best 32 teams in the state

[Redtwin]

Just so you know, there is no specific athletic fund. Believe it or not, football is not the number 1 priority at MBA:

 

1. Gentleman

2. Scholar

3. Athlete

 

Call it what you will, you can look at the players that make up this MBA team, and they are not supersars on an individual level. You'll find better groups of athletes on metro teams all over the Nashville area. This MBA team is a group of good athletes (not great) who are coachable, who are hard-working, and who are fortunate to have some of the best coaches, facilities, and resources in state. I can assure you, however, that for MBA the big picture begins with #1 above and works its way down.

[rollredroll]

The "big picture" is that when you have the ability to recruit as a high school team, you can pretty much schedule whom ever you like. And you are probablly going to match up against anyone who comes your way. I guess thats just life, but I'm pretty sure that MBA or any other private school for that matter would not have the loads of tallent that they have if it was not for the generous donations to your athletic fund. Just my opinion, but you know what they say about those. /rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" />

 

 

I am not going to get into a "prove it" debate as it relates to recruiting - too many of those going on on this site.

 

All I will say is, come watch an MBA game some time. Look at what they have on the field. Yes, MBA produces some college football players each year, but so do many schools, public and private, in this state. I am fairly confident that, if you see a school like a Hillsboro warming up and then watch MBA warm up, without any prior knowledge of either school, you will say, "MBA is going to be 'out-athleted' in this contest". While MBA may have a lot of coaches, the "money" factor is overstated - financial aid students are still shelling out, on average, well over $8,000 per student to attend school there, and as for facilities, well, I'd venture to say every school in the state has a field to practice on, as well as some form of weight training.

 

I don't like these kind of debates, and I know it's nearly impossible to sway non-believers, but I can say that, after watching this program for decades and seeing what it is stacked up against some of its competition, I myself am stupefied as to how it does it. Don't underestimate pride - and the motivation provided by "bulletin board material" and the naysayers.

[cbg]

As an outsider looking in it seems as if MBA does not have a football team but a fine football program that starts in the 7th grade. This whole thing started with Ricky Bowers, was passed onto Jeff and now Daniel has taken control of the program. MBA does two things better than most all schools in the country: 1. They hire very good football people (both the head coach and assistants) that know how to teach in the classroom and on the field. My estimate is that 90% if the staff played college or professional football and they have a business plan that everyone (coaching staff, players, administration, parents, etc...) follows and has bought into. All three of the above mentioned men have improved the program and taken it to a higher level. 2. They develop both the body and the mind of their players. If you look at some of their kids in the 7th, 8th or even 9th grade you wonder how those kids even walk to class without falling and breaking their arm much less play on any type of football team. One thing that does stand out is how tall the kids are at a young age but when you see their parents & grandparents you understand why the kids are tall. Take a look at those same kids during their junior & senior year and instead of the player being a 6'3" skinny kid weighing 160# that same kid is now 6'3" and 250# due to a great strength training program & proper diet. IMO, MBA has made being a smart kid a huge advantage for them. Their kids are sharp enough to watch film and pickup on things after only doing it a few times while some others (my self included) may have to practice the same thing multiple times if we even are ever able to grasp what they are teaching. This allows MBA to cover more material and have a more sophisticated system and schemes than most high schools in the country.

 

The only disadvantage to the MBA football program is that the other sports programs in the school do not compete on the same level as football on any type of regular basis. You don't see the baseball, basketball, wrestling, cross country, etc... winning state titles like the football program. Not being on the inside I don't know if this is due to the same amount of resources not being placed in those sports as football or if the school has just made the decision to place more emphasis on football.

[patriot04]

ATTENTION.

Tomorrow at midnight is deadline for top 20 votes. The bracket will be posted monday and it will be called fantasy bracket. It will be like the ncaa tournament barcket with 4 number 1 seeds.

