3a

[SPEEDNSPACE]

Losing Tait was a huge blow to the Irish. I think they are still trying to fill his shoes. A hard thing to do.

[MavFan]

Catholic is a good team, that is well coached and dominates the region in one of, if not the, toughest in the state top to bottom. Catholic is very beatable this year as AC showed when they went down there. AC had them beat but then they had some tough breaks. I am sure Catholic fans wont admit it, but I am sure they feel lucky to have somehow won that game. Catholic will not make it out of round 3 of the playoffs, but as usuall the 3A winner will come out of region 2. No disrespect ment to the rest of 3A, but I just believe there are too many teams in 2-3A that are good enough to win the state. We all remember a 4 seed Livingston Academy shocking the state a few years ago. Good luck to all teams.

[Road2Three]

Yeah, 2005 will always be a year that will make me sick thinking about it. A Livingston Academy team who we were at least 2 scores better than winning it...Anyways, nobody can argue Catholic's regular season dominance, with the exception of Fulton's blowout win over the Irish in 2005 at Catholc, but still, until they win it, I will consider them the Dan Marino of Region 2-3A. I'm telling you though, David Lipscomb is a very good football team. I was rather surprised last year when they played us to a 24-14 game after losing to LA solid the year before. They have a lot of senior leadership and nobody wants to graduate having lost 3 straight Title games, that would really be hard to handle and fortunately for me, I never had to experience that feeling. I have a buddy from Oak Ridge who lost in 2005 in the 5A title game and he still seems as though he can't completely shake it. I believe I'd rather get knocked out early than lose in that game. My point is, look for DL to be ready for whoever comes their way.

[ruse?]

Couple things. Nice to hear that McCadams @ Lipscomb and Pemberton @ Catholic will be the Head Coaches for the East/West All Star game which will be played 12/15/07 @ Carson Newman's field. No more TN/KY game. Maybe these two will meet the week before in the Championship? Lipscomb is very good. They are experienced. They have some outstanding OL back from last year. Cameron Hunt is very good They have gotten better each week. They have some very capable skill players. Holt is a threat on most touches to go the distance. Moneypenny as well. Zach Rodgers, younger brother of Austin @ UT might be one of the better WR prospects in the state for 09. Tenpenny will lay people out. They are tough, physical, aggressive, well coached, smart. Anyone who thinks that a team from Region 2 is just going to show up and that DL or whoever else pops from that side of the state is just going to roll over is not thinking clearly. Further, anyone who thinks that the winner of the 1/4 final game will have an easy time with Mr. Mason @ Pearl C. is just as off in their rationalization. He will be 3A back of the year. Book it.

 

Can Catholic be beat. Sure. They have played to the level of their competition this year. That will get you beat. IMO, they have missed Tait. How are you not going to miss a Rivals 2009 Top 100, 6-4 300 lb kid, that is fast enough to play OG in a Wing T, and quick enough to get out on the edge for a kid like Harrison Smith the last few yrs. Their run game has not been the same based on the stats I have read since he got hurt. They struggled to move it on the ground against Fulton, AC, Kingston. The good news for them is that they have developed a pretty nice passing game, and their defense seems not to have slipped. Their LBs D. Tait and Trusller are very good players. Another kid that really impressed me against Futlon was Coulter @ DT. A 6-2, 240 Jr. with a serious motor. Their secondary plays the run very well.

 

Having said that, for anyone to think that a 3A championship goes through Catholic....well. they are just wrong. They have not got it done. Fulton has. Lipscomb is going to be waiting, and Road2Three has some really good points about that. Daunte Mason, and both PC's LBs will also have a ton to say about who gets the gold ball. AE, if they get in tonight can beat Catholic or Fulton. AC, if the "good" team show up can also beat most left standing. It's getting close.

 

ruse?

[sportsnutdad]

Couple things. Nice to hear that McCadams @ Lipscomb and Pemberton @ Catholic will be the Head Coaches for the East/West All Star game which will be played 12/15/07 @ Carson Newman's field. No more TN/KY game. Maybe these two will meet the week before in the Championship? Lipscomb is very good. They are experienced. They have some outstanding OL back from last year. Cameron Hunt is very good They have gotten better each week. They have some very capable skill players. Holt is a threat on most touches to go the distance. Moneypenny as well. Zach Rodgers, younger brother of Austin @ UT might be one of the better WR prospects in the state for 09. Tenpenny will lay people out. They are tough, physical, aggressive, well coached, smart. Anyone who thinks that a team from Region 2 is just going to show up and that DL or whoever else pops from that side of the state is just going to roll over is not thinking clearly. Further, anyone who thinks that the winner of the 1/4 final game will have an easy time with Mr. Mason @ Pearl C. is just as off in their rationalization. He will be 3A back of the year. Book it.

