Harpeth Indians

[Dozer]

I don't know who you people have been talking to, but there is a lot of talent on the Harpeth football team. And if you had a coach with the back bone to stand up for himself and his team, then they might win a few games.

 

As for the walk out back in 04, it was NEVER about the head coach. He made it about him. It was ALWAYS about the OC. No one was ever fired. The 27 players who walked of the team were tired of having the very will to even play football stunk right out of them. You had an OC that came in with an agenda, to build a team around his son as quarterback. Every one on the team and in the stand could see this.

They had a teacher from a school in Nashville as OC. A teacher who had worked at 9 different schools in the last 20 years before he came to Harpeth as OC. A coach who had been run off from at least one other program and asked to leave from two others. Just go ask Waverly, their kids walked off when ths guy was there.

 

Hopefully Coach Loope will be able to turn this program around. But I am afraid that it wont happen untill the region is changed.

The current region is a parting gift from the former head coach. So please come out and cheer the boys on it would help them greatly.

[Hoganknows]

Any time that you have kids who collectively walk off a team, to me, that just shows no class at all. If the team was winning, even if the OC had an agenda with his son, what difference does it make. Sounds to me more like jealousy than anything else. To walk off the team as a group like that is a cowardly act and those players should never get to participate in sports at that school again. If there was mistreatment (leading to physical harm) of those players then it might be justified, but all I'm hearing is that the players didn't like the fact that the OC's son was getting to play QB.... Petty..... JMO.

No class is correct Purplegrad The HC showed all the class by supporting his OC and not giving in to the mob agenda. The HC was running the program not the parents...seems to be the other way around now.

[bignasty2]

Hey Hoganblows you are an idiot and everyone else that thinks the parents run the program are also out of the loop! How exactly do parents go ABOVE a head coach and get their son to play? Who is above the head coach that has this authority? The athletics director? The principal? What would these parents going to these people say? "Tell that head coach to play my son or you should fire him" then even if that happened the person with this authority to fire the coach would have to respond "ok your right if your son doesnt play then the coach is gone." Do you realize how dumb this sounds?

 

And as for commitment that starts at the top with the coach and trickles down to the players then parents. If players dont workout or come to practice IMO they shouldnt even be allowed on the team, but the coach still allows them to continue even after not doing this. And you wanna say what do I know about commitment? In eighth grade I weighed a whopping 80 pounds now as a senior I weigh 195 pounds and I am the strongest player on the team, all of which was done through not only summer workouts but also working out in the winter.

 

The goat is dead and buried. No one associated currently with the program talks about or blames the goat incident for the current problems at HHS. So I find it very sad and also hilarious that something that happened 2 years ago is still the main topic of conversation when it comes to this program. You were not there and you do not know what happened or what went on so I would suggest you put it behind you and quit bringing it up.

 

The plain facts are that NOBODY works out, there is NO FORM OF DISCIPLINE whatsoever, and the offensive play calling is horrendous. Could I do any better at calling plays? who knows but I certainly couldn't do much worse seeing as we are 0-5 and have scored a total of 21 points on the season. The best players play! No one is riding the bench because someone else's parents complained. Our team is too shorthanded to have that happen. I play. And I play the position where the coaches put me and I love it so you can't say I'm just ranting because i don't play where i want to.

[ksgovols]

No. People still talk about the goat boys. It's Harpeth's mantle of shame that they will have to wear for a long, long time. Many believe that Harpeth won't get any better until the last class of those that walked off the practice field graduate. This years senior class is the last of that group. That is unfair to the ones that stuck it out. The ones that are condemned by association but showed up every Friday night and took their lumps. The other Harpeth athletes have stayed away in droves because of the bad press and the bad vibes. It wouldn't matter who was the coach.

 

The next hurdle is to get the underclassmen and middle schoolers to build the program back to where it once was. That means that all of the athletes need to be on the football team. That is not the case right now. There are loads of athletes that passed on football. That has to change. X's and O's might win a few games, but generally it comes down to the team with the best athletes. I think Harpeth is accomplishing that goal. Most of the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th grade athletes are playing football. Those classes will be the building blocks for Harpeth's football fortunes down the road.

