TheRefuter

An objective voice, coach, and football fan. I have a lot of buddies from AE, and there's no doubt that the Runners are going to swing full force at it. Sadly, you can't punch a tornado.

Watched Alcoa dish out some shoulder pad justice to the Blaze of Blackman. Not sure anybody 1A-5A can run with them. Easily the 3rd-4th best team in the state. F5 by 5 scores

Gordy by at least 2 scores and a few of Roy Dillard's goats.

I think the score of this game depends a lot on what GFC returns and how we approach them. Last year they put up 27 on Robbinsville (NC State Champion). The state runner-up only scored once. I think this game can get out of hand for the Cougs if they take them seriously and give them a little respect during preparation. Otherwise, I could see it being a one to two score game, likely still a victory. I was really impressed with the team Friday night. They won in a Basin fashion for the first time in a long time. There's no reason this team shouldn't get two shots at SP. Matte-Gray Hatted Hellcats 42-14

Hey, inflatable or not, that's 3 more goats than Hixson had.

Agreed. 38% for Loudon. I'm assuming lots of Cherokee fans hitting The Big Ones this year.

Being the dunce I am, I threw a few picks out there, and was surprised to see over 60% picked Greenback this week. With the exception of South Pitt, this season is about to go down like March Madness, I'm afraid.

That's the bittersweet part about this season. COVID has gifted us with a what should be a surprising season where the unexpected CAN and WILL happen, while at the same time left us armchair QBs with a whole lot of unknowns and that drives me crazy.

I look for Greenback and South Pitt to face off again in the semis this year. This time at Beene. Not a good matchup for the Cherokees. I'm sticking with a 1 score margin victory for Loudon, but that is entirely on the basis that I have no idea what Loudon is bringing to the table this year. Greenback has won 3 of the last 5, and without scrimmages, I don't really have anything to go on other than that I expect a competitive game.

I agree. But we both know how Greenback reloads year in and year out. They were good before Willis, Carnes, and Co. and I expect they'll be good without them. Where I'm at a loss is what Loudon is bring back this year. Was #25 a senior last year? If not, Loudon by 2 scores at least.

Keep an eye on Kole Green (QB Polk) and Chance Rollins (OL CB) too.

I like the energy coming from Gordy this year. I watched them in the first round last year and they seemed young, but physical with a competitive edge. That being said, I think they're going to make noise in 1A this year. I didn't get a chance to see Watertown play last year, and I have no idea what they're returning. However, if they return many at all, I'm not sure if Gordy can handle them for four quarters. I'm rooting for the blue and white, but I call this one Watertown by at least two scores.

Is water wet?

Losing Willis, Carnes, and Co. is going to have an impact on the Cherokees, but it should be minimal. There's too much talent in that area for it to matter. Loudon will have the advantage of depth as a larger school that has been playing as competitively in 3A as one can expect during the reign of Rankin. I look for this to be a really close game that will likely come down to a clutch play or two. Loudon by a score.

Looks like Roy did his homework. We thought he was joking, but he wasn't.

Last I heard, they're only allowing 1500 in the gate, so our guys and gals on this end of the county need to get there early to steal a few seats from big brother. Masks and exact change ($6) required.

With games starting up this Friday, I just couldn't help myself but go down the well of speculation. Haven't had much to go on this year without scrimmages, but here's my take. I'm interested to hear your thoughts and corrections. 1. South Pittsburg 2. Huntingdon 3. Greenback 4. Fayetteville 5. West Carroll 6. Lake County 7. Gordonsville 8. Copper Basin 9. Cornersville 10. Coalfield Honorable Mention: Clay County, Freedom Prep, Oliver Springs, Sale Creek

Admittedly, I haven't really done my homework on the Polk Co. bunch this year. That being said, I can only think of one athlete returning that could cause some problems, so I'm going to give this one to Chadwick the Barbarian and his newly matte-gray hatted hellcats. The Cougars should be a load for most teams this year.

