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...

I agree coaching is critical but you also need to have a group of leaders that show they know what it takes to win and be strong enough to mentor and enforce team. This group of seniors since 7th grade have fewer than 10 losses in their football careers. Not many past senior classes have had that type of success at SH. Coaching, community support and kids that buy into team first is what it takes to have an elite program. Just down the road in Maryville they have proven that formula works. Go Toppers!

Good win last night for SH. This group of kids are focused and making sure they don't get ahead of themselves. Best senior leadership I have seen since I have been following SH football. Nothing flashy just good hard nosed defense and an offense with leaders that know the commitment it takes to win. Except for the Maryville game where we lost our QB this team has shown determination and grit. Proud of them! Go Toppers!

Healthy....he took a shot to the knee against Hardin Valley late in the 3rd Qtr but he was back at practice Monday and looked good.

I agree. In High School sports kids are like horse races. You just hope they ate a good breakfast and don't get hung up coming out of the gates. Any given Friday any given team...

I would guess the Maryville fans that saw both games could let the WB fans know if this game will be much like the DB/WB game or if they think SH will be an easier or tougher opponent. I think SH is playing pretty good football on defense and the offense has started to be less focused on making the QB carry the load running the ball. Should be another good test as a new opponent to the kids come to town.

Glad to hear you will be making the trip up. We are proud of our facilities and hopefully it will be a good crowd. Not sure about this week however as school is on fall break and most students left town except for the football team. Looks like good fall weather though which we should all be happy about after the swamp we played in last Friday. Looking forward to the game and in 6a football all the games seem to have a competitive nature. SH just needs to focus on getting better every week and 6 games in they seem to be doing just that. Safe travels!

So as a SH fan and since we have not played WB since I have followed SH football I am curious as to the team WB will bring to Spurrier Field Friday night? So far SH has had a strong defense in every game except for Maryville (anyone going to hold them under 30 points in conference play?) and the offense has shown good growth even though our QB missed all but 7 plays against Maryville and the 4th Qtr of Hardin Valley in the mud. The offense has been forced to mature and #25 Mathes has had back to back to back 150+ yrd rushing games and is slippery fast scoring 4 TDs the last two games. Our tight ends are catching passes and the DBs are creating turnovers. The team is getting better each week. Go Toppers!

The Bedard kid from SH has an offer from Cornell in the Ivy League and interest from Yale, Penn, ETSU, UTC, Furman, App State. Problem is he played running back last year (1,100 yrds rushing in 8 games due to ankle injury) so most schools can't decide where he fits so being recruited as an "athlete". 6"1 215 lbs not a prototypical QB but very strong arm and power runner.

Really? You and Upper Deck must be brothers. Why is it that those with the lowest IQs always revert to grade school comments about race or sexual orientation. Do you know you wasted about an hour of life you will never get back while you thought that clever post up? Geez...

