Early Mountain Lakes Predition's

[madman101]

1. Tennessee High- Way too much talent......Shepard in the back field will hurt opposing teams and they always have a good D. The only thing i see hurting this team is getting too over confident.

 

2.Elizabethton- Probably the best 1-2 punch of RB's around in Derek Carr and Cody Forbes. Defense wise i think they will have the best they have had in awhile cause of their speed. Coach Witten came in here for a reason and i think people will see why. Watch out for this team.

 

3. Sullivan South- No Curt= a couple of loses for the Rebels. Don't count them out though very well coached and have a couple of tough minded players returning. I see the defense carrying this team more for a change.

 

4. Johnson County- Still have Phipps and Prudhomme but i beleive they have finally ran out of RB's to help. They will miss Tyler Leonard more then ever. This team will be tough though because of something you can't coach and thats heart.

 

5. Sullivan East- They have the chance this year to show people that last year wasnt a fluke. Can they pull a upset or two??????? I think they fall short of playoffs this year but this team is on the rise.

 

6. Sullivan Central- This team will be the best they have had in awhile but not for this conference.

 

7. Unicoi- They improve..... but only one game. Can they prove people wrong like in 06???

 

8. Sullivan North- No weapons no wins for the year.

 

Player of the year- Shepard or Carr

ATH-Prudhomme

Offense Player of the year- again Shepard or Carr

Defense palayer of the year- Phillips aka lil Curt or Cody Anderson

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[mtnmaroon]

1. Tennessee High- Way too much talent......Shepard in the back field will hurt opposing teams and they always have a good D. The only thing i see hurting this team is getting too over confident.

 

2.Elizabethton- Probably the best 1-2 punch of RB's around in Derek Carr and Cody Forbes. Defense wise i think they will have the best they have had in awhile cause of their speed. Coach Witten came in here for a reason and i think people will see why. Watch out for this team.

 

3. Sullivan South- No Curt= a couple of loses for the Rebels. Don't count them out though very well coached and have a couple of tough minded players returning. I see the defense carrying this team more for a change.

 

4. Johnson County- Still have Phipps and Prudhomme but i beleive they have finally ran out of RB's to help. They will miss Tyler Leonard more then ever. This team will be tough though because of something you can't coach and thats heart.

 

5. Sullivan East- They have the chance this year to show people that last year wasnt a fluke. Can they pull a upset or two??????? I think they fall short of playoffs this year but this team is on the rise.

 

6. Sullivan Central- This team will be the best they have had in awhile but not for this conference.

 

7. Unicoi- They improve..... but only one game. Can they prove people wrong like in 06???

 

8. Sullivan North- No weapons no wins for the year.

 

Player of the year- Shepard or Carr

ATH-Prudhomme

Offense Player of the year- again Shepard or Carr

Defense palayer of the year- Phillips aka lil Curt or Cody Anderson

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I cant disagree with your reasoning. Very well thought out. I do think you give Besty to much credit. I think they will be lucky to make the playoffs. It is very early for me to think about ranking anyone but I would not have Besty in the top four and would probably move Sullivan East into the 4th spot. I understand your opinion and where your heart is but I think they are still a few years away. Sorry. Being a JC fan I will give you some insight on them. They will be better in my opinion than last year. Running back will be a question mark. They have some quality backs it will be a matter of who steps up like Leonard did last year. They have two or three who were very good when they were younger but injuries and playing behind Atwood and Leonard have kept them in the shadows. JC seems to be in a cycle of always having an unknown get the tailback job because they have had some really good backs recently but most only started for a year or so. I think they will probably start out sharing the ball with 3 or 4 different guys in that position and see who gives them the best shot. They have options of small darty guys like Leonard and Atwood but also have a couple that are bigger and fairly quick that I remember seeing at JV games etc. As always staying healthy will be key. JC simply doesnt have the numbers to replace a key injury. If they stay healthy this should be their best shot to compete for the conference championship since coming into the MLC. They return 9 or 10 starters on both sides of the ball to the best of my knowledge. Looking forward to getting it started. Also, as usual JC will be small overall. Our QB will be bigger than most of the line.

[madman101]

I cant disagree with your reasoning. Very well thought out. I do think you give Besty to much credit. I think they will be lucky to make the playoffs. It is very early for me to think about ranking anyone but I would not have Besty in the top four and would probably move Sullivan East into the 4th spot. I understand your opinion and where your heart is but I think they are still a few years away. Sorry. Being a JC fan I will give you some insight on them. They will be better in my opinion than last year. Running back will be a question mark. They have some quality backs it will be a matter of who steps up like Leonard did last year. They have two or three who were very good when they were younger but injuries and playing behind Atwood and Leonard have kept them in the shadows. JC seems to be in a cycle of always having an unknown get the tailback job because they have had some really good backs recently but most only started for a year or so. I think they will probably start out sharing the ball with 3 or 4 different guys in that position and see who gives them the best shot. They have options of small darty guys like Leonard and Atwood but also have a couple that are bigger and fairly quick that I remember seeing at JV games etc. As always staying healthy will be key. JC simply doesnt have the numbers to replace a key injury. If they stay healthy this should be their best shot to compete for the conference championship since coming into the MLC. They return 9 or 10 starters on both sides of the ball to the best of my knowledge. Looking forward to getting it started. Also, as usual JC will be small overall. Our QB will be bigger than most of the line.

