Mississippi vs Tennessee

[csb1211]

I suppose I'll jump in on this one. I know I am going to show my age here so just bear with me.

 

My father was in the Navy and we moved quite frequently to say the least so I have seen a good amount of HS football in the S.E. I played HS football in FL before moving to and graduating in NC. Later I lived in VA Bch before moving to Nashville. I stayed there for 12 years and now am in Brandon, MS.

 

I myself have played against teams that were great in the early 80's such as Milton, Mosley, Choctawhatchee, Tallahassee Leon, Tallahassee Godby, and have seen Miami Killian, Titusville, and others play. After moving to North Carolina I saw Jacksonville (5A State Champs), Cary, Fayetteville, and others. There was no comparison between NC HS football and FL HS football.

 

I have seen the great Hampton Crabbers of the late 80's along with Green Run, Bayside, and a few others from the Tidewater area...again no comparison to FL football. HS basketball in NC and VA is GREAT! I had the pleasure of watching J.R. Reid and Alonzo Mourning squaring up in HS ball against each other. Great stuff!

 

After moving to Nashville I saw Brentwood Academy, Riverdale, Gallatin, Smyrna, Brentwood, Shelbyville, David Lipscomb. Great teams no doubt but the across the board level of play and talent level doesn't compare to FL HS football.

 

Now I am in MS. I have seen NW Rankin, Brandon, Meridian, and NE Lauderdale play over the last few years. I have not seen South Panola University play but they are a legitimate powerhouse. I will attest to that.

 

I do want to say this.....25 years ago when I was in HS in FL.....football was a year round sport. My PE class consisted of backs and receivers and we ran plays and watched game film everyday during PE throughout the school year. Weight lifting was from the end of one season to the start of the next. I understand that is pretty much the regimen now but this was 25 years ago. The level of talent in FL is amazing. Yes, the great schools from other states such as South Panola, Brentwood Academy, Riverdale, Maryville, OakRidge, Hampton, and Jacksonville could be competitive in FL but they would not go unscathed year after year. The talent level is too great in FL for dynasties such as what these schools have created in their respective states.

[big red big blue]

I have seen the great Hampton Crabbers of the late 80's along with Green Run, Bayside, and a few others from the Tidewater area...again no comparison to FL football. HS basketball in NC and VA is GREAT! I had the pleasure of watching J.R. Reid and Alonzo Mourning squaring up in HS ball against each other. Great stuff!

 

This is one of the great underrated high school sports corners of the country. I was in the Navy also and spent time in the Hampton Roads area. The talent level is staggering. This region has produced, in addition to the players you named, Bruce Smith, Allen Iverson (phenomenal 2 sport athlete), Ronald Curry, and, of course, Michael Vick.

 

One of my Navy stops was also San Diego, where I watched Reggie Bush play for Helix HS , and win a CIF Southern Sectional Title over Oceanside in 2002. The San Diego area has, right now, more players on NFL rosters than any major city in the country. Even more staggering is that Reggie Bush will likely be the 3rd Heisman Trophy winning RB to come from SD (Rashan Salaam and Marcus Allen being the other two).

 

I will say that the 1996 BA team could play with any HS team I've ever seen from anywhere in the country. That team had it all: D1 talent, depth, and of course, coaching. It was as good a team as I've ever seen. I believe they finished up #5 in USA Today. The 1999 MBA team would be somewhere in the mix. But the typical "best of TN" is not as good as the "best of San Diego" or "best of Hampton Roads." The number of athletes isn't there year in and year out for the "best of TN"...

 

JMO, of course...