Class 3A: Region 4 Favorites

[CoachT]

This week we'll vote on the Class AAA favorites in each region

[timbdp]

playoff teams will be

wh

pc

sycamore

macon co

[Big Country]

1.) Pearl Cohn

2.) White House

3.) Station Camp

4.) Sycamore

5.) Greenbrier

6.) DeKalb Co.

7.) Macon Co.

[muffin]

Station Camp.

[reaction]

White House

[TheBrooklynBrawler]

pearl-cohn

[BassMagnet]

1. White House - Reloaded and matured and well coached and STRONG

2. PC - Athletic as always, will under-achieve - won't make it to 3rd round this year with championship caliber players-not coaches

3. Greenbrier - Always tough and well coached under Williams

4. Macon County - Average....just average

5. Sycamore - Decent to good talent, but will under-achieve and miss play-offs for 3 of 4 years under Halstead

6. Station Camp - Too many holes to fill from last year

7. Dekalb - -----------

[Big Country]

1. White House - Reloaded and matured and well coached and STRONG

2. PC - Athletic as always, will under-achieve - won't make it to 3rd round this year with championship caliber players-not coaches

3. Greenbrier - Always tough and well coached under Williams

4. Macon County - Average....just average

5. Sycamore - Decent to good talent, but will under-achieve and miss play-offs for 3 of 4 years under Halstead

6. Station Camp - Too many holes to fill from last year

7. Dekalb - -----------

 

 

I'll respect your opinion as far as your picks go but some of these listed reasons behind the picks are just too funny. It is your opinion however so with that in mind here is how I view these teams:

 

Station Camp has a few holes to fill up front however they are a team that returns many key players from last year's 10-2 team. Jacob Barker, Matthew Johnson, Christian Reed, Spencer Tope, Richard Bailey, & L'Darius Moore are all players that played a huge role in the success of the Bison last fall. I would be shocked if Station Camp finishes near the bottom in this region.

 

Pearl Cohn's current coaching staff has been in place for 1 YEAR!!!! In that lone season the Firebirds reached the semifinals of the state playoffs and in a one month period of time during the run last season PC beat Station Camp, Polk Co., White House, & Sycamore. I am sure that they didn't just "luck up" and win all of those games by accident last year. There are a lot of coaches that you may consider to be "good" who would have wanted to enjoy that kind of success in their first seasons. The Firebirds have some rebuilding to do after losing Mason, Gupton, & Gordon (not to mention a ton of linemen) if they want to repeat as region champs and get back into position to make a run at the Blue Cross Bowl.

 

White House returns a bunch of key players from last year but you can't possibly convince me that your reason for picking them is not biased. The Blue Devils return 3 STARTERS on the offensive side of the football. Townsend is gone, West is gone, & Allen is likely going to miss the entire season due to injury. Mayhew is gone & Moore is gone. White House will without question be one of the four playoff teams in this region. THEY MAY IN FACT WIN REGION 4-3A IN 2007!!! The only beef that I have is that the Blue Devils do have some rebuilding to do.

 

Sycamore will not miss the playoffs behind a team that gets in because in your opinion they'll be "average....just average". If they do miss the playoffs it will be the third time in four years that they have done so HOWEVER that my friend is a big "IF". The War Eagles return a ton up front to a defense that was stellar in the late run of success in 2006. Tucker, Johnson, Lane, & Stansburry are all back in the interior of that defensive front. Pope, Ivey, & Brown are also all returning. Carrigan & Morris are capable of handling the rushing duties on offense and if Simms gives them anywhere near the production that they got from Garza & Lohin in past years then LOOK OUT!!!

 

I do like your Greenbrier pick (or at least your reasoning). The Bobcats are always tough under Kirk Williams and that wil continue to be the case this upcoming season. Seay is back, Dickerson is back, Pinkleton is back, Grogan is back, etc. Greenbrier was young last year and as anyone that has played young on Friday nights will tell ya THEY EXPERIENCED GROWING PAINS!!!! Look at the close defeats Greenbrier had against Macon Co., Sycamore, & White House. The Bobcats were nearly a playoff team last season when you look at the point differential in those losses. One year older and one year stronger in the weight room and who knows?????? Greenbrier could easily be a playoff team in this region.

