Father Ryan vs. Hillwood

[realredpride]

Ok a friend of mine plays for father ryan, and i play for Hillwood. We talk our talk on whos gonna win in our season opener on Aug. 17. I was courious as to what everyone else thought on whos going to win this one.

 

 

Are you sure this is the correct date? I thought we, Henry County, scrimmaged Father Ryan on that night. Isn't August 24th zero week and the first week you can play an actual game?

[hilltopper12]

Are you sure this is the correct date? I thought we, Henry County, scrimmaged Father Ryan on that night. Isn't August 24th zero week and the first week you can play an actual game?

 

 

 

You could be right.

[KWoodroof]

How many more victories have they achieved against the original "Super 7" teams? I am quite confident that D2AAA is a much different animal than the AAA region that Oak Ridge was in. Do the people at Father Ryan understand what it takes to win in D2AAA or do they even care? It seems as if the administration is happy if they simply field a team. From down here in sunny South Florida is looks as if the attitudes of the people that are in charge of making the decisions have sure changed at Father Ryan since Louis Catiginani, Boots Donnley, Bill Derrick, Tommy Bateman, Tom Fiveash & Kurt Page were roaming the sidelines as the head football coach of the Irish. Has the Father Ryan football program ever been down for this long in the history of the program? What changes need to me made to right the sinking ship?

 

I can't recall as a long a period as this, and I started following NIL football in 1968.

 

And I'm not sure where you are in "sunny South Florida", but Sunrise has been awfully rainy...

[cbg]

I can't recall as a long a period as this, and I started following NIL football in 1968.

 

And I'm not sure where you are in "sunny South Florida", but Sunrise has been awfully rainy...

 

 

I don't have the stats, but I don't remember them ever being down for this long. Someone isn't doing what it takes to be successful and it could be that a loosing attitude has taken over the program and the alumni, adminstration, students, parents, etc... have accepted being a bottom feeder.

 

You tell me what is the problem?

 

Florida City, FL Yes, there have been several thunderstorms recently.

[KWoodroof]

I don't have the stats, but I don't remember them ever being down for this long. Someone isn't doing what it takes to be successful and it could be that a loosing attitude has taken over the program and the alumni, adminstration, students, parents, etc... have accepted being a bottom feeder.

 

You tell me what is the problem?

 

Florida City, FL Yes, there have been several thunderstorms recently.

 

"Problem" is a matter of perspective. I'm an MBA alum, so I'm positively delighted with the situation at Ryan.

 

It seems to me that this "down cycle" has lasted much longer than what one could attribute to the normal ups and downs that most programs have over a period of years. I don't know what sort of effect the opening of PJII had on Ryan's population. Offhand, the location of PJII would suggest that its natural draw would be kids form St. Joseph, and the Hendersonville-Gallatin area. Still, if PJII is perceived as a better school (And I know very little about the academics/atmosphere/intangibles of the two schools), families may be willing to make the drive. There certainly is a much greater choice among private schools now, than say in the '70's, when the choice was MBA, Ryan, BGA, or some A school in the boonies called Brentwood Academy. It's probably a combination of all of it, coupled with the fact that "nothing fails like failure" (the lesser known corollary to "Nothing succeeds like success").

[hilltopper12]

Any word on whos goin to be Coach P.'s assistants at hillwood. Right now theres only coach Overton and Darnell.

[utfootball08]

Ryan by ALOT

[fiftyfifty]

How many more victories have they achieved against the original "Super 7" teams? I am quite confident that D2AAA is a much different animal than the AAA region that Oak Ridge was in. Do the people at Father Ryan understand what it takes to win in D2AAA or do they even care? It seems as if the administration is happy if they simply field a team. From down here in sunny South Florida is looks as if the attitudes of the people that are in charge of making the decisions have sure changed at Father Ryan since Louis Catiginani, Boots Donnley, Bill Derrick, Tommy Bateman, Tom Fiveash & Kurt Page were roaming the sidelines as the head football coach of the Irish. Has the Father Ryan football program ever been down for this long in the history of the program? What changes need to me made to right the sinking ship?

