BGA recruiting?

[utfootball08]

Well, as most people know, Divison II has been reclassified. This affects BGA, in that they are "moving up" to D2AA. They now must compete with teams such as MBA, McCallie, ect. Well the choice was made because other sports (Basketball, Baseball, Soccer) are always championship contenders.

 

Now to the point of the post...

 

It has now become a fairly widespread story of BGA's recent recruiting efforts.At first I didn't believe it because I have always thought of BGA as a school that wins and fights with their students. But people from the Franklin High area, and in Columbia Central's zone as well, have been talking about these trips from BGA coaches to their campuses. This really is sad because the Freshman and Sophomore classes have so much potential and it will be a shame to watch those kids that have stuck it out and are fighters, get pushed to the side by athletes that can't make the grades.

 

BGA won state championships without recruiting, and they still have the kids to do it now.

 

And it is not 100% sure these things are true, but since there are many accounts of these actions, there is a very good chance they are.

 

Any thoughts?

[KWoodroof]

Well, as most people know, Divison II has been reclassified. This affects BGA, in that they are "moving up" to D2AA. They now must compete with teams such as MBA, McCallie, ect. Well the choice was made because other sports (Basketball, Baseball, Soccer) are always championship contenders.

 

Now to the point of the post...

 

It has now become a fairly widespread story of BGA's recent recruiting efforts.At first I didn't believe it because I have always thought of BGA as a school that wins and fights with their students. But people from the Franklin High area, and in Columbia Central's zone as well, have been talking about these trips from BGA coaches to their campuses. This really is sad because the Freshman and Sophomore classes have so much potential and it will be a shame to watch those kids that have stuck it out and are fighters, get pushed to the side by athletes that can't make the grades.

 

BGA won state championships without recruiting, and they still have the kids to do it now.

 

And it is not 100% sure these things are true, but since there are many accounts of these actions, there is a very good chance they are.

 

Any thoughts?

I'm not up there, but it sounds pretty far-fetched. Would BGA's coaches really be so stupid as to engage in an illegal activity on the campus of a school that would be victimized by the recruiting? Further, unless the kids in question change residences, I believe they are ineligible for a year (correct me if I'm wrong).

 

Assuming that recruiting is occurring (and I'm not), at some point you'd have 12-15 year olds in on it. They make really bad co-conspirators, because they brag. Rest assured that if MBA had recruited me, I'd have let everybody in the world know.

 

What does happen is that kids receive financial aid. It's a little more palatable to some parents to say that their son got a football scholarship to a private scholl than it is to say he got need-based financial aid.

 

Sometimes heavy smoke is an indicator that there's not much fire.

Edited October 20, 2006 by KWoodroof

[sportsplayer]

I'm not up there, but it sounds pretty far-fetched. Would BGA's coaches really be so stupid as to engage in an illegal activity on the campus of a school that would be victimized by the recruiting? Further, unless the kids in question change residences, I believe they are ineligible for a year (correct me if I'm wrong).

 

Assuming that recruiting is occurring (and I'm not), at some point you'd have 12-15 year olds in on it. They make really bad co-conspirators, because they brag. Rest assured that if MBA had recruited me, I'd have let everybody in the world know.

 

What does happen is that kids receive financial aid. It's a little more palatable to some parents to say that their son got a football scholarship to a private scholl than it is to say he got need-based financial aid.

 

Sometimes heavy smoke is an indicator that there's not much fire.

That is totally ridiculous!!! Yes, the coaches did go to some of the games the middle schools in Franklin and Columbia played. I was there myself. Whitthorne Middle was undefeated this year. If you were there you would have also seen BA's Flatt along with some other private school coaches watching these games. Is that recruiting???? If so then there are lots and lots of privates doing some major recruiting by attending middle school games. Why can't coaches just go watch some good middle school football games played by 2 strong teams.

