SCBear

Better late than never I guess. Region 2 shakes out thus: 1. Oak Ridge - Probably won't be as dominant as the past couple of years but is still the cream of the crop...... until proven otherwise. 2. Farragut - Sounds like they have a good enough team returning to challenge the Wildcats but still has to get over the mental aspect of finally dethroning their nemesis. 3. William Blount - Good season opening victory over the Bears. Solid in almost every phase of the game. However, would like to see how they would move the chains consistently against a more formidable run defense. 4. Ooltewah - Looks like they lost a few players from last years stellar team but can never be taken lightly. Still has enough playmakers to pose a threat every Friday night. Coin toss between the Govs and Owls for third and fourth repectivley. 5. McMinn Co. 6. Heritage 7. Soddy Daisy 8. Bradley Central From top to bottom boasts a much tougher and deeper line up then their Region 1 brethren (DB would pose the only real threat). Hardly any nights off with a little bit more parity as the lower echlon teams start to show improvement.

Congrats to the Governors on their victory. The better team definitely won. Every phase of the game you were better at. From your solid defense, to your vastly superior kicking game (punter/place kicker is a stud) and efficeint, if unspectacular offense (Walker is a fine, hardnosed running back). The only downside I see is that you are still too one dimensional on offense. When you do go up against a better defense and are forced to pass it looks like your offense will struggle (why we didn't put eight in the box, shoot the gaps more and force you to beat us thru the air I'll never know). As for the Bears, it looks like my above post was right on the money. Just as last year, we are still a very inconsistent (almost inept at times) offense against good, sound defensive units. Combined with our continued tendency from last year to self destruct and we are going to struggle again to sustain drives and score against the better teams. Now couple in the fact that on both sides of the line we are now weaker and that we have virtually no kicking game to speak of.........well, at least we play in the much weaker Region 1 5A which will give us a chance every night (except against Dobyns-Bennett of course).

Ought to be a good game tonight. WB's power ground game against the Bear's more balanced, albeit finesse attack. It also is a matchup between two coaches with polar opposite concerns I would think. The Bears return all of their key playmakers but lost the majority of their linemen on both sides of the ball (along with their punter/place kicker!). The Gov's, on the other hand, have more experienced lineplay but graduated most of their big guns on the offense side. However, it sounds like their defense should be pretty stout so the battle in the trenches will go a long way in determining who wins. I haven't got to see any scrimmages so I am eager to see Shawn Hodges in action(JC transfer) who bumped our best tailback from last year (Blake Wallace) to fullback. I am also interested in seeing if SCHS can become more consistent with their passing attack (Feezel & Pippin are real threats at the wideouts IF we can get the ball to them consistently). Hopefully QB Watson & Company will have enough time and space to operate and our smaller, inexperienced D line will bend but not break. SC - 21 WB - 13

If I am also not mistaken that was the same crew that worked the SCHS/Science Hill game in Johnson City last year that we won despite their numerious homefield gaffs. There wasn't any home cooking in the WB playoff game, that crew was equal opportunity incompetent. Don't blame the loss on the refs, blame it on your defensive coordinator who called off the dogs and went "mustang package" on all of those key fourth down plays.

As others have pointed out this was indeed done last year as well and was publicized in local newspaper articles with quotes from coach Brewer himself. There's no cover up going on. Brewer has not only been around the block a few times but is also president of the Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association so I would assume he was not naive enough to implement this program without first having gotten prior clearance from the TSSAA.

BearRBMom I for one appreciate your enthusiasim (especially at the games!!). I hope your right and that the team will come out focused and ready to execute better than they have in the recent games. Good luck to #22 tonight and here's hoping he has a good game tonight because we are going to need him bad. By the way, it was nice meeting you and your husband after the Bearden game. You and your family are welcomed additions to the Bear community.

