fballfiend

A teacher there or a coach of other sports there? With the right hire (ie. no one on the staff now) they can be a pretty solid team, Cane Ridge still has appeal to kids in Metro but won't with athletes if they fudge this one up.

MNPS website also didn't have cane ridge until a week after tssaa had it. http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111220/SPORTS07/312200085/Hillsboro-fires-football-coach-Moreno?odyssey=nav%7Chead

True

Lost Old Dad, You do have some points in there, it is the truth that there is a decent percentage of metro coaches that would seemingly rather complain then attempt to fix things, some that appear to take more pride in their war stories then in trying to over come them. Part of the issue that has been discussed ad nauseum is the recycling of mediocre at best coaches, whether so and so is a good guy or not his record does not necessitate more head coaching jobs but the buddy system gets them just that. So they create this security blanket of pointing out what everyone already knows and do a great self promotion job of all the wonderful things they do for their kids. That being said, that is not all metro coaches. Some are putting forth just as much effort as coaches in the traditional powerhouses and are working to make their situation the best it can be. Some are doing all of the extra things for the kids without beating their own chests while trying their best to create a football program. Additionally, there is no way you can say with a straight face that metro jobs aren't tougher in the majority of aspects then rutherford, sumner, williamson, or wilson county jobs, there IS more to deal with and more roadblocks to success. People aren't lined up to take assistant jobs at HL, Glenclif, Stratford, and the like as they are at Riverdale, Oakland, and the county schools so the HC has more on his plate with less quality support. BUT these head coaching candidates know that going in and shouldn't use it as a crutch when they aren't reaching the level of success they envisioned. Quick question though, for a Rutherford county guy from what I have seen in all of your posts, why all the anger/hatred for metro? If it is such a lost cause cluster then why is it that someone with seemingly no dog in the fight has such a strong interest in the dysfunction and downfall?

Is that not something they should have had lined up pre-plan, a crazy question I know considering the way metro works sometimes but still? Has anyone tried to tap the hipster crowd out that way, they could make the job more attractive if you could get them behind you, they are starting to get some pull in the city.

East Lit's coach is extremely ill, Stratford's probably got a little worn out. Maplewood and Pearl do take a lot of the talent, at first glance EL is a better job but I've heard there have been some significant difficulties with the whole Padia deal also no clue on whats going on with facilities. Supposedly they were building a stadium, any clue if that is still going on? I always thought EL could be competitive but that district is rougher than I first thought and they may be losing kids due to the whole school makeover.

I realize you are talking about a particular area but by your title, "City Schools," are you really implying Memphis schools and Nashville schools have an unfair advantage? How do you define "city"? What about the County schools right outside of these city districts that have athletes transfer there? No way to enforce, very little legitimacy, to many variables, bad idea in all scenarios. If you don't like kids attending other schools by their own free will without breaking any rules then put pressure on your district to improve their academics and athletics.

Unless they magically get more funding, reasses where the funds go, or eliminate central office jobs to put teachers in the classroom I'm not sure thats a possibility. Also, I'm not sure how many out of district coaches are knocking the door down to teach a full metro day and then run a program with minimal outside support not to mention the wonder that is HLs principal so how "outside the box" can they get. She may make Lang at WC seem reasonable. Also,and I have stated before that I am not a big fan of the HFC hiring practices of many schools in Metro, but given the defensive success he had at HL Im not sure many had the forsight to see Hillsboro falling that far that fast, Hemontoler spent some time at Riverdale so he wasn't a "lifer," and as for Whites Creek who wants to work for that administrator. At least the Hillsboro and HL hires were giving someone new a chance instead of recycling a mediocre HC, and the HL job last year opened super late so the logical thing was to fill from staff. I'm not confident this hire will be very good regardless of who it is but it has far more to do with the situation at HL then it does whoever they hire. It's no different than many schools around middle TN, look to Williamson for some prime examples.

That would make sense now that you brought it up. With so many displaced teachers I can't imagine them finding an open spot for a new teacher/coach. That could be problematic depending on who applied. As I said, I hope nothing but the best for HL except for one week but I fear they will be in this spot again sooner rather than later.

