Wilcoisthebest

CHOO!!! CHOO!!!

I don't know about you all but I'm just happy the streak continues because it truly is a great story line/ point of contention.

I said it earlier this season, and I will stand by my statement. At the end of the day, I believe that Heckman is a winner, AKA "he finds ways to win games". And he will quell the whispers of under-achieving at INDY this year. Its the play-offs, its a new season (ask Arlington). Its time to make a statement at Franklin High School Friday night Upsetting Rebels is what Independence does. Do not try to fool yourselves into thinking that the nightmares of 07 aren't looming in the back of your heads. I remember reading the same level of banter that year as well. Franklin's pillars of strength and trust have a way of crumbling every year around this time. My only question is. "who will fumble the ball, drop the pass, miss the block, miss a tackle, drop a gimme interception this year?" Will it be this Anderson who will miss a block that leads to a big sack or busted screen? Will this "head-hunter" miss the big open field tackle that leads to 6 points, or will he miss and INT (Franklin safeties have a history of that against IHS)? Will the young QB, make a Sophmore mistake that leads to the end of a Senior's high school career? Will the great Keylo find himself one tackle away from breaking-the-big-one in order to finally live up to his hype and save his team, and eventually stumble trip and fall? Will somebody within Franklin's front 7 find themselves being continually knocked off the ball, and feeling #7's jersey slip through their fingers over and over again? These are all questions that are (or should be floating through people's heads at FHS right about now)... Somebodies season will end tomorrow night, who will it be?

When I said, "Franklin has not impressed me the past few weeks", I guess I need to really specify my time-line for you Franklin people. I meant I have not been impressed by the Rebels by the way they played against Brentwood and Overton. They gave up 21 points to a Brentwood team (and Franklin had an extra week to prepare), is that what you people call a stout defense? They took all they could handle against Overton (who has lost any game that actually mattered in their district). Not to mention Franklin couldn't go for the KO, on a few opportunistic turnovers. Looking back on this year, what has Franklin done to deserve this praise and worthiness? They destroyed 2 Kentucky teams? They got the royal junk scared out of them against BGA?... Ok they beat Hillsboro & Centennial (but so did everybody else). Franklin played 2 big-time/ litmus-test games 1) against Ooltewah 2) against Brentwood. With the same result, they lost both. When the spotlight shines on Franklin, it is a safe bet that Franklin will get stage fright and flop. Do ya'll want further proof? Over the past two years lets take a look at the games Franklin has lost. Brentwood 09- District Championship game Ooltewah 09- TN statement game Oakland 08- State Championship game Brentwood 08- Region Championship game When it is time to win a game, Franklin finds a way to lose. The only team that is better at loosing championship games is the Ohio State Buckeyes this decade. This may not be a championship game, but its a chance to sweep the IHS Eagles, Its a chance to be the champion of Thompson Station, and if there is one thing Franklin can not do, it is win any type of championship.

I was under the impression that Coffey was hurt during the Franklin game (pretty seriously I might add).

My money is on Independence, simply because Franklin has not impressed me in the slightest over the past few weeks. Franklin has been teetering on the edge, and I think the Eagles will drop the feather that breaks the Rebels backs (and season). For those of you that think this is an impossibility, does anybody remember 2007? I know that people are aware that INDY can not stop the running game, and I would counter that Franklin's defense is suspect as well. Big players make big plays, and the key players on Franklin's defense seem to always be on the wrong side of those "big plays". Franklin's safety (#28... I think) has been scored on twice over the past two weeks, and one of those scores gave the game away to Brentwood. Franklin's front-7 (I do not have any specific numbers) got knocked around and dominated against Overton for the majority of the game. This game could quickly become a scoring match, I think this game comes down to who performs better The senior Alex Heckman or the seniors Alex Ford & Keylo Lee. And Ford has already shown he has the ability to cough the ball up, and the game (against Brentwood)... Big players make big plays.

This is Brentwood's game to lose and give away. Brentwood has given Franklin its fair share of frustrations over the past years with a team built around Running-game & Defense & Mistake-free football. But this year has given BHS the ability to move the ball through the air. Which is trouble for a lot of teams (Franklin being one of those teams). Franklin has not faced an athletic offensive team this year that is capable of putting up points... Basically I'm going to come out and say it, "Franklin's defense has not been tested, and is un-deserving of its laud this year". Franklin will not be able to stop Coffey on the ground, and stop Brentwood through the air at the same time. Brentwood is just going to have to select how they will beat Franklin. On top of all this, I have my serious doubts about FHS showing up for the big game (it has been a problem of theirs for awhile now).