[compusatman]

1. Tennessee High- Way too much talent......Shepard in the back field will hurt opposing teams and they always have a good D. The only thing i see hurting this team is getting too over confident.

 

2.Elizabethton- Probably the best 1-2 punch of RB's around in Derek Carr and Cody Forbes. Defense wise i think they will have the best they have had in awhile cause of their speed. Coach Witten came in here for a reason and i think people will see why. Watch out for this team.

 

3. Sullivan South- No Curt= a couple of loses for the Rebels. Don't count them out though very well coached and have a couple of tough minded players returning. I see the defense carrying this team more for a change.

 

4. Johnson County- Still have Phipps and Prudhomme but i beleive they have finally ran out of RB's to help. They will miss Tyler Leonard more then ever. This team will be tough though because of something you can't coach and thats heart.

 

5. Sullivan East- They have the chance this year to show people that last year wasnt a fluke. Can they pull a upset or two??????? I think they fall short of playoffs this year but this team is on the rise.

 

6. Sullivan Central- This team will be the best they have had in awhile but not for this conference.

 

7. Unicoi- They improve..... but only one game. Can they prove people wrong like in 06???

 

8. Sullivan North- No weapons no wins for the year.

 

Player of the year- Shepard or Carr

ATH-Prudhomme

Offense Player of the year- again Shepard or Carr

Defense palayer of the year- Phillips aka lil Curt or Cody Anderson

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I agree with your listing. I disagree with your end of the year summation. South has some people that are turning the page. However your top 3 choices will dogfight for the crown. It is understood that Bristol is primed and fused. AND from watching film over the winter time after time after time it became quite clear that 'Betsy actually had a tremendous group last year. Their downfall was morale. They have the talent and the coaching and it won't take Witten any longer than this season to bring the Cyclones back to the front. DB will have two losses this year and it would be 3 except we don't get the chance. Derek Carr is a premier TB. Cody Forbes...not bad. Shepard is the man. Bristol has it all but their fate will rest solely in their QB's arms. And as usual everyone will enderestimate South. I will not argue the point but let it be known that we do have balanced firepower. Defense will win this conference. THS is the complete package in '08. Elizabethton will have tremendous motivation. Despite what many think South will still have the most potent offense in NET.

[Hustle_Will_Win]

Not trying to undermine what anyone has said to this point, but Johnson County is a legitimate title contender. They lost Leonard, but everyone had the same grumblings when they lost Atwood the year before. Check the roster. The Longhorns were depressingly (for the rest of the conference) young last year and very effective at that. Phipps is as effective a runner as he is a passer, so whoever takes the handoff will probably be facing half the defense. And I have a suspicions that Prudhomme's leg will be the difference in at least two games this season.

 

South will reload strong and play with a sense of urgency to prove themselves that they may have lacked in the past. THS is the big dog, but not without their holes on the defensive side of the ball (Dickerson, Turnbull, Bible, etc.) which will no doubt be exploited by the quality coaches in our conference. East's Junior class is absolute quality and Nelson always finds a way to beat the teams he should beat; I wouldn't be surprised if they make a play off push. Central will be much improved, but I think a lot of their punch left the ranks in graduation. North should be weak based on playing mostly seniors the past two seasons, only speculation though. And Elizabethton-- there's the rub. I know he has sold himself to the 'clone faithful and the program is in much better hands, but I'm waiting for him to land a marquee victory before I annoint him the new king of NET football. Don't get me wrong, a lot of strong talent is returning and key positions. I'm most curious to see how that big (and sloooow) offensive line has progressed.

 

Unicoi County. I can only hope and pray that we continue to build on the success that we have had under Coach Cooper era. I think the loss of our recent seniors and our lack of offensive production have us placed near the bottom for good reason. I have hope in the returning playmakers and the staff to continue elevating the standard of Blue Devil football.

 

Preseason Rankings:

 

1) THS

2) South

3) Johnson County

4) Sullivan East

5) Elizabethton

6) Unicoi County-- ( have to show some kind of bias haha)

7) Central

8) North

[wingman10]

Go Cyclones

[3Knocks]

Elizabethton and South are the two teams to watch in 2008.

[etfan]

Great Spring Practice Thread!

