BigTuna

Thanks dude. It's nice to see someone else with a little Karns optimism around here. While it is hard for most teams to get from 2-6 to 5-5 who really cares? No one I know gives a pre-season prediction that their team will go 1-9. At this point every Friday is a one game season for Karns. Maybe they'll deal up a special Beaver brand of poison for that stud AC QB? Who's out there that roots for AC? What's their D look like? BTW, I think the Pray guy's stats were meant as a response to this epitaph: 3-7 2009 1-9 2008 2-8 2007 3-7 2006 That is very impressive numbers, exspecially when you have every other school winning at least 1 out of 4 years. Seemed like they represented 3 local exceptions to this declaration? But then again, who really cares about truth these days? On the other hand, scheduling those guys seems like a great idea to stoke up at least a 5-5 season! Did anyone read the Praymore devotional - looked pretty stout to me ................. OK Baller, deal us some poison.

If all Oak Ridge fans are like you I've changed my mind about who I'll root for in the Clinton game ...........

ORidgeKat, It is true that Karns had an abysmal game offensively but I honestly don't think the d-line had that much to do with it. Karns lives and dies by the pass. The passer didn't have a great night, the receivers didn't have a good night, and I believe the OR secondary played very well. The d-line may have hurried our QB a little bit occasionally but he often throws from a rollout anyway so I don't think it made that much difference. The OR o-line made a huge difference. I'm pretty old but I could have probably gained 10 yds running through some of those holes. I'm growing tired of arguing/debating/discussing the games/plays/coaches/players etc, but I guess that's part of what CoachT is all about. Bottom line is Clinton beat us bad, Halls beat us bad, OR beat us bad and a number of other people beat us - which is always bad compared to winning. But win, lose, or draw I intend to enjoy the next/last two games as much as possible. I'll be especially pleased if we can beat the upstart Hawks. Nothing more to say about this game but since I sometimes have a hard time seeing the field action as well as I used to I will watch the film to see just how accurate my assessment of the line play was. So who's recruiting 64?

Well I thought maybe you'd gone on vacation. I could say a lot of things but the only productive comment I can think of would be to suggest that if you've expressed your feelings repeatedly to Dr. Davis and Mr. Chandler then perhaps you need to try Dr. McIntyre's office (which most likely won't do any good either) or you just need to consider rooting for another team - maybe Hardin Valley? I enjoy some good-natured ribbing but I'm just not a person who cares much for a lot of ongoing animosity so I probably won't respond to any more of your posts. But I do still think OR 64 was an under achiever last Saturday. Let's move on to the AC game. I believe we have a chance to win. Admittedly the last two games were hard to watch but I'm going to try to enjoy these last two games as much as possible.

Well I'll have to watch the film of that 1st play but I honestly didn't see 64 do a lot of D1 type of stuff, especially given that he was playing against a bunch of much smaller guys. Perhaps it was just me but he didn't seem overly ambitious a lot of the time. It was clear that Karns was a huge underdog, but if we hadn't given up the stupid turnover TD right before half time it might have been a game for awhile. Being a part of the Karns program is tough at times but the great majority of our players will be returning and since a rezoning has taken our enrollment from 2100 to 1350 I believe we'll move down a level or two in the divisions next year. I really do hope you guys beat Clinton; they definitely need a does of humble pie. I agree with the comment about Hardin Valley liable to take as bad (or worse) beating as we did, but I think they'll still show up.

Wait a minute or I'll have to throw a flag for piling on. Karns may be reeling from consecutive defeats but I don't think they'll just lay down and let this AC guy pass for 400. As I recall, he had a real some real problems with the pressure brought by the OR defense. Since they didn't put any real pressure on the Karns QB I'm thinking that the AC O-line may not be that strong. Perhaps Coach Newberry will be able to dial up some blitzes that will make throwing it a bit more difficult for AC? As the initial poster said, Karns demonstrated the capability to play well in the Powell game. Hopefully we'll see it again this Friday, the final home game for this year's seniors.

Congrats to the Wildcats. Karns played pretty well in the 1st half but gave up a costly touchdown right before the half to fall behind 17-0. OR scored to open the 2nd half and never looked back. The Karns D was clearly over matched and under sized as the 2nd half wore on. I thought the OR O-Line played well but I wasn't that impressed with the jumbo D-Line. I don't think they sacked the Karns QB one time and the 190 lb Karns left tackle blocked the D1 prospect guy pretty consistently all night long. Hope you guys beat Clinton. I think it would have been more to your credit if you'd taken Fluud out sooner once the game was out of hand.

