grannyannie

thanx

it will surely help with the drainage problems they had; previously it was really bad and the father of one of the players paid to have some concrete poured to divert some of the water. that was a few years ago. am just curious about the effects on athletes, i.e. speed, injuries.

I hear the new turf is really nice. Anybody got some pix? It will be interesting to hear from the athletes if it is performance enhancing or difficult to play when switching turfs.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the original plan was to have a football stadium above the high school and the current football field would become a soccer field. Even though the initial grading had been done, the plans have changed to make the current field a permanent football venue, hence, the investment in the new turf and additional bleachers, etc. Most likely it is a money-saving measure in the grand scheme of things. All coaches have targets on their backs regardless of whether they have winning or losing seasons. It is the nature of the job. I believe the student responsible for Graces troubles was already on the team before McKamey was hired; however, he was a discipline problem that should have addressed. Had he been removed from the team it could have made the TSSAA issue a moot point and all would be well. Hind sight is always 20/20. WInning is not always everything, building character takes precedent.

You are wrong about everyone denying the infractions- many, many, many parents, and grandparents, staff and most importantly the students, were extremely upset about the situation. Students had a facebook page where they expressed their feelings about failures of administration and coaches to address the issues . We have all moved on, taken our medicine, especially the ballplayers, and even knowing there would be no post season play, they successfully completed an undefeated season. Hopefully other schools will learn the same lesson Grace has and strive for honor and fair play. Please stop beating this dead horse and using the kids as your club.

On the surface you may be correct but we have no idea just how the new field is funded; also, if the football program brings students to Grace and ultimately brings them to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and as a result God's message is spread throughout our country and world, it is certainly money well spent, IMO. My grandchildren played little league football, went to Saint Mary's School in Oak Ridge, and chose Grace because of its Christian and academic programs. It is not my church. The football program was just beginning years ago with Coach Satterfield and the boys now play college football with full scholarships and are also active in Christian Athlete organizations. It was also a family financial choice/burden to send them to a Christian school as well as an academically challenging one. It serves no purpose to denigrate a school's athletic program just because it is Christian and/or private. TSSAA prints quarterly a long list of infractions by many different schools, public and private. Grace should strive to do better as should all schools but, as we know, athletics is competitive and often emotions run high, getting folks in trouble. Let's remember these are kids and make certain they learn good life lessons from their respective schools whether public or private.

how do you feel about school vouchers? we have been trying to get Tennessee legislators to offer vouchers so parents may pick and choose which schools to send their children to. some parents would choose music, art, science, academics over sports, soccer, golf, football, track... wouldn't that be the best way to do things? also, we all know competition is best for everything- if you make a better product you will get the customers. The same applies to schools. Make a better product, i.e. athlete or scholar, you get the dollars. And FYI, private school teachers are paid considerably less than public school teachers yet turn out better products. keep in mind that parents, many who sacrifice to send their children to private schools, also continue to pay their fair share of taxes that support public schools so they actually pay twice for their child's education. How about an open school policy for publics? why should your residency matter if you choose to drive 2 hours a day to get your child to school in another school district? fair is fair, no?

praying for you, man....

in other words, it is logical for South Pitt to lose. if that is your rationalization, okay, although Grace did beat CAK and Anderson County so somehow I think your logic is flawed but your rationalization may be understandable.

are you giving Grace some points or taking some away because of the rain/wet /cold weather? i can't find your previous prediction...

Sounds like some preemptive excuses to me, Ambassador. The way I figure, if you can't play the best in the playoffs, what have you really won?

got my raincoat, rain hat, rain boots, giant umbrella, waterproof gear and high spirits for a great Senior Night with the Rams. What better way to end their high school football careers than with a 10-0 season!!!! Our regional sports guys pick Grace over Pitt- gonna be a great game, folks. Everybody have fun and stay safe!

Thanks for the kind offer, but, no thanks. Won't have time for socializing during this meeting of two good teams. It's gonna be a blast! I believe Coach has some mighty fine tricks up his sleeves. Be prepared...

nevah

I'll be at the game along with a lot of other Ram fans! We've been waiting for this replay. It will be a great game!!

I cannot believe I just wasted my time reading all this worthless drivel. Can't anyone come up with something constructive to say about this upcoming game? Grace has some fine coaches and the kids are great, hard-working young men dedicated to the game, their school, and most importantly to their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Whatever the outcome it will be a hard-fought game between some very fine athletes. Yes, it will be the end of the season for the Rams, but no one can deny that the penalty has not affected their determination in any way. They are a focused group of young men, and South Pitt will lose big if they don't forget about the past and focus on the present. And that's all I have to say about that....

so true and it is the best coaches who help athletes deal with those losses and inspire them to continue to strive for success.

maybe this isn't the time or place but there should be open enrollment in ALL schools- personally I chose my kids schools based on academics, not athletics, as were my grandchildren, in addition to preferring a Christian environment. The athletics was simply a bonus. why would you deny a child the choice of going to an academically superior school, a school that excels in band or science or athletics? maybe that is what we should be discussing as those students challenged in the classroom become better athletes as well. if all parents had school choice, for whatever reason, you would see teachers, administrators, school boards and coaches all working to make their school the school of choice. FYI: some private schools require entrance exams to ensure students can meet their academic challenges. Certainly Alcoa and Maryville select on the basis of athletic skills, why is that so different if, to them, that is an important goal? And never forget, losing builds character.

Amen.

As a Grace grandma who has followed my grandsons since their pee wee days I can tell you that private schools athletics doesn't get the credit it deserves. It is a false presumption that private schools recruit players and the general public feels they have an unfair advantage. CAK has an outstanding athletic program and equally stellar scholars. Grace's young athletic program has been developing as well and I can attest the boys work extremely hard and are outstanding scholars also. Last year Grace had a Mr. Football finalist recruited by Yale and its valedictorian recruited by Vanderbilt. Both boys received huge scholarships. Both CAK and Grace always have several All-State athletes as well. With all the "smack" on Coach T, I suppose it isn't such a big deal not to get a thread. We know what great teams CAK and Grace are.

I love high school football and am thrilled sports coverage is increasing with shows like this. HS football's importance to developing athletes for college and ultimately professional ball has finally been recognized. I hope, however, that fans realize these are still just kids and keep their criticisms civil. I'm sure your show will be successful. Good luck!!

Congrats to Grace Christian Rams! So proud of this hard-working team with so much spirit! I think AC was a little surprised at the strength and cunning of our boys.

wonderful- looking forward to the show!

Rams were in great form for their first game of the season. The delay might have had an effect, it was a very late night... Those boys have great spirit!! I'm proud of them all!