To all those Maryville and DB fans that are upset our kids and coaches have not gotten down on our knees and worshiped Quarles and Maryville enough for their liking will see below that there is a healthy respect from the players, coaches and media for what has been developed southwest of us. However I know what I have instilled in my son since he was born and he will take it into tonight's game. You show respect for the game and the opponent but you never allow doubts to creep into your consciousness. If you don't want to compete against the best then all the hard work is a waste of time AND it is an even bigger waste of time if you walk on the field convinced that hard work has not prepared you for victory. Respect Yes...a defeatist mindset...heck No! Go Toppers! by TREY WILLIAMS TriCitiesSports.com September 17, 2015 Science Hill’s football program hasn’t been in the same league as Maryville, figuratively speaking, which puts the Hilltoppers on a long list. Will literally being in the same league help Science Hill acclimate? The ‘Toppers (1-0, 3-0) get their first chance tonight when they host Maryville (1-0, 4-0) in a Big East Conference game at Kermit Tipton Stadium. Superlatives ring hollow when trying to do the Rebels’ run under coach George Quarles justice. He’s 227-14, for goodness sakes. He lost seven games in his first three seasons, including a four-game losing streak in 200, and has lost seven games in the 12-plus seasons since. Quarles has won 11 state titles and been to 11 straight title games and 15 straight semifinals. Maryville will arrive in Johnson City having won 34 straight and 77 of its last 78. Since arriving at Science Hill in 2010 coach Stacy Carter is 0-3 against Maryville, the latest of which was last year’s 45-0 state quarterfinal loss. Two weeks later, the Rebels fell behind undefeated Ravenwood 28-7 in the first quarter of the state championship game before rallying for an overtime victory. “It’s amazing; it really is,†Carter said. “Really, I think one key is being able to satisfy all those good players he has. … He has real good players playing at a high level. For some of those guys to be able to wait their turn – it’s a selfish world. So being able to sell the team aspect to it and to able to buy in sometimes to sacrifice individual accomplishments for team goals and trying to win that state championship ring – he’s been a master at doing that. … “The big thing is they’ve got a community dedicated to football … and he’s the catalyst to the whole thing.†Quarles, a 48-year-old alum of Jefferson County and Furman, chuckles almost self-consciously if you start reeling off accomplishments. But rallying for last year’s state title seemed to take the aura to another level. “We just kind of shake our heads,†Quarles said. “It was definitely surreal. I think just performing when you’re down 28-7 and your kids not quitting, kids believing and somehow finding a way to make some plays was special. I was just really proud of our guys for not quitting and hanging in there, because we’re on the sidelines thinking, ‘28 times four is 112. This is gonna get really bad.’ But our kids just kept going and didn’t blink. “That’s a trait that’s awful special. I’d love to say we had something to do with that, but that’s our kids more than anything. They’re amazing.†Science Hill lost 34-7 to Maryville in the 2010 playoffs and 45-7 in the following year’s playoffs. As hard it might be to believe, those teams were considerably more overmatched than the ‘Toppers that lost 45-0 last year. In the first half of last season’s quarterfinals matchup, Science Hill forced three punts and forced a field goal after Maryville recovered a botched handoff at the Hilltoppers’ 21-yard line. Maryville was close to two other punts in the first half, but converted a third-and-10 and a third-and-13, the latter of which was good for the game’s first score – a 32-yard TD pass to Kelby Brock. “The score was not a real good indicator of how close that game was,†Quarles said. “It kind of snowballed in a good way for us and a bad way for them. … We big-played them last year at times, but you can’t depend on that.†Quarles called out the jersey numbers of defensive linemen Quintin Alibocas, Cameron Burress, Chad Gage and linebackers Bryson Tolley and Zach Kanady while mentioning Hilltopper defenders that stood out on film. “The defensive front’s big,†Quarles said. “The linebackers run well. There don’t seem to be many weaknesses. … We’re expecting a very physical game against a well-coached team. Coach Carter has built that program and they’ve gotten better every year.†Still, there’s a psychological barrier the Hilltoppers need to break through. The 2010-11 teams gave off the vibe of being beaten before they got off the bus, and even the athletic, talented McGue seemed somewhat psyched out last season. And while Maryville’s a different animal, Carter likens the HIlltoppers’ body language against the Rebels to what Science Hill occasionally had during a 19-game losing streak to Dobyns-Bennett. “It’s back to that D-B thing; you’ve got to get in there and compete,†Carter said. “We haven’t had any early success. And when you don’t have any early success maybe doubt starts setting in and then (bad) things start happening. It’s important to start out good. “We think our defense is better than we’ve had ever here. … When you have that you have more chances to get things right. … But again, if we don’t move the ball offensively and can’t get anything done there and keep putting the defense in bad situations, eventually a good team like Maryville – you can’t do that. It’s got to be a total team effort by both sides of the ball to be able to hang with those guys for sure.