big red big blue

I think the people that makes these accusations in reality know very little about the school. I'd say 98% of the kids there (based on those I know) are there for the religious curiculum and academics. The remainder may be there for sports, but if they aren't commited to the school's mission they won't last long there. Basically, BA hired a good coach, and the program's success, amid a bunch of mediocre programs in middle TN during the 70s and 80s, fed itself. They aren't the dominant team they once were simply because there are a lot more private schools competing for the same kids and several of the other publics (like Hillsboro and BHS) have really improved and dimished the need for kids to go there. I'd say if anything many more kids are there for the religion and academics than ever before.

going to have to agree with you there. While BA and Riverdale were at their respective peaks in the 1990's, BA won state titles in 1995 and 1996 in 5A. BA beat riverdale in at least one of those years. At that point, the split was effected, and Riverdale hasn't played one of the Super 7 in the post-season since. Who knows how the record would look had Riverdale been playing MBA and BA during those years. There is simply no way to crown "best team" of the split era. Riverdale has clearly been the dominant 5A team since 1997, though, while MBA has been the dominant II-AAA team. MUS seems to be the emerging team in the state. All of this says nothing of Maryville and 4A who could probably make the claim. The best clinic bowl season kick-off you could imagine, imo, would be a match-up between Riverdale, Maryville, MBA, and MUS in some combination.

wow...just read it. pretty sweet. Were these two teams almost dead even last year or what? The stats are almost idenitcal for each team in each game. Talk about a heavyweight fight. Oughta be a good 'un. Here's to a clean game w/ no injuries. Roll Red.

you're right. A full split will likely happen in the next four years. Taking the easy way out is pretty much the extent of the TSSAA's ability to "solve problems" (if you can call it that). It would be much harder (and would lead to some uncomfortable conclusions) for them to really investigate why the small publics aren't competitive vis a vis the comparably sized privates. So, you're right. They will do what they do best, which is change the rules to suit those that cry the loudest. The sad thing is the lesson these kids get taught, which is if you cry and whine loud enough, some one will feel sorry for you and change the rules for you. Will be a rude awkening when they hit the real world. All in all, it makes me all the more proud of my mom's school. You mentioned that they would have benefit from a split back then. But when they were a laughing stock, suffering through an emberassing multi-year losing streak that was routinely written about in the papers, they didn't whine and complain for the rules to be changed. They just rolled up their sleeves and got to work. The laughable part is that a full split will mean the end of football for them (probably all sports) because they don't have the budget to travel all over the state to play other privates. And they are playing the likes of CPA and Ezell now. But, hey. That's the TSSAA way.

I think the right solution is something like that. It wouldn't solve everything (as in, a private school can always hire/fire coaches as it pleases while public schools must wade through the teachers' union and gov't beuracracy) but at least it would separate schools that make a big financial commitment to athletics and those that don't. You couldn't just buy your way to the top with private fund raisers, etc.

I'm not disagreeing with everything you're saying. I'm only pointing out that it's inaccurate to say "small private schools in a big city like Nashville have inherent advantages over comparable public schools because of who they are." Small private schools have a whole different set of problems to deal with that, quite frankly, keep getting worse as the number of schools (private and public) in Nashville grows. I doubt the leadership of your school has ever spent any time truly wondering whether or not it would be able to open its doors the following fall. The government would never allow it to fail. A small fringe private school on the other hand faces that question pretty often. Saw it myself. So it's more than just "they are beating us because of who they are." of course, I readily admit they are other small privates (CPA, DL, Goodpasture, etc.) who have leveraged their positions in the community and resources to build programs that need to be "multiplied up" against better competition. BA's failure to solve this problem themselves in the 80s and 90s is why we are here in the first place.

again, never said you (where you = you, Antwan) said anything about cheating. Don't see "Antwan" anywhere in my post that wasn't addressed to you. I was talking about what we heard (and still hear) anytime they a win over a public school. Obviously you are pretty defensive about it. The multiplier, had it applied to them, would have just meant that they dropped football altogether back then. They kind of took a "we'll fix the problem ourselves" approach. Certainly not with overwheleming resources. Just smart, energetic devoted people.

never said you said anything about you and cheating. In fact, I didn't address you at all. As for finances, I never said anything about anyone's abundance or lack of money. You pretty much injected that one yourself. I just said these small private schools have to devote a lot of resources and energy just to attract students (not who or who doesn't have the money). No rural public school has to do that. They have a community to draw from...the more isolated, the better. That means less competition. Nashville, imo, based on the places I've lived, has the most competition for students I've seen. Again, jmo. Can't address your facts about winning and losing either. All I can tell you is that my mom's school certainly didn't beat every public school it faced. In fact, they had at one point Nashville's longest losing streak during the late 80's early 90's. It was all public schools beating them, mostly rural ones. And w/ scores along the lines of 55-0 for several years. I guess those inherent advantages just didn't apply to them.

that's a very good post. Great point made on the success of the wealthier community schools. Really more fodder for the argument that there is very little, if anything, separating the likes of Brentwood, Germantown (whom I lost to while at MBA), Riverdale, etc., and MBA/BA/MUS, etc. as for the small privates, they are all very different, and the perceived advantages people cite aren't as great as people think. I know because my mom spent the first half of her teaching career in metro nashville, and the second half in a small private w/ no financial aid and no real emphasis on sports. Those schools have a very tough road to hoe. Given the glut of private schools in Nashville (I've lived all over the country and can't imagine there's a city with more private schools per capita), they have to devote a ton of energy to recruiting students--not athletes--just to keep the school in business. Some schools have recognized the power of sports as a recruiting tool (Ezell, CPA, etc.) and have hired well-known successful coaches. That's an area in which they have a distinct advantage over comparably sized publics. Where they are at a disadvantage is in the competition they face all over a town, like Nashville, for students. Not just with other privates but with publics as well. There are a number of schools that have to devote a tremendous amount of money and energy to marketing and advertising. A rural public has a captive audience one way or the other. I have witnessed this first-hand at my mothers' school. The problem is, as you can glean from this board and any simple conversation, is that the minute one of these public schools loses to a small private, the knee-jerk reaction is "they're cheating." My mom's school went for years with exactly 22 players on the football team. Routinely lost 55-0. No one was feeling sorry for them then. But once they start winning, it's all about "recruiting, cheating, unfair advantages, etc."

I think that is a fair plan. The only problem I have is that no one is compelling anyone to play anyone in the regular season. So, a team like MBA can't fill out a regular season schedule without scheduling people like Byrnes, Trinity, etc. The whole season is one giant road trip. The super 7 requires travel to Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga already. It shouldn't also require travel out of state, just to fill out a regular season high school schedule. Carter should require local teams, public and private, to play one another during the regular season. Then separate everyone for the post-season.

yikes. we lost 42-0 to Riverdale in a scrimmage? That's rough. Can anyone tell me if this game is going to be streamed over the internet? And it's tomorrow not tonight, right? Win or lose, I applaud both teams for scheduling this game. Though, I wish we were playing it on campus and not at VU. Are we playing at Byrnes in the future? Roll Red Roll...