nohope

Uncomprehensible for this matchup to end.........for ANY reason. Hope this is one rumor that gets squashed quickly. Regarding Friday matchup.......There's been plenty of years one team talent wise dominated the other but, I'm having trouble ever recalling a year where either team has came into this game more beat up and injured than the Pirates are this year. They had limited bullets when all were healthy; seems injuries have put most of those down at this point. If there really is Freshman/Sophmore talent along the sidelines I hope they're getting plenty of reps this week. MC justs looks to me to have improved weekly all year long; looks like even the single starter limited for past weeks may be back Friday night. The way things are going for SP, the team will be fortunate to survive weekly practice intact with what they have left. No upset here, no matter how calls go or balls bounce IMO. Keeping things respectable and giving all out effort is about all Pirates have to hope for. This game shouldn't be much if the MC team is as motivated as I expect them to be. I don't expect the MC coach to intentionally run the final score up.........at least I hope he doesn't.

Wow.....and you didn't even mention #24's status. IMO his loss, if he doesn't play, will be especially tough for the team. I've watched this kid this year; he's a player. Just hard to believe how much these two teams fortunes have changed in just one year. Criticism aside, Marion's coach has done wonders for that team since taking over. Since beating Sequatchie County it's been obvious Marion ruled the valley. No doubt in my mind they would make quick work of Central right now. Everything, star alignment included, just says MC will dominate this game Friday night. Mercy rule not out of the question. A few weeks ago I still thought this might prove to be a good game; no longer. Pirates find themselves in MC's position for the past several years, tasked with trying to maintain some type team dignity in this game. Best of luck to them. If Coach Moore finds a way to keep this respectable he'll deserve Coach of the Year. Hope MC's coach secures his win and pulls starters early. Streak ends Friday.

Have to ask, is 24 hurt for SP. Thought 53 / 88 was his understudy so to speak. Just curious. Good luck to this young man; hope he exploits this opportunity to both his and teams advantage. SP should benefit if all this Grundy freshman QB talk ain't just chatter. SP is a tough place for a freshman to take his first boat ride. Reminds me of Millard diving in head first on a rainy night in Geor.....Boyd. Unrelated, but my little red riding man disappeared.

Thanks for the undeserved compliment Sir, but you have me confused with someone else. I didn't survive "Grasshopper" football. Broken arm, appendicitis, laziness and..........girls all combined to quash my chance at legend status. I graduated in 1970 and that '69 bunch would have killed me in practice, let alone surviving the competition they faced each week. However, if they had told me they intended to win the initial football state championship I'd probably hung on as waterboy or something just to have been a part of the show. They are legends all. Why someone don't post Youtube video of that team is beyond me. If the Grundy QB don't play SP's chances improve significantly. How many more Mainords does Grundy have in stock anyway.

OP, IMO SP could be 1 - 4 right now and it still wouldn't be time to hit the panic button. Whitwell, Sequatchie and SP look to be close to even talent wise right now; SP played both on the road and wound up 1-1. Hixson / Bell County were loses no matter how SP played this year. Remaining games for SP outside 1A competition are formidable. I'm not a Murphy Fair reader like some posters; I figure Polk and Boyd are much better than their records show to this point. MC is obviously good. 1-2 against those three opponents wouldn't be surprising. Anything better would be a plus. One thing is a given, this year SP needs all the talent they can muster on the field and contributing. Still should make a respectable showing when 1A playoffs arrive. Maybe Hixson / Bell County can be dropped next season and more realistic opponents arranged. Local teams should be more willing to schedule Pirates now that they have become mortal again.

Ambassador you keep saying that like it would have been the unthinkable. I watched SP lose to Sequatchie when they could have easily won then squeak by Whitwell the next week in a game they probably should have lost. Whitwell isn't the awful and weak team they have been years past. They're actually decent this year. The Pirates, if they play well, could still win all their remaining games, with MC being the toughest. They probably won't, but they can. Grundy will be a real test this week. I won't be surprised if they beat SP, but expect the Pirates to find a way to get another win. Like the Whitwell game, fans should get their money's worth Friday night.

Whitwell consistently outplayed SP . Came out of the gate unintimidated; played that way all night. Whitwell special team play again cost them. Game turned on the fumble return for TD by SP. Turned 5 point lead with possession into one point deficit and time becoming a factor. Later with over six minutes remaining and SP at 3rd and 19!!!, completed pass for SP 1st down. Game over at that time. Congrats to Whitwell team for not giving up. Fumble and 3rd and 19 conversion killed an otherwise outstanding performance. Tigers simply outplayed Pirates last night. Don't have a clue how accurate all the fan chatter is about idle SP talent. Better get it on the field quick or this season could turn ugly fast. Grundy will be a real test. Personally, I'd give 24 a lot more touches each game. There's your stud. JMO

Old faithful I agree with JW the top valley athlete and all other comments as well. I think SP spoils the Whitwell homecoming, IF they show up ready. Was out of town a few weeks back. Only a small handful of folks could have posted that.

Yep.......Reckon so. Nothing to do with the Grundy score either. Grundy won't be an automatic win for most teams, especially at home. Just believe Pirates are about to hit their stride, begin looking like what fans expect. This will be the can't miss game in the Valley Friday night.

Just a few thoughts. Is this #5's first or second varsity season? Can he block? Can he catch a pass? Does he know the new offensive system well? It's obvious he must be fast from all the comments. I know he comes from good gene pool stock. Coach must have some reason not to have him in right now. Maybe Sale Creek will be his breakout game. Next several games will demonstrate where this Pirate team is compared with other valley teams. I think they'll be just fine. I am anxious to see how they compete against Sequatchie County when the game comes up.

