Whitehaven (5-1) vs Houston (6-0) {8-5A battle}

[kwc]

Fourthree,

 

I agree with most of what you said about Whitehaven. I'll go one step further, however:

 

Whitehaven is a BONA FIDE State Title Contender!

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I differ with you concerning Whitehaven's offensive forte'. Whitehaven has a solid running game--yes; but, their passing game is flat-out lethal! After having seen Whitehaven play 4 times this year (plus the Spring Jamboree) I'm convinced that they have one of the most potent, difficult-to-defend passing attacks in town. While their receivers are prone to drop a few passes, there simply are not too many secondaries that can contain Whitehaven's tall, talented receiving corps.

 

Whitehaven's running game broke out last night, vs Houston. It was kept in check, for the most part, in the games vs Melrose, White Station and Collierville. Make no mistake about it, the passing game propelled Whitehaven in those games, In fact, while Whitehaven won 2 of those 3 games, I maintain that those games would not have been nearly as close had Whitehaven passed the ball more often.

 

Let me get to my main point: Whitehaven's trip to the 5A State Championship game hinges on, IMHO, a more aggresive utilization of its passing game. Trust me, the top tier Title contenders will stop the run a whole lot more consistently than did Houston. Fewer of them will be able to defend a wide-open passing attack, equally well.

 

Anyway, fourthree--run or pass, win, lose or draw...this Whitehaven bunch is clearly a special team (the defense is even more special). At long last, they're a group of Whitehaven Tigers whose immense talents are consistently producing big wins. To "piggy-back" on what you stated--It's definitely going to take a "better team" to knock this Whitehaven bunch out of the playoffs.

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Hey, KWC--are you starting to think 'Murfreesboro,' yet?

 

Well -- you should be, my friend!

 

 

TraderB ... I agree ... I think that this Whitehaven team is a bonafide state contender. The defense is in place to make a run at it. However ... this is how I see the current situation.

 

According to the TSSAA's Regional standings:

 

http://www.tssaa.org/schdir/regionalstandings.cfm

 

If the playoffs were to start next week ... the seeds would be as follows:

 

7-5A ... 1.) Millington, 2.) Bartlett, 3.) Bolton, 4.) Craigmont

8-5A ... 1.) White Station, 2.) Whitehaven, 3.) Houston, 4.) Collierville

 

If this were to be the scenerio at the end of the season ... then the pairings would be as follows:

 

Millington would host Collierville and Whitehaven would host Bolton ... going with the top seeds ... then in the second round Millington would host Whitehaven

 

On the other side of the bracket:

 

White Station would host Craigmont and Bartlett would host Houston (rematch of an earlier Houston win) ... going with seeds ... White Station would host Bartlett in the second round

 

Whitehaven would have to beat an undefeated Millington to face an undefeated White Station in the third round.

 

This is all hypothetical ... and a lot of assumptions have been made ... but you get the gist of it. My point in going through this little excercise is this ... even IF things go the way most folks who follow the teams in regions 7 & 8 think it would go ... the competition to even make it to the 2nd and 3rd rounds is tremendous! Not to mention actually winning the semi-final match-up.

 

TraderB ... I think Whitehaven has what it takes to get there. But so does White Station and Millington, to name a couple. There is a lot of season left to be played. White Staion still has to face Wooddale, Collierville and Houston. Whitehaven still has Kirby, Germantown, and Wooddale to play. So on and so forth for everybody else. Basically, I'm saying that Whitehaven is a contender to represent the west in 5A. THAT I do think. Actually getting there is an entirely different matter. The competition is fierce. We have the horses to compete with the best; the defense to carry us through; and that much needed confidence to make it happen; so I like our chances.

 

So yeah ... the thought of state has crossed my mind. But it is STILL ... one game at a time.

[Spartansfan]

Startansfan:

 

I missed the game. That's right ... I missed it. The whole time I was sick as a dog. Then, I turned on the Boatright High School Scoreboard talk show on 56 WHBQ @ 10:00 and what do I hear? I hear the talk show hosts say that Mitchell beat CBHS 18-16, then I hear them say that Whitehaven beats Houston by a score of 32 -6. I almost wrecked the car! Now ... you KNOW I'm excited yet sick at the same time because I really wanted to see this game.

