swamp

Here's a big problem with this plan. What do schools like Scott High and RBS, which are hard to get to, do to get opponents? If you remove regional/district boundaries, these teams will have a hard time finding opponents. RBS's historical lack of on-field success further complicates this. I'm sure those aren't the only places, but those are places I've been.

If I leave one out, I'm sure someone will let me know, but in Knoxville you have Knox Catholic - Cedar Bluff Rd., west CAK - Dutchtown road, west Webb - Dutchtown road, west These schools are within 2 miles of each other, if not within 1, I think. You also have TSD in southeast Knoxville, but they don't compete for the title, and you have The King's Academy in Seymour, which also does not compete for title.

One question.. what about Riverdale? They are already dominating the state's largest class. Maybe if MBA and Maryville were added, that might change, but, if they kept beating MBA and Maryville and everybody else, then what. Also, then you're going to eventually have a 1A division with RBS and CAK dominating it.

I think 9 of 10 games on Kingston's schedule are rivalries, with Gibbs being the only exception. But if I have to pick one game to point to as the biggest, it will be Anderson County. It was the 3-pt loss to AC last year that deflated a then 4-1, 2-0 Kingston team. Kingston should be no worse than 4-1 at the same point this year. A win could give the Jackets momentum that will carry them into the playoffs. Of course, I'm not ready to predict a W, though!

Opperman, I'm dropping out of this after this post, but 24% of the total is a HUGE percentage for just one county. I doubt there were 11 yes votes from Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville combined(although I'm not going to try to count again).

I don't want this to turn into a political board either, since we already have two or three threads on the football board addressing state budget concerns. There's a vote list at http://www.taxfreetennessee.com , and a huge chunk of the 45 "Yes" votes came from West TN, roughly 10% in Shelby and surrounding counties. As for Nashville vs. Memphis, I'll still take rural East Tennessee. College hockey in the south - like somebody already said, UAH is it! I agree with OSHS, if Erwin, Bristol, or Elizabethton won the bid, the problems would be the same... and likely the West TN supporters on the board would be just as unhappy as the upper easterners. I never liked Chatt for the Spring Fling because of geography either. But, that being said, Union City to Chattanooga is shorter than Bristol or Mountain City to Memphis!

KevB, not picking on you, but the western teams *lose* an hour when they cross the time line. For whoever asked, if I were to drive from Chatt to Memphis, I'd probably take US 72 -- seems a lot more direct than I-24 to I-40. The fight was in Memphis b/c neither DC nor Detroit are close to Tunica. Maybe they should have held it in Cherokee. As for the NBA, nobody cares. As for the Titans, I really like having my tax money spent on something that only Metro Nashville had a referendum on. There'll Probably be state money in the Grizzlies new facility.... For the record, I think all championships should be held in either Clarksville, Nashville, Murfreesboro, or Cookeville. Chattanooga is too far from Obion Co. or Lake Co.; Memphis is too far away from Johnson & Unicoi Counties. I've said it before and I'll say it here... Does TSSAA ever look at a road map before they make these decisions???? As for the Nashville vs. Memphis debate: between you, you have NBA, NHL, NFL, minor league baseball, Vanderbilt, UM, the state legislature, and Governor Sundquist. I'll take the Vols, the mountains, the lakes, and the foothills over it all!!

KevB, as a Rutledge fan, what's your gripe with AC?

Can the 7-3A teams get past the Memphis teams. I wish them all the best!

Region 4-3A Group A Jackson County Macon County Portland Smith County Trousdale County Group B Cannon County DeKalb County Livingston Academy Upperman York Institute

Predicted order of finish: 1. Lincoln County 2. Franklin County 3. Cookeville 4. Cumberland County 5. Coffee Central 6. Warren County

Only from driving through McMinnville on my way to somewhere else.

The Rutledge Pioneers?

Creek house, where on earth have you been? I think I've criticized Coach King in a bunch of different threads. I've also praised him when it was due. He's had two losing seasons, two .500 seasons, and two 6-4 seasons to go with his ten district/region titles (7 seasons with 10+ wins and 3 more with 9 wins) in 16 seasons at RCHS. He's had teams do well in the playoffs (89, 93, 98 stand out) and poorly in the playoffs (remember Alcoa in 1990 and Rutledge in 2000? No offense meant, KevB1990), and a bunch of years in between.....As for the 2000 game, throwing the ball combined with Loudon mistakes were the only thing that kept that game close. I think the score wound up 10-0 or something like that, but Loudon controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. As for last year, Kingston didn't have the depth or overall team speed to beat many people. He's an above average coach, who is a little too conservative, and who doesn't coach have a good system when trailing (except to run gadget plays). But, overall, his 138-48 record speaks for itself. Now, if only all of coach King's bad calls came during the regular season.... right, mazy? [Edited by swamp on 5/10/02 1:24P]

Oline, I've never hidden that I'm an East Tennessee fan. It's nothing against you guys from where I stand, but we just don't see many scores from your side of the state during the season (unless we go on a mission to find them). The Knoxville newspaper and television networks do good to go as far west as Roane County, much less to West Tennessee. Chattanooga does much better with statewide scores, and thank goodness for coacht.com.

Kevin Mays was a senior that year, but I think you knew that already. I graduated in 1991.

Mazy, 89 was best, followed by 98. 88 comes in a close 3rd. I am very proud, too, but I think we should be realistic. 5 of the last 6 years we haven't done so well. Kingston won the region in 99 and 00, but showed in the playoffs that those weren't great teams by Kingston standards. The 01 squad's 4-6 record speaks for itself. But, Kingston will bounce back, they always have.

Yes, PHS is Portland. There wasn't space for the whole word.

Fulton will always have the talent to make some noise. They just tend to be outcoached in close games. And sometimes, they play way too undisciplined.

Getting back on topic, Kingston/Lenoir City has become a big-time rivalry in East Tenn. The Kingston program is fairly new, but this game seems to always have post-season implications. These two schools seem to always meet in the district final for the right to face CAK. Kingston/CAK and LC/CAK are rivalries, too, but they just aren't as big as Kingston/LC, probably because Kingston/LC play in every other sport year-in, year-out.

Thanks for being so complementary, B. Kingston's scrimmage schedule has suffered. It had been a while since RCHS scrimmaged Oak Ridge. I guess the AE scrimmage is a thing of the past with it being a region game. Kingston generally scrimmages Bearden in the fall and spring, but I'm not sure how much that helps. I think Kingston scrimmaged Tyner last year. Kingston needs to see team speed on the other side of the ball before the season starts. That was RCHS' biggest weakness in 01. That, and having an undersized O line and running backs. You can never count them out, though.

Captain, thanks for the support, but we could use some more.

I don't think who Fulton's players are matter that much. They have bettered Kingston the last couple of years, but when push comes to shove, Coatney gets out-coached. Kingston is the team you shouldn't overlook in the state's toughest region. They will be hungry this year after how bad they were last year. Let's not forget that most of their losses were close. Also, look for Loudon to make some noise, although that depends largely on the coaching change.

Yes, I am from Kingston, but no, I didn't play. What, exactly, is a typical Kingston person?

Thanks.