Jump to content
Reporting Scores to CoachT ×
How to edit games

Knoxville Soccer

dins8

By dins8
in Boys Soccer

 Share

Recommended Posts

dins8 Competitor

dins8

Posted
Posted

Brentwood fans recently boasted that the West topped the East in soccer this year, and, while I cannot agree more that Brentwood undoubtedly deserves to be named TN's top team, I believe that this was one of the best years for Knoxville soccer . In fact, it was one of my favorite years for many reasons.

 

Here are just a few:

 

1.) Knoxville Soccer was anything but predictable this year. Both Farragut and Bearden plunged early, despite the fact that a number of people predicted another Farragut/Bearden State final. They actually only played once this year. Bearden was upset by Maryville in the District semis, and Farragut was downed by West in the Region semis. This set up an unlikely Region Final: West vs. Oak Ridge. And how about Oak Ridge? Nearing what looked like the final stretch of their season, they were 6-7-3. Then they went on a terror, beating West, Maryville and Hendersonville, only to lose to Houston in states. After their 6-7-3 "start", they finished the season 8-2-1.

 

But Knoxville's best team was no doubt West. Everyone, (including myself), insisted that West would crumble when they faced perennial powerhouses in the playoffs. They bounced back after a tough loss to Oak Ridge and took down what I thought was the state's best team--Farragut. It was truly a pleasure to watch the kids of Knox West shake up the East, and I will miss watching players like Cody M. and Kat. After all, who (besides Bearden and Farragut supporters) can deny that it wasn't a little bit refreshing to see two new teams represent Knoxville in the sub-states, rather than Farragut and Bearden.

 

Moreover, despite the fact that CAK again played in a state final, it was nice to see Catholic edge their regional rival and add a well-deserved state championship to their bag of accomplishments. This year's Catholic team was the best that I have seen, and anyone who thinks that they couldn't have made an outstanding run in AAA is delusional.

 

2.) This was a year of much controversy as well. I still am unsure about how I feel regarding a number of incidents this year.

 

Wasn't it neat to see CAK's back kick a goal kick out of bounds to reward CBHS a corner kick for what he believed was an unjust call? Coach Lima called it "character"--others thought that CAK should have just taken the gift and realized that bad calls even out in the end. CBHS went on to score off their corner, and CAK's class unfortunately had a pejorative effect on the outcome of the game. I actually questioned Coach Gerlach on his players' decision, and he admiringly responded that the CAK players believe that there is more to life than just winning a game.

 

Who can forget Coach Turner's decision to bench his starters against Farragut? This was a game that could have decided first place in the district! Who is to say that Bearden wouldn't have made a run, if Turner played his best hand against Farragut the first time around. I wonder if he was banking on his side getting a second chance at Farragut. Well, Maryville ruined all chances of another Bearden/Farragut District Final, and I wonder if Turner's decision to bench his starters had a larger effect than he originally envisioned. Bearden continued to go downhill, but those of us who know Turner realize that all of his decisions are carefully thought out. Furthermore, who can deny that his "tough love" mantra hasn't made Bearden stronger down the stretch in years past?

 

I still can't interpret my emotions surrounding Joseph Muth's decision to pull down Ridge Carter in the district finals of the Farragut/Maryville game. I was upset about the high fives that he received from his teammates, but, in the end, he did "save" the game. And who is to say that the Farragut keeper wouldn't have saved Ridge's breakaway? Or who can determine whether or not Farragut wouldn't have tied it back up even if Ridge did score? After all, Farragut had been peppering Maryville for the entire second half. Farragut went on to lose to West...without Muth. I wonder if Muth thinks it was worth it... I wonder if Culbreth thinks it was worth it...

 

3.) What a year of upsets! I still can't get over how unpredictable the outcomes of the games were.

 

Who would have thought that Oak Ridge would have downed West in the District semis?

Who could foresee Maryville topping Bearden to eliminate the dogs for good?

Many disagree, but I never believed that West could edge Farragut in the Region semis. Sure, I thought West was more talented 11 vs. 11, but I thought Farragut's depth and experience would ultimately be the difference. Boy, was I wrong...again.

 

4.) I guess this season wouldn't have been so memorable without the heartaches either.

 

I really felt bad for Alcoa's player that scored an own goal to assist CAK in moving to another region final. When will Alcoa catch a break? Don't they deserve to finally move passed CAK and have a chance at states? I think Coach Gerlach was upset about the outcome too. According to the paper, the very first person that Gerlach spoke to following the game was the Alcoa player who headed the ball in. I am sure that Coach G said something like..."you have nothing to be ashamed of, or "you guys are winners." And, no doubt, Alcoa has nothing to be ashamed of, and they are unquestionably a team full of winners. Chin up!

 

I also got wind that Chuck Wood will be retiring after this year. Word has it that he will continue to ref. college for one more year, but he is done with high school. Bout darn time! Just kidding, Chuck. I think I speak for everyone when I say that Knoxville soccer will miss you.

 

Finally, it was awful to hear about the death of Josh Riner's father. Everyone in the Farragut community will miss him, as he was the epitome of class, and his name was synonymous with the word "character." On a brighter note, wasn't it great to see all of the kids across the city come together to support Josh? There was outstanding support from opposing teams, and I am sure there were countless prayers that have gone unmentioned. It just goes to show that players and fans alike realize that there is more to soccer than just winning; when it came down to it, we all became a family during a time of tragedy.

 

So who says that this year was dull, disappointing, or anticlimactic? Didn't Catholic and West represent Knoxville well? Didn't we make some headlines? Didn't we make some memories? Most importantly, wasn't the 2008 season fun?

