TNVolFan2000

Something has to give. In the last 5 games, Rhea is averaging 50 points per game.

Both of these teams are very capable of scoring a lot of points and they both have had games were they allowed a lot of points to other really good offensive teams. I could be wrong, but neither defensive looks like one of those defensive type teams that good offensive teams have trouble adjusting their plan to. Both teams are probably confident they can and will score points if they play error free football and they should be. We are in the part of the playoffs where all the teams are good teams and playing complete error free football becomes the deciding factor. So I think it is going to come down to which team makes the least mistakes - mistakes which removes their ability to score or gives the other team "easy points". The Eagles have been playing really good football since the loss at Elizabethan, going about the business of doing what it takes to win regardless of the opponent. I'm going with the Eagles in what will likely be one of those games not for the faint of heart.

I believe you should be able to watch the game online at http://www.rivalrythursday.com

Yes and the game was so much like the Tennessee Kentucky game of last Saturday. One team scoring really quickly giving the other team a lot of opportunities which they took advantage of.

I learned a long time ago that comparing outcomes against common opponents is generally not an indication of anything. Against weak run defenses the Eagles seem to score a lot and score very quickly. Against stronger defenses the Eagles take more time to score. With the first, the impact is that the opposing team has more offensive plays and if you have a player like Karns has, that player is going to have more opportunities and the scores will happen. With the second, the opposing team has less opportunities, which ends up being a factor in how many points are needed by the winning team. If the Eagles limit mistakes and it's more of the traditional type game where the Eagles are methodically moving the chains verses the 1 to 2 plays to score (... which is what the last few games have been ... ) I can see this one going either way. If it follows the pattern of the last few games - maybe between the teams they can set a record for most point scored in a high school football game. This is not meant to downplay the defenses of either team - just that is what the trend has been with the last few games and I think both of these teams can and will score. I could be wrong but I don't see either team shutting the other one down offensively.

I took it as him saying for this one situation the rules were changed from what they had been following. That doesn't imply any wrong doing just that he feels that the rules changed. I imagine if you asked 10 different school systems to detail out their process, you would get 10 different variations of how the guardrails have been applied. Just like each state in the US, has handled this differently.

The team with the least number of turnovers wins.

I feel for these young men who in this crazy year have brought a semblance of normalcy to all us that enjoy Friday night football while having to deal with the uncertainty of it all. Good luck to those that are still playing! Everyone be safe and stay well.

Sorry - I read the letter and the contact tracing timeline request seemed odd to me. Maybe I read it wrong

The last test was negative. I don't think that was the question. The question was who was considered a close contact when he was ill on Tuesday.

That letter is confusing. It indicates the first test was on Thursday which would take the contact tracing back to Tuesday and the player was sent home, yet the ask was for contact tracing based on the 10th. Sounds like the TSSAA inferred that the player was positive on Tuesday which they would only know if the test was completed on Tuesday.

Sad really sad, but I guess this is how teams will move on in the playoffs.

This has also been used in the NFL. And given that Saban was probably around the entire team and coaches within 48 hours of the first positive, if the guidelines indicated in this thread were used the entire Alabama team should have been isolated. But the subsequent tests with Saban not showing any symptoms at all - plus I believe a negative test the day or so before, seemed to allude to the fact that the negative result was incorrect.

That is a very strange thing for DB to say if the concern was just with a McMinn player.

I agree - it's obvious health departments are using different protocols. I've seen some teams cancel over 1 player during the year. This is calling attention to that which could lead to a lot of the rest of the playoff games being cancelled.

You are assuming the entire team would have to isolate. An entire school is not isolated for 1 person. They contact trace per the guidelines and those individuals isolate. If McMinn did that and there were enough players to play the game - the game should have been played.

How this is handled will set a precedence for other games.

This appears to be a timing issue of tests taken and results known that basically gave hours for a team to respond with contact tracing information while the team was already on their way to play the game. Unless you take a rapid test, it takes days for the results to be known. So test on Tuesday implies results later in the week. It sounds like all this evolved on Friday. If McMinn followed protocol and this merely requires allowing the paperwork to catch up, this game should have been just postponed to let that happen.

I would have thought resources would be available to support contact tracing 7 days a week to ensure folks are notified timely.

They should play the game or neither moves on.

The TSSAA regulations are lacking in direction in terms of how testing comes into play. The school systems generally have guidelines that include how results of testing factor into the quarantine process. In the TSSAA regulations it states that a negative test can be used to allow entry on game day if a person appears to be sick (e.g. temp) so there would be no issue with entry. I'm assuming it would apply to a person who does not appear sick as well. This situation shows the inadequacy of the guidelines on clear direction for a situation where a person has confirmation of a negative test. Do we not trust a negative test in this situation but trust it in other situations? Sad situation all around.

Keep in mind that some school systems, work places, etc., do allow individuals to return if they have a letter from their physician indicating the are negative and / or clear of the virus.

151 to 162 miles depending on route per google maps

I don't think this is a slam dunk for either team. The Eagles obviously have more to prove as nobody, other than their fans, believe they are any good.

You haven't heard of them for two reasons (1) they are not a Knoxville area team and that is all you will hear about from East Tennessee and (2) they have not consistently won football games. They have always been a team that could surprise other teams though. I would not see this as an upset if they were to win - but more as a validation that there are good teams in 5A that are not located in or around Knoxville