 

Another hurdle is the region that Harpeth has been placed. It's a tough region, no two ways about it and then you throw in the in county rivals that are playing 3A ball. If the north side weren't divided, they'd be in 5A. Half of 5A is still more than Harpeth's enrollment, but Big Country's point is well taken. It doesn't seem to matter in baseball and basketball. Nashville Christian and FRA were the only 'winnable' games I had marked on my Harpeth schedule this season. This years senior class at Harpeth is also one of its largest of all time. Harpeth will likely be at the lower end of 2A when the next classification takes place rather than in the middle. It seems that Harpeth was thrown under the bus when the regions were picked, but you play the hand that's dealt you.

 

Parent involvement can be a coach's blessing or his worst nightmare. Winning football games is the only solution to that problem. I guarantee there's a ticked off parent at Riverdale who doesn't think their kid is getting enough playing time, but the whining is drowned out by the cheers. Parents are parents. We're drinking the same water in Kingston Springs that they're drinking in Franklin.

[Dozer]

The ONLY reason that the goat incident is their "mantle" ksgovols is due to the fact that morons won't let it go.

as for the boys that walked off, it took commitment to do what they did. They took a stand and stuck with it. How else do you make changes. Change is not always fair and can be ugly. Change can get peoples feelings hurt. But change is inevitable, there is no stopping it and change has and will continue to come to Harpeth. So lets try to kepp the bad mouthing to a minimum and get out and support the team.

[logger169]

What is going on at Harpeth High School with the football team. I heard about the loss Friday nite and did some calling to my homeboys and they tell me the whole program is in shambles.

I am told that the team is out of shape, undisclipined, coaching is mediocre to poor and there is no spirit with the entire school concerning this program.

I know it has been a good program over the last 8-10 years before this year and the last two.

Marshall Winkler had done a good job getting the program going with some great classes of atheletes, but let it go down before he left.

I have heard that the four classes (freshmen-Senior) at Harpeth has more talent than ever but they are not playing football because it is such a joke. I have heard that a few of the starters returning from last year quit because they saw no reason to play without any support from the coaching staff about discipline and responsibility.

There is no accountability with the players, (suspended from school for a week, but still plays on next Fri nite) (player quits for the third or fourth time and is allowed back on the team after taking anger management classes, then cusses out everybody and throws a tantrum after the loss Fri nite) (players don't practice if they don't want to).

This is not the same Harpeth that won Region championships in the late 90's and early 2000's.

Does everybody need to tell someone over there that they are the laughing stock of Cheatham County. It is a shame with so many athletes at that school.

Anybody else got any ideas about what is going on?

CAN YOU SAY COACH IF SO GET ONE

[Dozer]

Any time that you have kids who collectively walk off a team, to me, that just shows no class at all. If the team was winning, even if the OC had an agenda with his son, what difference does it make. Sounds to me more like jealousy than anything else. To walk off the team as a group like that is a cowardly act and those players should never get to participate in sports at that school again. If there was mistreatment (leading to physical harm) of those players then it might be justified, but all I'm hearing is that the players didn't like the fact that the OC's son was getting to play QB.... Petty..... JMO.

 

You don't here very well then purplegrad. the coach making his son QB was only a very small part of the reson for the walk out. Obviouly you did not read the rest of my post. The OC was a drifter of a teacher and coach. WHO HAD BEEN RUN OFF FROM THREE OTHER PROGRAMS. He also was coaching a Hillwood where he teachd, they even fired him as a coah before he came to Harpeth. So please, unless you lived it, you have no right to judge the boys, they did what they thought was the right thing to do, to save the program, if not for themselves, then for the boys coming up behind them.

 

Please get all the facts before you jerks run your mouths.

 

Any time that you have kids who collectively walk off a team, to me, that just shows no class at all. If the team was winning, even if the OC had an agenda with his son, what difference does it make. Sounds to me more like jealousy than anything else. To walk off the team as a group like that is a cowardly act and those players should never get to participate in sports at that school again. If there was mistreatment (leading to physical harm) of those players then it might be justified, but all I'm hearing is that the players didn't like the fact that the OC's son was getting to play QB.... Petty..... JMO.

 

You don't here very well then purplegrad. the coach making his son QB was only a very small part of the reson for the walk out. Obviouly you did not read the rest of my post. The OC was a drifter of a teacher and coach. WHO HAD BEEN RUN OFF FROM THREE OTHER PROGRAMS. He also was coaching a Hillwood where he teachd, they even fired him as a coah before he came to Harpeth. So please, unless you lived it, you have no right to judge the boys, they did what they thought was the right thing to do, to save the program, if not for themselves, then for the boys coming up behind them.

 

Please get all the facts before you jerks run your mouths.