 

Can Catholic be beat. Sure. They have played to the level of their competition this year. That will get you beat. IMO, they have missed Tait. How are you not going to miss a Rivals 2009 Top 100, 6-4 300 lb kid, that is fast enough to play OG in a Wing T, and quick enough to get out on the edge for a kid like Harrison Smith the last few yrs. Their run game has not been the same based on the stats I have read since he got hurt. They struggled to move it on the ground against Fulton, AC, Kingston. The good news for them is that they have developed a pretty nice passing game, and their defense seems not to have slipped. Their LBs D. Tait and Trusller are very good players. Another kid that really impressed me against Futlon was Coulter @ DT. A 6-2, 240 Jr. with a serious motor. Their secondary plays the run very well.

 

Having said that, for anyone to think that a 3A championship goes through Catholic....well. they are just wrong. They have not got it done. Fulton has. Lipscomb is going to be waiting, and Road2Three has some really good points about that. Daunte Mason, and both PC's LBs will also have a ton to say about who gets the gold ball. AE, if they get in tonight can beat Catholic or Fulton. AC, if the "good" team show up can also beat most left standing. It's getting close.

 

ruse?

 

Agreed and good points Ruse?. I know east of the state has some very good teams and certainly they have a very good shot at winning it again. Lipscomb is better then most know. Their offense is way underrated. There are some very good things that don't even get mentioned. Most know about the DL backs, Holt, Moneypenny and Davis, but if you get to look at film from the game vs. Giles County you'll see how good an athlete, the QB, Simpson is. He demonstrated some serious speed when he gets into open space. Also, consider Kyle Lehning's FGs are way down this year. No need to kick, when you can put up a TD. Aside from that, DL is not a given either. A key injury, or many other things can derail the best layed plans for a Championship.

 

Ruse?, BC, or anyone,

Pearl-Cohn has been mentioned and is a threat. Anyone want to talk about Station Camp? White House? Dyersburg? Are there any other teams from Mid TN or West TN that folks need to consider with a real shot at getting to Murfreesboro?

 

SND

[Road2Three]

All good points. It's just not as easy to win State as Fulton has made it look the past 4 years. Up until 2002, Fulton hadn't been to a State Championship game since 1974. That's a long time and I'm sure back then, they didn't think it would be 28 years before they went back. Buck Coatney, Coach Black Jr. and Sr., and Company have just steadily built that program into a powerhouse and rebuilding years are 2005, where we still won 8 games and were the most talented team in the State, and this year, where they are 7-2. We were the ONLY class ever in the history of Knox County to win 3 State Titles in our 4 years. Championships are few and far between unless you're at Maryville. Obviously I will be pulling hard for the Falcons to bring back the gold ball, but teams like Pearl Cohn and David Lipscomb did more than earn our respect playing them last year. The Firebirds had some LB's who were beast (#2 and #3) and Daunte Mason is committed to play in the SEC at Kentucky. Lipscomb was HUGE up front and had a lot of talented backs. Should be fun to see how everything plays out....

[ruse?]

Agreed and good points Ruse?. I know east of the state has some very good teams and certainly they have a very good shot at winning it again. Lipscomb is better then most know. There offense is way underrated. There are some very good things that don't even get mentioned. Most know about the DL backs, Holt, Moneypenny and Davis, but if you get to look at film from the game vs. Giles County you'll see how good an athlete, the QB, Simpson is. He demonstrated some serious speed when he gets into open space. Also, consider Kyle Lehning's FGs are way down this year. No need to kick, when you can put up a TD. Aside from that, DL is not a given either. A key injury, or many other things can derail the best layed plans for a Championship.

 

Ruse?, BC, or anyone,

Pearl-Cohn has been mentioned and is a threat. Anyone want to talk about Station Camp? White House? Dyersburg? Are there any other teams from Mid TN or West TN that folks need to consider with a real shot at getting to Murfreesboro?

 

SND

 

 

sportsnutdad.

