Acumen

This group is 21-2 at home over their career. I truly hope the Smyrna kids believe they will win handily. Safe travels and Go Toppers!

I agree. The defense needs to flex its size upfront and force them to be second/third and long. I think the battle of turnovers most likely will be the difference maker. We need to cover better and force some turnovers out of our defense. Offense is as good as it has been all year. 5 different receivers caught passes last week and all of them have break away speed. We need to control the ball and the O-line will need to have their best game of the year. 15 senior starters in this group. Almost all have played since Freshman/Sophomore year. They know it is do or die and having only two home losses in 4 years is something they are proud of and want to preserve. Big battle Friday night but this group is battle tested. Hope we can get the stands filled with Toppers!

SH offense has been pretty balanced of late. Our QB had a concussion against Maryville on the first drive of the game and a severe knee injury against Hardin Valley which limited him to throw only basically the rest of the regular season until the last game against DB. The last two games combined he has thrown for 550 yards and rushed for 250 yards. The running back has close to 300 yards rushing in those two games as well. So as I said pretty balanced as they would want to be in the playoffs where teams that are one dimensional have trouble. The defense is key, the front seven are strong but at times our defensive backs have let people slip behind them because they have eyes in the backfield and not on their man. However they do come up and tackle well. It should be a good battle on both sides of the ball as I have seen plenty of studs playing both sides for Smyrna. The good news is we traveled down to play Siegal and Brentwood Academy the last two years so we have an idea of what middle TN football is all about and we know it will take our best effort. I will correct one thing, you only pay $5 to park if you park in the wrestling teams fundraiser parking lot. If you park behind the field house at Freedom Hall the parking is free and you enter through the gate in the end zone that does not have the scoreboard. The choice is yours. Hopefully you guys will bring a crowd and we will do the same. Should be a good game. Safe travels!

In the past four years the only home losses have been one to Brentwood Academy and one to Maryville. Glad we got the #2 seed because we are going to need the home field advantage and Symrna having a five hour bus ride...Smyrna is loaded with athletes all over the field. Going to be a very tough game at Steve Spurrier Field. Go Toppers!

Thank you Jeff Co!!! From a Topper DadðŸˆ

I would say you guys are clearly the best team we have played outside of Maryville. We jumped on Jeff Co and it was never close. Your #4 defensive back matched up with our best #25 and never let him get a clean release off the line all night. We just had a hard time getting push off the line and your defense stepped up after we created turnovers. It is high school football so every team can create problems on any given Friday night but if you play like you did last night you should have very little problems next week. Your QB made plays and the two point conversion with your reciever falling down on purpose and then getting up and running his route was good scheme by your OC to have our CB relax for a second and give him space to catch the ball. Jeff Co obviously have not phoned the season in based on their results last night and playing a team on senior night always scares me but I would be shocked if they upset you.

I was responding to a comment earlier in the thread so it would stand to reason I would need to state what I was talking about in my comment. If however your eyes rolled back in your head you probably have bigger issues to deal with on a daily basis. Go Toppers!

Good game Bearden Bulldogs. You played football they way it is suppose to be played. We had our opportunities to capitalize and didn't get it done. Perhaps we will see you again in the playoffs...who knows. Go Toppers!

Prayers for the Clark family. Life is so unfair and confusing as the world has lost a young woman who was a daughter, mother, sister and wife. May God's strength reside in them.

I guess I haven't acquired that taste yet... I have never understood what seems to be a deep hatred between SH and DB but then I didn't move here until long after my high school and college playing days ended. Yes SH has either over achieved or was under appreciated...in any case 7-1 is a good start but 8-1 is the immediate goal.

I have been following on Coach T for only a couple years now but I have yet to see a SH topic that does not somehow always turn its focus to DB and it is usually not the SH faithful that bring the subject of DB up. So as SH has 100% of its focus on a very good Bearden team which stands in the way of locking down the #2 seed in the region I promise you not one single player has mentioned or is thinking about DB this week. Sure the kids want to win every game on their schedule but this group of seniors has a chip on their shoulders and are focused on each game and each opponent as if they are ranked #1 in the state and SH is the clear underdog. This team has been overlooked and underestimated since hearing from many that last year's team was the best in SH history and their senior year would be a bust because they would no longer be facing the "cupcakes of upper east TN". Many predicted at best a 500 record for this group and a down year for SH. Bearden is a team on a roll and very capable of beating anyone in the conference except one (which every other team has proven so far) and the SH players have framed this game as the most important on the schedule and by the way it is "the game". Win this and then they can focus on game with DB that has zero playoff implications and will be simply a game for local bragging rights. However the kids at SH want much more than a victory over DB. Their stated goal is to go deep enough in the playoffs to have another shot at Maryville before they hang up their high school helmets forever. Bearden stands in the way of that goal and DB does not so to say they are thinking about DB is only an attempt to make the DB game important which at this stage of the season it is not.

SH has been playing good football since the Maryville debacle. Defense has given up a total of 6 touchdowns since that game (5 games) and are creating turnovers. On offense we have had 8 different players score TDs in the last two games (Perkins, Mathes, Smith,Martin, Russell, Holley, Adams, Bedard). Our QB has thrown for 6 TDs and over 500 yards the last two games even with a bad knee from the Hardin Valley game that has limited his mobility. The kids know if they win they will lock up second place no matter the outcome of the DB game the following week so they are out on the field today getting focused and prepared for a very good opponent Friday night. It is going to be a tough game and the kids know it. They need to play mistake free football and clean up silly penalties. They will come ready to play 48 minutes of tough football. Go Toppers!

I like the fantasy dust you have been sprinkling on your 7-0 remarks. I do believe your QB rushed for less than 20 yards against SH and our QB rushed for 170 yards that hot evening against your D. It wasn't as close as the score indicated but live your 7-0 dream

Really? You must not have access to Hudl?? Our QB was three yards clear of the first down and the side judge takes it back then calls a phantom penalty that takes it from 4th and an inch to 4th and five which also stops the clock with 54 seconds left. The game over is what is should have been but instead you get the ball back. We also had Copeland tackled for a safety and the same ref spots it at the 1 yard line. Film doesn't lie...go watch some Hudl before you make ignorant statements like that...the refs tried to steal the game and then a couple BC students stole from the SH kids locker room. Go Toppers!

I seem to remember SH getting the same feeling on home cooking refs when we left BC earlier this year. That game was the worst officiating I had seen in 10+ years. Just have to shake your head move on and overcome...