warhawk

2 cents worth.. for teams above 500 in division play here are best 5 in scoring differential so far. (*not all teams have played same number of region games so differential used **Mathematical computations not approved by the janitor at MIT) 1. ND 154 2. Lausanne 95 3. USJ 66 4. CC 57 5. CPA 54 Grace 54

I will stick to the wording of the topic and comment on the top 5 D2-AA teams statewide. In no particular order the top 5 are; the winner of the BGA-FRA game, USJ, Lausanne, ND and CPA.

I am not sure that this top 10 list takes into account the scores of recent games.

matchup appears pretty even so I think turnovers will be the difference maker. Briarcrest D has 7 INT's so far this season so will give them the slight nod.

After watching the title game last year and some film this year, I would comment that Ernst is the key to Webb's success. The fulcrum, if you will. Have never seen ND play but glad they joined the D2 ranks to make everyone more competitive.

USJ has played some tough 4A opponents and has not clicked on all cylinders yet. Have played well in spurts though but that doesn't get you much. . This is a good group of Bruins and should respond well to an opponent that does not have the depth of Haywood and Crockett. If TCA can establish the run early and stick with it, the game should be close at the end. If TCA sputters on the run early and then switches plans too quickly then they could get out of sync which helps the Bruins. Should be a good local high school football game. As the intro to the topic said, this is USJ's third coach in 3 years so if the Bruins can win this one it will be the third different head coach in 3 years to beat the Lions. The 3-0, 0-3 records don't matter in this one so it should be a fun night for football fans,

The Bruins return a lot of players for this upcoming season--the leading tackler, leading rusher, leading receiver, an unbelievable kicker, a great QB and a lot of talented young men, Over the years, USJ has had its fair share of tough, gritty, hard working kids and this upcoming season will be no exception. By all accounts the coaching style, life approach and priorities that Coach Stroup brings with him will help make the Bruin football team better and ready for any challenge. This division is very competitive, top to bottom. The key to success is getting the absolute most out of what you have. Excited to be moving forward.

Good post. Good luck to all the players at GCA and hope your search ends soon and the captain of your football ship can get to work quickly so you have a good high school experience. Nevermind the adult nonsense and tomfoolery going on with some West Tn posters on this thread.

.....from the press release he appears to be a good fit for the family oriented ECS group. Has been involved in private schools so he understands the challenges that ECS will face with the new Division 2. Hope he does well.

Lausanne averaged only 20 yards per punt and had 4 turnovers but still out gained Webb almost 3-1 ratio offensively (321yds-133yds). Webb was held to 4-17 on 3rd and 4th down conversions. You can argue all day long who was the best player on the field but the reality is offensively and defensively Lausanne dominated Webb. There will be a lot of good teams in this division next year with plenty of players coming back but Congratulations to the Lausanne program on this season.

.... and North Mississippi

I will wait to see the score of the Liberty CPA matchup this friday before I give my impression of a CPA v Webb or Lausanne game.

This is probably not a well thought out statement but here goes....The theory that private schools should have a multiplier(in TN. it is 1.8) to be placed into a division was instituted to help level the playing field with "fairness" arguments. The same logic should apply to open zoned schools and co-op schools. It does not have to be 1.8 but it should have some multiplier to help level the playing field. The schools that use open enrollment and co-op agreements have a definite advantage over those schools that do not.

I am not a D2 West expert but will try to answer your question. I do not think FACS has ever made it to the top 4 game in this division…Lausanne only played football last 4 years so no one knows what will happen with them next year and if some rule changes may affect their team, and yes Sg usually in the mix but they will graduate 85% of their offensive yardage this year ( as does Harding).

Great observation about next years region. You have done some homework on the USJ Bruins. Agreed that they will have a very competitive schedule in a very tough football region.

..and yet another head scratcher decision coming from high school headquarters. Perhaps they should start letting the athletes vote on these type things and not the adults.

Are the Tennessee state championships watered down? Yes. Will they be even more watered down next year? Yes. TSSAA state championships in football are designed a--to make more money and b-- to provide another week or two of football for the players, parents, cheerleaders and fans for the schools. It serves a purpose because this is the greatest game and it ends far too soon for all those involved. Its the one sport that you cant play after your career is over.... IMO, at the end of the regular season only 4 schools in each division have a legit shot at winning it all. But its the 'ride' that we as spectators should all enjoy and not be concerned with how the system is set up. Cheer loudly tonight regardless of your teams record and chances and enjoy watching them play and battle through adversity. To watch a player and his team compete at 100% even though most say they shouldn't even be there is a great trait to instill in our youth. Lord knows they need that life lesson. For that reason I am glad they are watered down.

Harding Academy, Lausanne, St. G and USJ all very capable of representing the West extremely well. Lausanne had the best regular season and is top dog as of today and their closest game was Harding. These are teenage kids we are talking about so anything can happen on a given friday night but all 4 of these are in the mix. USJ has already beaten the East other 1 seed, BGA.

a really ugly game in several areas but thank goodness it was not a 3-7 woodshed regular season. On to the playoffs…...

I am asking this without looking at all the numbers so it may be a bad question to begin with....Would Knox Catholic have switched to D2 if the split was equal thirds(or closer to it)?

Briarcrest is not in same division as USJ so not in path to playoffs. Winner of SG/USJ game next week gets the 1 seed at top half of bracket and loser gets 2 seed in bottom half of bracket. Briarcrest is a well coached D2AA team. Their coach won a state championship at Jackson Christian and usually produces hard nosed, (pardon the expression-gritty), ballplayers.

For those of you new to D2, welcome. You will not see as many posts on these message boards but remember each post actually counts as 1.8 posts on the D1 board, so in theory it evens out.

predictions on a re-vote if BA and Ensworth elect to stay where they are placed.........

Solid battle by the USJ squad. A lot of folks saw in person how good this team can be…..couple of early turnovers hard to overcome. Bruins had some great 3rd and 4th down stops on D and the game came down to the last play which was a fun friday night. Congratulations to Milan on the W.

I expect USJ to do well versus Milan. The Bruins are tough kids that are aggressive yet disciplined and in a great offensive system led by Coach Bradley that can make adjustments during a game. If they can get one key 3rd down defensive stop per half then the upset will happen. Have only watched film on Milan and not seen live this season but they look like a very good 3A ball team so should be an exciting game.