Ensworth-MBA Battle of the Unbeatens

[gbo]

Center Teddy Reeve and Receiver/corner back Richard Bowers also start. Freshmen year about 50 kids come from the middle school come and 50 kids come from other schools.

 

 

Reeve may start but Bowers does not

[Lost Old Dad]

Watched the game on TV last night and I can say I was impressed with BOTH teams. To me the refs didn't make bad calls, but they were calling EVERYTHING they saw on the field.

 

Congratulations to BOTH teams and Thank You for an enjoyable evening watching some really good HS football. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

 

I have a feeling they will be seeing each other again come playoff time.

[TransplantMom]

I don't know who you guys are or what your sources are for when and where these children came to Ensworth but you're sort of scaring me. 5th and 6th graders don't actually play for their school. (I thought we were actually talking about middle school, not grade school.) They play for an outside league and Ensworth's "team" has historically included boys from a couple other grade schools that don't have enough for their own team. (I can think of one playing and probably starting for MBA right now that would fall in that category.) 5th and 6th graders as holding some sort of entitled spot that "new" kids "took" from them is absurd. (Have you looked at a 10 year old lately? They're still watching cartoons and sucking their thumbs!)

 

When does "new" apply, anyway? Anyone who didn't go to kindergarten there? Anyone that came in 7th grade when an expected exodus to MBA (and other schools) occurs? OR Anyone that doesn't LOOK like they're from 37205/37215? If new is anyone who comes in at 7th grade then I guess the entire MBA student body is NEW. Be honest. What's your definition of NEW?

 

Running down this EHS roster I count over 20 boys that have been at Ensworth since pre-first or came in 7th grade.

[TransplantMom]

Yes i do

Michael Dunn-WR/DB

Watson Sweat-OL

Matt Reed-WR

Myers Beard-LB/FB

 

Those are the only starters on the EHS varsity football team who played for the 5th and 6th grade team at Ensworth.

That is 4 starter out of 22 starters so...looks like EHS and Coach Bowers are going out and getting the players he wants. But anyways EHS played a great game and won the game at the line of scrimmage. The game really showed how big of a loss it was for the Defensive line at MBA to lose starter Reuben Thomas to a ACL injury as well as Joseph Sloan to the same injury. The O line for MBA also not having starting Center Owen Lipscomb and losing Tackle Clark Benton early in the game as well as Joesph Sloan at TE with his catching ability and blocking. EHS now is the team the beat and they won't be sneaking up on anybody anymore. After watching the game, I would put Tavaress Jefferson and Orleans Darkwa as the best Duo of players in the state...they are Electrifying.

 

 

Sorry, one of those boys came in 7th grade. I have counted about 10 boys on the current roster (albeit not all starters) that have been at Ensworth since kind/1st grade and about another 10 that have been there since 7th grade. Does that count as Bowers "going out" and getting the players he wants?

[TransplantMom]

I'm not on Nashville, so I don't see all of the things that perhaps you do. I don't get a sense that there's the rampant disrespect for the Ensworth program that you're suggesting. Everything I saw in the print media suggested that at the MBA end, there was a keen understanding of Ensworth's strong points. In a lot of cases, this board is a pretty poor indicator of sentiment, since it's been taken over by a lot of trash-talking children who are incapable of an adult discussion of two oustanding football programs.

 

About the only statement I would quiblle with is the opening statement re: dynasties...you have to win something to be a dynasty. Ensworth hasn't done that yet. That takes nothing away from their win last night; to use a favorite, but very dangerous old chestnut, they handed us our heads on a platter. But it is just one win, in much the same way that the CBHS win was just one win. If you take the gold ball this year, you still won't have a dynasty yet, although you'll have a start.

 

I question whether you can rightly call MBA a dynasty. True, we have several state championships since the split, but the size of the division cheapens them a bit in my eyes. No slur to my alma mater, but it is the champiosnhip of a very small league spread out over the state. Further, in all the years of state playoffs prior to the split (i.e., from 1969 until recently), MBA never won a championship on the field. At this juncture, Maryville is the only team I'd call a dynasty.

 

For the time being, MBA and Ensworth and BA will have to be content with just being really outstanding programs, which is hardly cause for hair shirts, weeping, wailing, etc.

 

 

 

I like your style KW. The fact that you can use "hair shirt" in a football post is impressive. You should come to our tailgate next game.

[KWoodroof]

I like your style KW. The fact that you can use "hair shirt" in a football post is impressive. You should come to our tailgate next game.

 

Thank you for your compliment and the kind invitation. Regrettably, I continue to be in exile in South Florida.

 

Any debate about kids coming into the school as anything but a kindergartner is going to lead to allegations of recruiting. You have some success, and that happens (think of less successful independent schools...nobody accuses them of recruiting). There is an influx of new blood into the 9th grade of a private school because there are parents who feel the public elementary and middle school systems are good, but the high schools are just too large. What doesn't get noticed is that MBA has its largest larting of the ways at the 9th grade.

 

MBA debated a few years ago the idea of adding lower grades; it never really got off the idea stage. The thought was that 7th grade was no longer a natural exit point from another school, as it was in the days of jr. high schools with 7-9 grades.

 

Of course, the people who are inclined to dislike the private schools will pay no mind to any of this: successful private schools recruit, period. Bless 'em, you have to admire the way that they refuse to let a lack of evidence get in the way of good slander.

 

Again, thanks for the invite. I suspect the weather is getting nice enough for a tailgate to be really nice. Down here, it's dipped into the 80's, and we still have a couple of months to worry about hurricanes.

[KWoodroof]

Watched the game on TV last night and I can say I was impressed with BOTH teams. To me the refs didn't make bad calls, but they were calling EVERYTHING they saw on the field.

 

Congratulations to BOTH teams and Thank You for an enjoyable evening watching some really good HS football. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

 

I have a feeling they will be seeing each other again come playoff time.

 

In a game with such high stakes and such deep "feelings", that's the only way to call the game.

[gbo]

Sorry, one of those boys came in 7th grade. I have counted about 10 boys on the current roster (albeit not all starters) that have been at Ensworth since kind/1st grade and about another 10 that have been there since 7th grade. Does that count as Bowers "going out" and getting the players he wants?

 

 

 

Exactly my point out of the so called 10 players from Ensworth elementry/middle school only 5 start and the others do not play at all. So out of 22 starters, 17 of them came from other schools!! Ricky realized he could not win with just Ensworth kids so he had to go out and get others.

[jojo12]

Exactly my point out of the so called 10 players from Ensworth elementry/middle school only 5 start and the others do not play at all. So out of 22 starters, 17 of them came from other schools!! Ricky realized he could not win with just Ensworth kids so he had to go out and get others.

 

 

It doesn't matter where the kids came from. They beat MBA /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

[Franknbeans]

Exactly my point out of the so called 10 players from Ensworth elementry/middle school only 5 start and the others do not play at all. So out of 22 starters, 17 of them came from other schools!! Ricky realized he could not win with just Ensworth kids so he had to go out and get others.

 

 

This is funny listening to private schools call another private school out on getting players from public middle schools. You should have seen it coming. MBA has Backfield in motion getting inter city kids and Ensworth has been diving into public schools since its inception.

[Grey Ghost]

Reeve may start but Bowers does not

 

 

You haven't paid attention. Bowers has started every game this year at corner - and has also played wide receiver. "Reeve may start" - he does start and has started every game at center.

[Grey Ghost]

It doesn't matter where the kids came from. They beat MBA /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

 

 

Possibly the most intelligent and concise summation on this thread (besides ending the sentence with a preposition). Nonetheless, the point is well made.