 

Columbia Central's program is a total mess with poor coaching and major discipline problems. Quite a few of the middle school 8th grade parents do not want their sons associated with that program so they are looking at all of their options in the area---Zion, Columbia Academy, BGA, and BA for their sons to go elsewhere to play football. I personally know of several that have contacted the schools themselves to get information. The schools did not contact them! In fact there were several 8th graders last year that went to the privates. I think one or two of them is at BGA right now. Yes, I've heard that some Columbia parents were upset these coaches were at the game. I've even heard some of the talk. Apparently these parents don't see any problems at the high school and are proud of the team there. Are they aware that some of the freshman parents are livid about the program and how it is run??? Probably not, but there is talk about trying to get rid of all the Central coaches and getting Bullock from Whitthorne Middle over to the high school to coach. That tells you how bad the high school program is. In fact, go to a game and check out the sideline. It speaks volumes.

 

Tim Johnson is a first class guy and one of the best coaches in the state. He has surrounded himself with top-notch assistants. BGA had an awesome JV team this year which is the future for the school. If a parent has contacted the school interested in a son attending school and playing football----that is not recruiting by the coaches. Academically, BGA is very tough and you have to have a high grade point average to even get in. Once there it is very demanding academically. It takes a very special student athlete to be able to play a sport and keep up in the classroom.

 

I don't think you should be starting a bunch of mess on here about a school that prides itself in high standards. Follow Flatt around and see how much BA recruits then you'll have plenty to talk about. Leave BGA out of it unless you know you have your facts straight.

[sportsplayer]

That is totally ridiculous!!! Yes, the coaches did go to some of the games the middle schools in Franklin and Columbia played. I was there myself. Whitthorne Middle was undefeated this year. If you were there you would have also seen BA's Flatt along with some other private school coaches watching these games. Is that recruiting???? If so then there are lots and lots of privates doing some major recruiting by attending middle school games. Why can't coaches just go watch some good middle school football games played by 2 strong teams.

 

Columbia Central's program is a total mess with poor coaching and major discipline problems. Quite a few of the middle school 8th grade parents do not want their sons associated with that program so they are looking at all of their options in the area---Zion, Columbia Academy, BGA, and BA for their sons to go elsewhere to play football. I personally know of several that have contacted the schools themselves to get information. The schools did not contact them! In fact there were several 8th graders last year that went to the privates. I think one or two of them is at BGA right now. Yes, I've heard that some Columbia parents were upset these coaches were at the game. I've even heard some of the talk. Apparently these parents don't see any problems at the high school and are proud of the team there. Are they aware that some of the freshman parents are livid about the program and how it is run??? Probably not, but there is talk about trying to get rid of all the Central coaches and getting Bullock from Whitthorne Middle over to the high school to coach. That tells you how bad the high school program is. In fact, go to a game and check out the sideline. It speaks volumes.

 

Tim Johnson is a first class guy and one of the best coaches in the state. He has surrounded himself with top-notch assistants. BGA had an awesome JV team this year which is the future for the school. If a parent has contacted the school interested in a son attending school and playing football----that is not recruiting by the coaches. Academically, BGA is very tough and you have to have a high grade point average to even get in. Once there it is very demanding academically. It takes a very special student athlete to be able to play a sport and keep up in the classroom.

 

I don't think you should be starting a bunch of mess on here about a school that prides itself in high standards. Follow Flatt around and see how much BA recruits then you'll have plenty to talk about. Leave BGA out of it unless you know you have your facts straight.

 

And it is not 100% sure these things are true, but since there are many accounts of these actions, there is a very good chance they are.

 

Any thoughts?

[fan6]

"I don't think you should be starting a bunch of mess on here about a school that prides itself in high standards. Follow Flatt around and see how much BA recruits then you'll have plenty to talk about. Leave BGA out of it unless you know you have your facts straight."

