MidTennFootball

I don't have anything against Coach Martin, but at Goodpasture he didn't have to go up against near the level of competition that he will in 7-AAA. I do think the Wing-T will help them keep the scores close but I question if he's going to be committed to making Stewarts Creek on the same level as the Oakland, Blackman, Riverdale, Siegel and Smyrna. That's going to take at least 4-5 years, IMO. As a football fan, I am actually looking forward to Siegel-Blackman as opposed to Oakland-Riverdale, assuming that game happens the way I think it will. That game will give us a pretty clear idea on who will be able to challenge Oakland in this district. No doubt Oakland, Blackman, and Siegel play tough schedules, but it sure isn't by choice, we have the TSSAA to thank for that. I believe the day that big schools will shell out big bucks to play small schools, much like they do in college, isn't too far away

Hate to burst your bubble, but not a lot of kids are going are going to jump ship to Stewarts Creek when they are going to struggle to just win games for the first 2-3 years

Until Maryville actually has a season where they fall below expectations, ill believe it when I see it.

Arlington also was without their All-State QB for the last half of the season. Imagine Siegel without Stockstill and you got Arlington without Drew Reed

In my opinion it should be: 1. Whitehaven 2. Maryville 3. Oakland 4. White Station 5. Mt. Juliet 6. Blackman 7. Sevier Co. 8. Siegel 9. D-B 10. Arlington

Keep in mind, it took Siegel almost a decade before they became relevant in football. I dont question Coach Martin's skill as a coach, his record at Goodpasture speaks for itself. I question whether or not he has the energy to make this a successful program. Given the strength of this district, I think its going to take Martin at least 3-5 years to have a program that will be respectable.

Scary thing is most of Oakland's top end talent is just underclassmen. I would certainly understand if Abernathy would want to transfer. At Oakland, he will get to see some snaps, but at any other district school he would be a key playmaker. Nice to see that we will already have some Stewarts Creek representation before the season even has started

That works for me. I hear Oak Ridge is a enviroment second to none and there is never a bad time to have some ribs. Hope Gaddis and McDaniel can make it happen in the future.

Lol yeah times have changed a little. There is talk that Oakland is looking a getting a blue alternate jersey. Considering Gaddis has some middle tn ties, maybe this game will become a reality in the future.............

Would love for Oakland and Oak Ridge to renew their series. Both seem to have trouble finding good games and have always wanted to see a game at Oak Ridge

Out of those getting Division 1 interest, Only Austin Barrett(Furman, Youngstown St. and UAB), Caleb Yates(MTSU and WKU), and Emmanuel Smith (Vandy Commit) are seniors. Kyle Oliver, Jack Jones (UT Commit), Tyler Black, Josh Smith and Kevin Prather are all Juniors. Oakland also has a upcoming freshmen at QB that looks pretty promising and should keep the success going when he takes over the reins in 2014

There was talk for awhile when Oakland was having trouble finding games to try to make the scrimmages with Beech into a game, but that was ultimately nixed because the scrimmage with Beech is flat out just to important to drop. It helps Oakland get ready for the season because Beech is a good team year in and year out that isnt always blessed with superior athletes, but is tough as nails and will come after you all day long, I think Coaches McDaniel and Crabtree made the right decision by keep this 2 valuable scrimmages that help both teams get ready for the season. As for the actual scrimmage, Oakland had their moments against Beech and they had some moments that werent that pretty as well. Jalen Hurd is going to get his yards no matter who he goes up against, but I felt like Oakland did a decent job against him. Offensively, had no problem moving the football but had way to many turnovers inside the 30, Oakland cannot afford to let that happen when the season begins. I think a case can be made that 9AAA could be better than 7AAA this year. Beech, Mt. Juliet, Wilson Central are all going to be up there, Hendersonville will always be dangerous as long as Bruce Hatfield is at the helm, and Station Camp has the talent to be very dangerous. No doubt that the previous matchups you mentioned will be great matchups. I do think on a whole the overall talent in 7AAA is getting better. For years, teams in 7AAA were great no matter the level of talent, but now we are starting to see some significant divison 1 talent spread all over the district. Oakland just by themselves will be visited by almost every major college football program the next 2 years. But Blackman also has 2 great players in their own right in Jennings and Antonio Allen. Should be fun to see how the district progresses.

