MSURacer

Of course we're gonna talk, what did you think this thread was for? In response to the bold, if your lines are struggling as much as you say, we will wear you down in the 2nd half, and that is when we will take over. Your athleticism and speed is what could make this interesting early on, and if we turn it over and make a ton of mistakes, this is likely an upset.

He made some mistakes, but did he look confused and scared when he was running the ball on you? Or when he threw that touchdown pass? Give me a break. He will be fine. Plus, there's this little thing we have called a running game. If HC doesn't fumble the game away like we did a couple years ago, I'll say we take this one by two scores. Close game for awhile until our young guys settle in to a rhythm, then our lines take control in the 2nd half.

We have some pretty good size and strength up front. Just a lot of inexperience. Our lines are mostly Junior-laden. What does Liberty like to do on offense this year?

Well its not like we're gonna start dropping back and throwing it 20-25 times a game. That's not what I meant. We will still be run heavy. I just meant that in this preseason we appear to be working more on the passing game, and I don't blame the coaches for doing so. We will probably need it at some point this season. And it was a preseason scrimmage with no returning starter at QB, so of course there is still improving to do. But with a running game that is still strong and still improving, we will be fine.

So what's the update on this? They really voted against it?

Does he have the same kind of athletes he did at Camden? Just curious, as I know nothing about CC. If so, he will be successful. If not, its hard to win no matter how good of a coach you are.

I'm not a coach, but I wouldn't be surprised if we pass it more against you than we did last season. From everything I've seen, the coaching staff is trying to get the passing attack going a little more this year. We are still a running team, no doubt, but due to all of our losses to graduation, I think they're trying to get to a point where we can pass when we need to. We would've been in trouble last season had we ever gotten behind and had to throw, so I can understand why. Not sure if we'll need it this week though, if your lines are struggling as you say. Could be a good old fashioned ground and pound show, which I certainly don't mind. Hoping for an injury free game.

I'm positive Gaddis will get things rolling in Trenton pretty soon, but this one is going to Milan. They have an excellent team this year.

Oh location definitely plays a role. I'm just befuddled as to why someone would think it's THAT uncool. Even in the larger cities. I, like many of you, find high school football to be the most enjoyable level of the sport, regardless of whether or not my local team is successful. And this is coming from a guy who follows all levels of the game pretty avidly, whether it be hs, college, or pro. I guess the culture is different in each community. And, truth be told, there's not much else going on in Paris on a Friday night. So like I said, I agree that location definitely plays a role...lol.

Certainly didn't effect us last year. I heard several reports say that we brought the largest crowd there. I don't mind it staying in Cookeville. I mean Vandy/MTSU would be more convenient for those of us from the west, but over all they do a great job with it. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip there.

I agree with your take on the game, and also that Curtis is a very good player. Probably would have started on 80 percent of the teams in the state last year. At any rate, are there even any Liberty fans on this board? dhstennis, you out there?

If healthy, they will easily be the best team out of Clarksville this season, and probably one of the 2 best teams in District 10-AAA. Their QB is an absolute stud. Just committed to Tennessee a couple days ago. They also have a preseason all-state pick on their D-line, along with numerous additional returning starters from last season...unless a bunch of kids have quit. I believe we will handle them if we stay healthy, but you never know. They finished 7-5 last season, and should improve upon that. They're definitely a team to watch, but I'm not familiar with their depth or over all numbers. Those are not usually strong points for Clarksville schools, but we shall see.

That's odd. The fan base here ranges from students, to recent graduates/college kids, to middle aged fans/parents, to retirees. Idk if it's just the fact that we've been really successful lately or what, but we've always seemed to have a large, passionate fan base. I know when I played back in the mid 90's the support was still very strong. There are always students who either stop caring the second they graduate, or never did to begin with, but there are a lot of former students who I know still attend the games as much as they can. Some who've graduated within the last 2 or 3 years, and some who graduated 15-20 years ago.

