ScottShasteen

If the regions were to shake out like this midtennfootball.com I would be stunned if Tullahoma didn't play up to 5A. No way they don't join Coffee, Franklin, Lincoln, Shelbyville, Columbia if they have the opportunity. With Cane Ridge and Glencliff. Stewarts Creek would request to move up I suspect so they can stay with the other Rutherford teams. Don't know if Lawrence Co. would move up or not. If they didn't that would leave an 8-team Region 5-5A. I like it.

When we had five classifications a lot of folks were mad every year because teams under .500 made the playoffs. Every year under the 'Z Plan' has been a mess. Travel has never been worse and scheduling games for top teams is very difficult. I am not for any plan that rewards totals wins over district/region wins. It is not fair. The games you are forced to play by the TSSAA alignment are the games that should determine whether you make the postseason. Regions/Districts should all be at least 6 teams and no more than nine. Every team should have at least two dates to play area teams of a different classification. Travel won't be any worse than it is now. Scheduling will be easier. The worst that can happen is we hate it and push the TSSAA to do something else next time they vote. I'm for voting it in and calling it the 'Super 6'.

Having watched WC play for most of the past 30 years as PBP voice of Tullahoma, I have always been impressed with the tremendous support of the fans. No matter how bad the team might be at times, when we go to McMinnville its always a great crowd cheering on their Pioneers. The issue of players missing offseason workouts happens at most schools. To suggest there is no excuse for young men missing football-related things in the middle of the summer is unrealistic. Continuety is, in my opinion, one of the most important factors in building a winning high school sports program. Shelbyville, Lawrence Co. and Franklin Co. are examples of programs that have stuck with coaches and are now consistently solid, competitive programs. Warren Co. and Coffee Co. are two examples of programs that have not stuck with any coach long enough to develop that. Hopefully that changes with Scott Smith and Ryan Sulkowski. Race has absolutely nothing to do with this issue. Nothing. There are a lot of factors that go into a football team's success or failure, but the race of the players is not one of them. IMHO.

It has been mighty quiet on this board as far as District 8-AAA goes, so I'm going to get things started. Jason Hardy has done a great job at Shelbyville. When he took over nine years ago the team was winless, and his first three seasons produced a 3-27 record. Now the Golden Eagles are defending district champs and appear to have the best collection of athletes in the district. Can Shelbyville repeat as champs and make a longer run in the postseason? After finishing first and second in the district for four straight seasons, both Tullahoma and Columbia slipped last season and neither finished first or second. Can either the Wildcats or the Lions, or both, compete for the district title this season? Franklin County brings an undefeated freshman team into the varsity fold this year to join a team that finished 5-5 overall last year and 4-2 in the district, yet didn't make the playoffs. Are the Rebels on the verge of fighting for a district title? New head coach Ryan Sulkowski has done a splendid job of winning the press conference and social media heading into his first season at Coffee County. Coming off an 0-10 season, Sulkowski had 118 players on the field for spring practice. Can he lead Coffee County back to respectability? Is he the answer the folks in Manchester have been looking for? Can Lincoln County repeat or improve upon their winning season last year? In his 12th season at Lawrence County, can David Marston get the Wildcats back into the postseason? These are just a few of the questions heading into fall practice. Tullahoma will open its scrimmage schedule against Marshall County, Franklin County scrimmages Giles County next week, and Coffee County will practice with White County first. Your thoughts?

This is pathetic.

The Saturday Ticket is a brand new radio and internet talk show that debuts tomorrow morning at 8am central on the new sports talk radio 'The Ticket' out of Tullahoma. Guests tomorrow include Friday Night Thunder host Dennis Weaver, the voice of the Coffee County Red Raiders Lucky Knott, the voice of the Franklin County Rebels Al Clark, and the The Guru of Tennessee high school football Murphy Fair. Listen live in southern Middle Tennessee on AM 740 and 105.1 FM, and around the world on TheTicketRadio.com and the TuneIn Radio smartphone app (search for WHMT). Join in the conversation at 931-454-1005. On location from Russell Barnett Ford on Hwy 55, The Saturday Ticket will focus this week on previewing the high school football season across the state.