"Big Tuna is living in a fantasy world" - now those are fightin' words to some over here in western Karns! Perhaps a more accurate description is a guy who has this one last year of involvement with the program, wants to make the best of it for all concerned, and sees no value in a bunch of mid-season bashing. Mr Volz fan, you seem like a guy with the vision and the cash connections to perhaps make a difference but yet you let both those hot shot nephews go to high school somewhere else. So which came 1st, program mediocrity or the exodus of football talent? Plus, where were you and your friends when Dr Davis & Mr Chandler were picking this new football coach? Were you in there lobbying for the Oak Ridge guy? Like I said, after this year my level of concern will diminish but I'd be glad to help if I can because the kids deserve the best they can get and (unless you convince them all to go somewhere else) there should be a strong nucleus back from this year's squad. Maybe you can help us get a quarterback to fill Kyle's shoes? For whatever it's worth, regardless of color history I think the blue and white looks good. I personally like the black & blue look also. By the way, I really appreciate intelligent, well thought out comments whether I agree with them or not, but disconnected ranting pushes my buttons. Maybe after the season's over we can talk in person? Have a good day.

This is an excellent assessment. But due to relentless rain and lightning we'll have to wait until 6:00PM Saturday to see what happens. I know I'm overly optimistic but I've either gotta believe in Karns or root against the kids I've grown to love. I stick with Karns 28 - OR 27 in a shocker.

Dude, are you trying to say that the Karns Little League organization is filled with a bunch of illiterate rednecks too? Well the sun just came out here in Western Karns - which has now been inappropriately named HVA West. It could be God laughing at this Karns situation or it could be Him deciding to smile on us Karnsites as we go up against the mighty 'Cats. It could get depressing but I'm sure glad it's Friday Night Football time again! Karns 28 - OR 27 in a shocker.

Well I sort of hate to do this, but Mr. Balleret could you please name those football players who went to Hardin Valley from Karns that didn't have to. The class that is now seniors had a choice. Of those, I believe only Howser and Dees went and Dees isn't playing football. Of the class that is now juniors there were at least 20 lost from Karns to HVA after their freshman year via forced rezoning. I do believe there were several others that went to HVA during the dubious "Open Transfer" period but I think that number would 5 or less. There may be a few more who were freshmen last year and left but one or two kids went to Catholic and I don't think too many went to HVA. Plus, some guys move because they're not getting PT and want to try something different. So throw those names out here and let's check it out. I personally don't like the manner by which plays are sent in from the Karns sideline, but I haven't seen a delay of game penalty in several Fridays. There certainly didn't seem to be an issue in the Powell or Halls games. I only remember one 1 point game this year and that was a player's mistake, which was gently but correctly pointed out by the Coach immediately after the WB game. I agree with the earlier poster (and my previous recommendation) that you and GoKarns09 take your gripes to Dr. Davis and Mr. Chandler. CoachT posters don't generally hire or fire coaches. Honestly, I don't think enough Karns people read CoachT to allow you to form a lynch mob from this venue. Plus, you're just making us appear even more like the bunch of illiterate rednecks than some people already think we are. But enough drama - let's talk football. You Oak Ridge people who have moved past your drama segment into team rebuilding mode - do you see a possible scenario in which Karns could pull off a victory? Have you guys scored most of your points via run or pass? How many turnovers? Go Karns!

I've only seen one Karns player ejected for fighting this year and that was because someone called him the n-word. One problem with getting physical is being out weighed by ~50 lbs per player on the d-line (except for 45 when he's healthy), 30-50 lbs at one of the o-line positions, and only having one or two good size linebackers. Halls played a good game against Karns, appeared to have learned some things from film regarding Karns weaknesses, and their real QB was back from a car wreck. Before the Powell game there were few people who would have bet on Karns to win. Oak Ridge should be heavily favored but Karns hasn't forfeited yet.

So do you really not know the answer to this question (which is yes) or what's your point?

Darn - two threads on the same game. I'll post here as well. Oak Ridge might not be favored by 60 but I'm sure they're favored. I understand that Oak Ridge has a D1 prospect or two in this year's lineup. True? Last Saturday's writeup on the AC game talked about a lot of defensive pressure on the AC QB. What type of defense do the Wildcats run? Any standout backers or linemen? Karns (1-4) at Powell 24 (2-3) - Karns wins 44-24 at Powell then Halls (0-6) at Karns (2-4) - Halls wins 39-0 at Karns Don't know how to explain that ............

