TheDrive1984

Congratulations to Coach Hatley and the Cubs football program. He will be an asset in the classroom and on the field!

Sad news to hear. Thoughts and prayers to the Bateman family.

Congratulations and best wishes to Coach Keasler! Summit is getting a first rate man and coach.

I would believe that taking a team from 1-9 in 2008, to 9-2 and a playoff appearance in 2009 would be a strong indicator that hard work in the off season by the players and coaches, good game planning and adjustments during the game by the coaching staff, and execution of that game plan by the young men that strap it up on Friday nights pays huge dividends. Stop complaining and micro-coaching, 9-1 in any district, on any level, in any sport is to be commended. No use in trying to cheapen what those young men, coaches, and fans deserve to enjoy with a comment such as yours

Well said Coach B! To the old guard (the original players from day one) and coaches at East Hickman: Don't let anyone or anything drive a wedge between you guys or you and the coaching staff. The beautiful thing about stepping across that track and onto the field is everything else fades into the backdrop, it is inconsequential for a moment in time. You become part of a special fraternity of young men and coaches that have bled,sweat and worked together towards a common goal. It is not easy, if it was, more young men would heed the call to play and coach this great sport. To be a part of something special often creates jealousy among those that don't understand what it takes to be a student/athlete or pick up the whistle and mould a group of individuals into a TEAM. Sports teach life lessons and those that seek to criticize your efforts are part of that lesson. Remember, they may pay to watch the game, but they are not who you play or coach for. I am proud of what you guys have accomplished this season! To the naysayers, let those that play-do the playing and let those that coach- do the coaching, to the rest of you that don't do either.......buy a ticket, a hotdog and a cold drink and support your team! Don't come on here and state you are a supporter then criticise the players and the coaches. You can't have it both ways........ Play hard and good luck against Fairview! Coach P.

White House is well coached and always manages to put a competitive product on the field, even when they are young or lacking experienced depth at key positions. They always get the most out of whatever talent they have. Inexperience may impact them early on, but my bet is that Coach Porter, Grantham, Lamberth and company will have the young men playing at (or above) their fullest potential as the season moves forward. Good Luck and stay Healthy!

I am certified in Special Education. I currently teach the Comprehensive Development Class and a Transition Class for Seniors. Thanks for the positive feedback! Coach P

quote name='easteaglemom17' date='Mar 3 2009 - 11:37 AM' post='827050058'] Are you going to quit? easteaglemom17, I fully intend to be coaching this fall. Whether that is at East Hickman or at another school remains to be seen. There is always an element of the unknown when you have a coaching change. A lot of it will depend on who is brought in as the new head coach. Most coaches like to be able to put together their own staff and I respect that. I can't speculate on what my future will be at his time. I will tell you like we have told the young men in our program, the one thing for certain is that East Hickman will face a challenging schedule next year and we are going to continue to do everything in our power to prepare for it. No one has brought us together to explain what the next step is or to name an interim. So we will keep doing what we do until the new coach is named and can decide what direction he wants to go. Right now, as much normalcy as possible is what is in the best interest of the players. I will worry about my coaching future when the time comes. Disgruntled is a word that best describes the people that have blasted the coaches at every opportunity....... Disappointed best describes my thoughts at this time........ I arrived at East with great expectations of being able to help start a program from scratch, build traditions and work with a class coaching staff that put the important things in perspective beyond just having the goal of winning games. In football, as in life........ you do the little things right and the big things take care of themselves. The administration stated that they wanted those things as well, so it seemed like a golden opportunity. I knew that building a program would not be easy, but I had watched first hand as Sycamore High School got up and running. I stood across the sideline from Creek Wood High School and saw what type of competitors that they were producing and knew that it was not an impossible feat. What I didn't expect was the backlash and lack of support from some members of the community. Being a part of the tradition at White House High and having the opportunity to coach at Sycamore high School definitely spoils one when it comes to parent support! Now, people don't coach for public approval........ I coach because I am passionate about watching young men reach their full potential. The game of football, when executed properly is a great vehicle to prepare young men for life. But I am smart enough to realize that over time a continuous lack of support is counter productive. Does that make me wrong?...... maybe, does that make you wrong?.......maybe. What it does mean for sure is that what we want as coaches and what the community wants appears to be different. Oh .. I forgot . I have to copy and paste a copy of baldies dissatisfaction letter to Dr. Nash. Your statement speaks volumes about what we have faced at East.......... Got a problem....... don't talk to the source take it straight to the top! There is no chain of command...... The "baldie" comment is a bit immature though don't you think....... this is a public forum, filled with opinions......you are entitled to one, as am I. I have no problem with you sending this to Dr. Nash or anyone else for that matter. Maybe he should take the time to find out what is going on from a coaches point of view........ I don't hide behind a screen name and take shots at people........I am a man and passionate enough about my beliefs to sign my name to it................Are You????? Coach Parsley