The Saturday Ticket is a brand new radio and internet talk show that debuts tomorrow morning at 8am central on the new sports talk radio 'The Ticket' out of Tullahoma. Guests tomorrow include Friday Night Thunder host Dennis Weaver, the voice of the Coffee County Red Raiders Lucky Knott, the voice of the Franklin County Rebels Al Clark, and the The Guru of Tennessee high school football Murphy Fair. Listen live in southern Middle Tennessee on AM 740 and 105.1 FM, and around the world on TheTicketRadio.com and the TuneIn Radio smartphone app (search for WHMT). Join in the conversation at 931-454-1005. On location from Russell Barnett Ford on Hwy 55, The Saturday Ticket will focus this week on previewing the high school football season across the state.

The Saturday Ticket is a brand new radio and internet talk show that debuts tomorrow morning at 8am central on the new sports talk radio 'The Ticket' out of Tullahoma. Guests tomorrow include Friday Night Thunder host Dennis Weaver, the voice of the Coffee County Red Raiders Lucky Knott, the voice of the Franklin County Rebels Al Clark, and the The Guru of Tennessee high school football Murphy Fair. Listen live in southern Middle Tennessee on AM 740 and 105.1 FM, and around the world on TheTicketRadio.com and the TuneIn Radio smartphone app (search for WHMT). Join in the conversation at 931-454-1005. On location from Russell Barnett Ford on Hwy 55, The Saturday Ticket will focus this week on previewing the high school football season across the state.

The Saturday Ticket kicks off Aug. 10 at 8am on Tullahomaradio.com, TuneIn smartphone app (its free just download and search for WHMT), 105.1 FM, 740 AM. Our focus will be on District 8-AAA and 9-A, but we will touch on subjects across the state. Area broadcasters, coaches, sportswriters and fans will be our weekly guests talking high school football. We will be on location at different spots each week and we hope you will join us.

The Saturday Ticket kicks off Aug. 10 at 8am on Tullahomaradio.com, TuneIn smartphone app (its free just download and search for WHMT), 105.1 FM, 740 AM. Our focus will be on District 8-AAA and 9-A, but we will touch on subjects across the state. Area broadcasters, coaches, sportswriters and fans will be our weekly guests talking high school football. We will be on location at different spots each week and we hope you will join us.

The Saturday Ticket kicks off Aug. 10 at 8am on Tullahomaradio.com, TuneIn smartphone app (its free just download and search for WHMT), 105.1 FM, 740 AM. Our focus will be on District 8-AAA and 9-A, but we will touch on subjects across the state. Area broadcasters, coaches, sportswriters and fans will be our weekly guests talking high school football. We will be on location at different spots each week and we hope you will join us.

Looking forward to Tullahoma's visit to Pulaski on Sept. 13. The two have not played a regular season game since 1988. The Wildcats and Bobcats have faced each other in preseason scrimmages many times in recent years so they are not strangers. Gonna be fun in that beautiful pressbox!

Nobody puts out consistent content about high school football across our state year-round like Donovan. Nobody puts out a preseason yearbook covering the entire state like Murphy Fair. Obviously they don't get it all right all the time, nobody does. I for one enjoy reading both. Yes I know more than they do about teams in District 8-AAA, since I see them every Friday night and read about them in area media. But these state-wide writers help me learn about out-of-district opponents and such. Thanks for doing the good work Donovan and Murphy. Keep it up. Hear the Tullahoma Wildcats every Friday night on Tullahomaradio.com.

Columbia has represented District 8-AAA very well, playing in three state championship games and winning one during the recent 4-year cycle. Now a new era begins as Coffee County joins the district. The Red Raiders have been playing more than half of the district's teams every year, so their schedule will not see a dramatic change, although adding Columbia and Lawrence County is a huge challenge. The Lions lost a great senior class that won close to 40 games in three years, so although they are still going to be very competitive I don't see them dominating the district like they have the past couple of years. Tullahoma has been the only other team to win a district title, capturing the 2010 crown, and has finished second the last two years. The Wildcats return their entire offensive line and will once again be a challenger. Lawrence County and Lincoln County will both be better, and it will be no surprise to see one or both in the playoffs. David Marston continues to put out tough, disciplined football teams in Lawrenceburg, and if they have any improvement in team speed - watch out. Both Shelbyville and Franklin County will have to replace great running backs who have been the key to their offenses over the last three years. Not sure either one will be a serious contender for the district title, although as we have seen in past years this is a district that can sometimes send all of its teams to the playoffs. Coffee County is going to be better. Coach Sisk is worth at least a win or two by himself, and Meeker and Rozier give the Red Raiders two of the district's most-experienced offensive players. But again, swapping Cumberland County and White County for Columbia and Lawrence County is not a positive for the Red Raiders. I expect the district to be highly competitive this year, but I'll throw a prediction out there for the fun of it. 1. Columbia 2. Tullahoma 3. Lawrence County 4. Lincoln County 5. Coffee County 6. Shelbyville 7. Franklin County

