SmallTownSportsGuy

I think OS comes out motivated and it will be a much closer game... but Coalfield is too deep on offense and defense, and the Jackets should win by 2 or 3 scores...

Carter County paper, by any chance? LOL.

I wouldn't be counting chickens before they hatch yet. Oakdale's got a very potent offense. Elisha Davis can throw the ball well when needed to. Nehemiah Cooney, Aaron Dunlap, Jacquez Ashley, Timmy Holder, and Joseph Summers are all great offensive weapons and guys like Nelson Allen on defense give Oakdale a decent shot... This is gonna be a test for the Landers. I'm hoping for a good game and looking forward to making the trip up Roan Mountain for this one.

Sunbright in 2000 against Lookout Valley was a #4 seed beating to a #1 seed... The Tigers had an undefeated regular season that year, were supposed to play South Pitt but like 2 or 3 days before the game, the Pirates get booted from the playoffs, Lookout Valley goes in at 2-8... and beats arguably the best Sunbright team ever in the first round of the playoffs.

I was not at that scrimmage, unfortunately. I probably won't get to actually see much on Greenback until either the Coalfield or Oakdale games. I know they were really young last year and are by the looks of things better in terms of what's coming back but the jury is still out on their current coach and whether he can get Greenback to the prominence they have had most of the previous 35 years.

The one I went to had Wartburg, Tellico Plains, and Jellico...

No doubt Meigs has a powerhouse over there. Thing is the gold ball is gonna go through West Tennessee. That tends to be how 1A and 2A football in this state shakes out. Not dissing the Tigers. Just telling it like it is like the late Howard Cosell.

Seems to be pretty wide open this year in 2A. I guess if I had to pick, I'd lean towards a West Tennessee school winning it all. Meigs County should be a factor and Hampton is traditionally strong, but you can't dismiss Trousdale or even Watertown.

In my journalism career, I only crossed paths with Murphy once when doing travel baseball. Seemed like a nice enough guy. Hope he enjoys his retirement.

Seen one come back from 29 down to lead by 10 with 2 minutes left... and lose on a last-second field goal. Craziest game I have ever covered.

This. 100 percent this. Metro areas are almost always gonna have more resources to offer and talent to pick from than your rural schools do.

Yeah, Harriman had some good players last year, too. Not sure who they return, though, right off the bat.

Sunbright lost 7 or 8 seniors and their coach went back home to Scott High. Coalfield will return Alexis Morrison but I don't think they return a lot else. Oneida's probably gonna be the top seed out of that district, but don't be shocked if Wartburg is a dark horse. They have a lot of really good young talent. Not quite as good as Oneida, but they'll compete.

I understand the reasoning, but in 2022, you just can't do that kind of thing anymore. Union County has never really been a football powerhouse and the only remote stability they ever actually had was when Kerr was there. Sweetwater is hit or miss. When they have talent, they really have it. When they don't, they don't.

7 on 7's are really hard to gauge on how good or bad a team is going to be. That said, I was there and from what I saw, they seemed to pass the ball ok. I don't know how much Coach Harper will pass it come time for the regular season, but they have some weapons there. I still think they're a year or two away from making serious noise, but I fully expect them to be a playoff team this year.

It sounds like they just made a bad hire over there. You can't tell me with the community support and talent in that general area you can pull from Loudon and Blount County that you couldn't get a better coach. Plus, if it is true he got fired from one school for knowingly putting a kid with a concussion back in a game, that ain't a good look for any program. That said, they should be decent this year. Maybe better than last year. Right now I have them neck and neck with Oakdale for second in that district. Next year, they might be scary good because they will have a TON of seniors.

This wouldn't be a bad idea if they do it this way. The way it is now is just too watered down for a state that isn't even as big as some cities in the US.

In Morgan County, and as an an alum of this school and knowing most of the community I hate saying this, but Coalfield is probably the most hated school around here. It's kind of like the old Oakland Raider teams, which I'm perfectly fine with, but the cockiness and swagger that Coalfield can more than back up rubs a lot of teams in this area the wrong way. Thing about it is, though, Coalfield is just that much better right now than a lot of programs in Morgan, Roane, or Scott County in terms of talent and coaching.

