somewhereinmemphis

Odd distribution - no respect for defenders!! Are DII coaches now playing a 1-4-5 formation?

I really miss the public school/privates school discussions that took place every year!! Things have gotten so boring - I loved Booger's emojis.... Happy for the small public schools actually playing their peers now. Also, the small private school division is really good now with schools from across the state competing against each other. The final split a couple of years ago seems to have been good for everyone.

Andrew B was her coach. Quality individual.

I really don't know - too far removed from it. It seems there may have been some consolidation in local clubs - which I view as positive for the players. I noticed three kids from Lobos at UTC. Great for TN kids to have this as a competitive, in-state option. Should turn out to be a reasonably priced college education for the families.

Our daughter played for BUSA the first (and second) year of the ECNL. It was the best decision we ever made for a variety of reasons. Overall, the exposure was exceptional and the style of play was better preparation for college. If UTC is pulling some players from the ECNL, they should continue to improve.

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2015/oct/07/gannett-nears-deal-own-all-one-major-tennessee-newspaper/329289/ This might be the problem with the "sportswriters" in our state. The papers are all owned by one company (Gannett) and seriously lack knowledge on local news. I think they have about 5 people left in the building on Union in Memphis..... Our morning paper is printed in Jackson TN so the cutoff time is about 7 pm. The only thing current are the obituaries.

PC - I assumed you got paid by the post. You should be a millionaire by now!! Just kidding!!

Congrats to Lausanne - especially to Kevin Lacastro (head coach and AD) and Stuart McCathie (headmaster). Unfortunately, some of the comments could come across as insulting to both gentleman not to mention the players. Lausanne is a unique school both historically and culturally: An all girls school (with boarding) from 1926 until about 1990. The high school nearly closed in early 1990's. The only IB private school in the state. Historically limited sports culture other than basketball. No football team until 6 years ago. Over 25 passports represented in the current student body (yes diverse - not just admitting someone with a consonant at the end of their name). Most folks in Memphis don't understand the school's culture much less folks in the rest of the state. Mainly because McCathie is British and still maintains his accent..... The academics speaks for itself. It was strong - Then McCathie made it stronger and more unique with the IB program. I've watched the growth of the boys soccer and football teams over the last 6 years and understand that it's an EXTENSION of the success McCathie has achieved since he arrived about 15 years ago. I wont bore you with the details/milestones, but overall, he has been very good two things (1) articulating a vision and (2) hiring talented people which includes Lacastro. For whatever it's worth, they won the soccer and basketball championships last year as well - maybe the "rentals" had an impact there as well. With the exception of Webb, Baylor and McCallie, most private schools outside of Memphis and Nashville are "Price/Value schools" (see below). So for many people, it's difficult to understand why someone would pay over $20,000 for an education. I appreciate that but am grateful to have had the choice. The realignment created a great year in D2 AA. Should be fun to watch both the games and the posts moving forward! ISM private school definitions Price/value: We offer a transformational (nearly always religious) experience for your child at a cost you can afford. Product: We offer the best academic “product” (graduate) in our market area. Process: We offer “more” for your child (more electives; more levels of electives; more teams; more levels of teams; more individual attention, and/or a unique pedagogy) than others in our market.

The Harding AD thought he was losing due to the co-op issue. It's actually simpler than that - student numbers. High school student numbers 2008 vs 2017 Lausanne: 252 vs 365 Harding: 367 vs 327 ECS: 510 vs 365 St. Georges: 372 vs 389 You don't hear as much from ECS or Harding because they don't have the size advantage they used to have. However, the Harding AD hopes to alter the recent results and "blindside" the competition thru TSSAA rule changes and recent Harding Board appointments (see list). http://www.hardingacademymemphis.org/about/from-the-president/

Should be a great hire - nice to have quality folks coming to west TN - congrats! Interesting long term issue to consider in Memphis area - where do the schools go from here? Total high school students reported to TSSAA for classification purposes. SGIS ECS Harding Lausanne 2008 372 510 367 252 2010 366 436 347 295 2012 389 394 369 322 2016 389 365 327 365 % Change +5% -29% -11% +45% Two factors for declines: (1) 2008-09 recession (temporary shorter term issue) (2) creation of municipal school districts in Shelby county (potential long term factor)

Power Center Academy - http://www.gestaltcs.org/power-center-high/about-power-center-high/ It's an interesting story - 4 or 5 charters around town - strong board leadership. The high school holds classes in a previously vacant retail strip center. So no athletic fields for the kids. the co-op program keeps the school from spending money on athletics. Here is one of the co-founders TEDx talk - a transplant from Queens - a great addition to the city. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q5Fm1CQoHE

I know!! I was being sarcastic!