 

 

As a supporter of Brentwood Academy, a parent of children who attend (who don't play football), and a believer in the mission of the school, this kind of hypocritical statement drives my crazy. I should be used to it by now -- I should . . . but I'm not. The kicker is the "unless you know you have your facts straight" comment. Sportsplayer -- take a little of your own advice and unless you know you have your facts straight don't bring down another school. I thought you had made some valid points in your post. "If a parent has contacted the school interested in a son attending school and playing football----that is not recruiting by the coaches" -- I totally agree! Like him or not, do you really think Carlton Flatt is stupid enought to drive around the area recruiting students? Do you really think he would need to? If parents and students are contacting BGA and expressing interest in attending (and in playing football) don't you think they might be doing the same at BA? If you really think Flatt is actively recruiting, then I would highly recommend that you do follow him around. Contrary to what appears to be popular belief, that is not what BA is all about. If we are breaking rules then we should be turned in. Interestingly enough, I would think with the number of people that apparenlty don't like Flatt (winning will do that to a guy . . .) someone would have done this already. I'd think that Ronnie Carter would have seen to it that this blatant cheating would have been taken care of.

 

Sorry to jump on this, but if I read one post like this a week I read 20. It's old. It's unfounded. It's ignorant.

 

I don't think you should be starting a bunch of mess on here about a school that prides itself in high standards. Leave BA out of it unless you know you have your facts straight

[sportsplayer]

"I don't think you should be starting a bunch of mess on here about a school that prides itself in high standards. Follow Flatt around and see how much BA recruits then you'll have plenty to talk about. Leave BGA out of it unless you know you have your facts straight."

As a supporter of Brentwood Academy, a parent of children who attend (who don't play football), and a believer in the mission of the school, this kind of hypocritical statement drives my crazy. I should be used to it by now -- I should . . . but I'm not. The kicker is the "unless you know you have your facts straight" comment. Sportsplayer -- take a little of your own advice and unless you know you have your facts straight don't bring down another school. I thought you had made some valid points in your post. "If a parent has contacted the school interested in a son attending school and playing football----that is not recruiting by the coaches" -- I totally agree! Like him or not, do you really think Carlton Flatt is stupid enought to drive around the area recruiting students? Do you really think he would need to? If parents and students are contacting BGA and expressing interest in attending (and in playing football) don't you think they might be doing the same at BA? If you really think Flatt is actively recruiting, then I would highly recommend that you do follow him around. Contrary to what appears to be popular belief, that is not what BA is all about. If we are breaking rules then we should be turned in. Interestingly enough, I would think with the number of people that apparenlty don't like Flatt (winning will do that to a guy . . .) someone would have done this already. I'd think that Ronnie Carter would have seen to it that this blatant cheating would have been taken care of.

 

Sorry to jump on this, but if I read one post like this a week I read 20. It's old. It's unfounded. It's ignorant.

 

I don't think you should be starting a bunch of mess on here about a school that prides itself in high standards. Leave BA out of it unless you know you have your facts straight

[sportsplayer]

"I don't think you should be starting a bunch of mess on here about a school that prides itself in high standards. Follow Flatt around and see how much BA recruits then you'll have plenty to talk about. Leave BGA out of it unless you know you have your facts straight."

As a supporter of Brentwood Academy, a parent of children who attend (who don't play football), and a believer in the mission of the school, this kind of hypocritical statement drives my crazy. I should be used to it by now -- I should . . . but I'm not. The kicker is the "unless you know you have your facts straight" comment. Sportsplayer -- take a little of your own advice and unless you know you have your facts straight don't bring down another school. I thought you had made some valid points in your post. "If a parent has contacted the school interested in a son attending school and playing football----that is not recruiting by the coaches" -- I totally agree! Like him or not, do you really think Carlton Flatt is stupid enought to drive around the area recruiting students? Do you really think he would need to? If parents and students are contacting BGA and expressing interest in attending (and in playing football) don't you think they might be doing the same at BA? If you really think Flatt is actively recruiting, then I would highly recommend that you do follow him around. Contrary to what appears to be popular belief, that is not what BA is all about. If we are breaking rules then we should be turned in. Interestingly enough, I would think with the number of people that apparenlty don't like Flatt (winning will do that to a guy . . .) someone would have done this already. I'd think that Ronnie Carter would have seen to it that this blatant cheating would have been taken care of.

 

Sorry to jump on this, but if I read one post like this a week I read 20. It's old. It's unfounded. It's ignorant.