 

Best in the offseason,

dins

Link to comment
Share on other sites
NedNatterjack Competitor

NedNatterjack

Posted
Posted

wow... honestly I mean how can one person know this much about so many different teams?

 

 

Haha... he has no life! But very entertaining, who can argue with that? Or does he just use big words to make it sound like he knows a lot. Either way, good stuff dins.

 

Hope next season brings as much excitement as this one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ihavenofriendzz Champion

ihavenofriendzz

Posted
Posted

I can disagree. I will disagree with everyone, even if I actually agree with them.

 

The point is, I don't know how you can say that West is the best team in Knoxville. Yes they beat Farragut in region on a sudden death goal, but Farragut beat them in regulation earlier in the season. Now yes I am biased towards Farragut a little, but I was at the game when West won and they didn't look better. They scored then sat back the rest of the game and just hoped that Farragut couldn't make their shots. Farragut didn't take advantage and went to OT. West scored, Farragut responded immediately. Then when it comes down to sudden death, the team with the first break will win 95% of the time. So yeah, West is a good team, but to say the best team in Knoxville was no doubt West, is a little wrong. They advanced the farthest, but that doesn't always mean best.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cronaldo Member

cronaldo

Posted
Posted

I can disagree. I will disagree with everyone, even if I actually agree with them.

 

The point is, I don't know how you can say that West is the best team in Knoxville. Yes they beat Farragut in region on a sudden death goal, but Farragut beat them in regulation earlier in the season. Now yes I am biased towards Farragut a little, but I was at the game when West won and they didn't look better. They scored then sat back the rest of the game and just hoped that Farragut couldn't make their shots. Farragut didn't take advantage and went to OT. West scored, Farragut responded immediately. Then when it comes down to sudden death, the team with the first break will win 95% of the time. So yeah, West is a good team, but to say the best team in Knoxville was no doubt West, is a little wrong. They advanced the farthest, but that doesn't always mean best.

 

haha do you know anything about soccer

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ihavenofriendzz Champion

ihavenofriendzz

Posted
Posted

i guess to you i don't. you can't tell me that a team is definitely better than another because they won in sudden death. kind of like losing in PKs is dumb. all sudden death and PKs does is give the lesser team a better chance at winning. Like I said. all it takes is one break. West was not better in that game. They won, but that doesn't mean better. Had West completely dominated the game, the nyou may have a case for them being better, but they didn't dominate the game. Like last year, I wouldn't say that Farragut was better than Bearden. They played what 4 times and split the games. Farragut just won the game that meant the most. Does that mean they were no doubt the best? no. not at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tnfutbolfan Trainer

tnfutbolfan

Posted
Posted

wow... honestly I mean how can one person know this much about so many different teams?

 

Actually, if you follow Knoxville/surrounding soccer, should not be difficult to recall highlights. What makes Dins summary an entertaining read is his writing style and unbiased/factual approach. Sure he may have a differing opinion regarding best team out of Knoxville, but difficult to argue with the end result. West did play Farragut tough in both games, they just won when it mattered most.

 

Even though it was a refreshing change, for many, it did not seem the same without either or both Farragut/Bearden in the mix. Looking forward to next season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing

Announcements

  • Recent Posts

    • Futbolfan2022
      Bearden Bulldogs 2024

      By Futbolfan2022 · Posted

      They’ve both gotten worse. I’ve seen enough games to know that. 
    • Dawgz4life
      Bearden Bulldogs 2024

      By Dawgz4life · Posted

      The only two transfers that Bearden has gotten that went on to play college football were a defensive back from Karnes, who transferred here way before the new coaching staff got here, and a running back from Carter, who went on to play at Maryville College. Both players received those offers while at Bearden, and both players got a diploma from Bearden High School. Therefore, they are Bearden kids, and you can’t do anything about that.   The transfer from Seymour didn’t win the job, what do you expect two quarterbacks to start at the same time? He played great on JV when he could stay healthy, and when he came in on varsity, he did great. The quarterback position is definitely going to be in good hands when the current starting quarterback leaves, but until then, they’re just going to be battling it out like every good quarterback competition does. The current starting quarterback has his flaws, and that is in the pass game, but what he doesn’t have flaws is running and scrambling, and if you go back and watch any game, which I’m sure you didn’t watch any, we used him very often, and when we needed a deep ball, we brought in the transfer from Seymour. The starting quarterback last year will be a senior this year, and the Seymour transfer will be a junior, so the Seymour transfer is definitely going to get his spotlight. He may even win the job this year. Football isn’t about who the newspaper thinks is the best kid. The best kid in the position will win the starting job, and I trust the coaching staff more than a newspaper or article to pick my starting QB.
    • Dawgz4life
      Bearden Bulldogs 2024

      By Dawgz4life · Posted

      I mean, we’ve only gotten two transfers that went on to play college football, one who went to UT Martin came his second semester junior year before the new coaching staff was here, and the other one went on to play at Maryville College, in which I don’t believe he had any interest prior to transferring.
    • CoachT
      2024 Big Ones Contest Has Begun...Just Because I Miss Football Season

      By CoachT · Posted

      An FYI: To see how an opponent has done against another opponent since 2001- go to the game by clicking on one of the teams. Click the G beside the game. For example, Milan: The info will show you the previous matchups and other info.
    • Futbolfan2022
      Bearden Bulldogs 2024

      By Futbolfan2022 · Posted

      All these college signees went yo other schools for 3 years, were getting college offers then transferred to Bearden. It’s not like this staff did much to develop them.    The BBall coaches son and the Seymour transfer were some of the most talented QBs in the region, and you guys developed them into QBs who might complete one pass a game. 
×
×
  • Create New...