 

I read the papers rendition of what happened, but I want one of you guys to tell me as well. I read where Whitehaven is winning 12-6 at the half ... and Marcus Hightower rips off a 53-yard TD midway through the 3rd, and later in the game ... he rips off a 80-yarder as well? The paper says that he had 251 total yards ... but that he had 194 of those 251 in the 2nd half! DANG! I thought it was me being a homer when I watched the Whitehvaen/Melrose highlight film and I saw him rip off a long TD against them ...but it seemed like to me ... that boy has another gear that he kicks in and just leaves folks. I dunno ... but when he gets in the clear ... he's gone! I keep tellin anybody who will listen ... all he needs to do is just ONE juke move and them GO! With that speed ... you don't need to do a lot of juking ... just GO!

 

I'm really pleased with that fact that Whitehaven held Houston to just 29 yards of offense in the second half. MAN-O-MAN is that defense spectacular! they limited Houston to just 130-yards of offense for the entire game. MAN! NOW THAT'S DEFENSE!

 

I hate I missed this game .... I hate I missed this game .... I hate that I missed this game! .... BUT .... it couldn't be helped.

 

Yes Spartansfan ... you did tell me ... I was just too timid to believe that Whitehaven would do it. NOT ANYMORE!

 

 

I hate that you missed the game! After our game with Hamilton, I tuned in to 560 too, got the update on CBHS/Mitchell 1st. Pleasantly surprised! I was happy to hear that Mitchell was able to show their quality on a big stage. We've heard good thongs about them, but they've been on the short end of the scoreboard in some big games thus far, so it was good to hear they pulled out a quality win.

 

Later, I heard the Whitehaven score. No surprise they won....but pretty shocked it was by such a margin. I'm normally very timid when I start predicting White Station games. I guess a fear of jinxing things or something...but when I'm not so attached to the team, I feel like it's easier to get bold with it.

[Spartansfan]

TraderB ... I agree ... I think that this Whitehaven team is a bonafide state contender. The defense is in place to make a run at it. However ... this is how I see the current situation.

 

According to the TSSAA's Regional standings:

 

http://www.tssaa.org/schdir/regionalstandings.cfm

 

If the playoffs were to start next week ... the seeds would be as follows:

 

7-5A ... 1.) Millington, 2.) Bartlett, 3.) Bolton, 4.) Craigmont

8-5A ... 1.) White Station, 2.) Whitehaven, 3.) Houston, 4.) Collierville

 

If this were to be the scenerio at the end of the season ... then the pairings would be as follows:

 

Millington would host Collierville and Whitehaven would host Bolton ... going with the top seeds ... then in the second round Millington would host Whitehaven

 

On the other side of the bracket:

 

White Station would host Craigmont and Bartlett would host Houston (rematch of an earlier Houston win) ... going with seeds ... White Station would host Bartlett in the second round

 

Whitehaven would have to beat an undefeated Millington to face an undefeated White Station in the third round.

 

This is all hypothetical ... and a lot of assumptions have been made ... but you get the gist of it. My point in going through this little excercise is this ... even IF things go the way most folks who follow the teams in regions 7 & 8 think it would go ... the competition to even make it to the 2nd and 3rd rounds is tremendous! Not to mention actually winning the semi-final match-up.

 

TraderB ... I think Whitehaven has what it takes to get there. But so does White Station and Millington, to name a couple. There is a lot of season left to be played. White Staion still has to face Wooddale, Collierville and Houston. Whitehaven still has Kirby, Germantown, and Wooddale to play. So on and so forth for everybody else. Basically, I'm saying that Whitehaven is a contender to represent the west in 5A. THAT I do think. Actually getting there is an entirely different matter. The competition is fierce. We have the horses to compete with the best; the defense to carry us through; and that much needed confidence to make it happen; so I like our chances.

 

So yeah ... the thought of state has crossed my mind. But it is STILL ... one game at a time.

 

 

Fourthree, TraderB, and kwc....

 

I wanted to tell ya'll that it's been a lot of fun reading your posts! I love to read the opinions of people that are passionate about their teams, yet can still maintain respect for other teams. These kids are playing their hearts out, each of them want to taste the thrill of winning it all. It's up to the coaches to guide them in this quest, and up to us, the fans, to support that effort. We get the luxury of second guessing things, and that's fine, because there's always differernt perspectives on how to do things.