08 no doubt was a truly great defense, but it lacked the playmakers at LB that Oakland will have at its disposal this season. 08 was great because they had a defensive line of Darius Coffey, Tre Fletcher, Derek Barrett, Tim McAdoo and Murray ( First name escapes me). 08 beat you because they were just flat out stronger and tougher than you, this defense will be good because it can run you down no matter what part of the field you are on. Its hard to judge Oakland just on spring ball because bewteen injuries and spring sports, Oakland has missed a big chunk of their skill players. Against Antioch, they started a kid at tailback that will probably be 5th or 6th on the depth chart, yet had no problems moving the football. Thats how good this offensive line will be under Coaches Snow and Oliver.

My predictions after end of spring: 1. Oakland 2. Blackman 3. Siegel 4. Smyrna 5. Riverdale 6. LaVergne 7. Stewarts Creek DIstrict MVP- Denzel Harding, TB Siegel Offensive POY- Jauan Jennings- QB Blackman Defensive MVP- Josh Smith- LB Oakland Oakland- Oakland is in this spot because they feature of alot of experience on both sides of the ball and possess a ridiculous amout of Division 1 talent ( Austin Barret, Caleb Yates, Josh and Emmanuel Smith, Tyler Black, Kyle Oliver, and Kevin Prather will all be playing division 1 football when all is said and done ). Emmanuel Smith was the starting QB in the spring, but dont be suprised if fellow Senior Rhett Stacey is the man taking the snaps behind center when all is said and done. Oakland's strength on offense is in its running game. With 4 college linemen and 4 very capable backs in Fred Wade, Tyler Black, DJ Hood, and Josh Cunningham. Not to mention 2 very talented ball carries at fullback in David Newman and Kevin Prather. Defensively, this is the most athletic unit ive seen at Oakland since the arrival of Coach McDaniel. Josh Smith, Emmanuel Smith, Kevin Prather and Malek Holman give Oakland a truly fearsome foursome in the middle of that defense. For the person that asked earlier, yes Coach Nix does have a son, Ty, that plays for Oakland and will see significant time on the defensive line. Tyler Black highlights what will be a very solid secondary. For special teams, if you havent memorized the name Tyler Black, I would do so immediately. Not the most talented, or the fastest, tallest, etc. but he is bar none the best pure football player Oakland has, will make life a living nightmare for teams in all 3 phases of the game. Blackman- Came away very impressed with Blackman, especially with QB Jauan Jennings. Jennings has the rare ability to just flat out kill you with his arm or his feet, its that talent that will keep Blackman in every game this season, regardless of the competition. However, focusing just on Jennings would be a mistake because Blackman has a solid group of backs to take the heat off their quarterback. However, I do have questions about their defense, especially up front. Very small defensive line which does a good job of utilizing their pinch's and slant's, but is that going to be enough when they face a big and skilled offensive line like Oakland? That remains to be seen. Blackman-Siegel will be one heckuva game to watch. Siegel- I have Siegel at 3rd not because of what they lost on offense, but what they lost on defense. Yes, they lost a once-in-a-generation type talent in Brent Stockstill, but people forget that their defense was just as solid last year. Denzel Harding will be asked to fill that role of superstar and I think he will do it quite nicely, but will have alot of help in the backfield in the Knox brothers, and Howse. Dakota Crane seems to have the complete trust of Coach Wyant, but it will be interesting to see if SIegel's playcalling reflects that considering the loaded backfield Siegel will have. Smyrna- Smyrna's here for a couple of reasons: 1.) Upcoming talent that is only going to get better over the course of the year. 2.) A very favorable schedule that doesnt get tough until late. 3.) Complete lack of faith in Riverdale's ability to build a program long- term. I think 6, even 7 wins is not out of the question for Smyrna, but the must hold serve in their non-district schedule to have a chance at that. The season opener against LaVergne and the next week against Cane Ridge will be very telling if Smyrna is to be taken seriously. Riverdale- As previously stated, I have doubts that Riverdale can replenish their talent through their feeder schools. No DIllon Woodruff and lost all those great linemen (Glover,McCullough,Boykin, etc.). If Aydellot can get a 4th or even 3rd place finish out of this team, then I gladly eat my crow, but if doesnt look good for the Warriors at this point. They do have a great back in Mariko Odom that they can build around but still need alot more pieces to be competitive on both sides of the ball. LaVergne- Like Smyrna, LaVergne can be a wild card in this district. The talent is there to make a run for at least 4th in this district but must be able to seal the deal when they have a chance in district play. Their win over Oakland last year was a step in the right direction, but their hurdle is as much mental as it is physical. Stewarts Creek- I wonder if Coach Martin really knew what he was getting himself into. Not being able to practice in the spring will really hurt. Fortunately, the Wing-T should allow them to keep scores relatively close for a first year program in most games. Hope you guys like my little preview, of course, it has a little bit of a Oakland slant, but would love to hear about the other teams in the district. Also looking for rosters or any kind of information I can use for the 7-AAA website I have (Which is linked below at my signature). Looking forward to a great season in 7-AAA

