LaVergne at Antioch

[coachsmith81]

Personally, I think Buddy Brown was a weak coach and frankly, he shouldn't have got the job...they should have gave it to assistant coach Scott Smith before they gave it to him..but whatever. Heck, they could've likely had Aydelot in all honesty.

 

Anyways, as for this discussion, Antioch doesn't really have a problem so much right now with anything other than key possessions are young right now. The main key position being quarterback. Terrence Davis has a lot of room to grow and then getting suspended didn't help. I did feel that Pruitt did a good job last week at Hunters Lane considering the circumstances. They also don't have a real sufficient running game right now or the best offensive line.

 

But, they do have a good defense and can make plays. As a AHS alum [96], I expect Antioch to give a fight because of their defense but being realistic, this will be a hard game to win cause Lavergne's got enough on both sides and I think Lavergne is a very seriously underrated team this year.

 

 

 

Jesse let me begin with you comment about Coach Brown. It sounds like you were snubbed somehow buy coach. If that is the case then you have no room to talk. Yes I admit I had questions about some of Coach Brown's methods and play calling but in the long run things worked out. He did the best job he could with the talent available. Look at the 99 and 00 season. 2nd in region 99 and 2nd round playoff team after destroying the high power and highly ranked Brentwood Bruins. 00 they won the region and beat Columbia in the 1st round. That was two of the best seasons in school history. 97 we made the playoffs for the first time ever under Brown. 98 we did not have a great season but we also had very in team that year.

 

As for Scott Smith, he did not come in till my Junior year and he left Greenbrier for the assitant job at Antioch and then we went to Ezell-Harding when that job came open. So know your facts.

 

This group of Antioch Bears are not the same kids as when I was there or even when my brother was there after me. I am not at practice, but from what I see there is not much Senior leadership or key players steping up. You can not make a leader, they must have it in them and have the opportunity to lead. They will get it in the grove and when it happens watch out. GO BEARS!!!!!

 

 

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS RUN THE BALL!!!

[McNine4MVP]

Jesse let me begin with you comment about Coach Brown. It sounds like you were snubbed somehow buy coach. If that is the case then you have no room to talk. Yes I admit I had questions about some of Coach Brown's methods and play calling but in the long run things worked out. He did the best job he could with the talent available. Look at the 99 and 00 season. 2nd in region 99 and 2nd round playoff team after destroying the high power and highly ranked Brentwood Bruins. 00 they won the region and beat Columbia in the 1st round. That was two of the best seasons in school history. 97 we made the playoffs for the first time ever under Brown. 98 we did not have a great season but we also had very in team that year.

 

As for Scott Smith, he did not come in till my Junior year and he left Greenbrier for the assitant job at Antioch and then we went to Ezell-Harding when that job came open. So know your facts.

 

This group of Antioch Bears are not the same kids as when I was there or even when my brother was there after me. I am not at practice, but from what I see there is not much Senior leadership or key players steping up. You can not make a leader, they must have it in them and have the opportunity to lead. They will get it in the grove and when it happens watch out. GO BEARS!!!!!

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS RUN THE BALL!!!

 

 

 

Josh,

 

Scott Smith had a prior tour of duty at Antioch under Terry Anderson, and then Buddy Brown, before he took the Greenbrier job. He was there my freshman year and came back my senior year. He was a candidate for the Antioch job when Anderson left for Overton. That's what Jesse is refering to.

 

Other than that, I agree with everything that you said Josh. I thought Coach Brown did a very good job, considering the circumstances at AHS. And that's not to say that I agreed with everything the guy did, but he had his heart in the right place. Brown did not have the luxury of having support of athletics from the top (the principal at the time was wayyy more interested in her horses than she was high school athletics). He had to take that program over two weeks before a season started and implement his philosophy in no time flat (brilliant Metro for you there). He had to coach a team that was displaced and had to practice 5 miles away at the old facility for a year or two and made it work. He finally gets the program to a playoff run, and his best player tears a knee up in Tullahoma (one of the most heartbreaking moments of my athletic life, because I love J-Dub like a brother). He really had a lot of bad luck, but still left the program in a lot better shape than it was when he got there. You have to give a man credit for that.

 

But it is interesting to hear your opinions Jesse, becasue there is a definite line of guys that liked/disliked coach based on when you were there. I knew some of those older guys because of my cousin and they definitely had a different opinion of BB, probably due to them being coached by Anderson for those years and having the rug pulled out by wanting Scott or Alvin Jones.