 

Here we are, with 3 weeks away from knowing who's done what during the regular season, and we all know who the contenders are. I love the feeling coming into each game, knowing the opponent has as much on the line as your team does. As kwc points out in the playoff seeding, any team that gets throught that mix will have truly earned their spot to play for state! It's easy to say if this, if that, then we can win....but to execute those "if's" is another thing. Whoda thought we'd be seeing LSU lose to Ky, then Cal lose to Oregon St on the same ay a #1 AND #2 go down! Weird things happen.....that's why they play the game.

 

Addressing the WH Tigers....they do have the defense. No doubt! One of the best, if not THE best in west Tn. (can't say about state since I don't follow that too closely)

Offensively, they are potent as well. The good thing about the defense they have, their offense can afford to have some stalled drives, missed catches etc, and the defense will likely still keep them in the game. I do believe you have to have a balanced attack to play championship caliber ball. That doesn't mean you can't win by passing 60-70% of the time. But it doesn mean that you have to be capable of playing a game, and wining it, relying predominately on either passing, or running. If you meet a defense that has a great ability to stuff a running game, you will need to pass, and the same for the opposite. I think WH has shown they have the ability to pass and run. The one weakness I see, is the inconsistency in catching a well thrown ball. When it's 3rd down and 3-4 yards, and you need this play to keep a drive going...the defense stacks up on your run play, you don't get the 1st. If you opt for the pass, and the receiver is open, qb is under pressure, but gets the ball out, hits the receiver in the hands.....he drops it! drive over. So when coach is making these play calls, and it's a play he feels is really needed, he's likely to go with a more reliable play, and hopr for good blocking.

 

Anyway, while I am a White Station fan, I keep a clsoe eye on what's going on with other teams in our area, and rest assured, there's allll kinds of respect for White Haven! If you do make it to state, you'll be getting alot of support from the whole area. But we still have a ways to go!

[kwc]

Anyway, while I am a White Station fan, I keep a clsoe eye on what's going on with other teams in our area, and rest assured, there's allll kinds of respect for White Haven! If you do make it to state, you'll be getting alot of support from the whole area. But we still have a ways to go!

 

 

Spartansfan:

 

There is allll kinds of respect for White Station and the rest of the top 5A teams in regions 7 & 8. I know that who ever makes it out of the third round will get the support of this area regardless of who it may be.

 

It's these types of seasons that have you sit back and ponder how the West Tenneessee teams would do vs the Middle and East Tennessee teams if there were some viable way to mix it up across the state and see how things fall out.

 

Three games left in the regular season. This is the time where teams who are on the bubble become dangerous teams to play because they have nothing to lose. It's important for the dominant teams to remain focused. This is where the rubber meets the road.

[stuman89]

I think your analysis of the race for the rest of the season is spot on. Some great games to be played still. I hope all of the teams stay healthy. And I want a West Tennessee team in those finals !

[kwc]

I think your analysis of the race for the rest of the season is spot on. Some great games to be played still. I hope all of the teams stay healthy. And I want a West Tennessee in those finals !

 

 

You know something; all of this talk of state got me to thinking about possible match-ups in the 4th round (semi-finals). So ... me being the inquisitive type, I did a little snooping. I have my own opinions, but I want to get you fellas to take a look and give it a little thought, and you will probably come away thinking like I am. What am I talking about you say?

 

Here ... go take a look for yourself with this thought in the back of your mind. The winner of the third round game between regions 7 & 8 will play the third round winner from regions 5 & 6.

 

Now ... go peep at the regional standing for 5 and 6 in the 5A classification.

 

http://www.tssaa.org/schdir/regionalstandings.cfm

 

Now ... go peep the schedules and outcomes of the top teams in regions 5 and 6. See who they played and who they beat and who they lost against.

 

http://tennessee.coacht.com/schedules/?Spo...Display+Results

 

I don't know ... I may be over valueing region 7 and 8 ... I mean ... the games have to be played ... but ... just go look and tell me what you guys think before I say anything else.