If SC can get their passing attack going they might keep it close but if not it could be over with before halftime. Wildcats too talented at the skill positions and too physical in their line play. Bears - 7 Wildcats - 38

Ooltewah seems to playing well while the Ads seem to have had the wind knocked out of their sails somewhat by the OR thrashing. Owls won't be as accomodating with the TO's this game. Ooltewah 27 Farragut 14

SC is pretty healthy realatively speaking. The only player I am unsure of is their starting center/nose tackle, #50 Daniel Adams. He left the WB game in the second half with what appeared to be a knee injury and did not return. If he doesn't play then that is a big loss as we are thin in the line anyway and that would likely force a true freshman to start at center. As far as the game I will be surprised if the Bears are still close going into the 4th quarter. As has been the case the last four years SC does not have a prolific enough passing game to attack the Wildcat secondary consistently (SC's success in the past against OR was predicated on being able to pass, see Ooltewah's success this year also). We are not physical enough to run the ball down their throat without that threat neither so I fear OR will walk their LB's up to the line and stuff our veer and then lay their ears back on third and long. On top of all of that the last four games we have been out of sinc and unable to sustain drives due to poor execution and TO's. In all honesty, this side of the ball has just been very average lately and almost cost us last week except for their late game heroics. The defensive side of the ball is this team's strength and it is the unit that has performed the most consistently through out the season. Our run defense has been especially good but this will be their biggest challenge of the year by far. We played a 3-5 defense against the Govs last week with pretty good results (Walker had a few good runs) but I don't believe that same scheme will work against Gulmire. That is the same defense that the Ads deployed and #1 ripped them a new one with all of those toss sweeps. If we are depending on our DE's to contain Gulmire on those toss sweeps after he has gotten a full head of steam it will be a long night in deed. The only chance we have IMO is with sticking more in than box and playing man-on-man coverage and hope the other Gulmire has an off night. Pick your poison I guess but stopping the run is imperative! However, as 5743 has already said the only way I see this game being close is if OR overlooks us or has a bad game. Too talented and now hungry I am afraid. I am hoping it will be a game more reminiscent of the '00, '02 playoff games and not a repeat of the '03, '04 blow outs. Either way SC has had a really good year.

Simplistic but true observation. WB raced all over the place the first of the game with their superior team speed until SC started containing them midway thru the 2nd quarter (our DE's continually lost containment early). If we can limit WB's big plays by neutralizing their speed with D line penetration then we stand a good chance of getting the win. However if the Govs can bust some plays returning kicks or via their rushing game we will lose. We have got to keep WB in third and long situations and force them into beating us with their passing attack. One important note is since that first game SC has changed their offensive identity and is now more balanced with Watson running the veer mixed in with the occasional pass along with the emergence of Blake Wallace at TB. Wallace finally gives us a true threat from the TB position that we have lacked for most of the year (he has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the last two games that he has started, Jeff Co. & Bearden). That first game we were more reliant on Chaney's eradict arm and a pretty anemic rushing attack. Hopefully having a duel threat at QB now will keep WB from walking their LB's up to the line and also make their CB's play honest. The one concern is despite the emergence of Wallace the offense has sputtered at times the final three games due to penalties and a lack of execution (specifically the passing game has been eradict). We will see if the open week gave them a chance to work out the kinks. However, as has been the case all season, the catylist for this teams success has been the defense and ultimately they will determine how far we go. SC - 20 WB - 14

Agreed! It was very fustrating guessing the whole game, especially with a brand new scoreboard being used! To make it up however (provided Coach Meadows agrees to allow there use) we will have in operation our endzone play clocks for your viewing pleasure this time. They are sweeeeet and no other local high schools have any that I am aware of. No more guessing about delay of game penalties

