RidgeofOaks

Did you see the way they acted when they got BEAT by Whitehaven a few years ago?

Maybe he watched film of the WB teams from the years right before he came? I dont know, just taking a wild guess there. In my opinion there was a lot more talent on the 2013 and 2014 teams. If he had come a year or two earlier he would have probably won more games. 2015 was a very lean year in terms of numbers and talent. This year was a big improvement, but we are still not quite where we need to be.

I cant disagree with this. One of the things i've noticed is a lack of beef on the lines. Surely, there's a few Gov91 sized boys in the halls they can put in a good weight program and turn them into servicable linemen. In 6A ball you want linemen that are 6'2 or 6'3 and weigh 250 or better, not linemen that are 5'10 and weigh 210 or 220.

It looks like WB may have finally "stopped the bleeding" so to speak when it comes to losing players to Maryville and Alcoa. Or at the very least they have slowed it down. Let's just see how they do in the coming years with the middle school kids coming up.

How many high schools have more than 30 or 40 quality athletes? Especially schools located within 5 miles of two powerhouses that take athletes away from their student bodies? I'd wager not many.

I'll say this about Shad. He is a pretty good coach, but he does have some wtf moments every now and then. Case and point, WB was 4th and inches vs Bradley and opted to get in the shotgun instead of going under center. It's kind of like Butch Jones, he may not be perfect but anybody with a brain can see he is lightyears ahead of Dooley. I personally like Shad and think he is a lot better than coaches we've had in the past.

WB was competitive this year. They didn't win a lot of games but they were competitive.

I find it funny when everyone starts the armchair philosophy about classifications because teams like WB cant compete with Maryville or Alcoa. The last time I checked 90% of the teams in the state cant compete with Maryville and Alcoa. If we are questioning WB's ability to compete in the highest classification, just look at the scores. In the last 10 years, with the exception of 2015, most of WB's losses have been by 2 scores or less. If I was going to throw out a number i'd say WB has been competitive in 70% of their games in the past 10 years. To me, that is competing. WB is in the right class as far as i'm concerned.

Yes. A lot of young players started or got significant playing time and our most reliable skill guys return. The big question will be at QB, but Blair looks like he can be good and he got some experience here and there on friday nights. Throw in a good class coming from the middle school and things can be very interesting.

I'm not concerned with their schedules. They are the ones weighing in on our schedule. I'm just returning the favor.

Not by any stretch of the imagination, but it's also foolish to pretend that the Govs did not take steps forward this year. I saw a WB team go on the road and beat DB and give a Hardin Valley team that went to the quarterfinals fits. You'll see more of that going forward.

There is more than meets the eye with WB's 2-8 regular season record. The 2016 Govs had a chance to beat or tie Bearden, Jefferson County, and Hardin Valley late in those games. With a few lucky bounces and not dropping an egg against Heritage, the 2016 Govs could have easily been 5-5 or 6-4 and maybe qualified for a home playoff game. That is a big improvement when you consider that the 2015 Govs weren even remotely competitive in region games. The Govs made big strides in 2016 even though it did not show in the win column. Oh wait, it actually did! The Govs went on the road and beat DB who went on the road and upset Smyrna in the playoffs and gave Maryville a lot of grief in the first half. But I guess none of that means anything, right? The Govs became competitive again this year and next year they will take the next step and win more games.

Gotta love how all the experts are weighing in on WB's new schedule and WB football in general. First of all, that schedule is nothing to smirk at. The region is tough and the only two gimmes I see are Lenoir City and Stone Memorial. Anderson Co is due to have another good team and Jeff Co is always a challenge for us. We may have 2 gimmes but Alcoa and Oak Ridge have a schedule full of em. Oh, and WB will win more than 2 games in 2017. Book it!

The Govs will prevail! As surely as the blue and orange hammer and sickle flag flies!