 

Then you have the guys that I thought were the most underrated class that ever came through AHS, and that was the last group at the Old AHS, that were seniors when I was a sophomore. That Gilmore (who stepped up his senior year big-time), Crocker (whose nephew, ironically, will probably have a nice game tonight for LaVergne against the Bears), C. Smith (who posts here sometimes...Quack4...could have ruined our chemistry, especially in 95, when all of us, parents, players (even us Freshman), even some other coaches) thought he should have been playing QB, but he had too much class to rock the boat), Anderson (Mr. Loose, who kept Gilmore and Smith getting along, which wasn't happening at all my freshman year (1995-1996), and laughing all season long), Newsom (Mr. Hustle), Charles Key (a good athlete) class was small in numbers, but those guys got us back to respectibility (we lost a couple of absolute heartbreakers that year, LaVergne and Maplewood were two horrible endings). I still say that if we could have redshirted (HAHA!!)Gilmore or C. Smith, we would have been lethal my Junior year, 1998, even though Lankford did a good job for us.

 

That C/O 1998 group, as a whole, might have been the best class to come through AHS. When you look at Jackson (just a physical specimen), Woelk (Who was just Mr. Intensity), Edwards (The best 185lb Center in Metro), Roberts, Tackett (Really gave our team what Newsom did before), Robinson (Got in shape and got much better), McGregor (The most consistent receiver at AHS in years), McMillian (played with a swagger), Tigg (smart player when he matured), Fischer (The smartest guy I ever played with), and the rest of that group, you had some great lunchpail guys and they were great to team with my Junior class of talented misfits, LOL! I learned more from Leon and William every day in practice than you could imagine.

 

Then the 99 group, when Coleman was with us, might have been the fastest team speed class ever with Lunsford, CJ Smith (who was the most underrated player we had at AHS, he was a key player on the 96, 97, and 98 teams),Lankford, Stallworth, Waller (before the knee), but we had too many other things going on, off the field, to be successful.

 

What happened after that is when I graduated, but I could certainly see that DeQuan, Bowen, Blackwell, and that bunch got it going again.

 

Anyways, as you guys can see, I love reminiscing about those days in Lower Antioch. I grew up watching and looking up to those kids and coaches before me. I can remember the 97 group starting the Thursday night Ryan's/Hooters tradition...those were good times and me being a youngster tagging along with the those older cats. I think you are being a little too hard on Coach Brown Jesse. Nobody is going to agree with everything coaches do, but he put in the time and effort, and I know that I was better for playing for him. When you look at the fact that guys that have played for him have done some great things in their lives, I think you can attribute some of that to his style of coaching.

 

With that said, tonight, I wish I could say Antioch, but it just ain't gonna happen. But I really like LaVergne's team this year and look for Crocker, Gray, Patton, Gardener, and Tillery to put up some numbers.

 

LaVergne 31

Antioch 14

[Azaza]

First of all, you're showing some ignorance because I think Antioch has been to the playoffs more times in the last five years than LaVergne and Lebanon have, so your angle that you are working on gets shot to hades before it even starts. This is a program that nine months ago gave the then-defending state champs (a state championship that was coordinated on one side of the ball by Antioch's current head coach) a run for their money in a second round playoff game, so that suggests to me that Mike Woodward and his staff know what they are doing. They are just having a rough go of it right now. You say that these Antioch kids don't pan out, but I know of 6-8 kids who have come out of the Antioch program who are still playing college ball. How many kids at some of those other schools you listed are doing that??

 

Secondly, there are some demographic factors on why Antioch has some struggles. One of which is the fact that the community has changed in a lot of ways in the past 10 years, and not all for the better. And I don't mean that in an ugly way. I graduated in 1999 (second class at the new building) from AHS and the fact remains that that school is totally different than it was in 1995, when I stepped into the facility on Blue Hole Road as a 14 year old. You have a lot of these kids now who come from single parent households who have moved out to Antioch from the inner-city and still have some of that pull from the streets, or they are having to help support a situation financially at home, or both (which you know what that means). A lot of those kids have way more on their minds than playing football. When I was there, a lot of the guys had outstanding parental support coming from home. Now, I'm not so sure.

