just_do_it

Top Five are now set: 1 Ensworth (11-1) 0.917 2 JP2 (8-4) 0.667 3 Baylor (5-3) 0.625 4 GPS (5-3) 0.625 5 BA (7-5) 0.583

Most of the standings at the top are set Just a matter of playing the tournament. Father Ryan should defeat BGA. Harpeth Hall loses to JPII. GPS wins, Ensworth at Brentwood might be interesting, but I still pick Ensworth. Ensworth wins the title until someone proves different. Not so sure standings are set. BGA, with the return of their post player, are far stronger than their record indicates. BGA/Father Ryan and JP2/Harpeth Hall should be competitive games.

If St. Agnes wins both the mjuhb poll and the state tournament, they are the champs. If Baylor wins the state tournament and St. Agnes wins the mjuhb poll (he does a great job as we all know) then I am thrilled. Baylor get the gold soccer ball and St. Agnes gets a framed printout of the mjhub poll. I do not know which team is better but lobbying mjuhb or analyzing goals per game against different opponents is not going to tell us much. All we will ever know is who was better on a given day if both teams make it through the playoffs, which is no guarantee for either team.

I am just happy that the state championship is determined by playoff and not by subjective rankings or debate.

How did the kid from Texas happen to 'flock' to Ensworth? Anybody know the story?

Your neutrality is not all that obvious to me. If you had in fact attended the Baylor-McCallie game, then it would be obvious to you why the decision was made to play the game at Baylor and not Finley. The game at Baylor had the electric atmosphere of a sellout/standing room only crowd. The atmosphere at Finley would have been that of a poorly attended college football game. Yes, having the game at Baylor enhanced the home field advantage. But that is what home field advantage is supposed to do. Call it selfish or whatever you want, I call it home field advantage. For the good of the rivalry, I hope McCallie is 'selfish' next year and has the game at McCallie. By the way, your comments about the decision being based on revenues are ridiculous. Besides the fact that gate receipts would be greater at Finley with its unlimited seating, the Baylor administration decision to play the first Baylor/McCallie game at Baylor in 2007 was made long before the stock market and endowments ever went south.

A very classy post. The game was very competitive with players competing for every ball. Good luck to ND the rest of the season and in the playoffs.

Both are back.

Tornadofan10, I give you this. You are fiercely loyal and consistent in your predictions.

This MBA team that beat Baylor looked strong defensively. capitalized on Baylor mistakes and looked very solid at the qb position. BGA has some offensive weapons. BGA moved the ball against Baylor but hurt themselves with miscues. If the Jekyll version of the MBA defense shows up, I think MBA will win. But if the Hyde version shows up and BGA can avoid turnovers, BGA could surprise MBA.

Bluelion, thanks for correcting my error when I stated that the W-L records were the same. Maybe I was subconsciously de-emphasizing McCallie's Ensworth loss. From people that were there at the McCallie/Ensworth game, I have been told that Ensworth looked really good -- big and fast. Given what Ensworth has accomplished so far, McCallie's 28-13 loss to Ensworth was very respectable and demonstrates that McCallie is a good football team.

Won easily? Thats the best mccallie's played all year. They were lucky to play them that close. MBA is no cupcake. They had many opportunities to score but McCallie got some breaks near the redzone. I stand by my statement. We should have beaten MBA easily...should never have come down to field goals. And yes, I say we will beat Baylor easily by at least 28-10. One thing I will agree with Baylor on though is that having it on campus at school instead of Finley is the best atmosphere possible. 2 years ago at Baylor was amazing and not just because we won. Finley cannot duplicate the atmosphere and deep down McCallie fans complain alot but deep down know it. That being said....the Blue wins big! "Could have" and "Should have" never won a game or accomplished anything in life. McCallie lost to MBA and there is no asterisk. Baylor played by far its worst game of the year against MBA but it doesn't matter. MBA played outstanding, and they beat Baylor, just like they beat McCallie. Anybody that has followed the Baylor-McCallie rivalry, that has followed these two teams this year and that has the ability to step out of their loyalty for a moment would have to predict a close game. It was a close game two years ago, and that year McCallie really was much better than Baylor. With identical win-loss records and the emotion of this game, the line out of Vegas is even. Baylor wins in overtime.

That's another reason not to send your kids to those two schools. Grandmommies and granddaddies care about seeing their offsprings kids name in the paper. bcb iii You may have good reasons not to send your kids to these schools but the one you mention is not one of them. Both of these schools do an outstanding job of posting on their websites game results, pictures and usually 1/2 dozen names of girls that made important contributions, including defenders that had no assists or goals. These schools also contribute articles to Chattanoogan.com after every game along with pictures that summarize the game and highlight outstanding contributions.

