. Cherokee was as Cherokee always is, big, tough, smash mouth football on offense. A little out of position on defense. Cocke County's offense was better than I expected, but West's defense did not do anything (at first) to make any plays. I feel that Cocke will be OK until the second half of most games, but then their lack of depth will take it's tole. I did not pay as much attention to the Boone, Volunteer game so cannot really add anything to these comments. West's offense looked good. I was not expecting the offense to look as polished as it looked last night considering some of the performances in our scrimmages, but they did a great job. The defense did not look as strong as in years past, but there are a few new players on the defense. As soon as they learn their position we will look much better. As everyone has said, it was just a jamboree and not too much can be made for any team from it. So, the observations may have no relevance at all, but they are just that: observations. One strange thing, Cane72 has not answered this post.

That's 10 using the new math. I would say that there are 15 total who had a start last year and 12 who played a great deal. However, since I am not certain of both lines, it could be more. The article is very gracious to West which is appreciated, but I am not sure how accurate it is either. Last years team was a very talented and experienced team, but that team is history. We have struggled in the scrimmages we have had, but each has been better than the last. I do not think we will be undefeated this year, but we should do OK in the region. And let's face it, until someone finds a way to beat the football machine called Maryville, that is about the best the rest of us in East Tennessee can hope.

Overall a sound approach to looking at Jeff's season, and perhaps it will be correct. However, with the coaching change and the expanded numbers Jeff's season is going to be hard to predict. I remember the heydays of Jeff football (MoWest graduate and fan) and believe they are fighting to return to their glory days. The coaches and players are going to do everything they can this year to prove that the change was necessary and for the best. I for one hope Jeff is able to turn it around (at least until the West game). I do feel Jeff will have problems with their 5A opponents, but I think they will fare better this year against their 4A (hopefully, not West) opponents. Again, the main reason is the coaching change. I look back to last year and what Hatcher did with East. That was truly an amazing turn around. With a larger school and more students to fill a team, Jeff could be turned into a powerhouse sooner rather than later. However, as you say we will not know until the end of the year.

He is very quick and should fit into the Hatcher offense very well. He saw some playing time last year, but had trouble running in traffic. Since he is another year older and stronger, this may not be much of a problem now. I am not sure how much he would have contributed to West this year, but we (like any program) do not like losing anyone. I hope that he has good luck at East (until the West game anyway). What do you know about Putnam? I have heard he is huge, but that does not always translate to being a good player.

As long as East fans feel a 40-13 loss is an "almost win", you might have a chance against Jeff.

TSSAA gets 50% of the gate -- the other 50% is divided between the schools involved after expenses.

According to PrepExtra he threw for 732 yards in the regular season. I do not know how many yards he had in the playoffs, but would not think it would add to 2,000 yards. I was also surprised at the play selection, but felt Coach Woods was trying to catch Maryville off guard. Obviously it did not work. I do not think there is a 4A team in the state that can beat Maryville. There is simply to much speed and muscle on that team. Maples was amazing with his ability to reach full speed and still make cuts. West has a good team (no matter what some of the other posters say/feel). I stated earlier that we could hold Maryville if we could handle their passing game, but we did not make the plays that needed to be made to take the passing game away. The loss was horrible to watch, but I am proud of the program and believe we will continue to do as well as we have the past two years. Someone will figure out a way to beat Maryville (not this year IMO), but it will happen.

Sometimes extended success breeds smugness (definition: annoying self-satisfaction). Smugness does not allow you to see that the other team beat you and you have to find excuses for the loss. There is no doubt there are always reasons, and sometimes you are your own worst opponent. However, the team you are playing has to be good enough to take advantage of your mistakes. That in and of itself makes them the better team that day. In the playoffs--all that matters is that day. It is true that the 2003 team did not play their best game in the championship (the win over Maryville seemed to take all the emotion out of the team), but I can say the best team on that day won. If we played best two out of three perhaps we would have won the other two, but that is not how the game is played. As has been atttibuted to John Majors: if ands and buts were candy and nuts we would all have a Merry Christams. What happened, happened and no amount of reasons will change the outcome. West won the game and went to the ship, end of story. I am hoping for a similar outcome come Friday!!

