toomuchtime

Are you sure West Creek didn’t go to the 5A playoffs in 2010? Their second year as a school.

You bring up a great point Jdjones767676 . It did take some time at Shelbyville and another point to ponder is when The OC Palmer got there? Check out his track record as an OC. OC at West Creek in 2010. Became OC Shelbyville 2012- Present. Gotta show my friend some love.....if he's interested. I know he really likes working at Shelbyville with Hardy and has a ton of respect for him, but he is definitely qualified to make the move to head coach. Won as a player and coach.

Boxman, you hit the nail on the head. Only a goodhearted, selfless, patient, loving person like Coach Parker could have the type of success they have had. He built relationships with coaches and players with an Andy Griffith approach. On the exterior he comes across very simple with an "aw shucks" type of personality. However, walk in any math class he teaches and you will see his ability to reach all the students in the class. He is extremely intelligent and he has a keen ability to never overcoach anything. The man wins. The man IS Cascade. He and a few others built the field house with their bare hands. He loves people and at the end of the day every kid asks himself, "Does this coach care about me as a person?" Many of us regrettably have had kids who left our fields with a "no" occasionally. Not Kenny. Whether he chewed you out or shouted your name from the rooftops, he never wanted any coach or player to leave that campus doubting he cared about them. The next man will need the following qualifications modeled by Kenny Parker; He better roll up his sleeves, simply nod when a parent yells at him, put his arm around a kid daily, be a teacher first, have no plans of going anywhere else and it better be all over your face that you are all Cascade even if it means building a house so close to the school you can hear the crowd at a little league game on Saturdays. He better be okay with the Old Ball Coach showing up at a practice or two. He better be okay with Parkers because there are about as many Parkers as horses. He better be okay selling popcorn at the horse show. He better be secure enough knowing the old Offensive genius (Carkuff) down the hall has won twice as much as most ever do. He better understand that "para pro" coach at Cascade means you get some of the best coaches around for free. He had better not prejudge the abilities of those great men. He better meet after games with his staff at Huddle House. Most importantly, he better put Christ first. I think that should be the job description. Since Coach Carkuff isn't interested in coming out of retirement, Jake Tyre is the perfect Candidate. This year was Jake's first year away from Cascade since graduating high school there with the exception of the time he spent at war in Iraq! Jake loves Cascade, knows the kids, knows the coaches, knows the school, and every walking horse by name. He knows football and what he lacks he isn't too proud to drive 1000 feet to Kenny's house or walk 100 feet to Coach Carkuff's class to find out about. I advocate for him because I've coached with him and I knew Cascade as an opponent and as a coach on staff there. I would want my kids to be coached by Jake and all the coaches I knew at Cascade. It is a unique place and a great job for someone who wants to spend their career there. It is not a stepping stone job and I promise you the great people of Wartrace and Bell Buckle Tennessee can smell the temporary on people.

Minus Patrick and Terrence Hall, there were still a lot of great players as proven by the 8-2 record when they left. Don't forget the very talented kid who started as DB/RB that moved to York during fall camp that season. Losing talent like that the first week of August, takes coaching to overcome. The fact that LC went 8-2 after that and in that district means solid coaching and some stellar kids to step up. Jordan Willis was probably as good or better than all those guys. He was definitely the hardest worker of those mentioned. Hard nosed linemen on both sides of the ball. Jordan Hall was as good at punting as he was a qb. It helped that 9 out of 10 kickoffs went in the end zone as well. Zeller hired Cortez when no one else gave him a chance. The program was on the rise when Cortez got there and like any good coach, Zeller wanted to surround himself with good people and left it in good hands knowing when he hired him he wanted to hire a future HC. Both great guys.

Nothing against anyone else who might apply, but there is a current assistant coach by the name of Jeff Cortez. He has been the DC at LC for the last 3 seasons. Came in as a Head Coach from California. Look him up and you will see there is no need to go outside when there is someone that good already in your building who wants the job. The admin. at LC are first class and they are well aware of who they have in the building. They will go through the proper procedures and will genuinely seek out the best candidate. IMHO, Jeff will be just that and has been that at every position he has applied for in TN in the past. Any man who interviews will be compared to him (intentionally or unintentionally) and most will not come close. Those who do come close will not have the advantage of already being in the building, loved by the community, the current coaches, and the players that are there.