 

I don't think you should be starting a bunch of mess on here about a school that prides itself in high standards. Leave BA out of it unless you know you have your facts straight

 

 

Fan6---please accept my apology. It was childish on my part. Yes, I've read a lot about BA on here and the accusations of recruiting. Sorry, I was just making a point since he was at the game also. It was a bad way to try to make my point.

[sportsplayer]

I don't know if you have checked out BGA's 6th grade team this year, but B.G.A. stands for BATTLE GROUND ANTIOCH. There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, it is great for those kids and BGA, but makes you look like a hypocritical idiot.

 

Why would I be a hypocritical idiot because kids from Antioch are on the 6th grade team?? They weren't recruited by the coaches. I don't get your point especially when you say there is nothing wrong with this. From what I hear several friends all decided they wanted to go to school there and play football together since they didn't like the middle school they were zoned to. There are like 4 or 5 kids from Columbia on the BGA varsity. Does that make me an idiot also?? When a high school or middle school has a bad program parents start looking elsewhere. That's all I was trying to say.

[fan6]

Fan6---please accept my apology. It was childish on my part. Yes, I've read a lot about BA on here and the accusations of recruiting. Sorry, I was just making a point since he was at the game also. It was a bad way to try to make my point.

 

No problem. Thanks for the post . . .

[House of Troy]

I'm not up there, but it sounds pretty far-fetched. Would BGA's coaches really be so stupid as to engage in an illegal activity on the campus of a school that would be victimized by the recruiting? Further, unless the kids in question change residences, I believe they are ineligible for a year (correct me if I'm wrong).

 

Assuming that recruiting is occurring (and I'm not), at some point you'd have 12-15 year olds in on it. They make really bad co-conspirators, because they brag. Rest assured that if MBA had recruited me, I'd have let everybody in the world know.

 

What does happen is that kids receive financial aid. It's a little more palatable to some parents to say that their son got a football scholarship to a private scholl than it is to say he got need-based financial aid.

 

Sometimes heavy smoke is an indicator that there's not much fire.

TSSAA's rule is that if a player transfers schools without making a physical move they are not eligible for varsity competition for 1 year from last participation. This only applies if a player has established eligibility at a school. It wouldn't apply if a player made the transfer between middle school & high school. The TSSAA doesn't concern itself with where the player lives only if they have already established eligibilty. This rule is to hinder players from transfering from one school to another in schools that have open enrollment. I am not sure how the rule applies to private schools.

[sportsplayer]

You attack Coach Flatt without any evidence and challenge someone to "follow him around". There is just as much evidence that BGA illegally recruited your Antioch players as there is that Coach Flatt illegally recruited any of his players. I am just as suspicious of your Antioch boys as you are of the ones that you think Coach Flatt recruited. I have no evidence, so I will not challenge anyone to follow Coach Johnson around thereby avoiding being a "hypocritical idiot".

 

I was not trying to attack Coach Flatt. I simply was trying to make the point that he and lots of other private school coaches were present at several middle school games I attended. I have lots of respect for the man. In fact, I have a cousin on the team right now. Another cousin of mine played for him in the late 70's so I have been a fan of his for a long time and followed all of his teams. Yes, I've read lots of accusations about him on this board and personally was not trying in any way to attack him. I'm sorry to have offended you, and I've apparently in your world become an idiot for doing so. I was simply trying to make the point that just because a private school coach is at a ballgame watching middle school players it doesn't mean he is recruiting. Coach Flatt goes to lots of middle school games when he has a chance as do the other coaches.

 

I was watching the ballgame when I posted my original message so I didn't give it all the attention that was necessary to get my point across. I'm not accusing Flatt or any other coaches of doing anything wrong. In fact, I was trying to stick up for them. That was the purpose of my post.

[sportsplayer]

Batts-- Apology accepted. No hard feelings. I'm a big fan of the privates---especially BA and BGA. Flatt has been at one or two Whitthorne games since there is a player on the team that has requested info from BA. Awesome football player that has also requested info from BGA from what I've heard. Can't go wrong playing for either team in my book. BA is at the top and Johnson will get BGA back to the top along with them. I stongly support both teams and love to see them be successful.

 

Have a good weekend.