Dyersburg, don't know too much about. They lost to Dyer Co pretty late in the season. Kind of going in the wrong direction IMO. Saw White House against Alcoa. Well, for a half anyway. Again, JMO, but WH could not hang with Fulton, Catholic, AE, AC, or perhaps even Kingston. Sorry. DL is playing well at the right time, and yes, Simpson has had a very good season. Smart player.

ruse?

[Unreal21]

I have watched all of these teams this your play. And well there is not a team that has impressed me as much as everyone on here talks about. Yes, Catholic is the best team in the region that is no question and is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball but that being said I believe they are the only team that has a chance from this region. They did play down to their competition but those teams that played them gave it there all and did deserve some respect. If it wasnt for a bad coaching move by spiking the ball on 3rd and 5 instead of using a time out against Kingston they could of had a scare there. Catholic deserves all the credit they went undefeated in this region and that is a tough thing to do. So i give them the best chance

 

Fulton has built a great program and has won state championship after state championship but this year not gowill be tough for them. They are not the same team they had last year of course because Rogan one of the best players i watched play high school football is no longer there. Great bunch of guys there but unfortunately this year going to be tough. I know last year Catholic beat Fulton in the regular season last year and then fulton beat them in the playoffs but that was last year. Catholic has a better TEAM this year.

 

AE kinda like fulton a little overrated at this point. Watched them play last night against Kingston and they should have lost that game if there hadnt been some coaching mistakes made by the coaching staff at Kingston.

 

I want someone from this region to win it all but it will be hard there is no doubt there. Good luck to all this playoff season.

[OldCatFan]

Yeah, 2005 will always be a year that will make me sick thinking about it. A Livingston Academy team who we were at least 2 scores better than winning it...Anyways, nobody can argue Catholic's regular season dominance, with the exception of Fulton's blowout win over the Irish in 2005 at Catholc, but still, until they win it, I will consider them the Dan Marino of Region 2-3A. I'm telling you though, David Lipscomb is a very good football team. I was rather surprised last year when they played us to a 24-14 game after losing to LA solid the year before. They have a lot of senior leadership and nobody wants to graduate having lost 3 straight Title games, that would really be hard to handle and fortunately for me, I never had to experience that feeling. I have a buddy from Oak Ridge who lost in 2005 in the 5A title game and he still seems as though he can't completely shake it. I believe I'd rather get knocked out early than lose in that game. My point is, look for DL to be ready for whoever comes their way.

 

 

Well if I had won 3 of the last 4 I wouldn't let 2005 bother me too bad! You beat LA by 2 scores in reg. season, but the playoffs would have been an entirely different story I guarantee you! If you had taken care of business against Catholic, we would have shown you, just like we did Catholic and AE(who both beat us in reg season). Just be thankful that Smith County put us out in 2004 before we got to play you or you wouldn't have won that one either! We were 11-2 that year with only losses being to Smith Co. We were better in 2004 than 2005 but just got outcoached in those 2 games, so don't be too sick!!

[Big Country]

Agreed and good points Ruse?. I know east of the state has some very good teams and certainly they have a very good shot at winning it again. Lipscomb is better then most know. There offense is way underrated. There are some very good things that don't even get mentioned. Most know about the DL backs, Holt, Moneypenny and Davis, but if you get to look at film from the game vs. Giles County you'll see how good an athlete, the QB, Simpson is. He demonstrated some serious speed when he gets into open space. Also, consider Kyle Lehning's FGs are way down this year. No need to kick, when you can put up a TD. Aside from that, DL is not a given either. A key injury, or many other things can derail the best layed plans for a Championship.

 

Ruse?, BC, or anyone,

Pearl-Cohn has been mentioned and is a threat. Anyone want to talk about Station Camp? White House? Dyersburg? Are there any other teams from Mid TN or West TN that folks need to consider with a real shot at getting to Murfreesboro?

 

SND

 

 

 

David Lipscomb & Pearl Cohn are still the top two threats from the midstate. The Mustangs ran the table in region play again this season and were never challenged. They are loaded as usual. Pearl Cohn proved last night against an unbeaten Station Camp team why they are still a force to be reckoned with in this hunt. White House & Greenbrier both play a good physical style of football and are both very solid on defense. That will keep both of those teams in the mix against anyone that they meet in the postseason. Station Camp misses Bailey on offense and defensively they were exploited last night against a more athletic team that will likely dispose of them in the second round of the playoffs in two weeks. Giles Co. may again be David Lipscomb's biggest threat in the west half of the bracket. They are very diverse on offense and are athletic and fast on defense. Of course I must also be biased and say that we are in and as long as this is so my Cheatham Co. Cubs have hopes and they are hot having won four games in a row. Marshall Co. has got to get their athletes healthy and ready to go because they've missed them in these last two weeks of the season and they'll need them all in order to make a run this postseason.