The word seems to be that The Ooltewah defense is really good but I also heard that Tyner coughed the ball up against Ooltewah as well. It's hard to beat anyone if you cannot hold onto the ball. If Tyner can hold onto the ball, I think they are going to move the ball against a lot of teams. They have a couple of very quick backs. I have not seen McCallie in the regular season but in the jamboree they looked really good--very fundamental and really well coached. Tyner could surprise but from what I have seen they are going to have a tough time against a fundamental football team like McCallie.

Bluemom...the way you roll with the punches....I would bet that your son is tough as nails...humor is often the right response...as you so aptly demonstrate...I have always enjoyed your matter-of-factness and have always been struck by your obvious passion for the game...and I'm glad you post here... I appreciate your honest response to my "why" (though I feel a bit sheepish about the avalanche that followed ...there for a while, I thought I was going to have to throw a yellow flag on my fellow posters for "piling on". ). I can understand how rivalries and the behavior they sometimes engender can color how we view an institution. I have been there myself and understand exactly where you are coming from. I have seen the bad behavior too but I think what helps me get beyond some inevitable juvenile behavior is that McCallie is part of a broader community that I care about. I care not just because it is really a fine institution thats rigorously prepares boys for college and deeply cares about developing the character of young men, I care also because I have family, friends and kids that I have coached in little league that have gone to McCallie. McCallie has played an important role in shaping people I love and respect. How could I not care about McCallie? I care about BGA and MBA in the same way because I have friends that have taught or attended those schools. I know firsthand that those are really good institutions as well with fine academics and a genuine concern for developing character. So for me, the football season is alot of fun, and I would really love to beat McCallie this year. The streak may end or it may continue. But regardless of the outcome, what I will be left with is knowledge that Chattanooga is very fortunate to have both MCCallie and Baylor. What they stand for is much bigger than a rivalry or a football game.

Agreed. My own personal experience with reporters (not all but many) is that they don't see it as their professional duty to place a quote in context. What is tricky about soccer is that what the referees will allow varies tremendously from game to game. A good coach will tell his players to get as physical as the referees will allow. That doesn't mean holding jerseys or intentionally tripping players or trying to hurt someone but it means seeing how much pushing and shoving to gain position the referees will allow. When the referee starts calling fouls, you know where he/she has decided to draw the line and you adjust your play accordingly to avoid yellow and red cards. I am very familiar with the ND coach's philosophy (my child played for him in club ball), and as person of genuine character, the last thing he would do is condone dirty play. But he does want his players to be physical since all really good teams are physical. Regardless of what happened on the field (I was not there), I think it is counterproductive to complain to your players or the press about the dirty play of the opposition. What is productive is to challenge your team to raise their level of intensity and to match the physicality of the opposition. I suspect that the real problem in the ND-SM game is that SM could not match up physically with ND. Soccer is a contact sport.

The DII AA schedule is bruising so depth could really play a role in what teams make it to the final game, particularly with the extended playoff schedule.

Thank you for sharing the link. I did indeed find a pic of my progeny. Some very nice shots. Know your parents and boosters really appreciate the photos.

Sportshooter....for the most part...Coach Massey did the appropriate thing....he put the younger kids in and kept it on the ground....but that one play of throwing the ball long struck me as odd as well ....whatever the reason....it did not come across as very gracious... I appreciate the classiness of the BGA posters and fans....good luck to you guys the rest of the season...

Baylor is happy to remain under the radar for now. We have not been really tested but that day will come very soon. Bluemom: You seem to opt for the negative given a chance when it comes to Baylor. Why?

Should we just go ahead and cancel the rest of the season as some posters suggest and just have the final game between MUS and Ensworth? Or, Do these teams have some weaknesses not yet exposed? Or, Are there other teams that can possibly compete with these two?

Nelson (corrected) has played extremely well. He is tough, has good speed, has good vision and he can catch. We are very happy that he is a Baylor Raider. What Baylor misses with Sam out is the big play ability that comes with sub 4.5 speed. Sam is a threat to score anytime he touches the ball.

Taking into account the quarterback, running backs and receivers, Baylor may have the most talented corp of skill players in DII. With the ability to both throw and run, I predict Baylor will put up at least 35 points. Who wins will depend on how many points BGA can put up. Looking forward to a good ball game. Bluemom: As you research how the streak could have happened, I might offer that BJ Coleman probably gets credit for a chunk of it. Not sure what role he played his freshman through sophomore years but he had an amazing game against Baylor his senior year with the help of two DI receivers. No wonder he has energized the UTC football program.

Baylor Preseason Scrimmages: Baylor 3 Farragut 0 Baylor 4 Beardon 1 Baylor 2 Soddy 0 Toughest scrimmage was Beardon. Scrimmage was much closer than score indicates. Baylor survived a first half barrage where score could easily have been 3-0 Beardon at the half. Beardon is very fast on both sides of the field. Soddy showed speed up front, and they have a very good keeper. Teams will have to work hard to score on her.