WOW!!! This is a direct shot at Lausanne. It appears the Harding AD who serves on the Legislative Council didn't like getting that butt whooped by the new kid on the block and their co-op school. Amended and approved the proposed Addition to Article I, Section 6 (Cooperative Programs) of the TSSAA Bylaws: "Public and charter schools may form cooperative agreements only with other public and charter schools. Independent schools may form cooperative agreements only with other independent schools." Submitted by Harding Academy I'm not saying this didn't need tweaking but the trophy isn't even in the trophy case yet and Harding wants a rule change!!! TOO FUNNY!!

how can what happen? please explain

That was a Saturday Sweep!!! Whitehaven definitely brought a little G&G to pull that one thru... 4-0 by Memphis teams - 50% of all championship titles - doing something right over here! #901 - Grit and Grind Baby!!!

KWC - I grew up in the Tri-Cities (product of DBHS) but have lived my adult life here in Memphis since the late 80's. Don't expect any love from the middle and east TN bloggers as most prefer we left the state and became part of Arkansas!! It amazes me how many come with preconceived notions and culturally cant handle our great city! They have disliked and misunderstood Memphis their whole lives - it's not their fault.... We know what's going on here - a whole lot great things above and beyond football! As for football, it started yesterday and let's hope it continues with a Saturday SWEEP!!! #901 - GRIT and GRIND BABY!!

FUN game to watch - Both teams played well. Gray did all he could to win the championship. The cut howard made on the short touchdown run made my jaw drop.....he can hit a hole....and very quickly. Credit goes to two people who were never on the field. First is Stuart Mccaffrey - the headmaster at Lausanne for hiring quality people like Lacastro. CBHS parents and players absolutely loved this guy (Lacastro). Hiring him 4-5 years ago was huge and visionary for a school that never had a football team. Kevin Lacastro - great coaching job. He clearly runs a disciplined program. Quote from a Lausanne player in the commercial appeal - "We had seen their offense (the wing-T) twice before and we had two weeks to prepare for it," said defensive back Cameron Kinley. "Our offense wasn't clicking but we put the game on our backs." Quote from Lacastro - "All season long we've won the turnover battle," said Locastro. "But the thing I'm most proud about was our demeanor at halftime after the turnover. We didn't panic. We knew this was going to be a dogfight. That says it all to me - quality preparation for the opponents offense and quality coaching during what could have been an adverse turn of events before halftime. Congrats to Lausanne!!

Great to hear about joining the ECNL! what region - southeast or mid-atlantic?? Now maybe some teams from Memphis can win a state championship with TN Soccer...

Thanks for making me laugh!

Seriously?? The fact that it has been mentioned ad nauseam speaks for itself. The only thing I don’t know is which Doc did the surgery! No more from me.....enjoy the day.

I am very far removed from the high school game but was interested in whether (injured) athletes playing both was a factor for some programs. Also, any thoughts on RPL travel distances, game quality and college coach exposure (given that their seasons were in full swing)?

Congrats to west Tennessee or should I say Shelby County! The sun seems to have set in the west - again! Big tournament for Greenville - congrats on some very lopsided games!! don't let anyone downplay the victory because of missing/injured players - that's part of soccer that each team deals with. As far as i can tell, Barcelona has to still show up for their games without Messi.

You may have too much time on your hands......and besides, I think the J.V. is usually scheduled first......JUST KIDDING! Good luck to all - go west Tennessee!

My daughter had to deal with the issue during the first year of the ECNL - which was her Junior year in high school (she played club out of state her junior and senior years). Looking back, the old rule (not playing any independent games) worked very well for many reasons. AND she actually played both high school and ECNL - let me explain. She trained with her high school team from the first practice in July until the last practice in November. However, the school did not "roster" her until the end of September - midway thru the season. So she played the ECNL schedule from August to late September - about 6 weeks. Then she played high school games from late September thru the state tournament - about 6 weeks. This worked because both coaches (high school and ECNL) understood her dilemma - both being recruited and playing with HS friends. As a parent, I appreciated the state rule as she did not try to play in an excessive number of games. At that time, the two 6 week periods seemed like an eternity. However, after four additional years of soccer, its a minor blip on the screen!