 

I PERSONALLY DO NOT SEE ANY WAY THAT MACON CO. OR DEKALB CO. CAN GET TO THE POSTSEASON!!!! Macon Co. lost entirely too much from last year's bunch and if it is true that they are changing the offense from a spread attack to a wing-T then it will take some time and they will endure some growing pains early. The first two region games being against Pearl Cohn & White House do not look good. DeKalb Co. improved last year though the results do not show it. Cripps is a decent football player at running back and Poteete is a tough gritty player that can help the Tigers out on Friday nights. With this still I believe DeKalb Co. to be one more year away from challenging the top teams in this region for postseason play.

[BassMagnet]

Opinions? That's why we play the game.

 

PC coaching staff won last year based on tons of talent, played in an average region, and matched with a very down region from east TN. And as far as coaches winning in their 1st year? Look no further than Larry Coker and the University of Miami. What has he done since winning the nat'l championship his 1st year, where his he now, and how did he leave the image of Miami?

 

White House? No, I'm not biased at all. I simply think they have one of the premier coaching staffs in the state of TN and will get it done behind some verey strong, physical players.

 

Did Halstead make the playoffs at Sycamore Garza's (and Polk and McCain and Booker and Moore and all the talent they had) senior year? Nope. Goes to prove they were undercoached...and didn't they lose to Montgomery Central and a 2nd year program Creekwood that year? Mark my word, Sycamore will not make the playoffs this year.

 

Macon will surprise some folks this year!

 

Dekalb? I agree with you.

 

Greenbrier will make a valient run at the region title this year....but fall short.....and win a first round game...at least.

 

Station Camp will lose to PC, Greenbrier, WH, Macon, and play a close game with Sycamore that could really go either way.

[Big Country]

Opinions? That's why we play the game.

 

PC coaching staff won last year based on tons of talent, played in an average region, and matched with a very down region from east TN. And as far as coaches winning in their 1st year? Look no further than Larry Coker and the University of Miami. What has he done since winning the nat'l championship his 1st year, where his he now, and how did he leave the image of Miami?

 

White House? No, I'm not biased at all. I simply think they have one of the premier coaching staffs in the state of TN and will get it done behind some verey strong, physical players.

 

Did Halstead make the playoffs at Sycamore Garza's (and Polk and McCain and Booker and Moore and all the talent they had) senior year? Nope. Goes to prove they were undercoached...and didn't they lose to Montgomery Central and a 2nd year program Creekwood that year? Mark my word, Sycamore will not make the playoffs this year.

 

Macon will surprise some folks this year!

 

Dekalb? I agree with you.

 

Greenbrier will make a valient run at the region title this year....but fall short.....and win a first round game...at least.

 

Station Camp will lose to PC, Greenbrier, WH, Macon, and play a close game with Sycamore that could really go either way.

 

 

Montgomery Central that year beat a region championship team in Fairview & Creek Wood that year won at Cheatham Co. Both Cheatham Co. & Fairview that year were 2nd Round Playoff Teams that lost to Huntingdon & Camden respectively. Both of those teams were very solid but only one went to the playoffs and it was Montgomery Central by virtue of their win against Creek Wood. The region that year was loaded with Greenbrier (state runner-up) & both Marshall Co. and Page being the other three playoff teams. There were easily 6 TEAMS IN THAT REGION DURING THAT SEASON that had playoff caliber talent.