 

My early thoughts on finish:

 

Championship contenders: Betsy, SS, THS (watch out for Betsy)

Final playoff spot: East, JC

Playoff depth: 3rd round loss to G'ville or M-E

Last place: UCHS

 

One thought on THS - the balance of power has shifted to SS and it is up to the Vikings to reclaim it. I don't think it will be easy. Carter has Stubb's number and both know it. SS has outcoached and outplayed the Vikings the last four times they have played - '04 playoff game in which THS avoided the upset of the year only due to a muffed punt, '05 game which was not as close as the score, '06 game in the Castle which was an impressive upset win by SS, '07 game which was a battle but won by SS (kudos to Stubbs though for the fake punt inside his own 20). I am, admittedly, a big Viking fan from the National Championship days (never won, by the way, by Maryville), but I simply think Carter and SS are in Stubb's and the Vikings' heads. Look at the hangover last year when they collapsed the next week in round 1 of the playoffs.

 

My long shot money is on Betsy. I understand their JV game with SS was very close and that their JV's both beat THS JV pretty handily. Is that true?

[compusatman]

Great Spring Practice Thread!

 

My early thoughts on finish:

 

Championship contenders: Betsy, SS, THS (watch out for Betsy)

Final playoff spot: East, JC

Playoff depth: 3rd round loss to G'ville or M-E

Last place: UCHS

 

One thought on THS - the balance of power has shifted to SS and it is up to the Vikings to reclaim it. I don't think it will be easy. Carter has Stubb's number and both know it. SS has outcoached and outplayed the Vikings the last four times they have played - '04 playoff game in which THS avoided the upset of the year only due to a muffed punt, '05 game which was not as close as the score, '06 game in the Castle which was an impressive upset win by SS, '07 game which was a battle but won by SS (kudos to Stubbs though for the fake punt inside his own 20). I am, admittedly, a big Viking fan from the National Championship days (never won, by the way, by Maryville), but I simply think Carter and SS are in Stubb's and the Vikings' heads. Look at the hangover last year when they collapsed the next week in round 1 of the playoffs.

 

My long shot money is on Betsy. I understand their JV game with SS was very close and that their JV's both beat THS JV pretty handily. Is that true?

 

I enjoy your posts et. I like your unbiased approach to discussion. I must say then that South's rising Senior class has ruled from Optimist on. They are not undefeated in that frame but were undoubtedly dominant...especially as Frosh. Many were Soph varsity starters. But...I don't think that is any indication of the future success of the (a) varsity. I have seen too many variables come into play between the Frosh and Senior year. Some players don't continue, some take a 3 year hiatus and only play as Seniors, some play for the first time as Seniors and some have sat the bench since the 5th grade only to bloom in their Senior year and become superstars. And of course there are those middle school All Americans that fade into mediocrety. My point? South hammered Bristol's rising Senior's when they were Frosh. BUT...it is obvious that Keenan Shephard is doing some hammering of his own now that he wasn't doing then. I think that you can get a handle on the ability of a class by following it's history but I don't think you can predict success. There are key items to look at however and that would be things such as work ethic which would relate to a particular coach. For example...CHMS hammers people on a regular basis in all sports (if you look at a 10-15 year span) but South has only been successful as of late. Why? Well coaches of course but also enviornmental issues. The city boys are not as athletically matured as the Colonial Heights boys at the middle school level. Yes, the past couple of years have that trend reversed but my point is that those same athletes become super-athletes once they get into the DB system. Many things come into play in the explanation of this issue but the gest is that you just can't tell alot by looking at history of those lower grade years. So much can happen is a short period of time that makes it very unpredictable.

 

The part of your thinking about Carter being in Stubb's head is spot-on. Which is, I think, THS's main issue. And that is the mental game. Because THS always has quality athletes.

[SPLITBACK]

My Top 4 predictions.

 

1. Tennessee - Should reclaim the region

2. Sullivan South - Loss of QB will be the difference in 1 & 2

3. Johnson County - Always tough

4. Elizabethton - Will be better, just not yet ready

 

5. Sullivan East

6. Sullivan Central

7. Sullivan North

8. Unicoi County

[jcolter]

So much talk about how strong THS will be. I personaly do not think they will be that great. Think about their offense. They got smacked around by a very average Volunteer team in the playoffs. If Volunteer can stop Shepherd, then you know South can. South has just as good, if not better, athletes than THS. THS also took a big hit on defense to graduation. The Rebs will have an outstanding backfield this year. Mark it down right now South wins their fourth conference crown. THS will battle Betsy, Johnson County, and East for the remaining spots. I do give the Vikes the edge for 2nd place. I also look for Central to be improved.

Good Luck to All

[HiGipper]

1.South

2. THS

3 Johnson County

4 Elizabethon