 

Trust me, Antioch has had some good coaches (Buddy Brown and Mike Woodward are excellent coaches) and Woodward will get it turned around there, I promise you that. He's just at that phase where things may have to get a little worse to get a lot better!!

 

But I think you are being totally unfair in your assessment of Antioch's struggles being a coaching issue.

 

 

Looks like you assume Antioch has been to more playoffs, and you know what happens when you assume. You have made my point. If you can count 6- 8 players still playing college ball why don't they win more? Their conference has been dominated by Sumner County schools along with Hunter Lane in the past 5 years.

 

Secondly don't give me the demographics argument. That is getting old. The coaches may be good, but the facts remain they are unable to get talented kids to compete.

[nrgrizzlies]

Looks like the weather cleared right up, should be a great game.

[JesseWJohnson]

Josh,

 

Scott Smith had a prior tour of duty at Antioch under Terry Anderson, and then Buddy Brown, before he took the Greenbrier job. He was there my freshman year and came back my senior year. He was a candidate for the Antioch job when Anderson left for Overton. That's what Jesse is refering to.

 

Other than that, I agree with everything that you said Josh. I thought Coach Brown did a very good job, considering the circumstances at AHS. And that's not to say that I agreed with everything the guy did, but he had his heart in the right place. Brown did not have the luxury of having support of athletics from the top (the principal at the time was wayyy more interested in her horses than she was high school athletics). He had to take that program over two weeks before a season started and implement his philosophy in no time flat (brilliant Metro for you there). He had to coach a team that was displaced and had to practice 5 miles away at the old facility for a year or two and made it work. He finally gets the program to a playoff run, and his best player tears a knee up in Tullahoma (one of the most heartbreaking moments of my athletic life, because I love J-Dub like a brother). He really had a lot of bad luck, but still left the program in a lot better shape than it was when he got there. You have to give a man credit for that.

 

But it is interesting to hear your opinions Jesse, becasue there is a definite line of guys that liked/disliked coach based on when you were there. I knew some of those older guys because of my cousin and they definitely had a different opinion of BB, probably due to them being coached by Anderson for those years and having the rug pulled out by wanting Scott or Alvin Jones.

 

Then you have the guys that I thought were the most underrated class that ever came through AHS, and that was the last group at the Old AHS, that were seniors when I was a sophomore. That Gilmore (who stepped up his senior year big-time), Crocker (whose nephew, ironically, will probably have a nice game tonight for LaVergne against the Bears), C. Smith (who posts here sometimes...Quack4...could have ruined our chemistry, especially in 95, when all of us, parents, players (even us Freshman), even some other coaches) thought he should have been playing QB, but he had too much class to rock the boat), Anderson (Mr. Loose, who kept Gilmore and Smith getting along, which wasn't happening at all my freshman year (1995-1996), and laughing all season long), Newsom (Mr. Hustle), Charles Key (a good athlete) class was small in numbers, but those guys got us back to respectibility (we lost a couple of absolute heartbreakers that year, LaVergne and Maplewood were two horrible endings). I still say that if we could have redshirted (HAHA!!)Gilmore or C. Smith, we would have been lethal my Junior year, 1998, even though Lankford did a good job for us.

 

That C/O 1998 group, as a whole, might have been the best class to come through AHS. When you look at Jackson (just a physical specimen), Woelk (Who was just Mr. Intensity), Edwards (The best 185lb Center in Metro), Roberts, Tackett (Really gave our team what Newsom did before), Robinson (Got in shape and got much better), McGregor (The most consistent receiver at AHS in years), McMillian (played with a swagger), Tigg (smart player when he matured), Fischer (The smartest guy I ever played with), and the rest of that group, you had some great lunchpail guys and they were great to team with my Junior class of talented misfits, LOL! I learned more from Leon and William every day in practice than you could imagine.

 

Then the 99 group, when Coleman was with us, might have been the fastest team speed class ever with Lunsford, CJ Smith (who was the most underrated player we had at AHS, he was a key player on the 96, 97, and 98 teams),Lankford, Stallworth, Waller (before the knee), but we had too many other things going on, off the field, to be successful.

 

What happened after that is when I graduated, but I could certainly see that DeQuan, Bowen, Blackwell, and that bunch got it going again.