I could see them making some more state tournaments. They play defense with an intensity you don't see much anymore and have some decent weapons. Personally, I don't know if any teams out my way will get far enough to deal with Cloudland or not, but they seem to be a tough team. Some nice people out that way, too, for that matter.

I'm sure someone has covered this, but how's Cloudland looking this year? I saw them a few times last year... seemed like a tough, gritty group of girls. Selfishly, I wished Coalfield had won that substate game, but I got no problem admitting y'all just flat beat Coalfield that night and the better team won. Anyway, what all do they lose and who comes back?

The kids in this area, especially small towns in Morgan County, they live for Friday nights. I've seen Oakdale and Sunbright with some pretty lean years in terms of depth, but to even suggest shutting football down to them? That'd be like slapping your mother. Sports is the lifeblood of places like that, regardless of whatever the record is. As for the original topic itself, I get why they lowered the mercy rule score, but it should have been to 32 or 33. 30 just lowers the bar a bit too much to me.

My thoughts go out to the South Pittsburg community. Nobody should have to go through what y'all are going through. Hope the kid who survived pulls through.

It's still early, but if I had to make picks on how Region 2 should play out... 1. Coalfield - Too much returning and even coming in to not win that region and at least get to the third round of the TSSAA playoffs or maybe the semis again. 2, Oakdale - They lose Vera, but a lot of the better players on the team are back and Voyles will coach them up well. 3, Greenback - Could easily flip-flop them with Oakdale as they seem to return more than the Eagles, but the jury is still out on this current coaching regime. 4. Oliver Springs - Harper should have a good enough team to make the playoffs but they're still about a year or two away from a big leap forward. 5. Harriman - When that offense clicks, they can play with or beat anybody but Coalfield right now. Thing is putting it all together through a ten game season. If McCullum plays, that will help the offense. 6. Midway - Coach Campbell is a solid coach and a solid guy, he just may be in for a rebuilding year South of the River with all the talent they lost this past year due to graduation. Hegland is gonna be tough to replace at QB. 7. Sunbright - They got some kids who can play with anybody. Jones is a stud on defense and Crady could break out this season after showing flashes of potential last year. Biggest thing with them, however, is depth. Post-season predictions... Coalfield goes to 3rd round or semis. Coalfield should get through the first two rounds fairly easily. The potential Cloudland game could go either way but I give the edge to Coalfield right now. Can't see the Jackets having the speed or depth to get past Gordonsville or South Pitt in the playoffs. Oakdale goes to 2nd round. They should beat Jellico or Unaka, but I have a hard time seeing them get beyond that. Still would be a huge year for Oakdale, though. Greenback should go to the 2nd round. I think talent-wise they are in better shape than Unaka or any team in Region 1 not named Cloudland. OS or Harriman will likely fall to Cloudland in the first round.

Yeah, I... don't understand the thought process behind who they hired there. Greenback seems like a good job a fair amount of decent candidates would want, and yet they go with a guy with an overall losing record who allegedly got fired from one school for knowingly playing a kid who was concussed or something to that effect. Greenback has a lot of young kids, though, and I tend to think they'll be probably a solid #2 in that district. If all that young talent gels over there in the next year or two, though, there may be some long nights for the teams in my neck of the woods in 2023 and maybe 2024.

Out of Region 2, I'd have to give Coalfield the nod right now. They lose some skill position players, but if the Bunch kid plays, that'll help their running game balance out with the spread better. Oakdale will lose the Vera kid, but they'll probably be a playoff team again, and maybe go rounds again. Greenback still seems to be about a year away from really being scary, but it depends on what their current coach does with what he has there. Harriman will be an X-factor to watch for in the district. Midway lost an awful lot off last year's despite a good coach coming back home. Sunbright's got a couple decent returning kids, but depth is going to be the big thing with them. Oliver Springs will be in the mix for a playoff spot with a new coach, but I think they're about a year or two away from seriously contending for one of the top spots in that district.