Best Portland team ever

[crazyredneck]

Which team was the best Portland team? Some would argue that the best Portland team wasnt the championship team. I think the 95-96 team would have a good argument myself. Portland posters, where are you?

[danwastheman]

I would say the 95 team was the best team I personally ever saw at P-Town. I'm not saying it was THE best team. On the offensive side you had a lightning fast quarterback (Taylor) who could throw the ball pretty good along with Hodges, Schmidt, and Rippy as the running back trio. On the defensive side we had a dominating linebacker duo with Jackson and Daughtry. They layed bone crushing hits. The defensive line was as always undersized but lightning fast.

 

The 94 team was probably the most memorable "Cinderella" team. After a lack luster 6-5 93 season, expectations were not so high for 94. The win over White House to begin our season in 94 set the pace for the rest of the season. It was clear after the state championship game against Marion Co. that we were winning games with a lot of heart and determination during that season. It was fun nonetheless and we were able to witness athleticism at its' best in the Clinic Bowl...Eric Westmoreland. Simply amazing!

 

I was in the military during the 99 and 00 campaigns. So, I wasn't able to watch any of the games during that time. I do remember reading about the games and seeing the scores. It appeared as though they dominated most teams they played, excluding Milan 99 and that was a close one.

 

Don't forget about the teams from the 80's. The competition was tough with only three classifications...can you imagine. I think the 81 team finished with a strong 10-2 season, not positive. They were put out by Brentwood Academy in an early round of the playoffs. That team could possibly be a contender for the best when you take into consideration there were only three classifications. Had the state been divided into seven classifications, they likely would have dominated one.

 

Portland football will always be fun to reminisce about. I hope to catch a game soon. It has been years since I've watched a game in P-Town. It is a great program with many colorful stories to tell about seasons past that you don't always see reflected in the historical scores. I'm sure an entire book can be written about summers in Nacome. If you've ever been there you know what I mean. I hope a history of Portland football paperback is published again, similar to the one put out in the early nineties. Teams always go through hard times and losing seasons. It's inevitable. Portland will return to dominance. An exceptional football program must be built, not assimilated to a previous mold. Portland football is truly being rebuilt and redefined. I believe a good man has started that tedious process. Hang in there coach.

 

Dan

[Big Country]

The 2000 team that crushed Covington 47-0 in the Blue Cross Bowl.

[Footballfan15]

What has happen to portland since coach Perry left and what does the community think?

[crazyredneck]

What has happen to portland since coach Perry left and what does the community think?

 

Some of us realized that his brand of football is what it takes to win championships. The discipline that he enforced was nessesary in order to get to a state championship calliber team status. Others will never change there minds about how they think a football coach should act. This, I fear is what could keep portland down in years to come.

[MJB]

Some of us realized that his brand of football is what it takes to win championships. The discipline that he enforced was nessesary in order to get to a state championship calliber team status. Others will never change there minds about how they think a football coach should act. This, I fear is what could keep portland down in years to come.

 

 

We love coach Perry at MJ. He is hard, but he is good. He is making men out of our boys. The team is realizing all of the hard work is paying off and they respect him for that.

 

I just hope that we can go to state with him like Portland did.

[bellgo]

I would say the 95 team was the best team I personally ever saw at P-Town. I'm not saying it was THE best team. On the offensive side you had a lightning fast quarterback (Taylor) who could throw the ball pretty good along with Hodges, Schmidt, and Rippy as the running back trio. On the defensive side we had a dominating linebacker duo with Jackson and Daughtry. They layed bone crushing hits. The defensive line was as always undersized but lightning fast.

 

The 94 team was probably the most memorable "Cinderella" team. After a lack luster 6-5 93 season, expectations were not so high for 94. The win over White House to begin our season in 94 set the pace for the rest of the season. It was clear after the state championship game against Marion Co. that we were winning games with a lot of heart and determination during that season. It was fun nonetheless and we were able to witness athleticism at its' best in the Clinic Bowl...Eric Westmoreland. Simply amazing!

 

 

The 1994 team was definitely a Cinderella team. This was the team who beat defending state champ Springfield (19-14 in the regular season) and 30-14 (in the semifinals). All I know is that there was an enormous crowd at the semifinal game and it was really loud. The 2000 team was really good.

[washedup17]

I played for Coach Perry for three years till he left. It was by far a love hate relationship;

not necessarily hate, but when it is 95 degrees and 85% humidity one your third practice

of the day midways through NaCoMe you weren't too fond of him. We all knew it made us

stronger and we knew it. Coach Perry and his staff Coach T, Coach Duncan who left along

with Coach Venable who is again coaching at Portland again made me the disciplined college

athlete I am today! I could go in to more detail but I wish to remain anonymous. Bottomline

when Perry and crew left Portland football died a little bit.

 

People thought he had a few unorthodox ways, yet when you played for him

and say life on the inside you knew they were only to make the team better because he weeded

out or let the physcial and mental aspect weed the people out who weren't cut out for his program.

I visited other colleges and programs before I came to where I am now, and his program made theirs

look like a cakewalk. Coach Perry's players may have not all went on to be college athletes whether

in football or another sport, but he did make sure that they knew God was very important and number

one, prepare them for the real world and how it would treat you, and last but not least make sure you made grades. It always made me sick to hear people say he was a "J.A." or other profane terms, because those people were the people who had no discipline, respect, etc. etc. I could go on and on about this kinda stuff just like any other alum who left in good standing with him.

 

AND NOT TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE I WAS AN ANGEL WHO NEVER GOT IN TROUBLE.

HE WAS IN MY BUTT ELBOW DEEP NUMEROUS TIMES FOR DIPPING, CUSSING, AND

FOR OFF AND ON HIGH SCHOOL ACTS BUT ITS ALL PART OF THE EXPERIENCE!

 

When Perry walked in the locker room that day with the rest of the coaches behind him

and informed us that we were losing him to another region team the seniors in that room were devestated

some cried, including myself, some probably muddered words joy under there breath. Overall it was a sad

day. Because Portland is all politics and its who you know and who you stink up to we all knew who was getting

the job. The rest is obviously downhill from there. I played my heart out my last year for Bever, and not to be boastful, but I was pretty good. Any guy who loved and played football in high school would go back in a heartbeat to play football as would I, but not for Bever not in a million years. Everyone has heard the horror stories of Perry

and I made it through it just fine, so it has nothing to do with that aspect of it. To get respect you have to give it,

and he didnt give that senior class any so as far as I'm concerned I would love to see the staff get him out of

Portland and start off with a new coach and a new start!

 

Bottomline Coach Perry was a great coach with a great program; if his record at Portland didn't

show it, what he has done at Mt. Juliet does. If Coach Perry or coaching staff were to call me today and asked me a favor I would break my back to do it. If someone else would do the same I wouldn't think twice of saying no sir I can't.

 

So I end in this thanks Coach Perry and staff, because you made me a successful, disciplined college student, athlete and you strengthened my walk with with God. Again thank you and have a great season. I'll see you

when Portland comes to your neck of the woods.