†Maryville is using two quarterbacks Austin Ensley and sophomore Dylan Hopkins, who has a high ceiling. “I think in some ways he may be a little ahead (of schedule),†Quarles said. “He’s very, very gifted physically. He’s got good size, a great arm and he runs extremely well. I think the thing is he’s picked up on everything a little more quickly than we thought he would. “He and Austin both, it’s been a good combo for us. Both of them can run the offense. We don’t have to do anything different when one of them’s in there and then the other one comes in.†Brock is back. He caught two TD passes against Science Hill last year. Junior linebacker TD Blackmon is arguably Maryville’s best player. The 6-foot, 210-pounder runs a 4.6 40. “TD Blackmon is one of the best linebackers in the state,†Carter said. “He was a sophomore All-American (CBS unapproved website). He’s super-fast.†Running back Joel Hopkins had eight carries for 54 yards and two TDs against Science Hill last season. Randall Cobb’s nephew, sophomore Isaiah Cobb, will likely get some carries, too. “He’s a good player,†Quarles said. “With Jordan Ervin out, Isaiah’s gotten more snaps at running back. But early in the year it was debatable, because he was probably one of our two or three top defensive players. And in games like this when you’re playing athletic teams, he’ll probably see some time on defense as well.†Another back that leaves a mark is 6-foot-1, 225-pound junior Michael Hall. He has 4.6 speed and he’s squatted 600 pounds. “And it’s a deep squat, doing it right,†Quarles said. “He’s a big, ole good-looking kid. He’s a junior who’s not played a whole lot of football, but just a freak of nature strength wise. … “He’s one that has tons of potential. He looks the part. We let him get off the bus pretty early.†Carter was amused when hearing how some people said prior to the Jefferson County game that Maryville was “down†this year. “You hear that every year,†Carter said. “This time last year I think you heard that. Well, they were wrong. I think maybe it’s wishful thinking on some people’s part.†Maryville did have some adversity this season. Defensive coordinator Jimmy Gaylor, in his 17th year at Maryville, resigned two days before the Rebels beat Fulton, 49-18. He cited health reasons, but had also been fired from his head baseball coaching position following last season. Defensive ends coach Jeremy Russell and secondary coach Nick White are filling the void. “They have worked well together,†Quarles said. “We’re gonna do the same stuff and same schemes that we were doing when Jimmy was defensive coordinator, and in a lot of ways they’ve both been in training for this type of situation. And I think they’ve done a good job. “I think our kids have handled that well. To me, you can’t tell a ton of difference. It’s just different people signaling stuff or calling out the defenses. Same preparation. We had some deficiencies defensively when Coach Gaylor was there, and they’re still there. We’ve given up some big plays this year. That’s been an area of concern for us, especially (Friday) night against a very athletic and talented Science Hill team.†Along with routing Fulton, Maryville has beaten Jefferson County 35-7 and rival Alcoa 20-14 without Gaylor. Could a letdown be looming? “You do worry about that,†Quarles said. “I worried after the Fulton game. It was an emotional game. And then we’re definitely worried about the Alcoa game – coming out of it. “We’re on a tough stretch right now. Traveling two hours is a concern. This is not a game – they’re not gonna sneak up on us. … We’ve had a good week of practice. We’ve prepared well.†Science Hill senior quarterback Justin Bedard, a 6-foot-1, 215-pounder with 4.75 speed, is a dual-threat physical ball-carrier that’s impressed Quarles. “I think this year’s quarterback is a little bit better passer than (McGue),†Quarles said. “He may not be as fast as McGue, but he’s effective running the ball. He is bigger. … We’ve not seen one like that at Science Hill. “He gets those tough yards. He’ll keep drives alive. The offense definitely runs through him, but I think he does a good job getting others involved, too.†Carter has been pleased with a number of players other than headliners such as Alibocas, Tolley, Bedard and Eljah Mathews; receivers Tyrek Pekins and Jordan Holly are among them, as are running backs King Russell and Colby Martin. “Tyrek Perkins, you’re gonna see good things out of him,†Carter said. “He’s a good football player. Colby, first year of varsity ball, I think he’s really shown up a lot early. King, I think we’re just scratching the surface on what he can do. Holly, hopefully we’ll see some good things out of him. He’s got a lot of potential.†Perhaps even one of these players could make a big play or two early to at least make things interesting for a while against the Rebels. “If you can have some success early, then it starts being man on man, playing who wants it at the end,†Carter said. “That takes all the mystique and everything away from it. We’ve just got to get some success offensively early. That’s the key.â€