[Spartansfan]

You know something; all of this talk of state got me to thinking about possible match-ups in the 4th round (semi-finals). So ... me being the inquisitive type, I did a little snooping. I have my own opinions, but I want to get you fellas to take a look and give it a little thought, and you will probably come away thinking like I am. What am I talking about you say?

 

Here ... go take a look for yourself with this thought in the back of your mind. The winner of the third round game between regions 7 & 8 will play the third round winner from regions 5 & 6.

 

Now ... go peep at the regional standing for 5 and 6 in the 5A classification.

 

http://www.tssaa.org/schdir/regionalstandings.cfm

 

Now ... go peep the schedules and outcomes of the top teams in regions 5 and 6. See who they played and who they beat and who they lost against.

 

http://tennessee.coacht.com/schedules/?Spo...Display+Results

 

I don't know ... I may be over valueing region 7 and 8 ... I mean ... the games have to be played ... but ... just go look and tell me what you guys think before I say anything else.

 

 

As you've mentioned...the games have yet to be plated, so anything can happen. But, Hunters Lane appears to be the best of 5 & 6. And all of them seem to be somewhat inconsistant. Out of 7 & 8, It still looks like a 4 way thing to me. Millington, White Station, Whitehaven and Houston (I still feel Houston might have it in them, even though WH made them look bad).

 

It does look quite promising for us to have a Memphis team playing in that 15th game of the year! But I still have a lot of reservations.....for example, Ravenwood looked out of it early last season, but finished strong enough to make the finals. But it is fun to speculate!

 

What does your predictive bracket look like kwc?

[kwc]

As you've mentioned...the games have yet to be plated, so anything can happen. But, Hunters Lane appears to be the best of 5 & 6. And all of them seem to be somewhat inconsistant. Out of 7 & 8, It still looks like a 4 way thing to me. Millington, White Station, Whitehaven and Houston (I still feel Houston might have it in them, even though WH made them look bad).

 

It does look quite promising for us to have a Memphis team playing in that 15th game of the year! But I still have a lot of reservations.....for example, Ravenwood looked out of it early last season, but finished strong enough to make the finals. But it is fun to speculate!

 

What does your predictive bracket look like kwc?

 

 

Spartansfan:

 

You basically saw my predictive bracket earlier in this thread. Or were you talking statewide? I'll probably do an official one closer to the playoffs because there are still too many games left to be played. I am interested in what Stuman89, Lasal2000, Highschoolking, TraderB, Fourthree, an others think about what I mentioned in post #30.

[lasal2000]

I was able to make the long trip to houston for the game. ANd man am I glad to have gone. The game was amazing if you were a Whitehaven fan. Whitehaven fans came out and filled the stands, I was actually shocked that many WHS fans showed. WHS has all the peices to become a legit state contender. This team as great skilled players on both sides and the will to win, which seperates this group from recent WHS teams.

 

Now the game seemed closer than what the score was. Houston is a very good team that seemed to just wear down later in the game. However, WHS did have a part in that. a couple of factors that i think was key to WHS victory:

1-WHitehavens defense in the second half was very aggressive, I mean some the hits they put on houston made ME sore. 2-Whitehavens running game was very much improved vs. houston. I was impressed not only with the star RB #8, but the other backs made strides also. 3- WHitehavens work ethic was just impressive, I mean they seemed to not take one play off, they swamed the field all night. One more thing KWC, Tank #1 is back and he is relentless.

 

Sadly if there is one small weak spot for Whitehaven, it is there pass defense at times. Houston exposed a small weakness with slants down the middle. I definately hope the coaching staff for WHS correct caught that as well. All in all, great game and a huge win in a hostle enviornment. Also, great game houston fans, you have great team. I would not advise any other team to take you guys lightly. I cant wait to see what happens when White STation plays yall. Go Tigers.

[TraderB]

Spartansfan:

 

You basically saw my predictive bracket earlier in this thread. Or were you talking statewide? I'll probably do an official one closer to the playoffs because there are still too many games left to be played. I am interested in what Stuman89, Lasal2000, Highschoolking, TraderB, Fourthree, an others think about what I mentioned in post #30.

 

KWC,

 

I appears that there is no dominant team, at all, in Regions 5/6! Those "top" teams apparently have a number of key weaknesses that make them very vulnerable to lesser quality teams.