So in effect what you are saying is that Coach Jones should not have set team standards for workout participation, practice attendance or following any type of team rules, much less trying to create a culture among the faculty at EHHS that fostered academic and behavior expectations for the players??????? Maybe what everyone should have wanted from Coach Jones was that he maintain the stereotypical status quo and simply allow some kid to play because he could tote the rock ........regardless of whether he came to practice, made the grade or listened to his teachers in class.......just as long as he could help the team win on Fridays he gets a free pass to play! That may be effectively managing to meet a goal.............that may be smart coaching......... If your end result is measured by nothing more than wins.......... regardless, that is using student-athletes to meet YOUR needs as a coach without any thought for their future. I guess my philosophy is lifted from the pages of the book "Season of Life" If any of the posters on this thread have not read it, I suggest it.....for those that really care about kids. When asked about his teams success for the upcoming season, the coach responded that it was too soon to tell........ He wouldn't know if the coaches had been successful until he saw what type of men, husbands, and fathers the players had become. We came into the situation at East and knew that wins on the football field would take time (anyone that thinks different knows less about football than I do)............ BUT preparing the young men to be winners on and off the field was something we could begin to do NOW. Yes, we have high expectations. And guess what? Their is a group of young men in the field house now that have met or exceeded those standards in many ways and continue to work hard to excel on the field and in the classroom. Those that could not or would not moved on, and that is O.K. sports and other types of extra curricular activities are not for everyone, it takes a lot of perserverance to be a student/athlete The bottom line is, Coach Jones had a vision of how he wanted to build this program, I believed (and still do) in what he wanted to accomplish and so I joined him at East. It has become obvious that their are a few...or many ( the most heard anyway) in the community and the administration at central office that wanted a different direction......maybe a direction more like "straightupthegut" described. Anyway, Coach Jones has stepped aside to allow those that were unhappy, to begin their search for someone that is a better fit for the the culture of the community. So YES the man that I am co-signing for is cut out to be a head coach and he will be again someday in a situation better suited for him. So, maybe those that keep hounding Coach Jones about his performance as head coach can leave the man alone and move towards something more productive. Coach P

I typically would not post on a thread that directly discusses a team that I am professionally involved with, but after being told about this post by a coaching colleague of mine I had to stop by and check it out. I have been around coaching long enough to know that there are armchair quarterbacks no matter where you go. A coach has to believe in what he/she is doing, be thick skinned and stay the course in the face of normal community politics. This thread has crossed a line with personal attacks and accusations that would be laughable, if not such a sad commentary on what is at play at East Hickman. The personal attacks (you may have only attacked the head coach, but in theory we are a collective entity) that have been leveled towards the coaching staff are inappropriate and not in the spirit of CoachT. and what it was developed to be. It is easy to sit in front of a computer screen and slander a good man in anonimity-not having to answer for your accusations-it is easy to throw stones and not have to temper your thoughts. We have an open door policy and would be glad to discuss the direction of our program in a POSITIVE manner if any of you had ever had that intent. I have been a part of this program as a coach since day 1. Despite of some of the obstacles that we have faced starting a program from scratch and continuing to do things the right way in spite of pressures from a few that would choose to enable rather than hold accountable, I am proud to say that we have a core nucleus of players that are giving their all in off season workouts. We are very proud of their commitment to TEAM and doing things the right way (If I need to explain the RIGHT way then you probably wouldn't understand the concept anyway). In closing, I would like to thank our players, school faculty and administration for their support. I would also like to ask a moderator to close this thread as it is counter productive to what we trying to accomplish with our program. Sincerely, Coach Mike Parsley East Hickman High School

If the information in this post as to why Coach Whitefield resigned is accurate, then the admin. has made a big mistake. Shame on them for putting their program and players in this position........... Best of luck to Coach Whitefield.......... I am sure that he will land on his feet, Fairview's loss will be some fortunate programs gain. Whitefield is a great coach and a class act.

Thanks for the info.

Who are the coaching staffs for the East/West game this year? Will the game be played at Carson Newman again this year? I would be interested in where I could find roster info as well. Thanks.

Congratulations to the Sycamore coaches and players on their big win Friday against Howard! Stay healthy, focused and hungry this week. I look forward to watching you guys get after Station Camp on Friday......... Go War Eagles! Coach P.

Go War Eagles! Get the region "W"