WOW, slow down now... Show a little bit of respect for what Brentwood has done thus far this season. Lets take a quick look at who each team has played up to this point. BRENTWOOD- Smryna/ Oakland/ Independence/ Gallatin/ Blackman/ and now Franklin FRANKLIN- Ooltewah/ Independence/ and now Brentwood Brentwood has been through the fire (having faced Rutherford's strongest), meanwhile Franklin has been running around Kentucky and Memphis grabbing a game-here-and-a-game-here. So before anybody from Franklin should even open up their mouths they need to go back and think about what Ooltewah did to them. My money is on Brentwood, because this game comes down to work & determination, and I think Brentwood has trained those areas more than the kids from Franklin. But at the end of the day, this game comes down to two tangible facts; 1) Can Franklin slow down Mr. Coffey? 2) Can Franklin get its own running game up-and-running?

This is Williamson County football at its finest. This is just the way it should be, Franklin vs Brentwood, how many times has this region been decided between these two? It is only fitting that these two should be battling it out for the first "district crown". I said it back on week 3, that these two were running through this season on a collision course. Even on a year where others are accusing Williamson County of being down, everybody still knows that both of these teams are not to be taken lightly. Both teams are have locked-down their play-off spots, they deserve some respect. They have run the table in their district, they have handled their business. So at a certain point, the IHSs of the world need to step aside and let the district championship game take place. Regardless of what happened last week, these two teams never disappoint, so nobody needs to be writing this game off before the clock read 00:00. I personally want to see Wilco stand up and be accounted for, and a little support from my other members of the trifecta would be appreciated.

The flip-side of this argument can be made, Brentwood has their own district championship game against Franklin next week as well. Both teams are preparing for this Friday with the knowledge of a big-important-week coming up.

Franklin fans should start hoping for a little mother-nature-intervention on their part. Go ahead and get your Rain-Dance diagram out.

Uhm... My numbers are showing that Independence is 4-2 (due to the bye week).

I (like most of you) agree that this game should be all about the Rebels. But if I may add some objective analysis... There was another time this season when everybody thought Franklin was the "lock" for a "W", and that was against the BGA Wildcats, and that game turned out to be a little more than any Rebel fan bargained for. A word to the wise...

I would like to address the issue of "Alex Ford". Please take a look around the District, and look at young Sophmores and Juniors who have recently become seniors and assumed & shouldered the high expectations with welcoming open arms. Coffee at Brentwood is a Senior this year, and has been the talk of the wood'. Not only did he step up to the plate, but he has swung for the fence. He has lived up to his expectations. Heckman at Independence has been anointed the future of the Eagles since he was a sophmore. He survived a rocky road through his Junior year, and now he has weathered the storm, and placed his Eagles in a position to succeed. Heckman may not be the most gifted or talented athlete, he may not be surrounding with an all-star cast, but he is a "winner" who will not except being anything less. Now that I have pointed out two other examples (for the base of my argument), now let me address "Alex Ford". Alex Ford made a name for himself last year, as a work-horse hard-running back. But that caged-animal attitude has been missing so far this year. Mr Ford is just another victim of "complacency" and "individuality". Ford is an "individual" in the sense that as where Heckman & Coffee not only shouldered their high expectations but they have also shouldered their teams. Ford's inability to carry & shoulder his team is a sign of uncaring selfishness, and frankly it churns my stomach to read the constant praise of "3-stellar-backs". His "complacency" is a sign of laziness (nothing more nothing less). What happens at Franklin during the off-season? Not only has Ford failed to meet expectations, but he has under-achieved to such a level that should embarrass & disappoint the Franklin Faithful. Because without a doubt the story of Alex Ford is a sad & somber story, The chants from the stands of "HE IS A SOPHMORE!!!" have changed to "OVER-RATED"... Alex Ford is just another in a long-line of under-achieving over-rated star players at Franklin High School. Whether the last name is Hardison, Campbell, or Steele, or McPhee it is simply a different last name with the same old story. The atrocity of this story is the fact that excuses for leaders like Alex Ford over-shadow the hard-work & ethic that pays off when players like Nick Gordon, Ramsey Sellars, Timmy Wilson, and Ben Woodall finally mature into their respected positions and exceed everybody's expectations. I asked the question earlier, "what happens at Franklin during the off-season?", well apparently certain players strive for something bigger than themselves and others spend time reading their own press clippings.

