TFL2001

Are you talking about Jaylan Adams? He started at QB last night. As far as I know, he's okay. I still think Blankenship will get the start next week vs BC. He came in and managed the offense just fine. In fact, the offense seemed to move down the field quite a bit better once he took over.

I've seen several people bringing up SH's game vs Elizabethton in this thread. Here's the thing about Elizabethton, they may be a "smaller" school but they have athletes, they're well-coached, and they play very disciplined football. Not to mention, they consider SH one of their biggest rivals so they always play them tough. This year's SH team is not the team of the past 2-3 years. They don't have the wealth of talent they've had the last couple of years. They also don't have the experience they've had the last couple of years. A lot of kids on this year's team are playing Varsity for the first time. This is a group that is still learning how to play together. They're going to take some rough losses this year, I have no doubt. But they proved last night that they're a hard-nosed group and they'll fight until the last whistle. BC probably has the better team this year but this game will most likely be pretty close is my guess. It's the Toppers home opener and unless the weather is awful, there will definitely be a big home crowd. That alone will help motivate this young team.

A A lot. QB, top WR, multiple players on the OL and DL, P/K. They had to replace a lot of talent.

Oak Ridge is most likely going undefeated in the regular season. They're that good. Sounds like DB played nervous and those nerves got the best of them. They'll still win most of their games this season. And I say this as a Science Hill fan.

I wasn't at that game but I was listening online and it was definitely another classic between these two. Honestly, I wasn't all that impressed with either team to start the game but as the game wore on they seemed to settle down a bit I came away pretty impressed with both. This was a game no one deserved to lose but I'm glad my Toppers came out with the W. A few notes from me: Ahmik Watterson made a name for himself tonight. I can't believe this kid is just a sophomore. Holy cow does Stacy Carter have something special on his hands! The two long td runs from him saved the game for the Toppers. The backup QB (Blankenship) came in in the 3rd quarter and the offense seemed to find their groove. I'm wondering what this means for Jaylan Adams now. I'm not sure I see him starting another game at QB this season. He's got the legs but he just doesn't have the arm and it showed tonight. Proud of the SH defense. They didn't look good to start the game but they made some big plays down the stretch to secure the win. As for Elizabethton, you all have a good team and you're going to win a lot of games this year. I think you just ran out of gas there at the end.

Is Adams still going to start at QB this year? Do we have any weapons at WR this year aside from Martin? Elizabethton is a good early test for the team. I still think this will be a close game.

bingobob You seem awfully confident about this year's Toppers team. I'm a SH fan and I'm not nearly as confident. From what I've heard, this year's team won't even be as good as last year's. I will agree with you in that the run game looks solid but I'm concerned about the QB position and the defense. From what I was told about a month ago, it sounded like the defense (except for the LB corp) still had quite a ways to go. Have they really progressed that much in a month? Elizabethton and SH have always played close games and I don't think this year will be any different. I'll go with the Toppers by a td.

I'm not sure where I'd put Science Hill yet. They're a wildcard. They're a team that lost a lot of talent to graduation. With that said, they do have a lot of underclassmen talent, albeit not much experience. QB is a big question mark here. They will probably use a two QB system most of the season. Going into spring practice I think most people figured the starting job would go to rising Junior, Jaylan Adams. He's been playing on the varsity squad since he was a Freshman and even has a little experience starting several games at QB for the Toppers. He's not very big but he uses his feet well and has an elusiveness to him. He reminds me some of former Topper standout, Malik McGue. The other young man who will probably see a lot of playing time at QB this year is Jake Blankenship. He's another Junior and really came on in the spring from what I heard. He's apparently showed a lot of potential thus far and I know the coaches have been very impressed with the way he's commanded the team. Aside from QB, I think the biggest question mark for the Toppers will be the DL. They have very little experience returning to that unit. Secondary is also a bit of a concern. With concern for the DL and Secondary, I will say that the LB corp is going to be great. Senior, Bryson Tolley, is one of the best in East TN. As for the offensive side of the ball, OL is well ahead of schedule. I think they could be the most surprising unit going into fall. They look good. Skill players also look good. RB's look excellent with talent and depth. WR's look solid. And at 6'5, Nakiya Smith, is going to be a nightmare matchup with other teams at TE. Can't wait to get the season started. Go Toppers

It's not a rumor. I'm not sure how many are transferring/have transferred already but I know one of them is a defensive end who will be a senior. And from what I heard this kid was a starter last year for the Indians.

Never said it couldn't be done. We all know the saying "Anything could happen." However, I think it will be a tall task for Science Hill and I personally don't see them with the upset. Would love for it to happen though. I'd love to see both NE TN teams (Science Hill and Crockett) make it to the Final.

Science Hill would basically have to have the game of their lives to win this one. JMO If Blackman doesn't take them seriously I do think it could be a closer game than anyone expects but I can't see the Toppers pulling off the upset. Just too much size and athleticism to overcome. This will be the best team they've faced all year. Just look at their schedule. It's pretty weak. They only have 1-2 quality wins. They don't have much experience against good teams. They also won't bring a big crowd, whereas Blackman will. Not only is it a 3-4 hr drive for Science Hill fans, it's also their Spring Break next week.

Blackman shouldn't have much of a problem getting past Science Hill. This is not the Science Hill of old. This group of players for Science Hill is probably the least talented group in twenty years. They don't have a lot of size. I don't think they have a player over 6'6. And they aren't exceptionally athletic. With that said, they play good defense, hustle and play very unselfish team basketball. Their leader and arguably best player is a kid named Peyton Wingate. He's a pure shooter and if you let him get hot, watch out. They've got a pair of Juniors, Bowden Lyon and Nate Jackson, that have really started to come on here as of late. Both are athletic and will try and drive the ball to the hoop. They're a small team but they're quick and do a good job at forcing turnovers from the other team. They play smart.

For those that have not seen Patrick Good play before, you are in for a treat. The kid is a flat out playmaker. I would be willing to bet there isn't another team at the tournament that relies on one player more than Crockett does him. Station Camp is going to have to do their best to keep him in check. Besides holding Good in check the key to stopping Crockett is slowing down the pace of the game, which Station Camp will almost certainly try to do. The Pioneers thrive on playing fast and causing the other team to turn the ball over. They don't have a lot of size. Coleman is their go-to big man and he's really not even all that big. He's tall (6'7-6'8, I believe) but skinny. He really lacks strength. I have a feeling he's going to have a really hard time against the bigs from these other teams at the state tournament. Day is Crockett's most consistent player besides Good. A lot of times teams seem to focus so much on stopping Good that they lose track of Day and that's when he goes to work. People keep mentioning Releford, Ford and Martin but those kids are not very consistent, especially offensively. Releford scores 15 one game and then goes scoreless or scores 2 or 3 for multiple games. He's just not consistent at all. Martin rarely scores more than a handful a game. He's mainly in there to try and eat up some space under the rim and for defensive purposes. Ford is a very good 3 pt specialist when he's on but like Releford, he's just not consistently a threat.

That's what I've been trying to say. Oak Ridge is good and it's a great accomplishment that Crockett beat them to make it where they have, but Cordova, Blackman and Memphis East are on a totally different level than any team Crockett or Science Hill have seen.

Coleman and Releford are really hit-and-miss. Coleman is tall but he's not very strong. Releford is quick but small. No offense, Stockton. I take it you are probably a Crockett player. Mad props to you guys for getting to the big tournament. It's a huge accomplishment you should be very proud of. I just don't see any way you all win the Gold Ball.