Some stats as presented by PrepExtra for both teams: First Downs: MW 134 M 151 Total Yards: MW 3111 M 3190 Offense (Plays / Avg Yards) MW 401 / 7.8 M 409 / 7.8 Rushing (Plays / Avg Yards) MW 313 / 7.7 M 263 / 5.6 Passing (Comp/Att/Int/Avg) MW 48/88/2/8.0 M 106/146/2/11.7 Sacks MW 25 M 7 Touchdowns MW 47 M 50 (Rush/Pass/Def) MW 34/10/3 M 27/18/5 PPG Scored MW 38.5 M 38.5 Points Allowed/Game MW 9.2 M 12 West has rushed for 932 more yards than Maryville Maryville has passed for 1011 more yards than West Another web site predicts the score to be Maryville 31 West 19 I feel West will give Maryville a game and if we are able to make some breaks we can pull out the win. However, it is hard (read impossible) to argue with success and Maryville is certainly successful. West will be able to handle Maryville's running game and if we can minimize the passing game, then we will be in the game. I will not make a prediction (I feel either team can win and believe it is too close to call), but do not see the above score happening if we are able to play our game.

What time will the gates open?

Congrats to East / West on making it an all Morristown 3rd Round. The atmosphere was fantastic last night. Hopefully, we will get the turf and be able to stay at home in the future. I did not see the East fumble, but did not think Mosier made it. However, from there it would have happened the next play anyway. The parking was made worse due to the basketball games (it was not as bad the other two games, but I guess we cannot have it all). As for West coming to play, you are correct. I knew we had improved, but last night really allowed me to see how much. The best thing that happened to West IMO was to play a very fast TN High team. That game prepared the Trojans more to play East than anything that could have been mimicked in practice. Now on to Maryville. I know this will be an exciting game and hope we play as well as we did against East. It will be hard to knock off the best program in the state, but there is always a chance.

I heard it from my son who is a West player and from a friend of his who goes to East. It was not something that was just made up so that I would have something to say. That is the primary difference in the posts. The secondary is mine was actually believable.

Some information concerning the first West vs East Game Scoring 1 QTR 11:48 Left West 6 East 0 6:57 Left West 14 East 0 2 QTR 6:40 Left West 14 East 7 5:03 Left West 14 East 9 2:57 Left West 14 East 17 2:09 Left West 20 East 17 Half Time West 23 East 17 3rd Qtr 2:47 Left West 31 East 17 4th Qtr 8:03 Left West 31 East 24 3:12 Left West 37 East 24 2:57 Left West 45 East 24 Final West 45 East 24 West had 53 plays, 45 Rushing 8 Passing Turnovers 3 Fumbles, West Recoved 1 of their own and 2 East fumbles, West made 2 interceptions, West had 1 punt and the snap was over the punters head for a safety for East East had 55 plays, 46 Rushing 9 Passing Turnovers 5 Fumbles, East recovered 3 of their own and 2 West fumbles, East made 0 interceptions, East had two punts Hi-Jinks and Fun I have also been told that East High Football sent black flowers to West High Football today stating RIP Trojan Football after the game on Friday and East is making t-shirts mocking our Trojan Nation shirts that will say Trojan Elimination.

FYI -- I just heard on the radio that East players and coaches are going to be one of the featured teams on Mark Packer's Pilot's High School Heros. It is on tonight at 10:00 PM on MyEastTennesee TV (I believe it is channel 14 on Charter, but I am not sure).