After attending the OR/FHS game Friday night I have now seen all of the Region 1 & 2 playoff teams in action except for Ooltewah. In my mind there is no doubt that Region 1 is definitely weaker than 2. The main difference that I have seen between the two regions is on the offensive side of the ball. Region 1 just doesn't have the offensive fire power or playmakers overall that Region 2 has to offer. Though I don't believe there will be a sweep by Region 2 in the first round, I have to admit that I wouldn't be shocked either if it ended up happening with the descrepancy in the offenses. A closer look at the matchups and some predictions. The Hilltoppers @ Oak Ridge = The Beatdown at Blankenship. OR is just too physical for the Hilltoppers. No contest. Bearden @ Farragut = I don't know if the Ads just had an off night or if the Cats were just extra stoked for their cross town rivals but FHS didn't seem quite as powerful as I expected (the loss to Central at the beginning of the year and the close win over an underachieving Powell team should have been red flags to me in hindsight). A good, solid team no doubt but not one of the elites IMO. Was shocked the way OR manhandled their defense after reading how physical they were. Bearden is indeed improved from the first of the year and seems to being playing some good ball now. The big question though is do they have enough offense to pull off the upset? They lost to the Ads earlier in the season so this is a rematch of the two bitter West Knoxville rivals. Look for the Ads to right their Ship with a first round win but I wouldn't be surprised to see it closer than most expect. William Blount @ Sevier County = SC beat the Govs in the season opener for both teams so this is another one of those first round rematches where the opponents are somewhat familiar with each other. WB has a good rushing game with good speed which gave SC fits in the first half as they raced out to 14-0 lead. However, SC got their passing game untracked late in the second quarter and into the second half to win 25-14. The one thing that keeps me from picking WB this time is they didn't appear to have much of a passing attack to go with their excellent tailback tandem and being one dimensional can get you beat against your better teams. SC has changed their identity somewhat since that first game with the emergence of Watson and Wallace at QB and TB respectfully. Former starting QB Chaney now comes off the bench in obvious passing situations and as a change of pace. They are now a little more balanced with both their improved rushing attack and the threat of the occasional big pass play. Their defense though has been the catalyst this year as it has been steady and solid even when the offense at times has sputtered (see the last three games especially). To me, the key to this game boils down to this: If the SC defense can contain the WB speed and force them into passing situations than the Bears will win. However, if WB can utilize their speed with their kick returners or running game then it will be an early exit for Brewer & Co. I expect another close game with SC eking out a hard fought victory. Ooltewah @ Dobyns-Bennett = Having not seen the Owls this year I consider this to be the wildcard matchup of the first round. Even though the Owls are the #4 seed I believe that DB has actually gotten a much tougher draw than any of the other #1 seeds in 5A. DB has an outstanding defensive unit and a very good kicking game with a solid, if uspectacular offense. I know that they have had some injuries at the QB position but this is still not the usual powerhouse that we are used to seeing from the Tribe. Ooltewah gave them a very good game last year and appears to have the balance on offense to cause them trouble again. The wildcard in this equation is the stop unit for Ooltewah. How good are they? Can they bottle up a less than explosive Tribe offense? My head believes that the Owls will win but my gut tells me that the Indians will find a way to pull it out with their stingy defense. This game truely is a toss up but I am going with DB. Second Round Sevier County @ Oak Ridge = Beatdown II. A fine season by the Bears comes to an end where most of their others have recently. They just do not have enough offense to contend with an explosive and physical bunch like the Wildcats. Would be shocked if OR wasn't resting their starters by the 4th quarter. Farragut @ Dobyns-Bennett = Another iffy game that I could see going either way but DB's stop unit comes up big again and their offense finds just enough points to get the victory. Oak Ridge @ Dobyns-Bennette = The Tribe has been wanting this rematch and now they get their wish. Unfortunately, I don't believe the Wildcats will be as accomodating this time around so I wouldn't count on all of those turnovers that slowed them down as in the previous matchup. Oak Ridge again wins comfortably. To be honest, the only team in this area that I believe can beat Oak Ridge before they face off with Riverdale is the Wildcats themselves. Unless they have a game where they commit numerous penalties and turnovers or suffer a key injury then every one else is playing for sloppy seconds IMO (yes, the Owls beat them but it looks like that loss may have gotten their attention and now they appear refocused again).

On paper it appears to be a pretty even matchup. From the stats both teams seem to have a real solid defence with a sporadic offense that is sort of Jekle & Hyde. When SC has struggled on the offensive side of the ball it has been because of turnovers and execution. Combine those miscues with just an average running attack (except when Watson is in at QB running the veer or the occasional FB blast) and an inconsistent passing attack and you have the potential for some pretty lackluster offensive performances against your better defenses. Hopefully the emergence of Seymour transfer Blake Wallace will help to ignite our anemic TB position. Last weeks performance against JC was hard to figure. The team that I saw the Patriots field did not look like a 2-6 team. Their talent and level of play actually surprised me (and I believe the Bears too). Especially with all that we had heard was going on with all of the dismissals and unrest in Dandridge. Just a warning but the Bulldogs better beware next week or else you could stumble like we almost did (and probably should have). Another factor may have been that SC was sort of flat after shooting their wad the previous week in the loss to DB. It appeared to me that the team was not focused and didn't take the Patriots as seriously as they should have. It really showed on the defense side of the ball where even our reliable defense wasn't sharp as evident by the many 3rd and long conversions they allowed. As far as injuries go LB David Murrah (gimpy ankle) and DE Jake McGinnis (back spasms) have both been plagued by these nagging ailments all year. Both went out in the first half last week and didn't return. I do not know their status for sure but I believe they will try to play Friday night. This is our 10th game in a row and we desperatly need a week off to heal up. The winner secures second place in the region and a first round playoff game against the WB Govs at home. I am sure Bearden will be stoked I just hope the Bears are mentally and physically ready to go and can start executing better on the O side of the ball.

