RedSwarm10

Scrimmage tomorrow against Arlington. I won't be able to make it but I'd love to hear how it goes.

Excellent basketball player. He also plays quarterback on their football team I believe. I agree with the Shaka Smart comment. If VCU is after this kid, then he's for real.

Excellent hire by Henry County. Any time you pick up a guy with head coaching experience at the college level, it says a lot. He was also a very good high school coach at 3 different schools. I do expect us to be back on the map in District 10-AAA sooner rather than later. As patriot04 already pointed out, there are plenty of athletes at Henry County. We have a rising junior who will be one of the best players in the district next season. Up-tempo offense and pressing defense is attached to Mike Greer's name. I'm excited to see the direction this basketball program goes. Best of luck to Coach Greer, and good job by the admin for reeling him in.

How are spring drills looking? Having worked over 60 hours this week I haven't had the chance to get over there and catch any yet.

I guess I'll bite. I love your confidence, but nobody in the state is even close to us? We just lost 18 starters. At the very least, I would like to see some of spring practice before that talk begins. In response to the bold, we proved we were the state's best team, but it wasn't by far and away. That was one of the most tightly contested championship games I've ever seen. I agree that we were fortunate last year, in more ways than one. One of those ways was the fact that the state, over all, was down. We didn't face a legitimate challenge until week 15. We played a 9-4 Ridgeway team and a 9-5 Hendersonville team to get to the championship game. It won't be like that every year. We can and will compete for more championships, especially with this crop of talent coming up through the ranks, but too many factors are in play for me to sit here and say we're that far ahead of the pack with a straight face. Not after losing almost the entire starting unit to graduation.

It was a great event with very nice turnout. We all know the talent is still there. Now lets hope they can put it all together and play as a team. If they can, look out.

We haven't always been a powerhouse, but here's a few little fun facts for you: Since 2007 (the past 5 years), Henry County has the 3rd highest winning percentage in the entire state(.895), regardless of classification or division. The 2 schools ahead of us? Maryville(.946) and Alcoa(.904). Some of the schools we're ahead of? Milan(.888), Greeneville(.847), Ensworth(.864), Trousdale(.873), and South Pitt(.871). In those 5 years, we're 6th over all in total wins, with 3 trips to the semifinals or beyond (which isn't even including the semifinal we went to in 2006). We may have only 1 state title during that time, but those are powerhouse numbers if I've ever seen them, waveyard. And here's the best part: We ain't even close to done

I love the way you have the classes broken down. I posted the exact same thing over on the football boards a while back, including those same numbers. All of the major sports could thrive in a 4-class system. Baseball needs another class, basketball needs another class, and football has too many classes. I think the TSSAA should really look into it.

Crockett? What happened to Kevin Ward?

Where did you get that? He was talking about Division I privates and the fact that as long as a school puts forth the effort, they CAN compete regardless of whether or not they are public or private. And he's actually making a good point. Look at all of the Division I private schools who missed the playoffs last year. There was a TON, but we don't hear NEARLY as much about those schools and how they need to be put in a separate division. Wonder why? The truth of the matter is, these Division I private schools, over all, are no more gifted talent wise, support wise, and certainly not enrollment wise than their public school counterparts. Yet somehow, every year, as soon as a public falls to a private in the playoffs we all hear the same thing, "Put them in Division II!" or something of that nature. Most of this public/private nonsense is nothing more than sour grapes being spit out because somebody's team wasn't good enough to win state. If a school is giving out athletic scholarships, then by all means put them in their own division. But for these small privates like CAK and Friendship Christian, give me a break. Those kids and coaches worked every bit as hard for that championship as any public who's ever won it.

http://www.examiner.com/high-school-football-in-nashville/class-6a-s-spring-top-10

I agree that 8 is entirely too many, but 3 classes would be ridiculously compacting the system. There is a competitive reason that the state expanded beyond 3 classes. Look at the difference between the largest AAA school and the smallest AAA school. Clarksville Northeast currently plays in 5A. Their enrollment just barely hovers around the 1000 mark (their latest numbers are actually slightly below 1000), meanwhile you have some of the Rutherford County schools with consistent enrollments that exceed 2000 students. Do those schools really need to be competing in the same class? I don't think so, but you're entitled to your opinion. I think 4 classes would be just fine, and would compact the system just enough to keep it from being watered down without over-doing it.