I agree that stats do not predict what will happen, but they do tell the story of the season. I do not remember being spotted 14 points, but I do remember West taking advantage of East's mistakes (something East was not able to do as the game went on when West made similar mistakes). After the quick 14 points West became a little complacent, but we were able to turn it back up to finish the game. Further, I also remember East getting a TD from a fumble (great play by Dockery) and getting the opportunity to tie after a West fumble, but not be able to convert (I do not think you fell apart, but you were outplayed). There is no doubt in my mind that East has the ability to win this game. East has many talented athletes and has been on a roll. However, West has just as many athletes and 12-0 speaks for itself. I feel it will be a great game (no matter who wins), but I believe West will win.

As a Morristown West fan (and player parent), I would like to say congrats to the Vikings. Your team speed was amazing and your are a very physical team. I was also impressed with the sophomore QB. I know that you could not run your entire playbook, but I felt he did an outstanding job. I am glad Danny is not permanently hurt and hope he has a chance at the next level, if he is a senior. If he will be a senior, then good luck on your senior year. I have looked at the stats on your conference web site and was surprised to see that TN High led in many categories (just because of the hype surrounding Sullivan South)--no disrespect intended, but I expected the top team to lead in more categories. I think you had one of the better offenses we have faced and it was amazing to see the Vikings move the ball all night. I for one did not expect to keep you out of the zone, but am proud of the Trojan D. Also, I think your defense did an outstanding job. If it were not for Greenlee's speed we would have had a lot more trouble moving the ball and scoring. Anyway, great game and good luck next year.

Playoff Opponents Regular Season Statistics for West and East taken from the Mountain Lakes Conference Web Site WEST Opponents East Opponents Individual Rushing Rank Name School Attempts Yards Average TD 1 J Atwood Johnson 189 1312 6.94 16 4 C. Phillips South 152 739 4.86 14 6 D. Thomas TN High 102 686 6.73 8 7 D. Bishop Unicoi 120 574 4.78 10 9 C. Strickland TN High 94 487 5.18 8 11 A. Ollis Unicoi 64 396 6.19 3 15 C. Fleenor TN High 38 355 9.34 3 17 J. Howard TN High 76 346 4.55 6 18 T. Leonard Johnson 48 271 5.65 6 19 B. Shanks South 54 254 4.7 3 21 Z. Reese Johnson 35 189 5.4 1 24 C. Collins South 32 143 4.47 1 Individual Receiving Rank Name School Receipts Yards Average TD 1 J. Kitzmiller South 34 603 17.74 5 2 R. Moody Johnson 22 506 23 5 3 H. Ringley South 35 482 13.77 3 4 C. Prudhomme Johnson 14 427 30.5 5 5 M. Fickey South 24 356 14.83 3 11 C. Fleenor TN High 11 217 19.73 3 12 J. Atwood Johnson 16 206 12.88 1 16 D. Rice Unicoi 17 158 9.29 3 17 T. J. Rehme Unicoi 7 129 18.43 2 19 D. Bishop Unicoi 5 102 20.4 0 Individual Passing Rank Name School Comp Att Int Pct Yards TD 1 C. Phillips South 110 170 4 64.7 1708 17 2 A. Phipps Johnson 61 146 14 41.8 1251 11 4 R. Scott Unicoi 55 113 5 48.7 631 5 7 D. Thomas TN High 26 65 5 40 422 6 12 B. Jeffers South 12 20 2 60 103 0 Team Statistics Total Offense Rank Team Yards Avg 1 South 3299 329.9 2 Johnson 3168 316.8 3 Tn High 2949 294.9 4 Unicoi 2575 257.5 Rushing Rank Team Yards Avg 1 Tn High 2450 245 3 Unicoi 1944 194.4 4 Johnson 1917 191.7 6 South 1488 148.8 Passing Rank Team Yards Avg 1 South 1811 181.1 3 Johnson 1251 125.1 5 Unicoi 631 63.1 7 Tn High 499 49.9 Total Defense Rank Team Yards Avg 1 Tn High 1891 189.1 2 South 2243 224.3 4 Johnson 2367 236.7 7 Unicoi 2931 325.7 Rushing Defense Rank Team Yards Avg 1 Tn High 967 96.7 2 South 1179 117.9 5 Johnson 1683 168.3 8 Unicoi 1938 215.3 Passing Defense Rank Team Yards Avg 1 Johnson 684 68.4 3 TN High 924 92.4 6 South 1064 106.4 7 Unicoi 993 110.3 Scoring Offense Rank Team Points Avg 1 TN High 297 29.7 2 South 284 28.4 3 Johnson 248 24.8 5 Unicoi 158 15.8 Scoring Defense Rank Team Points Avg 1 TN High 108 10.8 2 South 119 11.9 3 Johnson 129 12.9 8 Unicoi 279 27.9 Most of the team stats are led by Tennessee High, not Sullivan South. It was very interesting to me to see the way the stats were stacked considering how the conference ended. Also, according to PrepExtra, West had 134 first downs during the regular season, East had 114; West had 3111 total yards, East had 2938; West scored 47 TD and East had 35; This stat includes playoff games: West averages 39.26 points per game while allowing 8.8 per game; East averages 30 PPG while allowing 18.5 ppg. There is no doubt that East has improved since the first meeting, but so has West. A unnamed web site predicts the score to be: West 35 East 21. I believe it may be closer than that, but I do see West pulling it out. East does not have players playing both ways, which is a plus, but West has two-three players at most poistions who see playing time consistently. This platooning will give West the win.