Well Oak Ridge might not be favored by 60 but I'm sure they're favored. I understand that Oak Ridge has a D1 prospect or two in this year's lineup. True? Last Saturday's writeup on the AC game talked about a lot of defensive pressure on the AC QB. What type of defense do the Wildcats run? Any standout backers or linemen? Karns (1-4) at Powell 24 (2-3) - Karns wins 44-24 at Powell then Halls (0-6) at Karns (2-4) - Halls wins 39-0 at Karns Don't know how to explain that ............

The TV sports guy called last week's Karns win over Powell a "breakout" victory. But then again, after a convincing win over Campbell County a few weeks ago the Beavers traveled to Central for a "breakdown" loss. Will the homecoming aura help or hurt? Who are the big guns for Halls? Have Halls' games been competitive or are they still trying to measure up to the competition? Any Red Devil faithful out there?

Well GoKarns I knew I could count on you for some final uplifting comments. I didn't know Kyle had that much liberty in play calling but I'll check it out. Keeping the defense off the field is a positive for anyone because it means your guys have the ball, but the undersized Karns defense is showing more promise. Do you go to the game last night? I really believe you need to actually watch a game in person or TV if you're going to be able to analyze it in detail. Again I'm sorry that your football experience was so negative - that's not what high school athletics are supposed to be all about. Come on out to homecoming next week and wear your jersey. What number should I look for? 11?

Oh yeah baby! Those Karns coaches might be dumber than mud but the Beavers sure out coached and outplayed the Panthers tonight. The ole' Karns brain trust even cooked up a trick play or two to make things extra interesting. I suppose you nay sayers will come up with some new carping for next week's thread but who really cares? Come on out to Homecoming next week and watch the Beavers cast out those Red Devils. How sweet it is ........ How many passing yards did Boden have? Perhaps enough to win offensive player of the week?

Things look different depending on your perspective. From what I've been told there were almost 30 seniors on last year's team. So were you a starting player or just someone hoping to be one? I'm really not sure what you meant by: we drank the kool aide too every week and was told all the time it was our fault the players, when you play for them then state yyour info until then keep dreaming and believing there is a reason we cant get it done as my dad says follow your leadership??????????????????? What is "as my dad says follow your leadership"? trying to say? I watched a lot of the Karns games you're speaking of. I've seen some coaching errors (going for 2 at Mo East?) but it looked to me like many losses were defensive breakdowns in the last few minutes. There seemed to be some real issues with the linebackers and/or secondary coming up to cover the outside sweeps and screens. As I recall this was a sore spot in the LC loss last year. I'm really sorry that your experience was so negative. If you want to talk objectively you almost have to go watch the games. Will you be at Powell tonight? Let's go root for the Beavers. Wear a GoKarns09 t-shirt and I'll come by and visit. I say Karns by a touch if it doesn't rain. I say Karns by a touch if it does rain. I wish they played like Maryville but I love those Beavers. Is Balleret really your dad?

Whoa .............. There sure is a lot of football-related testosterone in the air today. The only mystery at this point is why that "Baller" guy hasn't jumped back into the action. I think he must be at work. First thing - from what I heard the pray guy has it right about the Central game. GoKarns - were you at that game? Second thing - pray more probably shouldn't have said exactly what he did about the young Mr. Norman in the public venue, but if he's like me he wouldn't know how to edit or withdraw a comment anyway. However, if some of you "outraged ones" had heard big Mike talking football a few years ago you might have been surprised. Third Thing - cussing out your guys isn't a great idea but I think it happens fairly often. I believe what makes a big difference in how it's taken and what's done about it is the sensitivity of the kid and the overall state of the program. I've seen young men playing on teams who were decent but the truth was that they just weren't great athletes or playmakers, and therefore would get periodic "gentle reminders" of some of their position-related shortcomings. Some of them seemed to have a real hard time with the criticism, whether it was done via cussing or whispering. Plus, in the midst of a meeting to discuss a football issue I once heard an AD say: "Well this is a real issue but if we were 6-1 instead of 1-6 we probably wouldn't even be having this conversation". Go Karns - I say the Beavs win it by at least a touch. I also suggest GoKarns and Baller petition the Karns admin to let them take over the team for the rest of the year and see what they can do. They could hire "Praymore" to hold services before each practice and game.