Yes. District Opponent.

He did do a great job at LC. Any talk of a perceived talent drop being the reason is totally untrue. Mike is a good man who tells the truth. He told the team in the locker room why he was leaving. Talent has nothing to do with it. He lost 9 Offensive starters from a 9-3 team in 2012, and didn't leave then. There is no conspiracy here either. It had nothing to do with the outcome of the season. What he told the writers and what he told the team and coaches is exactly the truth.

"Just give me my new tar, rim, and realignment job."

Devil Dog, We met a year ago and I must say you are correct that you are misunderstood on here. I found you to be a kind person who is just trying to do what's best for your family. I too am a Marine. I take great pride in it. However, being a Marine does not make me a better teacher, mentor, coach, husband or father. Being a Marine helped me go to college and make good grades unlike I did in high school. It gave me discipline to stay in shape, eat right, and follow USMC leadership traits that I do try to instill into players I coach and students I teach. It taught me to persevere and have tact and bearing when I got "non-renewed" It changed me for the better. . The best teacher I had was a man named Stanley Moss. He talked funny, walked funny, never served his country, and I guarantee you he never once lifted a weight. However, he challenged me. He made me believe I was more than a jock. He encouraged me to write. He also showed up for most all athletic events that happened in our school, not because he gave a flip about sports, but because he knew it meant a lot to students who saw him there. He earned our respect. When I enlisted in the Marine Corps., he was the first to congratulate and thank me. I learned to coach by listening to coaches who were better than me, not from humping 30 miles at Camp Pendleton through the mountains or from seeing a man die. I learned to stay out of cover 3 vs. 2X2 by having 4 verts thrown on me for 5 TD's in a 20 minute California passing league and a Veteran coach counseling me by saying, "Less is more". I became a better coach when I used the old Marine Corps. trait of delegation and trust in those I work with. You and I both know a Marine is never short on confidence and is usually far from humility. As an infantry Marine, you have to be that way. Everything you do relies on those qualities being in place. However, I had to learn the hard way that once you go back to the civilian world I needed a crash course in being a diplomat. I've met you and I think I have a good idea of your heart. You are definitely a great person and I respect you and all you've been through. Message boards, unfortunately, don't reveal who people really are and once you post something it stays there. To the other posters, let's not beat a dead horse. The man you speak of is a man who has served his country and has many scars to prove it. Thanksgiving is two days away. Devil Dog, I am thankful for you. I am thankful for your service and for your being a great husband and father. I am thankful that I live in a country where people have the freedom to write how they feel on a message board. I am thankful for the people on this board who have reached out to you. I am thankful for the grace of God that enables me to see what your feeling because I was in the same place not long ago.

Good for him. A journalist earning his pay big time. I assure you though that Sullivan South coaches knew about this issue long before anyone else.

Interesting. I felt really silly this morning because a colleague and I saw the Enka possibility early in the week, but looked it up on the TSSAA site and saw their stand on it. I was sure this morning that Cleveland was out and Sullivan south was in. Pretty honest mistake by the TSSAA, but I wouldn't want to have to clean it up.

Maybe one of Enka's games was a scrimmage that TSSAA previously counted and they are possibly 4-6. I don't know. Guess I was wrong

If they stick to the way they have done since the playoff plan started then this one will be it. 5A Quad 1 (scenario 2 - Knox West)........... 5A Quad 2 (scenario 2) #8 Sullivan South .......................................... #8 Walker Valley #1 Morristown West ...................................... #1 Columbia #5 TN High .................................................... #5 Tullahoma #4 South Doyle ............................................. #4 Ooltewah #6 Cherokee ................................................. #6 White Co. #3 Knox West ................................................ #3 Lenoir City #7 Knox Central ............................................ #7 Anderson Co. #2 Daniel Boone ........................................... #2 Powell

TSSAA only counts the first ten games for out of state teams that play 11 games like NC does. .