FBfan2002

Lincoln County dominated the first half on the line of scrimmage, so kudos to your son, Tn2164, if he were part of the unit that was blowing holes open. Don't know exactly what the adjustment was, but JPII's defense rose up and stopped the run in the second half. Three Lincoln County turnovers in the second half didn't help their cause, either. Not sure why LC coach tried to pass the ball as much as he did, either--from what I saw, he didn't need to do so. JPII won the game 24-14, scoring 17 unanswered in the second half. They play solid ball, are well conditioned, and don't beat themselves.

Congrats to Ensworth for the come from behind win. With a 300 pound offensive line and a bruising, 220 pound tailback, they are going to be able to keep things simple this year. But if you sell out your safeties to stop the run, they also have a talented QB and WR. BA looked very strong, too. It's going to be a two team race for the state championship, with MBA as a dark horse.

Just to echo the point about JPII being like Vanderbilt, playing in the SEC, according to the computer rankings, pre-season: Ensworth is #1 team in the state, all divisions Brentwood Academy is #3 Memphis University School is #5 MBA is #8 Baylor is #10 Christian Brothers is #11 McCallie is #19 So 7 of the 11 teams in Division IIAA are ranked in the state's top twenty. Only JPII, Fr. Ryan, St. Benedict and Briarcrest are NOT ranked in the top 20. JPII could be the 21st best team in the state (but they're not) and still have a record with more losses than wins. And so it goes.

KWoodroof, yes, you're right that FRHS and JPII divide some of the Catholic school talent that once belonged exclusively to FRHS. But I hear that nearly 40% of JPII students aren't Catholic, and they get a lot of their students from Sumner County public middle schools. They do lose some athletes once they enroll to their academic program. My friend, a parent whose kids play ball at JPII, says if kids don't work hard in the classroom, they'll wash out. His kids say the work isn't brutally hard, and the teachers are there to help, but they do expect consistent homework and effort from everyone. Seems like they're trying to do things the right way. I'll pull for them for that reason.

They're getting better, though their record may not show it this year. Weight-lifting program is excellent, facilities are excellent, coaching staff is excellent. Joslin is a wily veteran who knows what he is doing, and some good young kids are entering the program. Their numbers are up. Their problem isn't anything internal, but external. They're Vanderbilt, playing in the SEC. Can Vanderbilt compete? In spots.