Hey "longhorns" maybe finally completing a singular decent pass against a team who has won one game thus far is not really that big a deal. Explain the previous week against OHS when a QB (who can complete the "hardest-pass-in-football"... what a joke) went 5/ 19, but 3 of those passes where behind the line-of-scrimmage. "Longhorns" is nobody's Dad (because I would be ashamed to even think that somebody of his intellect would be fathering a young-man into maturity). He is simply and apparently the only supporter of the passing game at Franklin, and maybe he would be more at home supporting a program who has the speed/ ability/ coaching capabilities to throw the ball. I think being the only supporter of the passing game among a group of individuals who actively support the running game (and have better arguments & football knowledge) is starting to get under his skin. Loosing Keylo Lee (for however long) is a big sign of trouble for the Rebels running game, because Alex Ford has been a huge disappointment thus far this season, and Keylo has been the only ground threat out of that back-field.

Ask yourself a question "longhorns" before you ever address me in that manner again. Ask yourself "is it worth it?" "do I really want to bring that upon myself?" I am going to give you one chance to ask that question and/ or think about everything you have said to date. Do you really want to call me out like that? I know you will respond. I know you are not done with me. I know because you do not have the patience and discipline to wait it out. And even if you can conjure someway to ignore me, I will harass your Quarterback, your passing game, your play-calling, and your limited football knowledge and education until you can not stand it anymore. I will become an itch you will have to scratch, you and your witless ignorance will not be able to withstand the temptation any longer. You will reply... I just know you will, I know your type too well. Think about it "longhorns"...

It is very interesting "longhornshookem" that you mention that Ooltewah was a solid team (besides the fact that anybody can understand that being the #3 team in the state of Tennessee means that they are probably pretty competitive in every sense of the word). But in labeling the Owls as stout competition you have contradicted an earlier statement, and therefore unvalidated either your previous argument or your most recent atrocity & abomination of football knowledge (it must be hard to type with your foot in your mouth). ARGUMENT #1 of LONGHORNSHOOKEM--- When the mumblings & rumbling of complaints began a few weeks ago assaulting your beloved "passing game" you countered the argument with the thesis that Franklin's offense was trying to give a young QB chances in real-Friday-night-lights-circumstances (I guess perimeter offense vs defense does not properly assess ability) against weaker teams because the opporotunity to make mistakes and learn would not be available against tougher teams (like Ooltewah...), and due to this un-availability Franklin would have to revert towards a more consistent running-game (which you argued did not need the game-time practice apparently, not to mention that you somehow believe that run-blocks and pass-blocks are comparatively the same thing). ARGUMENT #2 of LONGHORNSHOOKEM --- Now with the afore mentioned argument and description of Franklin's love-affair with the passing game during the first 3 games (besides the fact that when you throw the ball 1 of 3 things must happen... and 2 of those outcomes are not desirable (not exactly promising odds if you ask me). I was under the impression that Ooltewah was a "tougher" opponent. And due to this assuption, "longhornshookem" had led me to believe Franklin would place the load on the running game (because a game against Ooltewah would not be a good learning environment). But now "longhornshookem" makes the statement "they got hurt in the passing game", well how could Franklin "get hurt" if they had decided to not throw a young QB (and un-equipped passing game) into the heat of battle against a strong opponent. That is what "longhornshookem" told us (was it not?). So how could could Franklin get "hurt" if they decided to adapt to a more conservative game plan (the type of game plan you would employ with a sophmore-first-year-QB) The answer to this inquiry is exceedingly simple, "they did not shift into a more conservative game plan, they decided to stick with the same type of game plan that they employed against teams like Centennial & BGA" Now let me introduce you to a simple argument, only one of the above can be valid, because if one is valid the other is proven false. So "longhornshookem" you tell me... which one would like to stand behind? Was Ooltewah another "cream-puff" and therefore another practice game for an experimental passing game? Or did you just lie to everybody on CoachT in telling them that Franklin was going to change their play-calling? The ball is in your hands, you tell me which one you believe is correct and which one you believe is false.

