CHSGRAD99

33-19 Chargers! Just a few seconds left and Covington picks off a pass. That should seal it!

Aight quick TD for CC, 27-19 Chargers.

27-13 Chargers! Sounds like just a few left in the 4th.

Should've been there 97 or 98 when Melrose came down. Filled up the visitors side, plus the North end of the track about 12 deep.

50-36 Chargers in the 4th is the report I'm hearing.

Well it is a disadvantage, as well as a safety issue, to a point. Since there are more right handed batters, a left throwing catcher would be a problem. When there arm comes foward, it is headed directly for the batter, the helmet, or the bat itself. And you can all but forget about throwing someone out at third with a righty at the plate. The catcher just about has to do a complete turnaround to get the ball there. All in all, it is just easier to deal with a righty behind the plate. Although at the little league level, who cares, it's about fun. I played with a good one growing up, and if he wasn't left handed, he'd have caught in high school.

This would not even be a topic if the mommy's and daddy's of high school politics, oops, I mean sports would just leave well enough alone. Give credit where credit is due. Ripley won with the talent put on the field by the coach. No, he didn't actually play, but he prepared his team for the battle. He, along with the rest of the staff, called pitches, set the defense, called for steals and all of the like. This is supposed to be the best days of young athletes lives, and it is being ruined by, of all people, their parents. And it's not just here, it's all over the country. Let the man with the word head in front of his title of coach be that. Back off and give the kids free reigns to learn from outside influences. Contrary to popular belief, 99.99999999% of the time in sports, mommy and daddy don't know best, coach does. Parents are one of the biggest problems with the youth today. The kids grow up thinking that they are better than everyone else, or they are not givin the respect and guidence that they need. Either way you have a messed up kid. One striving to fail and the other failing to strive. If it were not for the parents being as they are, I would probably still enjoy coaching. But as it is, to quote the great Johnny Paycheck, take this job and shove it! Seriously, how can a kid succede in life if they are taught, or not even taught, that the people teaching them life lessons are always wrong. Get a grip parents, be just that, and let the folks who do a job or service for your kids do it uninhibited. Neither side is always right, or always wrong, that's what the kids are supposed to decide, it's called GROWING UP!

I love it when a man with new ideas and new methods is always ridiculed and berated when his coaching style doesn't mesh well with parents and "soft kids". Coach Messer is a great coach and a better person. I have been around him for many a year, and like his enthusiasm as a coach. Unless there is more to what all of the whinnig and crying have been about, like him laying his hands on a kid, he should still have a job. This is not a sport for little boys anymore when you reach this level. It takes tough skin, and a will to win like no other. As for the previous coach, he may have known the game, but he lost more games due to his ignorant and childish antics than he won. People must face facts that Ripley is not a perrinial power in baseball, it's just not so now, nor will it ever be. The reason, the attitude of the support cast behind the program and the talent. Great Dixie youth players do not always make great high school ball players. I played with some of the best around growing up, and guess what, they couldn't cut it at the high school level. And it's not all just about talent. The kids have to have the right frame of mind as well. Attitude, work ethic, and team chemistry all add to the total package. A team can't have a great attitude, a strong work ethic, and great chemistry when the kids, support cast, and coaching staff are all on different pages. Granted, Coach Messer may not have meshed well at this school, but I guarentee he will find his place as a head coach again. And when he does, I hope he shows all of his naysayers what could have been if he was left alone to do his job, and not pander to those less knowledgable at his chosen profession. Good luck coach, know you do have supporters out there that know what you are capable of doing!

From the rumors that have been flying around town, it seems he has run, or should I say caught, one of the best players right off the team. It's one thing to play the best player at that position, but it's another when the kid can't phyiscally do the job due to injury or illness. I'm just interested to see how things play out, but I feel for the kids right now.

Im not so sure its the discipline thats the problem. I think its more of a respect issue with the coach there now. You have to give respect to earn respect, and I think that has kind of been lost in this transition.

There isn't but one name that pops in my head, and that would be Coach Densford. I played against teams he coached in the past, and he is one of the very best. Knowing some of his former players, he is a hard nosed, no nonsense coach. You either love him or hate him, but there is no denying he is VERY good at what he does. I would love to see him have the chance to lead the Chargers in the upcoming years. Heck, just talking about this is getting me anxious to see who the administration is going to hire. If they want the kids to have the best coach available, he, in my opinion, would be hands down best of the best to hire. That is unless they could ever talk my friend Coach P. to come on back haha.

Covington Baseball will be back in full strength in 4-6 years. They have plenty of talent in the next few years to be competetive, but I don't think they will have what it takes to compete on the championship level. A few years from now, all of this should change with a class full of talent. I have grown up playing, watching, and coaching around the town for quite a few years, and mark my word, they will be TOUGH when the class I speak of gets there.

