Independence @ Millington

[millingtonfan2007]

In glancing at stats from a link off the Commercial Appeal website, Millington does just about everything well.

 

They run the ball effectively with several different backs. They don't pass much but they seem to have success when they do. Team speed is supposed to be off the charts. Should be extremely tough to beat.

 

I have no reason for picking Independence except for the will and the heart that those players have showed time and again. Constantly, this group has been knocked to the canvas and they GET BACK UP EVERY TIME. I can't say enough about this team.

 

I will tell Millington this...get ready for an extremely PHYSICAL game.

 

 

 

Cant wait for next week... and dont worry millington is a very physical HARD HITTING team ... heheh.

 

Well finally.... WS is the first team to score over 14 points on millington this yr.

[stuman89]

And I do want to say that I thought that Millington played a good, clean game. And they were good sportsmen from what I could tell as a fan. I do wish parking was a bit better , but that's a minor issue.

[donathan5507]

Cant wait for next week... and dont worry millington is a very physical HARD HITTING team ... heheh.

 

Well finally.... WS is the first team to score over 14 points on millington this yr.

 

 

That would make me nervous as a Millington fan. What if they get in a shoot out? What if they get smacked in the mouth early and don't know how to react? Not saying this will happen, but a team that hasn't really been tested can be a fragile team sometimes.

 

We started off 1-3. Lost the opening two games to BA and MBA (who face off tomorrow night for the DII title). Played bad football overall, lost 41-16 to the Franklin team we just beat. At halftime of our game against Memphis East (A team you guys are familiar with I'm sure), our coach inserted sophomore Alex Heckman into the lineup at quarterback. Since then, we've really been playing great football. We've won nine straight games and we boast one of the best linebackers in the state (Ryan Consiglio).

 

Like I said, all stats and numbers and everything else favors Millington.

 

But I just don't see anybody stopping this team now. Too much heart...a lot like the Ravenwood teams that have upset Memphis teams each of the past two seasons.

[shook27]

And I do want to say that I thought that Millington played a good, clean game. And they were good sportsmen from what I could tell as a fan. I do wish parking was a bit better , but that's a minor issue.

 

 

haha. i told you parking was crappy! were in the middle of millington. the school was built on a parking lot.

 

FlyRealColors09--the Gods cant help you againt millington. ask any team that we have played how good we are. im not trying to be conceited either. millington is the real deal this year, no doubt about it. make sure you go to CommercialAppeal.com tomorrow to read the story and get a glimpse at our STATS. they are mind blowing. i believe if there was someone out there to stop millington it was white station. they are just as good as we are!

[donathan5507]

haha. i told you parking was crappy! were in the middle of millington. the school was built on a parking lot.

 

FlyRealColors09--the Gods cant help you againt millington. ask any team that we have played how good we are. im not trying to be conceited either. millington is the real deal this year, no doubt about it. make sure you go to CommercialAppeal.com tomorrow to read the story and get a glimpse at our STATS. they are mind blowing. i believe if there was someone out there to stop millington it was white station. they are just as good as we are!

 

 

 

Well, you're probably right.

 

But do you remember the 2005 Ridgeway team? Those guys ran roughshod through Memphis (with one close game against Cordova) and were supposed to be a buzzsaw that couldn't be stopped.

 

Then they traveled to Ravenwood and didn't even give the Raptors a game.

 

2002 Germantown? Undefeated until they met up with Brentwood in the semis.

 

Again, NOT saying this will be the case this time, but pointing out recent history.

[stuman89]

Trust me, Millington can handle any shoot out they get into. And I do know what you are saying about heart, but these kids are on a mission. Millington and fragile do not belong in the same sentence. They can hurt you in so many ways. They swarm on defense just the way you see all great teams do. They can run down your players from any spot on the field. And did I mention they will hit you hard, every single time , on every play. And they are big, and...... you get the picture.

[Spartansfan]

Well, you're probably right.

 

But do you remember the 2005 Ridgeway team? Those guys ran roughshod through Memphis (with one close game against Cordova) and were supposed to be a buzzsaw that couldn't be stopped.

 

Then they traveled to Ravenwood and didn't even give the Raptors a game.

 

2002 Germantown? Undefeated until they met up with Brentwood in the semis.

 

Again, NOT saying this will be the case this time, but pointing out recent history.

 

All of that is true, and while no one can tell the future, I can assure you that Millington is for real. They won't meet anyone that will be more physical, faster, etc. They played tonights game with heart and disipline. Assuming they continue playing as they did tonight, they will finish this season 15-0.

[donathan5507]

Trust me, Millington can handle any shoot out they get into. And I do know what you are saying about heart, but these kids are on a mission. Millington and fragile do not belong in the same sentence. They can hurt you in so many ways. They swarm on defense just the way you see all great teams do. They can run down your players from any spot on the field. And did I mention they will hit you hard, every single time , on every play. And they are big, and...... you get the picture.