I have been asked to post that the game is going to be at Carson-Newman and the person who requested me post this said they were 100% sure.

You need to look at the bracket one more time. The way the bracket works has nothing to do with the region it has to do only with the bracket. In even number years the bottom team in the brackett has home field from the third round to the state championship and in odd number years the top of the brackett has home field. It has nothing to due with regions or with seeding. The only difference is if two teams from the same region make the third round, then the highest seed takes home field. The reason West played at South is because it was an odd number year and the upper bracket had home field that year. That is also why Maryville came to West last year for the semi's. Why don't you act like you have been here before and understand before you speak?

I would be extremely surprised if the score is this lopsided. At this point in the playoffs it would go against the norm for a team to be so overmatched. I cannot say the Canes secondary is undisciplined. Inexperienced, perhaps, but that has been changing game by game. Are they ready for a pass oriented offense? Friday will tell. I guarantee East is not going to lay down and give SS the win. I feel the winner will walk out knowing they have been in a game and the loser will be able to hold their head high knowing they gave it their best shot.

FBE I do not see the Maryville team having to buy tickets to get to the state game. I do believe MoWest will be in Blount County in a few weeks (no gaurantees, just a belief) and I do not see us pulling that game out. The Trojans are a good team and have many weapons, but we have been extremely inconsistent this year. The deeper we get into the playoffs, the more this inconsistency will haunt us. As for the TH game, there is no doubt they are a very good team. There is no doubt they will come to play. However, I feel our determination is just as great, our depth is a little better, and MoWest will pull out the V. At least the time to wait is becoming bearable.

Maryville's SOS is 55 and I believe that is below 52. As for the KnoxWest game, it was a tough fought game and I cringed when I saw how bad Maryville beat them, but it is impossible to tell how much better one team is than another based on the opponents each team has played. On any given Friday, ANY team can lose. Maryville is the top program in 4A in the state, nobody can deny that. However, many teams are doing their best to get to Maryville's level and that includes MoWest. Can we win state -- it is possible, but I do not know how probable it is. I always feel good about MoWest chances against any team we face, even Maryville. Does that mean an instant win? No, but we have a 50/50 chance to pull out a win against any team we play.

As a MoWest fan with a lot of respect for the Maryville program, I am afraid that Brainerd has just woken up the beast. If it is true that Maryville had 5 turnovers in the game and still won (how often does that happen), then their program is as strong as it has been the last umpteen years. Coach Quarles will make the necessary changes to continue their tradition. That does not mean Rhea Co does not have a chance, but RC will have to take advantage of any Maryville mistakes. If they cannot capitalize, then they will lose.