"Karns has to(o) much talent to not be winning, have a qb that as started for 3 years and is a good player, don't know all the rec core but I do now a couple of the def players and they are very good players. Looking forward to the battle for Pellissippi in game 10". Sure Karns has some good defensive players but the 3-5 defense has issues (as noted in the 1st half against Central) and none of the d-line or linebackers are what you'd call "big bodies" for their positions. I think inconsistent is a good way to describe this team. If the (normally very sure-handed) receiver had caught the 3rd down touchdown play at Central when the score was 21-13 it might have been a different game. If they didn't botch the hold on the 4th down field goal try it might have been a different game. If the senior receiver had caught the touchdown pass in the corner when the score was 28-13 it might have been a different game. Final score 40-13 against a team with no wins but this is the same Karns offense that scored 21 points in the 4th qtr against WB. I say the "we can get it done" Beavers will show up Friday. Karns 28 Powell 14. Can't wait to see the refurbished Panther stadium.

"Clinton is going to trash Karns. I've been hearing that the Dragons are going to shoot for 70 points and the state record for offensive yards in a game. It should be a painful evening for the Beaver" As JarJar Binks might say: "How wude". You guys beat a watered down Dobyns Bennett and all of a sudden you're going for the state record for offensive yards in a game. I was talking with one of my Oak Ridge friends about the game today and his comment was "If you've never been over there you need to realize that those folks are different". Then he went on to describe how a group of Clinton fans spent a portion of the game he attended using pea shooters to put different objects into the OR band's tubas. Anyway, you may be underestimating those Karns guys and/or you might be overestimating your team at this early point in the season. If the above attitude is indicative of the community I'd think the Dragons will have some trash talkers, but win or lose I hope both teams play hard and with respect for each other. I'm hesitant to predict Karns will win against an obviously strong group of Dragons but then again bigger upsets have happened. Go Beavers!

Wow! There's certainly a lot of fire breathing dragon talk going on here. For one thing, beating DB ain't exactly what it used to be. For another thing Karns put up 34 last week, 20 of those coming in the 4th qtr when they fought back from a 27-14 deficit. Everyone knows Clinton has a 1st rate QB and running back, but this Karns team isn't about to back down. The Karns defense is still a work in progress but it's developing pretty quickly. If things go real bad for Karns early it could be a problem, but I don't look for that to happen. What kind of defense does Clinton play? From my remembrance DB is primarily a running team - especially if the Sensabaugh kid is still playing. How's the Clinton secondary looking?

Thanks Poole for your kind words. Even though it was yet another loss, it was probably the most exciting game I've ever seen Karns play. I had a young (11 yr old) football player ride home with me after the game and I told him I thought there were at least two things he could learn from the game: 1) Don't ever lay down and quit. After giving up those two 3rd qtr scores Karns could have easily thrown in the towel. But they didn't. They fought back like I've never seen them do before. Then they forced the fumble and mounted an impressive drive right down the field to take the lead. 2) As Yogi Berra once profoundly noted - It aint over til it's over. In a close game (or even a semi-close game) you just can't ever let up until the clock runs out. Mr Jammin: I'm not certain what your agenda is but if you're actually a supporter of the team I don't see CoachT as the right place to openly criticize the team. I've seen the Karns coaches make what I thought were a number of mistakes over the past years. And I've seen Karns lose a number of close games in the 4th qtr due to poor conditioning and/or lack of focus (See 2 above). But I don't think last night's loss was because of coaching errors or lack of effort. I thought the offensive game plan was excellent and was executed well. The defense was fairly porous against the run but look at how Alcoa chewed up Maryville. Let's face it, the Govs had some real running talent. As far as the timeout called by Karns at the end before the last conversion, I don't really see it as a coaching error. I admire the Gov guys for appealing to their coach to go for two. As far as the Hail Mary, the Karns Coach calmly reminded his players after the game, "we teach you to knock the ball down immediately in those types of end of game passing situations". It's your God-given right to criticize the coaches or the program any time you want to. But at this point in time I ask you to consider what's best for the kids. I don't see this team as yet another group of Karns losers - and even if I did I wouldn't say it here. In fact I think they'll rise up, overcome this latest disappointment, and show some people what they're made of despite the step up in the competition level in region play that's about to occur. It's pretty obvious that you have issues with the coaching staff. If so, why don't you express them to the athletic director and/or Principal Davis, or even go talk to our school board representative. I believe coaching positions at schools are typically reviewed after the season. After the public embarrassment Karns suffered under the former head coach and the lesser tumult recently caused by the former freshman coach, I honestly don't see any value in starting a public debate about the current coaching staff. Please think about it before posting any more such blatantly negative comments. Thank you for listening.

It seems unlikely to me that HHS had more penalty yards than Karns last Friday. Although it was certainly sounded dismal, it also seems unlikely that Karns only gained 26 on 20 rushes. So where could a fella get the stats from last Friday's game? By the way for those of you (jammin?) who were at last Friday's game, was the lack of production mainly a product of poor line blocking, wrong play calling against the defense, bad running, etc?