[Red77]

The "big picture" is that when you have the ability to recruit as a high school team, you can pretty much schedule whom ever you like. And you are probablly going to match up against anyone who comes your way. I guess thats just life, but I'm pretty sure that MBA or any other private school for that matter would not have the loads of tallent that they have if it was not for the generous donations to your athletic fund. Just my opinion, but you know what they say about those. /rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" />

 

 

MBA's 22 starters at the beginning of the season came from the following schools: Harding Academy (4), Oak Hill (4), St. Henry's (3), St. Paul (2), CPA (2), Ensworth (1), FRA (1), BGA (1), Brentwood Middle (1), Grassland Middle (1), Antioch Middle (1), and Croft Middle (1). With very few exceptions, the families of these young men had planned to have their sons attend MBA long before any so called "recruiting" could have taken place. In several cases, they are sons or grandsons of alumni. The few who made their decisions later to attend this fine institution did so because of its outstanding academic reputation and its focus on producing gentlemen who will be leaders in their respective communities.

 

The school clearly has its advantages (facilities, coaching, parental involvement, strong community support, etc.) and as a result, may not be on a level playing field with many other schools; however, having superior athletes to the other schools in the area is not one of MBA's advantages. The complaints of our "recruiting" become somewhat tedious and diminish the effort that these coaches and players have made to achieve their success.

[theocho]

Red77, that post is one of the best arguments against recruiting I've heard. I've heard MBA's QB, RB, and heavily recruited lineman all came from St. Henry's. I've always had a respect for MBA, especially how they make the most of what they have.

 

Do I think Ravenwood playing MBA is a fair game? Not really, because MBA can attract many local well-off athletes and have the resources to win. However, I'm not going to sit here and pretend that JPII vs. MBA was a fair game either even though they are both private schools.

 

Keep up the good work, MBA, hopefully you can come up here to Ohio again and play a real team. Remember that in football just like politics or anything else the losers are always the one bringing out the dirt on people.

[KWoodroof]

As an outsider looking in it seems as if MBA does not have a football team but a fine football program that starts in the 7th grade. This whole thing started with Ricky Bowers, was passed onto Jeff and now Daniel has taken control of the program. MBA does two things better than most all schools in the country: 1. They hire very good football people (both the head coach and assistants) that know how to teach in the classroom and on the field. My estimate is that 90% if the staff played college or professional football and they have a business plan that everyone (coaching staff, players, administration, parents, etc...) follows and has bought into. All three of the above mentioned men have improved the program and taken it to a higher level. 2. They develop both the body and the mind of their players. If you look at some of their kids in the 7th, 8th or even 9th grade you wonder how those kids even walk to class without falling and breaking their arm much less play on any type of football team. One thing that does stand out is how tall the kids are at a young age but when you see their parents & grandparents you understand why the kids are tall. Take a look at those same kids during their junior & senior year and instead of the player being a 6'3" skinny kid weighing 160# that same kid is now 6'3" and 250# due to a great strength training program & proper diet. IMO, MBA has made being a smart kid a huge advantage for them. Their kids are sharp enough to watch film and pickup on things after only doing it a few times while some others (my self included) may have to practice the same thing multiple times if we even are ever able to grasp what they are teaching. This allows MBA to cover more material and have a more sophisticated system and schemes than most high schools in the country.

 

The only disadvantage to the MBA football program is that the other sports programs in the school do not compete on the same level as football on any type of regular basis. You don't see the baseball, basketball, wrestling, cross country, etc... winning state titles like the football program. Not being on the inside I don't know if this is due to the same amount of resources not being placed in those sports as football or if the school has just made the decision to place more emphasis on football.

 

Your comments are very complimentary, but there are a couple of things missing. First, great achievements by MBA's football program predate Ricky Bowers; they probably predate his grandparents. MBA has generally been one of the dominant programs since the 20's; seasons were of very incosistent length from 1898 until that time. They have stressed participation (and praised achievement) at the sub-varsity level since the '30's.

 

I would also argue with your characterization of the other programs. The baseball team has multiple state championships (both pre and post split), the cross country teams have a rich heritage, as does soccer, tennis and golf. We've produced some very good wrestling teams, although we live in the shadow of the Unwashed over at Ryan. The rifle team is defending state champion. Football, at MBA as well as most other places, takes center stage because of attendance.

[AdmiralDave]

1. Farragut

2. Everyone else

[patriot04]

Midnight tonight is deadline for top 20 entry. Bracket will be posted tomorrow under fantasy bracket.