Southerland? Is this not the same guy who just resigned so he could be closer to his family?

Well then blame the administration, but don't punish the kids because of it. They're more than happy to have that bologna sandwich, even if their parents (the admin.) don't want to cook the steak.

Not every school is going to have an equal level of commitment to football. This is true in both Division I and Division II. It's also true at the collegiate level. The fact of the matter is, there are at least some kids at every school who want to play football. I'm sure these kids go to practice, work hard, and try just as hard as anyone to win. They obviously haven't experienced a great deal of success, but that doesn't mean the school should just drop the sport. It's the same thing as quitting, taking your ball home, and saying "well if we can't win, then we're not playing". Nobody likes that mentality. That's like saying just because a family can't afford to have a steak dinner every night, they should just stop eating.

Who would those be? Kelly Meyers' services are available. Don't know if he would go there or if he would even apply, but at the very least it would make for an interesting sub-story in District 10-AAA.

So are they seriously considering a middle school coach? Who else is on the short list? Spring practice is coming up awfully quick.

Although I'm not thrilled with 6 classes, I actually prefer the current system to the 5 class system. I was not crazy at all about the top 4 vs. top 4 playoff format under the old system. I prefer the quadrants, and I also prefer the current regular season district setup. HOWEVER, I also believe that the system is watered down, and I would have no problem if they lowered the number of classes. But they should NOT go back to 5 (that system was watered down too), they should go to 4...If they really want to improve the quality of the post season (I believe the state is too big for only 3, but is not big enough for 5 or 6). Too many 5-5 and 4-6 teams getting into the playoffs right now, and it was no better under the 5 class format. I remember us playing against a 2-8 Raleigh-Egypt team in the first round of the playoffs back in '06 or '07. Making the playoffs should be an accomplishment in an of itself, and it just doesn't feel like that anymore. Either keep the current system, or go to 4 classes with 10 or 12 districts in each class. Keep the quadrant format for the post season. And the only way you should be "locked" into a playoff berth should be a district title. After that, the remaining playoff spots should be filled and seeded based on record, with strength of schedule being the primary tie-breaker. With all this said, I highly doubt they downsize in any capacity. Too much money flowing in with 6 classes.

Good luck to coach Woods in getting that program back up. Our recent playoff matches against Melrose were some of the best high school football games I've ever watched.

Interesting to say the least.

Condolences sent from West Tennessee. This happens too often, and I hate hearing about it equally every time it does.

I watched all but one of Grove's home games last season, and that was the best freshman team I've ever seen come through here. I say that with no hesitation. I know a lot can change and anything can happen, but I agree that we will be strong competitors in 5A over the next few years, and we will definitely have some more shots at winning the gold again. In regards to this year's team, It's also worth noting that our JV was undefeated last year as well. There was plenty of talent that didn't even see the field. A lot of those kids will be moving up to the varsity, so I wouldn't sleep on this upcoming team. They're gonna be young, but they will be a handful by the time the playoffs roll around. You know the program is on the up when the varsity, JV, and freshmen all go undefeated the same year.

Agreed with this. We're gonna be young in many spots next year. The senior class has some very good players in it, but it's not very big. So there will be a lot of underclassmen on the field next year, very different from this past year. Luckily for us, the junior class is very good, and the sophomore class is loaded.

We should know how good we are pretty quickly next year when Beech comes to town week 1. The Buccaneers will be stacked with what they return. I'm looking forward to that one.