 

To attempt to answer some of your questions, yes, Father Ryan has had several down years in a row before depending how far back you would care to look at. The difference between Father Ryan and other like programs presently are this. Other programs have two or three superior athletes every year, Ryan does not. The Irish have a fine coach, work hard, and are as dedicated as any program in the state. But Father Ryan in the last ten to fifteen years have not really worked and got the two or three superior athletes that is needed to compete against schools that are more than willing to make that effort. For several years, Father Ryan was barely represented at the parochial football games. The JPII coach has set up a tent there since being named the coach. Is that the primary reason he got Golden Tate, maybe not, but he got him. There have been some MBA championship teams in the past that had as many as four or five starters from the parochial league. Why is this? I don't have the answer, but it is a probably a combination of many factors. I have heard, (just rumor) that some administrations or school board administrators in the past became concerned that Father Ryan was being perceived as a jock school and decided to focus more on education. I can't prove that, but some faculty have stated this to me in the past. Actually its the girls who have won multiple state championships the last few years in several sports. There will be seasons in the future where the parochial feeder schools for Ryan will be enough to field an outstanding team, but not too many years. Its just not enough talent coming in on a consistent basis to compete every year in DIV II at this day and time. If you just sit back and don't attempt to attract some top athletes, then due to size of school, who you are competing against in DIV II, your success will be limited as to number of wins most years. Of course a program can be successful in effort and sportsmanship regardless of wins or losses. This seems to be satisfactory in the recent past for Father Ryan as far as some of the good people that control school policy.

[cbg]

To attempt to answer some of your questions, yes, Father Ryan has had several down years in a row before depending how far back you would care to look at. The difference between Father Ryan and other like programs presently are this. Other programs have two or three superior athletes every year, Ryan does not. The Irish have a fine coach, work hard, and are as dedicated as any program in the state. But Father Ryan in the last ten to fifteen years have not really worked and got the two or three superior athletes that is needed to compete against schools that are more than willing to make that effort. For several years, Father Ryan was barely represented at the parochial football games. The JPII coach has set up a tent there since being named the coach. Is that the primary reason he got Golden Tate, maybe not, but he got him. There have been some MBA championship teams in the past that had as many as four or five starters from the parochial league. Why is this? I don't have the answer, but it is a probably a combination of many factors. I have heard, (just rumor) that some administrations or school board administrators in the past became concerned that Father Ryan was being perceived as a jock school and decided to focus more on education. I can't prove that, but some faculty have stated this to me in the past. Actually its the girls who have won multiple state championships the last few years in several sports. There will be seasons in the future where the parochial feeder schools for Ryan will be enough to field an outstanding team, but not too many years. Its just not enough talent coming in on a consistent basis to compete every year in DIV II at this day and time. If you just sit back and don't attempt to attract some top athletes, then due to size of school, who you are competing against in DIV II, your success will be limited as to number of wins most years. Of course a program can be successful in effort and sportsmanship regardless of wins or losses. This seems to be satisfactory in the recent past for Father Ryan as far as some of the good people that control school policy.

 

 

Are you saying the following:

1. Some board members and administrators have little concern with winning in athletics and feel that having a team is good enough?

 

2. Board members, coaching staffs and the administration does not want to encourage athletes to attend Father Ryan?

 

3. Montgomery Bell Academy and other private schools have convinced some of the better athletes from the parochial league to forgoe Catholic education and attend MBA? What does the Bishop have to say about this major problem?

 

4. The Pope John Paul II football coaches are attending parochial league games and working to get the players to attend JPII while the Father Ryan coaches are busy doing something else?

 

5. The parochial league is not nearly as strong as it once was?

 

If all of this is true then it will take some major changes for Father Ryan to ever be able to compete in D2AAA.