The 'rona ruins everything. I doubt I could even get an autograph this year due to social distancing.

I always like to show up early to see the helicopters flying in the players from their homes in Alabama. (Don't tell Roy I said that, he'll think I'm joking but I'm not)

I'm admittedly biased toward players with heart and grit. Valuable qualities in 1A football.

Sale Creek has East Ridge week 1 instead of Monterey

Going into this season I have my eyes set on a few players from multiple teams in Region 3. South Pittsburg: You guys already know... De'Andre Kelly- RB that received a decent workload last year due to Tipton/Frame injuries. Performed well and is now a year older. Javien Beene- Defensive stud in the secondary. Plays sideline to sideline. Hunter Frame- Showed immense potential last year but battled the injury bug. Looks to have a good season in an offense that has two terrors at RB on the field at the same time. Brayden Sanders- An often overlooked, underrated QB in 1A because of SP's ground attack. He is a tremendous leader, great decision maker, and shines when he gets the opportunity to pass the ball around. Jayshawn Hubbard- Played big time football in skill positions on a star studded skill team. He looks to be the team's utilitarian. Kid can play anywhere and compete well. Sale Creek: Hungry sleeper that has the potential to make some noise this year and with a few clutch plays, they could finally earn a home playoff game. Brandon Race May- Big All-State OL that will definitely post some highlights. Maddoux Beason- Often overshadowed by May, but definitely deserves credit and praise as a good offensive lineman. Braden Penny- Excellent athlete with some serious wheels. He's got the twin towers up front this year to protect him and should post a great season so long as he has athletes to throw to. Sale Creek needs to let this young man make plays and steer away from what is typically a lackluster ground attack against decent opponents. Copper Basin: Locked and loaded with one of the best teams I've seen in years, athletically. CB's battle this year will be a mental battle. Totally capable of competing with, and beating, every team in the east. Bryson Grabowski- 3rd year starter at QB. All-State. Posted a great season last year, but needed to get in the endzone a few more times relative to pass attempts. He's a year older, has an older OL, and athletes all around him. Should be the best QB in the east. Chance Rollins- Tough, intelligent anchor of the OL. I look forward to watching him bully some defensive linemen this year (and maybe a few LB/DBs). Overall, likely the most physically and mentally sound player on the roster. Timothy Fair- Incredibly gifted athlete. Capable of posting many TFLs against sweep heavy teams and always gets a few picks. Joe Boggs- Junior linebacker entering his 4th year in a starting role. He's grown over the off season and is just as big if not bigger than his older brother (for those of you that remember Dylan Boggs). Has an excellent understanding of the game and should prove a total asset leading the defense. Sebastian Baliles- Untested RB that received a few snaps in bad situations last year. I look forward to seeing what he is capable of because CB needs more production in the rushing column if they want to beat people. Eli Patterson- Linebacker in a corner's body. Should get some reps at OLB this year to sure up the run defense, while hopefully grabbing a pick or two.

Grabowski finished with 2k+ passing and Mickens is a 1k+ receiver. Hard to have the list without at least one of them, but I do see your point. Sanders played lights out too, just went a little under the radar because of that star-studded ground attack. The Tennessee Sports Writers Association is the "big list" but because they tend to be a little more critical, their team takes longer to compile. As far as I know, they only select 14 on each side of the ball. It should be released any day now, in fact I think the 4A-6A teams are already out.

I don’t know what it’s worth, but here in the tri-state area, we just had a “border war” FCA game between Tennessee and Georgia and the Tennessee team won 27-7 I believe. Tennessee team was made up of Meigs County, Rhea County, Cleveland, Bradley Central, Walker Valley, McMinn County, McMinn Central, Copper Basin, and Grace Baptist and Georgia team was Fannin County, Union County, Towns County, Pickens County, and Gilmer County with I’m sure a dash of others thrown in (Habersham Central has sent players in the past that weren’t announced until game time).