MountainVol

This has always intrigued me as, at least in east Tennessee, the best high school players are also club players. The powerhouse teams, Bearden, Farragut, Greeneville, etc. are stoked with high level club players. Why does this site seem to shy away from the fact that without clubbers, Tennessee high school soccer would be almost unwatchable. We have all watched with pity the non-club high school teams with no form, no build, and no momentum. I would think embracing both hs and club would be appropriate and wise.

Although coach McKinney would have liked a greater number of wins this year, it certainly seems he is building a strong team going forward. UTC should start making strides next season in the SoCon. It will be interesting to watch them in a couple of years after his recruits have learned his system and developed chemistry.

Thanks, G!

Does anyone know if they have voted on the All-State team yet? I would guess it is heavily loaded with mid-staters.

Under the new format, do all district teams advance win or lose or are cak, nd, dca, and usn out?

CAK has been challenged this year. From watching ND, solid D, very little O, it should be a good game. It is not likely either of these teams brings back the gold but one never knows.

Powell is definitely on the upswing but has neither the horses nor depth of a Bearden or Farragut. Strange things happen in tournament games, though so they have a puncher's chance.

Looks like Bearden and Farragut from the east. Maryville has a decent chance and Powell has improved, but it will be tough, especially for the lady Panthers, to take down the top teams. Bearden went through their district and district tournament unscored upon. Those numbers are hard to ignore.

So who won? Was the Sword of Joshua cutting its path to victory or did the leprechauns dance on the midfield logo after the game?

Who does the district 3 winner play?

What is the strength of next year's class positionslly?

Got a chance to see the UTC/Bama game on the SEC network yesterday. The female announcer was high on Gavin and his accomplishments at Cumberland College. Even though Alabama dominated the time of possession, she believed he would get it turned around. The one takeaway I had was they have some challenges in the speed department. Outside of #14 and 15, they were behind the play much of the time.

Is your daughter still high on the mocs?

Great breakdown, Players. Thanks!

Players, Any Chattanooga updates? I see they have had a little rough start. Hopefully, the staff gets it turned around.

At the Smoky Mountain Tournament this past weekend, I hung around after the Farragut/White Station game to watch the first half of the West/Walker Valley game. The parents sitting on the Walker Valley side were so bad the center red actually stopped the game to come over and admonish them. After that there were actually parents running down the sidelines screaming at the ref. It was truly a surreal sight.

Good points all. Our prayers are with MM about her knee. Hoping for only a hyperextension and not worse. Anytime one transitions from a longtime coach to a new one there are growing pains. That is the hope at Farragut. Once the girls fully understand the system, it will be easier to implement during games. Right now it is tough to watch especially with the rivalry games coming up. Before this weekend I thought Powell was probably a mid level team in the state. After the way they played their three games, including defeating the defending state champs, they appeared poised to move up to the highest level.

Although bearden appears strong, it is odd I see both Farragut and HVA this far down the same year.

One team I am very familiar with is Farragut. In talking with the other parents, it appears the Admirals have never started 0-4 before. This will be a season one can only hope the girls grow into. If no change it will at least be character building.

Powellboys, Any report on last day scores? Congrats to Powell for fighting back from 0-4. No quit in those girls.

Hard to say what it is without being in the locker room. Many expected HVA to be the new Farragut of Knoxville soccerwise. I do believe their percentage of clubbers opting out is much higher than most teams here.

It will be interesting to see if the close games UTC lost last year turn into victories this year. Coach McKinney certainly is building a strong foundation there. Hopefully, your daughter chooses to play for him. The future looks bright.

Thanks for the update! A couple of takes on the east tennessee teams: Both Bearden and Powell seem to be picking up right where they left off. HVA may still be feeling the effects of the late season controversy as well as the number of club players choosing to not play this year. Catholic, who lost some fine players to graduation, is stepping up early.

Wow! It seems booger is a very thin skinned, nervous, young man. This is going to be a blast!

Booger, I am looking very forward to meeting you at the 1600 game. I may even bring you a box of tissues.