The problem with most fans is that those approach scrimmages the same way they approach games. Spring and Fall scrimmages are for getting better. Of course its nice if you score more than the opposition, but its not the end of the world. Just because WC was missing a few players doesnt mean they cancel a scrimmage against a program that gives them a good measuring stick for what it takes to make that next step.

Saw the scrimmage against Wilson Central and came away very impressed. Jennings is my preseason pick for Offensive POY. Blackman also has a good stable of backs that allow for a very dynamic passing game. I do think Blackman is vulnerable on the defensive line, although they do some interesting things in their scheme that hide those weaknesses against teams that have an average or worse, unfortunately, when they face lines like Oakland's ( 4 college linemen) , or Mt. Juliet, or Independence, they are going to need more than clever schemes to help them out But with that said, I think Blackman will finish 2nd in this district and is certainly capable of doing some real damage in the postseason

Step- Child? Blackman hasnt even sniffed at a Gold Ball, Oakland has 3 state final fours and a silver ball since 99. Blackman was better than Oakland by a razors edge last year, so id be careful about making comparisons

Oakland has 7-8 kids that are getting D-1 Interest and Siegel has a backfield that would rival any in the state............... and it Siegel, not Siegal

Any time you can get a chance to evaluate where you are as a program, it is never overrated. Would have been a nice boost for Coach Martin to know what he had going into the fall.

You sure? Had heard he left because Shadowens wanted to be a little more versatile on defense and Mitchell wasnt really open to that

Truthfully, Spring practice or no spring practice, Stewarts Creek will be lucky to win a game. I wonder if Coach Martin truly understood what he was getting himself into when he took this job. Havent heard much but pretty sure that Jeff Mitchell will be the defensive coordinator, so im sure Stewarts Creek will be running the 4-4 on defense if Mitchell stays true to what he did at Blackman............

Stewarts Creek wont have a spring practice. Best of luck to Coach Martin, because he is going to need a lot of it...........

I think it would be unwise to not mention Oakland with Blackman and Riverdale from 7-AAA. Will give both all they can handle and hem some this upcoming season

Best of luck to Gallatin this season. Wish they were still on Oakland's schedule

Oakland will be the front runner in 7-AAA. No doubt Siegel is talented, but will be rebuilding with all the talent they lost on defense. Will challenge Blackman for 2nd.