Appreciate the props Art but why should SC be in the top 10? Examine their record for a moment and look at their signature games. They beat WB who is arguably the 4th best team in Region 2, lost to 4A Halls who is the 4th best team in their region and lost at home to a good (not great) DB team. All of their other wins have come at the expense of their weak Region 1 brethren (Karns, Campbell Co., Science Hill) and their anemic out of conference foes (South-Doyle, Seymour). Hardly the resume of a top ten team in my opinion. SC had their chance to make their claim as one of the areas best teams Friday night but they didn't because they're not. What the Bears are however, is a solid team with a good defense who play hard but are lacking in a few too many areas (QB & TB specifically) to be among the areas elite. As far as the playoffs, I hope you are right but we will probably draw either Ooltewah or Farragut out of the much tougher Region 2 in the first round. Where we will be the underdog, in my opinion, despite having the higher seed and home field advantage.

Well I guess we found out which team could execute better in the rain. Congrats to the Indians who were the better team. Oh well, another season that will end at Blankenship Field in the playoffs. At least I can look forward to those delicious Chick Filet sandwichs that they serve at the Ship.

Cats 35 Govs 14 WB is too one dimensional. Good ground game but not much of a passing threat.

As of early this afternoon it appears that there is a pretty good chance of spotty showers throughout the remainder of the day into the early evening hours so I would dress appropriately. However, as others have pointed out, the field conditions should be fine. During lasts year's Hilltopper game which was played in almost monsoon conditions (the first half anyway) the field and playing conditions held up pretty well considering the heavy rains. Nothing that severe is forcast for tonight but who really knows? I wonder which team the wet conditions will favor the most? Probably who ever can be the most consistent with their ground game and there for the battle in the trenchs becomes that much more important.

5743 has already given a pretty good synopsis of SC's season and personnel. The only thing I might add from the Bears perspective is that it will be interesting to see who gets most of the snaps at QB now that Channey is healthy. Brewer has stated that both will play QB Friday night in various situations. With Watson you get a more versatile athlete who has a pretty descent arm and excellent mobility versuses Channey who is your classic pocket passer. My personal opinion is that Watson gives SC a better chance to win just because of the dual threat he provides. Since the Bears are not particularly strong at the Tailback position (there is no Zac Pate in this group) he helps open up the potential at the other skill positions with his ability to run the veer, pass or tuck it-and-run. Defenses simply have to make sure he is accounted for and that helps take some of the pressure off the running backs to make plays. Plus the offense seems to have jelled and become more effeceint since he took over. Channey, on the other hand, with his slightly stronger arm and his 6'-3" frame is more desirable as a pure passer but he has simply been too inconsistent with his accuracy throughout his career (and I fear maybe even worse having just now come back from that broken wrist). Plus, he is a sitting duck if the O Line cannot protect him as he offers no threat at all to run if he gets flushed from the pocket. I have to admit however, that if he is on target though (second half against William Blount for example) he then becomes a very dangerous weapon and definitley opens the passing game up even more. This is the key to who will win the game. The Bears are not going to be able to just line up and run the ball down DB's throat from all that I hear so it is imperative that whoever is at QB be given enough time to get the ball to Pippen, Feezel and Brandenburg. The playmakers for this team are definitley the Wideouts (& Watson of course). The Bear D will also need to slow the rushing game of the Indians down and make them beat us through the air. The simple fact, however, is that if DB is able to control both lines of scrimmage then it will be a long night for the Purple and victory number five in-a-row for the Indians. SC has played solid D the whole year and their line play has been exceptional on both sides of the ball but as 5743 pointed out, they will be stepping up to a whole new level with the Tribe and their physical play. It should be interesting to see if Dunham and his O linemates are up to the challenge. I just wish we could have caught DB earlier in the year when they were breaking in all of that new offensive talent. The winner will claim the Big East Title and get at least the first two playoff games at home while the loser will get a second round trip to Blankenship Field as their consolation prize. Of course this is all just conjecture having not seen the Indians play this year but history has shown that Clark and Crew are still the Beasts of the East until somebody knocks them off their throne. Hope the Bears are up to the task but I fear that DB will get the job done in the trenchs and claim a 27 - 14 victory. As Art said, get to the stadium early cause it's going to be a packed house.