 

I do have three (3) additional questions for you:

 

1. Why do they win big in freshmen football but they loose big on the varsity level? Are they not being developed?

 

2. How can the wrestling team win big with the same athletes that football seems to loose with?

 

3. How are the girls making it work? Are they not drawing from the same athletic talent pool as the boys?

[fiftyfifty]

Are you saying the following:

1. Some board members and administrators have little concern with winning in athletics and feel that having a team is good enough?

 

2. Board members, coaching staffs and the administration does not want to encourage athletes to attend Father Ryan?

 

3. Montgomery Bell Academy and other private schools have convinced some of the better athletes from the parochial league to forgoe Catholic education and attend MBA? What does the Bishop have to say about this major problem?

 

4. The Pope John Paul II football coaches are attending parochial league games and working to get the players to attend JPII while the Father Ryan coaches are busy doing something else?

 

5. The parochial league is not nearly as strong as it once was?

 

If all of this is true then it will take some major changes for Father Ryan to ever be able to compete in D2AAA.

 

I do have three (3) additional questions for you:

 

1. Why do they win big in freshmen football but they loose big on the varsity level? Are they not being developed?

 

2. How can the wrestling team win big with the same athletes that football seems to loose with?

 

3. How are the girls making it work? Are they not drawing from the same athletic talent pool as the boys?

I would say that with some board members athletics is second fiddle to academics. The current head coach has become much more visible at parochial games than lets say the past couple of coaches. I believe that MBA, and Ensworth do not have to do that much convincing at the present time to persuade a Catholic athlete to attend their schools. I don't know that the athlete or their parents look at it as forgoing their Catholic education. JPII coaches have from the onset shown a strong presence at the parochial games, as well as in some manner approaching athletes in Sumner County, and Robertson County. I know this from infomation from the athletes parents who told me this personally. Whether its alumni, coaches or whatever, I am not sure. Take Golden Tate for example, what exactly persuaded him to attend JPII. When you know the answer to that question, perhaps this will explain the difference between steps taken by the two schools to persuade a great athlete to come to their school. I believe that the parochial league is about as strong as it once was, but there are two Catholic schools competing for the talent there. As to why the freshman football seems to win most of their games and it doesn't carry on to varisty, I don't know. Perhaps this will change as the new coach has a little more time under his belt. As for the girls, since the opening of JPII, Father Ryan has and continues to get the majority of the talent in basketball, volleyball, softball from the parochial league. JPII's main feeder is St. Joseph who do fair in the parochial except for a couple of special years. Holy Rosary and St. Henry's programs are traditional powerhouses, with St. Edwards not far behind. Also St. Matthew's will soon be a powerhouse in the parochial league and Father Ryan should get the great majority of all this talent. Logistics figure heavily in with these schools. The girls continue to bring in a wealth of talent in several sports as this coming fall will illustrate. Lastly, I believe that major changes need to be made, not necessarily to the present coaching situation in football, but the general atitude of the entire Ryan board, faculty, and staff in order to consistently compete in the most powerful division in the State of Tennessee. I do not believe that the present Ryan way of "we get what we get" will lead to football success on a regular basis. This upcoming season will tell alot in the sport of football as to how an excellant coach can change a program that was for several years mired in medocrity. PS. I am pretty sure that the Bishop is not directly involved in sports policy at either JPII or Father Ryan. He has a myriad of other duties. As to the comparison of wrestling and football, I don't know the answer to that except to say that a 115 pound student can become a state champion in wrestling, but not in football. That is part of the reason in answer to your question.

[KWoodroof]

I would say that with some board members athletics is second fiddle to academics.

 

What a deplorable thought! How can this ever be justified?

[fiftyfifty]

What a deplorable thought! How can this ever be justified?

 

I totally agree that academics come first. But to stay competitive in football in Div II, you must make a like effort to your competition. If you don't most of the time you will be in the middle or toward the bottom of the pack. Academics do not have to suffer in order to be competitive in football. Just take a look around at BA,MBA, Memphis University School, Christian Brothers, Baylor, McCallie, they all have excellant academics and great football teams.