 

Language

Edited September 23, 2006 by robjim

[ksgovols]

The ONLY reason that the goat incident is their "mantle" ksgovols is due to the fact that morons won't let it go.

as for the boys that walked off, it took commitment to do what they did. They took a stand and stuck with it. How else do you make changes. Change is not always fair and can be ugly. Change can get peoples feelings hurt. But change is inevitable, there is no stopping it and change has and will continue to come to Harpeth. So lets try to kepp the bad mouthing to a minimum and get out and support the team.

 

 

I agree that kids make choices and then they live with them. Right or wrong. I don't see where the program was improved at all by their actions. Quite the contrary, but you are correct. Change is inevitable. Kids graduate and coaches come and go, but the program should be above any one individual or group of individuals. I'm a Harpeth supporter and I haven't missed a home game since way before the goat incident and make quite a few away games. But I don't think too many longtime fans are going to just forget the last few years. Good luck the rest of the season Indians.

[Hoganknows]

I agree that kids make choices and then they live with them. Right or wrong. I don't see where the program was improved at all by their actions. Quite the contrary, but you are correct. Change is inevitable. Kids graduate and coaches come and go, but the program should be above any one individual or group of individuals. I'm a Harpeth supporter and I haven't missed a home game since way before the goat incident and make quite a few away games. But I don't think too many longtime fans are going to just forget the last few years. Good luck the rest of the season Indians.

Good luck to the Indians.... good chance to win with FRA at Home this week

[URSUS]

Seems to me that you are just fooling yourself if you think that those players involved in the goat incident will ever been seen in a good light. I have never heard anyone say that they did the right thing. I am willing to bet that the only people who speak up in favor of those players who walked out are the players that did it and their parents. You can keep making excuses and saying you were right but when I saw Harpeth play in the late 90's and 00,01 they were good and since those players left and this player revolt happened they are terrible. I am sure thaat there are some good kids in that program but that program was tainted by some people that did some very bad things. I have heard 3 people say that when this years senior class graduates that program might get better. I know some of those seniors are probably good players but it sounds like some of them will not be missed. Its hard for a community to support kids like that and kids that apparently lack discipline and do not work out. I don't think that would ever happen in west tennessee.

[bignasty2]

like i said before KSGOVOLS nobody ASSOCIATED with the program still talks about it. You prove my point for me by bringing it up because you or your son are no longer in any way involved in harpeths football program. if I remember right your son quit after his junior year. so actually you cant genuinly know if its a common topic of conversation around the team. and the junior class of this year will be the last ones of "the goat incident" to leave not these seniors. and the senior class of this year has what 8 or 9 players? how is that in anyway one of the largest of all time? when i was a freshman there were close to 20 seniors. so before you go running your mouth you might want to make sure your running it about something you know of.

[melton]

Hey Hoganblows you are an idiot and everyone else that thinks the parents run the program are also out of the loop! How exactly do parents go ABOVE a head coach and get their son to play? Who is above the head coach that has this authority? The athletics director? The principal? What would these parents going to these people say? "Tell that head coach to play my son or you should fire him" then even if that happened the person with this authority to fire the coach would have to respond "ok your right if your son doesnt play then the coach is gone." Do you realize how dumb this sounds?

 

And as for commitment that starts at the top with the coach and trickles down to the players then parents. If players dont workout or come to practice IMO they shouldnt even be allowed on the team, but the coach still allows them to continue even after not doing this. And you wanna say what do I know about commitment? In eighth grade I weighed a whopping 80 pounds now as a senior I weigh 195 pounds and I am the strongest player on the team, all of which was done through not only summer workouts but also working out in the winter.

 

The goat is dead and buried. No one associated currently with the program talks about or blames the goat incident for the current problems at HHS. So I find it very sad and also hilarious that something that happened 2 years ago is still the main topic of conversation when it comes to this program. You were not there and you do not know what happened or what went on so I would suggest you put it behind you and quit bringing it up.

 

The plain facts are that NOBODY works out, there is NO FORM OF DISCIPLINE whatsoever, and the offensive play calling is horrendous. Could I do any better at calling plays? who knows but I certainly couldn't do much worse seeing as we are 0-5 and have scored a total of 21 points on the season. The best players play! No one is riding the bench because someone else's parents complained. Our team is too shorthanded to have that happen. I play. And I play the position where the coaches put me and I love it so you can't say I'm just ranting because i don't play where i want to.

 

I know I'm new on here, but a word of advice...it's probably not a good idea to call people "idiots" on here.

Edited September 23, 2006 by melton