Listen to Tullahoma vs. Farragut live at approximately 12:30pm CST on the Tullahoma Sports Network. Tullahomaradio.com or the TuneIn Radio smartphone app (search for WHMT). Follow scores on twitter @tsn1051 or Facebook at Tullahoma Sports Network. ENJOY!

FYI for all you Cookeville fans out there, and Tullahoma fans of course, who can't' make it to tonight's contest. The Tullahoma Sports Network will have the broadcast beginning about 5:50pm on 105.1 FM, Tullahomaradio.com, the TuneIn Radio smartphone app, and locally in Tullahoma on LightTUBe channel 11. Listen at the stadium on 93.1 FM.

Tullahomaradio.com will also have the broadcast, with pregame beginning at 6 and kickoff at 7. The game can be heard on 105.1 FM, 740 AM, on the smartphone through the TuneInRadio app, and in Tullahoma on LightTUBe channel 11. My partner Binns Jordan and I are ready for our first broadcast on the Tullahoma Sports Network. A new tradition is born. If you have listened to us in the past please make note of the station change for us. Both teams are young and replacing a lot of starters. McGavock has 27 sophomores and Tullahoma 26, with each showing 60 names on their rosters. Tullahoma head coach John Olive begins his 20th season coaching the Wildcats, with McGavock's Jay Gore entering his second year. The Raiders have more team speed than the 'Cats, but Tullahoma has a great returning tailback. I think it will be close but the Wildcats have the advantage playing at Wilkins Stadium. Tullahoma 23-14.

Just couldn't let this go. After nine years as the webmaster for MurphyFair.com I think I know him pretty well. Obviously none of you know him at all so that explains your lack of knowledge on what he does. If what he does is so easy why doesn't anybody else do it? If he just does it so he doesn't have to have a real job then why don't any of you brilliant people do it? If his book sucks so bad, why have over 5,000 people been buying a copy each year for 25 years? He does every bit of it himself, and after the expenses to have it printed and the thousands of miles per year he drives to interview coaches, take pictures, deliver magazines, visit stadiums, broadcast games, etc. he probably doesn't make $1.00 an hour. He sells more than half of his magazines to booster clubs at a reduced rate so that they can use the magazines as a fund raiser. That doesn't sound like someone who is in it for the money. If you don't like the book don't buy it, but to get on here and insult the man is cowardly and shows your ignorance. Murphy Fair is an extremely compassionate person who sincerely cares about our kids across this state that play football. Murphy picked Shelbyville as one of his five top contenders in Class 5A. THE COACHES picked Columbia to win District 8-AAA and Shelbyville second. Pay attention because I realize this is tough for you to comprehend. Get back to reading your 50 Shades of Gray and leave the football talk to those that actually talk football.

Murphy Fair's 2012 Tennessee High School Football magazine has been printed and distribution has begun. It takes a few days for Murphy to get copies to booster clubs and retail outlets across the state.

Murphy Fair's 2012 Tennessee High School Football magazine has been printed and distribution has begun. It takes a few days for Murphy to get copies to booster clubs and retail outlets across the state.

Murphy Fair's 2012 Tennessee High School Football magazine has been printed and distribution has begun. It takes a few days for Murphy to get copies to booster clubs and retail outlets across the state.

Murphy Fair's 2012 Tennessee High School Football magazine has been printed and distribution has begun. It takes a few days for Murphy to get copies to booster clubs and retail outlets across the state.

Here is how the coaches in Class 2A voted.

Here is how the coaches in Class 3A voted.

Here is how the coaches in Class 4A voted.