Nohope admits to being prejudiced on this matter and says that will be one tough accomplishment for this MC team. Good luck on achieving that status. Big difference between the two teams is strength of schedule and preseason expectations. 2008 team was universally predicted by all Valley experts to be doormats; turned out to be the brightest lights at MC since the glory years. My prediction for this team is they fall just a little bit short. JMO

Looks like this thing between Beerman and Roy is heating up. A little dose of years gone by old time Coacht banter. So, two starters are definitely out for SP in the Hixson game? I was not impressed with the SP JV effort in the jamboree. I don't think this team can afford to play any team, especially a larger team like Hixson, with two starters out. Hoping for a Pirate win but I just see a difficult time in getting one with the team not at full strength. It won't surprise me one bit to see Hixson come straight at SP similiar to what Bell did. Hope the two starters out is just rumor. At full strength SP chances increase significantly. Good luck.

You fellers ain't gonna be nothing but faded memories after this season. Nice prediction.

First, congrats to Coach Ross, staff and team. Solid first game outing; stout, confident team. VM92, Grundy just got whipped, plain and simple. Overall team blocking / tackling just wasn't there tonight. First half failed fake punt from Grundy 40 yard line didn't help matters and a complete defensive melt down on a MC 3rd and 18 was crippling. Grundy tried to repeat this gift in the 3rd qtr but MC missed the throw. Can't have things like that and be successful. Waay to much arm tackling; not a good method to bring the hoss down, or anybody for that matter. Grundy coaches first half game plan didn't work; adjusted at half time and found some offensive success in 3rd qtr. MC countered each score; can't recover from a 28 point hole simply swapping scores. Support these coaches and players; success will come. They played toe to toe with MC in that 3rd qtr. No reason they can't perform like that for a full game. They'll get there. Noticed several big kids on the Grundy sideline wearing jerseys / blue jeans. Grundy have some injuries?

I believe this particular Pirate team has a realistic opportunity to be something special. The P word in Valley football has been Pirate for some years now; this year it looks to be Parity. IMO SP doesn't have to win Friday, just perform well and be competitive. I do believe this Bell County team will be their toughest competition of the year. Team work and hard nosed play each down (Erasure style) will be key. Without that the game could get ugly quick. Last years team turned a lackluster first half Hixson game into a close second half, nearly pulling it out. I don't think this years team can afford that type performance, even for a half. Looking forward to seeing the real 2014 Pirate team take the field. Probably wasting my fingertips for suggesting this but, I believe the whole county would benefit if references to last years embarrassment could just be buried and forgotten........the perpetrator's gone and the whole county is better off for it. JMO

OP, for the first time in about a decade the Pirates are fielding a mere mortal team, similiar to what other valley teams have to work with each year. I think those SP studmakers you're so proud of have been reading too much GQ / COSMO and not enough sp HUSTLER IMO. I do not envy the SP coaching staff's job this year; schedule is a real killer. It'll take what you pointed out and more, especially overall blocking and a passing game, to retain the" Bullies of the Valley" title they've earned. The team size, speed and overall skill position talent just ain't there this year.

Congratulations to Whitwell coach and support staff for hosting the jamboree. Great job all around. Impressed with the speed and quickness of the Whitwell team. Good luck on the upcoming season.

That'll get you flogged............but I agree. MCRW I was impressed with the MC team. Looked disciplined and confident to me. Defense still seemed a little soft but there were several JV players out there late against SP (I think). I see this team getting better as the year progresses. Thursday should tell a lot; the Grundy team will be a test.

Well said Batman. Too far removed to know or understand the politics of this decision but I know it has to hurt. Huge plank gone from the Pirate ship. Both SP and Wes will survive the shakeup just fine in the long run; figure the SP program will feel the most immediate pain. Said early up front both Wes and Heath were the most logical candidates for any coaching jobs and still feel that way. Good luck to him. Won't be a bit surprised to see Wes come yo-yoing right back home in the future. Sounds like the Stone genes still have plenty of talent in the pipeline. Would be a real shame if that talent didn't remain at home.

Some of this is beginning to make sense now.............I think. Good luck Roy.

Agreed. UC definitely looked better. Another good second half effort by the Pirates.. Congrats to Pirate team and Coaches on a great season. Congrats to UC team and coaches. Definitely earned and deserve that championship. Will not pick against you guys next year.

SP has been a good second half team all season. Cows ain't in the barn just yet. Do agree that if UC scores first pirates will be in trouble. Defense must step up. Right now they're getting whipped. Did not like that fake punt call. Not the right time for that.

Roy made some good points. I guarantee you lots of posters enjoyed reading Roy's rumblings. First MC Road Warrior, now Roy Dillard. Add all those posts up and see what's been lost. Both will be missed.

Roy, have you ever talked to Larry Zieglar. He's an honest man and it comes across quick. Childress was obviously impressed with him. That second question I don't have any answer for. Since we don't KNOW let's just assume they were blinded by sweat and overlooked him. Most things I usually cast the first stone, but not this time. We just don't know. Pirates win, but no mercy rule. That's IF no rash of fumbles, etc.

You'll be back...........It's...an addiction. Everything else I agree with. Just don't see this UC team being anymore capable of beating these Pirates than Polk Co., pre Implosion MC, or even Coalfield for that matter. They're pretty good. EDIT: Did not notice the locked thread below before I made this post. Now I understand your statement. OP's post was right on about Mod's, news and locked threads.