 

Anyways, as you guys can see, I love reminiscing about those days in Lower Antioch. I grew up watching and looking up to those kids and coaches before me. I can remember the 97 group starting the Thursday night Ryan's/Hooters tradition...those were good times and me being a youngster tagging along with the those older cats. I think you are being a little too hard on Coach Brown Jesse. Nobody is going to agree with everything coaches do, but he put in the time and effort, and I know that I was better for playing for him. When you look at the fact that guys that have played for him have done some great things in their lives, I think you can attribute some of that to his style of coaching.

 

With that said, tonight, I wish I could say Antioch, but it just ain't gonna happen. But I really like LaVergne's team this year and look for Crocker, Gray, Patton, Gardener, and Tillery to put up some numbers.

 

LaVergne 31

Antioch 14

 

 

 

Yes McNine, you are correct, I was referring to when Coach Anderson left for Overton, I am a class of 96 graduate. There was a great deal of people who felt Smith or Coach Jones should've gotten the job..and there were people who talked about Aydelot as well. I interviewed Coach Brown three times while I was the sports editor for the paper at AHS. It's nothing personal about him and no, he never snubbed me coachsmith81. Just my opinion that he was a weak choice at the time and I was never impressed with him. Maybe my expectations weren't realistic to some but that's my opinion and will always feel that Antioch couldve done better. But that was also the case of AHS at the time..the administration [as you also pointed out about Anthony] seemed to make a number of weak choices while I was there so it wasn't against the norm.

 

Again, nothing personal against Brown the man, I just feel he was a weak coach for AHS..especially on gameday.

[LHSa08]

Lavergne 25, Antioch 7

[coachsmith81]

Yes McNine, you are correct, I was referring to when Coach Anderson left for Overton, I am a class of 96 graduate. There was a great deal of people who felt Smith or Coach Jones should've gotten the job..and there were people who talked about Aydelot as well. I interviewed Coach Brown three times while I was the sports editor for the paper at AHS. It's nothing personal about him and no, he never snubbed me coachsmith81. Just my opinion that he was a weak choice at the time and I was never impressed with him. Maybe my expectations weren't realistic to some but that's my opinion and will always feel that Antioch couldve done better. But that was also the case of AHS at the time..the administration [as you also pointed out about Anthony] seemed to make a number of weak choices while I was there so it wasn't against the norm.

 

Again, nothing personal against Brown the man, I just feel he was a weak coach for AHS..especially on gameday.

 

 

 

I am sorry if I offended you. I was not aware of the fact SS was there before my time. My first year was the first year in the new school. For those who did not go to the New school after the move when talking about the Sports Nazi Anthony. She lead a movement in metro to get rid of all extra activities in schools. That did not go over well. Would have been nice to get new things like the classes after me. McNine was talking about guys who played in each class. I remember those guys from the 97 and 98 seasons. 97 was the best chace we had till my senior year to make a run in the playoffs if JW was healthy. But that ____________ insert what ever word you want guy from Tullahoma took out his leg in the endzone. 98 I felt so bad for those guys as we could only get 2 wins. My senior year we had great leadership from our whole senior class. Mosley, Albright (Dan), D. Smith ran the line. Rico ran every where. I kept the special teams rolling. We did not really pass much so. A wreck the friday after a 1st round win took our chance of moving on in the playoffs past the 2nd round. But that is neither here nor there.

 

Last night was a low point. But AHS fans never fear it will get better.

[nrgrizzlies]

I was there last night and don't think Antioch should hang their heads at all.

 

Their strategy of a bring the house-blitz everybody on every play was pretty good as LHS would have scored many more times otherwise if Crocker had more time to get set in the pocket or if Tillery had a chance to get going more.

 

Antioch has much work to do on offense, but you can't always be good on both sides of the ball every year.

[Primetime14]

Did anybody hear if McAdoo is alright? He got rocked on one play and had to come out of the game.

[HSsportsfootball]

Did anybody hear if McAdoo is alright? He got rocked on one play and had to come out of the game.

 

 

 

 

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees, Justin Bather hit Mcadoo hard! I think he just got the wind knocked out of him.

[Primetime14]

Oh thats good to hear. Bather has been having a quiet year so far. I wonder if that injury set him back a step or are teams just not throwing his way.

[jackmoreblackson]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees, Justin Bather hit Mcadoo hard! I think he just got the wind knocked out of him.

 

 

 

OH yes.

 

Having to sit on the Antioch side due to lack of space (due to my false understanding of the game kicking-off at 7:30), I couldn't express myself properly.

 

But oh boy, that was a hit.