This game against MBA could be a swing-game in their season for the Eagles.

BHS may not have any quit inside of them, and they may have been able to "turn-it-on" and out-physical & out-will Independence last week. I just do not see them being able to do the same thing against Oakland. You have to play 4 full quarters against Oakland, and get on them early because you do not want to be playing for the win with 10 minutes left, Oakland will outlast and beat people in the last few minutes.

I was a happy man this afternoon because I was able to catch the Franklin vs Centennial game on TV (life doesn't get any better than that on a Sunday afternoon). From what I have heard about OHS I have to agree with most of your observations, but like any CoachT message boards I must respectfully disagree. You gave the special teams advantage to Ooltewah, but Franklin's punter & kicker has been crushing balls so far this season (and he needs to be respected). Like any close game, this game could come down to coaching. OHS may have Coach Monroe, but Franklin has a notable coach in his own right Coach Webb. From a coaching perspective, this game could be a chance for Coach Clayton to establish himself as a big-game coach. It has been a title that has seemed to avoid him in close game over the past few years, because teams like RHS, BHS, and even IHS have proven to be a thorn in his side. But last year may have been the story of Coach Clayton starting to round the corner on his way to big-game success. Franklin competed in 4 close games (McCallie, Brentwood 1 & 2, Oakland), and they split these 2-2. So close games involving Franklin are a toss-up. Which brings me to my next point. "BipBop" made the statement "Coach Reed vs a Sophomore QB", and I must agree with this statement 100%. OHS may have countless defensive weapons, but Franklin's QB may be their biggest defensive weapon. Because if tendencies & trends are worth anything, he can throw the ball up for grabs, fumble snaps, fumble hand-offs. In a close game it doesn't take much to tip the scales, and a few mistakes and all of a sudden it is no longer close game.

The Hillsboro game against RHS was a scary game for those looking for the bright side in Burro football. I hope HHS can string a few games together, and hopefully just out-talent people. Speed kills, this is an undeniable fact at any level of football.

I saw two things Friday night against the eagles. 1) I saw a Brentwood defense that is somewhat suspect (granted they are searching for 9 new starters), and this is a new position for the Bruins. But like many others I have faith in Coach Crawford will embrace his strengths and attack his weaknesses. 2) But I also saw a Bruin team that won't quit. Even when the picture is exceedingly grim. Should make for a great match-up, (could we be witnessing a play-off preview?)

Ok "jrpfhs21" I am going to lay this out nice and clear for you. I hate how quickly intense these boards get, and how aggressively defensive people get on these message boards. There is a term in certain circles to describe how people react on message boards, it called a "keyboard-gangster". It means that people sit behind a computer screen and a keyboard and talk tough and put every other individual down that comes across their path, but would not swat a horse fly for biting them in the A**. I'm not going to get argumentative, I am not going to call you out. I just want you to understand something. I am not going to repeat myself for the sake of argument. But I would like to point out that I never predicted a single game, and if I never predicted a game, and therefore I could never have been wrong. I expressed worries about the automatic arrogance of Franklin had already written CHS off, and that sentiment could be very dangerous. Every player at CHS dreams of being the team to un-thrown Franklin, and because of that they will be coming full speed at FHS until it happens. And if FHS slows down and thinks they will walk over CHS every year, eventually CHS will upset the favored Franklin (and it may very well happen while you still a student at FHS). The only other discussion I have even gotten involved in was a ridiculous argument concerning Franklin's play-calling. I stepped in to clarify both sides of the dispute. I am just a simple casual fan, who supports Williamson County football, that is why I was present at the IHS vs BHS game Friday night, and thus the reason my unassuming comments and opinions can be found on any thread surround Wilco football.

Listen up little-one, get your "Wilcos" straight. Because you must have me confused with either "shotgunner" or "football". I am pretty sure I have never "picked" a single game yet. I discuss topics surrounding upcoming games, not the probable outcome (because guessing on who wins with a bunch of high schoolers is exactly that... guessing)

Whatever works, but in all reality that does sound like a pretty lethal combination. Friday extravaganza of sorts.