 

 

Stuman, do you need to catch your breath? Sounds like you're still reeling from what you saw tonight.

 

Like I said, I've never seen Millington play so anything I say about Independence or about football teams in general doesn't mean that it's a knock on the Trojans. I'm not in a position to knock them.

 

But you have to understand what this Indy team has been through. These seniors have played together since middle school. The team's head coach (Jason Eubanks) coached them at Heritage Middle, as the defensive coordinator during the IHS program's first three years, and now as their head coach.

 

These kids were freshmen when the program started. They had to take a bus to practice every day because the football field wasn't ready. During the first season (a JV-only campaign), they played much more than any group of freshmen could imagine. The next season was extremely trying...with just juniors, the Eagles just couldn't compete in a region that featured defending class 5A runners up Franklin, perennial powerhouse Brentwood, and eventual state champ Ravenwood. To make things worse, fellow teammate Tommy Johnson was killed in an automobile accident on September 15, 2005. The team finished 1-9, earning a victory in its final game of the season.

 

They opened their junior season 6-0 before losing three straight games (34-27 to Dickson, 31-0 at Ravenwood, 17-14 at Brentwood) and missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker. They had to watch as the seniors they admired cried after their senior night because they wouldn't be playing another game.

 

On January 9, the only head coach the program had ever known resigned abruptly to take the job at Science Hill, leaving the boys stunned and hurt. After two LONG months of waiting, Coach Eubanks was promoted to head coach.

 

There was a lot of hype around this team. They didn't live up to it early. BA throttled them in week 0. To make things more complicated, our (supposed) stud quarterback dropped out of school and left the team before week 1. We struggled at the position through losses against MBA and Franklin and even ugly wins against Centennial and Memphis East.

 

And then this team just turned it on and has been playing lights out ever since. So forgive me if I've grown a little fond of these 27 seniors (correct me if the number is wrong). I don't believe there's anything that they can't accomplish together and so that's why I have so much faith in my team.

[shook27]

Trust me, Millington can handle any shoot out they get into. And I do know what you are saying about heart, but these kids are on a mission. Millington and fragile do not belong in the same sentence. They can hurt you in so many ways. They swarm on defense just the way you see all great teams do. They can run down your players from any spot on the field. And did I mention they will hit you hard, every single time , on every play. And they are big, and...... you get the picture.

 

 

 

im glad someone is able to back up how well of a game millington can play. for the past 2 weeks (vs whitehaven and vs white station), some people were sceptical about our millington team. the secondary really pick their game up this week against a phenominal WS passing game. yes we ran the ball on every play except one and scored 45 points, but the defense won this game. WS had the ability to ruin momentum with a single pass. millington did well and stood their ground and played the best game theyve ever played. If whoever we face in the future cant stop the run, you cant stop millington. if its true we had almost 500 yards rushing, then i dont know how you teach your guys to stop that. there are so many good backs on the millington team that youll never know who has the ball.

[stuman89]

Well, yes, I am probably a bit shell shocked tbh. And I also am finding it hard to believe that I wached my son play his last high school game, boy where has the time gone. But Millington really is one of the best teams I have seen in a while.

 

That having been said, the above is an interesting story. Persevering through that sort of adversity really turns boys into men. Sounds like thats a good group you have there. Bet you are like me, can you believe it's those seniors last season ?

[donathan5507]

Those kids are like brothers to me...watching them succeed makes me so proud.

 

And it's hard to believe that it's all over in two weeks, no matter what anybody does. I'm just hoping that they can put together another massive effort this Friday and upset this unbeaten Millington team. It's going to be the toughest task these guys have ever faced, no question about that.

[Spartansfan]

im glad someone is able to back up how well of a game millington can play. for the past 2 weeks (vs whitehaven and vs white station), some people were sceptical about our millington team. the secondary really pick their game up this week against a phenominal WS passing game. yes we ran the ball on every play except one and scored 45 points, but the defense won this game. WS had the ability to ruin momentum with a single pass. millington did well and stood their ground and played the best game theyve ever played. If whoever we face in the future cant stop the run, you cant stop millington. if its true we had almost 500 yards rushing, then i dont know how you teach your guys to stop that. there are so many good backs on the millington team that youll never know who has the ball.

 

Millington had right at 513 yds total, of which about 50 were passing yds. I got this from our stats lady. She's pretty accurate. We did see success moving the ball, mostly in the passing game. Sanders ended up with about 120 yrds rushing, and we had a little over 300 yds passing. Sounds pretty good, but doesn't mean much if you don't end up in the end zone. Millingtons defense is good, and they are physical. The offense is also good, and the running game is outstanding! I am not saying Independance will lose 45-16, but assuming Millington continues to play like they did tonight, they will win this game.