Sourapples

Good Luck to Martin Westview this weekend. Coach McConnel has a great team that has stayed focused on the prize all year. Impressive wins against some tough competition as well as some high scoring games. I think their matchup against Alcoa is going to be the most fun to watch. Crazy to think of where he was........ and how much he had to hear,........ but the kids played for him and found a way.

Since we have agreed to the problem, what steps would the schools involved need to take in order for the pay to increase? What do officials get paid in Texas? Georgia? Alabama, and Florida?

Lack thereof people willing to do the job means that we should pay more for their services and include some benefits that go beyond the pay per week. I think their pay should increase. They do have a very unwanted job.

Thank you. I understand that sometimes, missed calls are part of the game, while in other cases, certain calls seem to go one way. I believe that with more training and greater opportunities for officials to gain experience, we can work toward closing the gap in officiating quality. Many officials have never played the game, which makes thorough training and accountability even more essential. Improving officiating standards could address the lack of calls or perceived favoritism during these games. I'm bringing this up because we’re all looking for solutions to an issue that we may not yet fully understand. For officials, it might be just another game on a Friday night, but for coaches, players, and fans, it’s something much more.

With Tennessee’s growth in football talent, maintaining officiating quality at all levels is very important. We all see there is a need for "fair" officials. There has to be some improvements made...... Texas has a 7 on 7 league that is done during the summer that allows for officials to recieve extra incentives as well as more pay. Tennessee starting Flag Football for girls will allow for more officials to become experienced. But if there is a girls version, shouldn't there be a boys version? What if Tennessee did away with the whole AAU version of passing leagues and added structured a version of flag football to TSSAA? A summer sport that had professional officiating from the TSSAA would allow further training and bring more money into the sport programs accross the state. MOST teams already have these events going on and it could be set up as a short season. Officials get more experience for the fall. Just a thought.

2A Regions Guess... Region 1 (Knoxville Area) Hampton High School (389) Happy Valley High School (441) Cumberland Gap High School (464) West Greene High School (478) South Greene High School (484) Region 2 (Chattanooga Area) Polk Co. High School (435) Tellico Plains High School (416) Marion Co. High School (503) Alvin C. York Institute (468) Eagleton High School (451) Region 3 (Cookeville Area) Monterey High School (403) Jackson Co. High School (379) Cannon Co. High School (528) Grundy Co. High School (504) Bledsoe Co. High School (471) Oneida High School (370) Region 4 (Nashville Area) East Nashville Magnet School (507) East Robertson High School (394) Trousdale Co. High School (382) Cannon County High School (528) Gordonsville High School (356) Smith Co. High School (478) Region 5 (Columbia Area) Mt. Pleasant High School (382) Summertown High School (388) Lewis Co. High School (460) Hickman Co. High School (430) East Hickman High School (440) Loretto High School (484) Region 6 (Tennessee River Area) Houston Co. High School (354) Huntingdon High School (400) Decatur Co. Riverside High School (454) Scotts Hill High School (525) Adamsville High School (447) Region 7 (Jackson Area) Union City High School (402) Gibson Co. High School (425) Milan High School (501) Jackson Central-Merry High School (466) Halls High School (360) Union City High School (402) Region 8 (Memphis Area) Memphis Academy of Science & Engineering (395) Mitchell High School (354) Freedom Preparatory Academy (426) Bluff City High School (456) Fairley High School (454) Hillcrest High School (435) Sheffield High School (526) Trezevant High School (506) Memphis Business Academy (506)

You will see some traditionally West teams become East with the shift of 2A. Geographically the loss of Forrest and Cascade to 3A , and the requests to move up in classes by Waverly and Harpeth could make some teams have to go to the other side of the bracket and make travel a little more difficult.