 

Sycamore that year had injury issues all season long (McCain, Doubler, & Lohin all being injured at different parts throughout the season). Garza got hurt and had to leave the game against Page (concussion) & Giles Co. (shoulder). If you'll look at that schedule again you'd see that when Sycamore was FINALLY healthy at the end of the season in 2004 they were playing excellent football. The results of the two games against Cheatham Co. & Marshall Co. (both second round playoff teams that year) prove my point. Injury issues at the wrong times throughout that season did the War Eagles in as far as the playoffs are related.

[BassMagnet]

Montgomery Central that year beat a region championship team in Fairview & Creek Wood that year won at Cheatham Co. Both Cheatham Co. & Fairview that year were 2nd Round Playoff Teams that lost to Huntingdon & Camden respectively. Both of those teams were very solid but only one went to the playoffs and it was Montgomery Central by virtue of their win against Creek Wood. The region that year was loaded with Greenbrier (state runner-up) & both Marshall Co. and Page being the other three playoff teams. There were easily 6 TEAMS IN THAT REGION DURING THAT SEASON that had playoff caliber talent.

 

Sycamore that year had injury issues all season long (McCain, Doubler, & Lohin all being injured at different parts throughout the season). Garza got hurt and had to leave the game against Page (concussion) & Giles Co. (shoulder). If you'll look at that schedule again you'd see that when Sycamore was FINALLY healthy at the end of the season in 2004 they were playing excellent football. The results of the two games against Cheatham Co. & Marshall Co. (both second round playoff teams that year) prove my point. Injury issues at the wrong times throughout that season did the War Eagles in as far as the playoffs are related.

 

 

Both Fairview and Cheatham County were 2A teams. Therefore you're point is weak. And throw out the fact of rivalry games between Cheatham County and Sycamore. Yes Sycamore beat Cheatham that year when Cheatham was heavily favored, BUT wasn't Sycamore heavily favored the year before that and Cheatham ran all over them? Garza was also injured his jr year with a concussion in the Greenbrier game and missed the next week. And when they played Marshall County (who beat a highly over-rated Lexington team in the 1st round before getting shalacked at Greenbrier the following week) in week 10, why in the world did Marshall County get so ultra conservative after they got a 13 point lead in the 2nd half? Answer: Their coaching staff was disfunctional and ultimately gave the game to Sycamore by arguing wayyyyyy too much and losing focus. Proof was in the following weeks that Mac was fired and Tharp left the state. And Giles County, whom Sycamore beat in week 9, was a bottom feeder that year too, which also weakens your point. So the final 3 games Sycamore won that year was 2A Cheatham County, bottom-feeding Giles County, and a disarrayed Marshall County team. Doesn't sound like murder's row to me.

 

I wouldnt call that region loaded just because Greenbrier finished 2nd in the state. Every region sends 4 teams to the play-offs. A team could possibly win 2 or 3 games to get in. You do not have to be a good team to make the play-offs. Half of the state makes the play-offs! Probably more than half the state at that with 8 classifications! A loaded region might be Ausin East, Fulton, Knox Cathoilic and gang from east TN. ALSO how many times has Marshall County choked in the play-offs?

[Big Country]

ALSO how many times has Marshall County choked in the play-offs?

 

 

Twice. In 2000 they were unbeaten and one of the best teams in 3A and lost in the quarterfinals to Jackson South Side 7-6. In 2002 they were nearly perfect heading into the quarterfinals and they lost to Crockett Co. (45-0 I believe).

 

Those are the only two times in which I would say that they "choked" under the pressure of being the favorites. In 2001 the Tigers won the region championship but they were far from being considered the best team in 3A that season as JSS proved in the opening round of the playoffs. In 2003, 2004, & 2005 the Tigers were athletic and had talent but those teams were not nearly good enough to be considered "powerhouses".

 

BTW, the Cheatham Co. Cubs were a pretty darn good Class 2A football team in 2004. For someone to say that they were weak based on their classification alone is crazy. That same team (with the significant exceptions being Langley & Stokes) returned in 2005 at the Class 3A level and crushed pretty much everyone that they played outside of David Lipscomb (and Creek Wood though they did play awful in that loss).