I don't know Finley or his assistant from a hole in the wall but would they be good with metro kids? To me, that is far more important than any coaching accomplishments. Without getting too preachy, a good coach at a school like Hunters Lane does far more than win football games, you may be the one positive stabilizing force in some of your players lives and for that to happen they have to relate to you and respect you. You also have to be able to deal with and balance a lot of extra issues that not all county schools have to deal with on a daily basis. On top of that you are most likely teaching a full load with an administrator that is a real "doll" who is not the most supportive individual in the world. Is HL full of athletic potential, absolutely, is it full of issues more than even the usual metro school at this point, absolutely, can a coach be successful, absolutely, can any good X&O coach be successful there, no. A good coach at a school like HL is far far more than a coach and needs to realize that going in, that there is a decent amount more on your plate than county jobs. So as far as metro only hiring their own (which bothers me as well especially when they don't have winning records) maybe it is because all these "great" out of county coaches don't want or can't handle the additional responsibilities. I hope nothing but the best for HL except for one week in the fall but a prospective coach should know exactly what they are walking in to. And now I step off of my soap box.

Hunters Lane can be a successful team, they are only 1 year removed. Last year was a rarity but it could become a trend if someone isn't put in place that can get and keep some of the kids out and deal with one of the more difficult administrators in Metro (from several different vantage points, winning a questionable award does not eliminate the truth).

That would be pretty big for MBA but that's rough on a kid to move his senior year or for a dad to miss his las season

Ravenwood HC-Joe Rietveld

too many all-staters for a state that isn't a football power and grades. I hate hearing the coach isn't doing enough, college coaches recruit the best possible players, it is an elite group.

if the retired coach has HC experience, particularly in metro, he would be my favorite in this race. I do believe thought hat this is a job that would be beneficial for someone trying to be a HC for the first time IF they are prepared...One thing about glencliff, they did pass the eyeball test last year so I recant some of my can't win comments, you won't have depth but with some weightroom work and consistency in scheme you could be decent.

You are right, I definitely agree, if the decisions didn't affect kids they would be laughable...I was told that if I ever wanted to move up in metro (not in coaching) just fail in the classroom and I would be an administrator in no time.

Except for the fact they lost to EL earlier in the year so I think the Coach made a gutsy smart move. He did what he thought would help his team the most, would it have appeased you more if it was 75-74 in overtime? A 1 point loss is a 1 point loss, its no different than a "ball control" offense in football, in my opinion the coach taught the kids a great life lesson...know who you are and do what you have to (with in the rules) to try and win. I trust the coach knows what was the best approach for his team.

jcraig, from one coach to another (and trust me, I know what metro is and isn't from experience as well), what I am saying is bad mouthing kids is not good p.r. keep it in house and bite the bullet, rule 1 for a coach is that everyone in the stands can do it better than you, just nod your head and keep on keeping on, no need to rationalize to them or defend your job if they aren't pulling the purse strings. There are many people looking for that shot but plastering your own name on a message board isn't gonna get you there, keep your nose to the grindstone, throw in the applications, and improve where you are at. It just becomes cumbersome hearing how hungry you are all the time, we get it and appreciate the zeal but your opening yourself up. As for screen names this is my only one, sorry my choice of posting time offends you, best of luck in the future. Beyond who the coach is, and refering back to metro, why is it that if/when a situation happens like this in metro the peanut gallery chimes in with how incompetent everyone is and how big of a joke it is but when its a wilco those same chimers hush up? Are the parents going to back down to an assertive coach at Ravenwood or is the admin going to bend to parents? If the latter is true, then maybe this isn't a perfect spot for a young assistant as all the cards would be stacked against them (admin is something you cant change as a coach).

jcraig, didn't you say in a post that Cane Ridge isn't successful because of the kids? That the coaches are great and work hard but the kids just don't care/put in the work? Not exactly the comments I'd be making if I was politicing for every open job on a FAN site and then turn around and blame it on those kids I was there for, then again, I wouldn't be politicing on a fan site but to each his own... Is Ravenwood going to reopen the search or are they going to go back through the initial applicants? I, like I'm sure many, was shocked that they gave it to the initial coach in that he didn't seem to have much success where he was originally at. May be a good job for a coordinator from another school (as long as the admin. isn't as crazy as many say), at this point what do you have to loss?

interesting that those that say 5 down 5 across have benefited from that scenario throughout their careers... As far as Glencliff goes, tough place to be consistent do to amount of students who aren't culturally exposed to football. Whites Creek is a definite step up in talent and due to being a smaller classification, if I'm not mistaken the new HC lives real close too. Glencliff may be a good place for a younger coach or assistant to get their feet wet just not sure how successful you can be there in the long run.