 

What this tells me is-- whatever team emerges from Region 7/8 stands an outstanding chance to defeat the Region 5/6 representative, this time around. Region's 7/8 winner will be more than capable of exposing those weaknesses, whatever they may be (and, yes-- I am convinced that there ARE several).

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Now, I'm going to go out onto a limb and precict the winner of Region 7/8: Drum roll, please ...............

 

Whitehaven

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No disrespect to White Station/Millington fans (I'm counting out Houston, 'cause I don't think they'll defeat White Station) but, in a nutshell, here's why I think that Whitehaven will represent region 7/8:

 

1) Better defense than White Station; more "tested" and at least as good, defensively, as Millington.

2) More offensive weapons, superior offensive balance than Millington; as good offensively, as White Station

 

 

Anyway, while there are no guarantees in football, I certaintly like Region 7/8's chances to defeat Region's 5/6 representative, and storm into the 5A Championship game!

[TraderB]

I was able to make the long trip to houston for the game. ANd man am I glad to have gone. The game was amazing if you were a Whitehaven fan. Whitehaven fans came out and filled the stands, I was actually shocked that many WHS fans showed. WHS has all the peices to become a legit state contender. This team as great skilled players on both sides and the will to win, which seperates this group from recent WHS teams....

 

...Sadly if there is one small weak spot for Whitehaven, it is there pass defense at times. Houston exposed a small weakness with slants down the middle. I definately hope the coaching staff for WHS correct caught that as well. All in all, great game and a huge win in a hostle enviornment. Also, great game houston fans, you have great team. I would not advise any other team to take you guys lightly. I cant wait to see what happens when White STation plays yall. Go Tigers.

 

I'll be very shocked to see Houston defeat White Station!

 

While Houston has a good team, they just don't have enough offensive weapons or team speed to keep pace with White Station....and they will have to "out-shoot" them, 'cause W.S. is going to score its share of points! This game will probably be closer (than the Whitehaven game) and Houston will score way more than 6 pts; it won't be enough, though. Houston come up short, in the end.

 

Houston vs White Station should be an exciting game, with a lot of points--a good, old fashioned "shootout at the OK Corrall!"

[Spartansfan]

KWC,

 

I appears that there is no dominant team, at all, in Regions 5/6! Those "top" teams apparently have a number of key weaknesses that make them very vulnerable to lesser quality teams.

 

What this tells me is-- whatever team emerges from Region 7/8 stands an outstanding chance to defeat the Region 5/6 representative, this time around. Region's 7/8 winner will be more than capable of exposing those weaknesses, whatever they may be (and, yes-- I am convinced that there ARE several).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Now, I'm going to go out onto a limb and precict the winner of Region 7/8: Drum roll, please ...............

 

Whitehaven

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

No disrespect to White Station/Millington fans (I'm counting out Houston, 'cause I don't think they'll defeat White Station) but, in a nutshell, here's why I think that Whitehaven will represent region 7/8:

 

1) Better defense than White Station; more "tested" and at least as good, defensively, as Millington.

2) More offensive weapons, superior offensive balance than Millington; as good offensively, as White Station

Anyway, while there are no guarantees in football, I certaintly like Region 7/8's chances to defeat Region's 5/6 representative, and storm into the 5A Championship game!

 

 

/roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> I don't think you jumped out too far on a limb TraderB! Whitehaven is obviously a very STRONG contender!

I have a hard time getting too confident in White Station's ability to win their games. Not anything to do with the team, just that I've seen too many "gimmie" games, or games that my team (be it in football, basketball, whatever) looks better on paper, etc. And then game day rolls around and the wheels fall off, or the opposing team has a career day. That being said, WS is in good shape to finish the regular season undefeated. They can compete, and I beleive they'll represent themselves well.

 

Regarding playoffs, it's hard to say much there. 1st, I don't know enough about these other teams. Based on what's gone on so far during the season, I'd say either WS, WH, or Millington could make reservations for Murfreesboro. But with 3 games remaining, and momentum being a significant factor in sports, a team can look so-so during the 1st part of the season, then gain confidence and run deep into the playoffs.

 

It is exciting to speculate, and follow these teams though! I feel proud to be in a position of seeing the level of competition and where each of these area teams can end up.