We may not have come away with the top score last night, but we certainly didn't receive any "hammer". No offense, but we handed Milan the game on a silver platter. Your boys took it, and for that I will give them props. But I highly doubt a regular season contest would yield the same result. Not with a game plan, and a meaningful result on the line. We could have run the ball every play of the scrimmage, and I firmly believe we win by 2+ scores. I'm not trying to belittle Milan, as I believe you all have a heck of a squad, but don't fail to see last night for exactly what it was, a scrimmage. A scrimmage that involved a young but talented team that is still working out some kinks, against a veteran team that knows exactly what it wants to do. Good luck on your season. On a side note- I also agree with Prez here. Huntingdon, Trenton, Humboldt, or whoever may be important long standing rivalries that produce a good atmosphere, but none of them would come close to a HC-Milan game. .

Opening night takes Henry County to Jackson this season. The Patriots set out to defend their 5A state title while the Crusaders are hoping for a deep playoff run of their own. Last season's meeting in Paris was a lopsided affair with the Patriots dominating to a tune of 37-0, but that was last year. The last time we traveled to Liberty with a young Patriot squad two years ago, it didn't turn out so well for us. We cannot have the turnovers that we saw tonight in the jamboree, that was our unraveling the last time we went to Liberty. Too many penalties that need to be cleaned up as well, but that comes with the inexperience. Per usual Liberty will have athletes. I believe they bring back 9 or 10 starters from last year. I expect a closer game than last season, but I believe we will go to Jackson and take care of business next week. As bad as some of our moments were tonight, you can still definitely see the potential in this team. Storme and Jamari are a dangerous tandem out of the backfield, and yes even with the interceptions, I think our passing game has potential as well. I know it was just a scrimmage, but I've been there as a player, and the team was humbled tonight. They will be focused next week. What say you?

Even though I came away a bit disappointed with the home team's performance, it was a great night of football yet again this year! Had a lot of fun.

Good game tonight Milan. Even though it was a scrimmage, your boys deserved to win. I see Milan making it back to Cookeville this season.

Camden and Obion County ended in a 21-21 tie, although I thought Camden was clearly the better team. Their QB (Hudson?) is very fun to watch. Henry County has a lot to work on.

On a brighter note, it was a very entertaining night. Glad that football season is finally BACK!!

Patriots lost 21-13 in tonight's scrimmage. Had a good start as we drove right down the field for a score on the first series. Things went south after that. QB's combined to throw 3 interceptions, and 2 more that probably should have been picked off. Mistakes were the story of the night for us. Between the penalties and turnovers, it was very easy to tell this is a young team. There were positives. The running game looks to be pretty good, not last year good, but solid. For the most part, I thought our young defense played pretty well. All 3 of Milan's scores were off turnovers. We had several stops behind the line of scrimmage or for no gain, but still a lot of improving to do. Over all, I was hoping for a better showing, but it was just a scrimmage. We do need to get the mistakes taken care of pretty quickly, though.

The reality is, if we play like we did tonight, we will lose our first two games.

I also liked how Inman bounced back from getting thrashed by Dresden Middle in the spring. 14-14 tie for them.

Truth. It's hard to make any sort of geographic predictions until you're well into the season. We (Henry Co.) went West last season after going Middle the two years prior. Honestly just depends on which parts of the state are "up" in each class. Makes for a bigger split come playoff time.

I thought Whitehaven should have been MORE conservative against Maryville. Things didn't start unraveling for them until they starting throwing it around the yard, unless my memory is terribly failing me.

Good point. Wasn't really thinking of that when I posted. Outside of Rutherford County, I'm not very familiar with 6A in Middle TN, so it was hard to make that 4th pick. Mt. Juliet could make it back to the semis. Also, if there is any chance of a few of those Rutherford County schools being split between quads 2 and 3 this season, I could see two of them playing in the semis.