 

THE MIDSTATE IS LOOKING GOOD!!!!!

 

In West-TN you have Dyer Co., Dyersburg, Haywood, Mitchell, & Sheffield as contenders. In Region 6 (matched with the midstate's Region 5) the teams are JSS, Bolivar, Fayette Ware, & McNairy. I'LL BE INTERESTED TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THESE TEAMS OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT MONTH!!!!!

[Road2Three]

Well if I had won 3 of the last 4 I wouldn't let 2005 bother me too bad! You beat LA by 2 scores in reg. season, but the playoffs would have been an entirely different story I guarantee you! If you had taken care of business against Catholic, we would have shown you, just like we did Catholic and AE(who both beat us in reg season). Just be thankful that Smith County put us out in 2004 before we got to play you or you wouldn't have won that one either! We were 11-2 that year with only losses being to Smith Co. We were better in 2004 than 2005 but just got outcoached in those 2 games, so don't be too sick!!

 

 

You're right, 3 out of 4 is good and I shouldn't let that bother me, but unfortunately, it does. We beat LA by two scores in the regular season, but don't forget it was the LAST game of the regular season. We didn't play our best game and still held Wilson Cates & Co. to 6 points. The difference between us and Catholic is that was new territory for the Irish. As you stated, you were put out by Smith County the year before, so you had been to the Quarterfinals in 3A, Catholic had not. Why are you so certain that you would have beat us in 2004? Smith County beat you didn't they? Well, we went on the road against Smith in "The Hole" as they call it, and won 33-6. It wasn't even a game after halftime. So, I just don't see your logic on that one. The quarterfinal matchup between LA and Fulton would have come only 3 weeks since the 1st matchup. I know it's hard to beat a good team twice, but I would have really liked our chances, at home, with seniors who had been to 3 straight State games.... if Harrison Smith doesn't make a miraculus catch over at Catholic the week before. I know we only have that one game in Week 10 to go on as far as who was a better team that year and who knows what "could have been" as they say. I do commend you guys for taking care of business against Catholic (who I can't stand for the record), beating Notre Dame solid, and bringing the gold ball back to Region 2-3A. You guys showed a lot of heart and the stiff regular season competition of Region 2-3A really showed that year! /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

[OldCatFan]

You're right, 3 out of 4 is good and I shouldn't let that bother me, but unfortunately, it does. We beat LA by two scores in the regular season, but don't forget it was the LAST game of the regular season. We didn't play our best game and still held Wilson Cates & Co. to 6 points. The difference between us and Catholic is that was new territory for the Irish. As you stated, you were put out by Smith County the year before, so you had been to the Quarterfinals in 3A, Catholic had not. Why are you so certain that you would have beat us in 2004? Smith County beat you didn't they? Well, we went on the road against Smith in "The Hole" as they call it, and won 33-6. It wasn't even a game after halftime. So, I just don't see your logic on that one. The quarterfinal matchup between LA and Fulton would have come only 3 weeks since the 1st matchup. I know it's hard to beat a good team twice, but I would have really liked our chances, at home, with seniors who had been to 3 straight State games.... if Harrison Smith doesn't make a miraculus catch over at Catholic the week before. I know we only have that one game in Week 10 to go on as far as who was a better team that year and who knows what "could have been" as they say. I do commend you guys for taking care of business against Catholic (who I can't stand for the record), beating Notre Dame solid, and bringing the gold ball back to Region 2-3A. You guys showed a lot of heart and the stiff regular season competition of Region 2-3A really showed that year! /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

 

 

Well I'm not certain that we would have beaten you in 2004, but everyone knows we were a much better team than Smith Co. and only lost to them because we were outcoached. We would have given you a much better game than they did, I promise you. As for 2005, the losses against Catholic and AE were, in my opinion, intimidation factor losses. After we found out we could stay with them, our confidence was much better the second time around. I can't say that about you guys, but it would have been much closer I think. Thanks for the kind words. Rounds 1,2, and 3 were much tougher than 4 and 5! Good luck to you in the playoffs!