According to the Commercial Appeal, this one will be played at Greenhill stadium. It's located just north of Frayser on 51 Hwy S. It's next to the Memphis Police and Fire Acadamies. Just take a right at the fire acadamy sign, if your coming from the north, and bear to the left.

The biggest difference that I saw in this game was the way D'burg dominated the line of scrimmage on the defensive side of the ball. I mean when your back side tackle makes the stop on a jet sweep going away from him, something is wrong up front. The Trojans were just plain bigger and faster up front, and didn't allow Covington much breathing room, which really went both ways. Other than the 6 fumbles(2 lost) and 3 int from Covington, this was actually one of the best football games I have ever seen. Two well prepared teams smashed heads as if they knew what the other was going to do before they did it. Congrats to the Trojans and good luck the rest of the year. And Covington, keep your heads up and play like you know you can the rest of the season. It's not over by a long shot so lets see what your made of.

Once again the Chargers defeated the Cardinals last night, but with a less than stellar effort. Brighton seemed to have outplayed the Chargers all night long. As it has been in the past, turnovers were the Cardinals undoing. Covington went ahead with the first score of the game in the second half, and added another a little while later to take a 12-0 lead. The Cardinals made a huge 4th qt surge by spreading the ball around with a passing game that seemed to have been the way to go all evening. They scored late in the fourth, and after an onside kick failed held the Chargers to regain possesion. Brighton had to drive 80 yards in 40 seconds, but came up short for a final of Covington 12 Brighton 7. If Covington is supposed to be a top 5 team in AAA, they sure did not show it what so ever last night. Brighton exposed holes in the Covington D as well as shut down the Chargers running game. If the Chargers hope to contend for a region title this year, they have to shore up their secondary as well as find a reciever or two to hang on to catchable passes. While the wing has served the Chargers well in the past, it seems to this observer that it might be time to mix it up a little more on offense. Don't get me wrong, a win is a win, but everyone who saw the game last night knows that that was not the best effort our Chargers have put forth. Congrats on the big county win, and good luck next week with a talented Haywood team. I hope you guys bounce back strong.

I hate to disagree, but Covington played 2 maybe 3 dble headers in this years state softball tourny. Also, I have said it before and I'll say it again it's all about money. I played baseball in the four team format back in '99, and it was unbelievable. Speaking on the baseball side of things, I have always thought you had a better quality tourny in that format. IMO the reason they switched to the 8 team tourny was that was the only way Memphis felt they would be able to profit on that sport. Too bad for them they still didn't. Now the tourny seems watered down and drawn out. During the 4 team tourny, a team could not stand the off night on the Wed. night game of regionals. You had to bring it each and every night. They had to have a second pitcher and most of the time a third to get through heck week as we called it. Now, depending on Fri. nights opponent, a team can throw off on Wed. and have their #1 and #2 ready for Fri. I liked the fact that in my high school career, we had a progression in the post season. My Soph. year we lost the Mon. game. My Jr. year we lost the Wed. game. My senior year we won it all. High school baseball just isnt the same without a teams ability to judge next years talent. The new format gives them a false reading on what to look foward too.

I am not taking anything away from Freeman, he did have a good tourny. Look, I'm not trying to get into a @issing match with anyone over this. I know both kids personally, and both would probably say the other deserved the honor. As for the comment about moving to Jackson, thats whats wrong with our fans in Covington. They think their stuff doesn't stink. Futhermore, they can't bring themselves to give credit where credit is due. It's called being a fan, not obsesed. True fans respect other team as well as their own. But, unfortunatly some people don't realize that b/c like they said they have been sitting in the outfield since their sophamore year. I did it after I played, but it's called growing up. Also, a few fans at the championship game were out of line with alot of their comments toward USJ. These are still kids remember, and it's just a game afterall.

As for the AA all tourny team, how could you leave Josh Liles off of the team????? Speaking as a Covington fan and graduate, he was by far the best catcher in the field. He hit for a ridiculous avg. somewhere in the neiborhood over .500, dorve in quite a few runs, and was outstanding defensivly. Except for the few bad apples from my home town, I respect the kid for being a kid and being one heck of a ball player. He was a stud the first time I saw him play at 12, and he's still a stud going into his Senior year.

I was just wondering if anyone knew what times the championship games were being played. According to TSSAA's website, A and D-II both play at 4:00, AA plays at 1:00, and AAA plays at 7:00. If anyone knows the correct times, please let me know.

FINAL 7-6 CHS checkswing for strike 3

2 outs uh oh E-5 basehit 1st and 2nd 2 down

chs up 7-6 going into the bottom half of the 8th gp has 1,2,3 up

6 all going into the 8th cov made 2 errors to give gp the gift of life

6-5 chs going into the bottom of the 7th

6-5 chs 1 out runner on first in top of the 7th