There could be a lot of different scenarios with the upcoming region alignments. Region 6 has one of the strongest levels of competition in not just 2A....but in the state. It's a constant battle each and every week with some very talented teams and experienced coaches. Some of their teams missing the playoffs would win other regions. Region 5 is not a weak region by any means and they are very competitive with each other as well, they have some good players that can take control in games and make a huge difference. It almost seems unfair that they have to play each other because within these two regions is a lot of talented teams. Almost makes you realize why some teams elected to move up in classification. Home field advantage comes into play for very different reasons to both 1st and 2nd place teams. Loretto has the firepower to score lots of points Lewis has the very same on some nights, and defensively can cause some confusion for the offense. Good luck to all teams.....any team from Region 5 that wins will open some eyes, I see it almost going 2-2.

Any Updates? New information? When do they start the process for interviewing candidates?

Damien Clayton- Has head coaching experience and has also been successful at many different stops as a coordinator. Ronnie Yeiser- LC Qb Coach Andrew Lawson- Accountant at Saturn. Nick Patterson- Richland HC Ricky Giles Rice- State Champion at Nearby Wayne County and currently in limbo at Summertown High. Wesley Duncan- Columbia Central long time assistant, considered one of the best players to come through Lewis County Matt McConnell- long shot but would make a lot of difference with the QB and WR they have coming back Steven Britton, South Pittsburgh currently has him as the Defensive Coordinator. We could play the game KFM all day with this group, but any of them would make a great hire. Hitting a homerun two at bats in a row is unheard of, taking athletics during school away hurts..... a lot.

Kevin Creasy and he brings Coach Sharp as an offensive coordinator. Jordan Hankins comes as the Defensive coordinator and strength coach.

We should all expect a great game tonight. Pay attention to Special Teams, Riverside could have made it much easier on themselves if there could have been some better kicks and punts. Almost made people wonder why not go for two? Best move was the quick kicks from the QB in the second half. Onside kicks and squibs to the sideline could cause problems.

Weather will have a small factor in play calls this week. Hope someone has a good heater on the sideline and the footballs have been prepared properly. Defensive line for Riverside will have to dominate the line of scrimmage again this week. Against Mt. Pleasant they did a remarkable job of keeping the Tiger's offensive attack on its heels. The amount of pressure decided the game in the second half. The offense for the Panthers did a great job of moving the chains and being patient in the play calls. Gave their defense time to rest and make adjustments. Very well coached game in my opinion. Lewis County played a familiar opponent and took care of business in physical fashion. They have played at a high level all year and could become a history maker if they are able to keep the run game going. Run game is also dependent on the threat and efficiency of the passing attack. Offensive balance has kept many defense's guessing this year. I also have to give some props to their defense. Improving every week, great tackling all year. The overall energy of the team has been a factor for them, You can tell a lot by a sideline that is always into the game and cheering their teammates. Small things make a big difference to me. So, for Riverside.. No Pressure, No Diamonds For Lewis..... No Surrender, No Retreat.

The person who makes the most sense in this situation would be Andrew Lawson. Former player who has been on staff for a while now. He could possibly hire an OC within the coaching staff as well. Would need to find another coach as an assistant. Ricky Giles Rice has been mentioned in some small circles around the pines of Hohenwald. Misses the small town aspect and has a great admiration of the program and culture that Coach Sharp had built from many years of tireless work. Damien Clayton, who was the Defensive Coordinator at Columbia Central last year. Also has a very impressive middle school record. I believe in about 6 years he only lost one game to a much bigger middle school in Hardin County. As of now he is "Co-DC" at Columbia Central right now. He has head coaching experience as well as coordinator success on his resume'. The outlook is not as bleak as it may seem, The only problem is the expectations vs. reality. Still a great program with very sufficient athletes in the near future. Coach Sharp might also have one of the best coaching staff's in the state next year. He had great coaches join him in Hohenwald..... How many coaches do you believe he can get in Columbia?

Since you have multiple accounts I’ll answer this one as well, if everyone did their job correctly last night it seems like nothing would have went wrong. But just like the weather, we can’t control other people. Just stop pointing the finger in the direction away from your friend. He did wrong. So did a lot of other people. But you and the rest of that town believes he walks on water and does no wrong. He won’t apologize. He walked into his locker room adding insults to the opposition to bystanders. Looks like he got some attention