South Doyle @ Knoxville Halls

[panther93]

Some thoughts as we wait on next week (I wanted to wait, but here goes):

 

- Someone asked earlier if you had a son in the eighth grade, would you let him stay at Halls?

 

- Check my posts and you will see I can be as critical as anyone. However, I can honestly answer that with a h_ _ _ ya!! Consider this:

 

- My son has played for coach Julian and staff. They have mentored my son in football and in life. I'm very PROUD of my son and coach J. He teaches the kids alot more than just ball. He leads by example both on and off the field. Other parents talk about their coaches demeanning kids, cussing kids, and the like. You will not get that from our coaches. My son is a better football player and MAN because of coach J.

 

- Also, we got second in the region last year to the 4-time stae champ Mville. What about this year? We went toe-to-toe with the #1 ranked team.(tied in the 4th quarter) We lost 4 games that went down to the final 2 minutes, and really could've gone our way. I know that is coach talk, but also consider: Our returning QB suffered a high ankle sprain in the 1st game. HUGE impact on the rest of the season. He was one of the fastest kids on team, and was poised to have a great senior year. We are just now starting to see what he can do when healthy.WR's dropped like flies, and every team we played took advantage of that. (At one time, top 5 were out) Mono hit this team like no one will know, at least 4-5 starters tested positive and played through it. Almost wonder how we were able to compete.

 

- Even with all that, we are four SMALL plays (everyone can point to big plays) away from sitting at 7-2 right now. This program is headed in the right direction, we just had one of those "perfect storm" type years. Trust me, this is not the norm. Our coaches are getting this program headed back, we just had a bump this year.

 

- You might say, "but you don't know how good my son is" - well, ask anyone who has a son that has played and we will tell you - Coach J works extremly hard to get our kids scholarships and post season awards. He calls people, sends tapes, and really goes the extra mile.

 

- I have talked to alot of people from other schools, and they are shocked to find out how hard Coach J has worked for my son and others. I'm talking about all-state players and Unapproved Website prospects. This extra work doesn't happen elsewhere very often.

 

- Finally, if you want your son to compete for championships, become a better man, and have plenty of good lifetime memories, he should stay at Halls.

 

If I haven't said so, thanks to the coaches for everything they have done for this group of seniors!! Good luck Halls.

 

 

 

 

Stop Making excuses...Halls stinks this year...thats it...and honestly thats what happens when you go into the season being all cocky thinking that you have already one second...and btw yalls little wing t offense is a terrible offense to run and it so boring to watch /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

[ironman80too]

Stop Making excuses...Halls stinks this year...thats it...and honestly thats what happens when you go into the season being all cocky thinking that you have already one second...and btw yalls little wing t offense is a terrible offense to run and it so boring to watch /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

 

 

Is that why powell couldn't beat webb's dinky little wing-t with D-1 level talent? /dry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

[osunut2]

Stop Making excuses...Halls stinks this year...thats it...and honestly thats what happens when you go into the season being all cocky thinking that you have already one second...and btw yalls little wing t offense is a terrible offense to run and it so boring to watch /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

 

I'm not going to say that Halls stinks, but this season they suffered from a classic case of "great expectations." I've heard a ton of excuses for why they couldn't get it done, but it seems like a lot of people are overlooking the most obvious one - they were overrated. Sure, the way their schedule was set up didn't help. Sure, they lost some close games. Sure, they had some injuries and illnesses. Sure, if a few plays had gone their way or if the ball had bounced their way, they might be playoff bound. I have 3 words for that - coulda, woulda, shoulda!

 

Halls has a good young team, and they simply got in a hole that they couldn't dig themselves out of. The way fans approached their game against Maryville was ridiculous. During the week of the Maryville game, I asked a simple question in the Maryville-Halls thread - If Halls doesn't beat Maryville, how will they respond? I was afraid that they would have a difficult time recovering, if they didn't come up with a win (because so many people expected them to pull the "upset"). Sure enough, they never really recovered. I think that if they had been able to win even one of those close games, things might have been different. They just never figured out how to win in one of those situations this season.

 

As a Powell fan, I don't often pull for Halls, but I do feel for their fans and their players this season. Sometimes you have to have a little bit of luck on your side, and the Devils just didn't have it this year. All you can hope for is a productive off-season and a fresh start next year. With a totally new classification system (and no Maryville), things will be a lot different for everyone in this region.

[ObserverSD]

Halls by 7 /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

 

South Doyle by 4.

[faninthstands]

Itll be a crap shoot, who will be the winner of the losers! Both programs are in the sewer.

[ironman80too]

Itll be a crap shoot, who will be the winner of the losers! Both programs are in the sewer.

 

 

I understand that Halls hasn't quite had the season that we all thought would be, but I don't know that I'd classify their program as "in the sewer." If I'm not mistaken, Halls has only missed the playoffs three or four times since the tssaa moved to the 5 classification system. I can't hardly see how that is in the sewer.

[ZCAR]

The program is nowhere near in the sewer. But we do need some rethinking and tinkering on the offense. Pass blocking, True passing QB and no more stereotypical pass only on third downs. The running game was ok but didn't produce like last year so some updates needed here. Most defensive gameplans from other Schools have us figured out very early on. Thus a tough road for our runningbacks when defense sell out to the run the extra bodies in there is tough to overcome.

 

But just making the playoffs isn't the answer either. Who wants to be fourth in a region we should always want to try to strive to be #1. Ten years it took for us to host a playoff game and that happend last year. We were suppose to build on that but who knew that a unbelievable injury bug, sickness, new offensive coordinator steering away from the tried and true, no playmaker to rise from the surface to carry this team,etc.etc.etc. I not about to ask for people to feel sorry for us because we need to all grow up and figure out whats not working and get it right or we will be average and nothing more for some time. It's all to simple execution,execution,execution. We may have the best run blocking around but our pass blocking was always lacking and poor T.Turner had very little chance of success and the statistical data shows it.

 

We have had a good team and can be proud of that but not a playoff team this year and it showed as we couldn't get ourselves on the right side of the scoreboard. Same thing with the Vols. Tough year for the crossroad fan thats wear red Friday night then orange on Saturday.

 

New faces next year can promote a new beginning and clear the musty air from the agonising losses from this year. But we can't rely on what worked for us years ago we need to start afresh and entertain a shotgun more often and other heretical type formations that are un Halls like. We don't have to do it all the the time but just the threat can put other programs off balance. I'm hoping we show more progressive intent.

[devilsden]

zcar,

You make good points, but I always heard you build your offence and defence round what your players can do. If our players are capable of running a shotgun wide open offence then go for it. We always say we dont have good speed. How can a wide open spread offence work if you dont have good speed that can take a short pass all the way?

The wing-T might be the best offense for our talent level. Now add some new innovations to the wing -T and lets see if we can get back to the playoffs. No need for me to coment on the little fellar, we all agree he got to go.

No we are not in the sewer, but we are looking at the man hole cover, and we can smell the smell.

faninthstands, you are nothing. Powell aint nothing. I would much rather have lost at Halls this year than to have won with Powell.

[osunut2]

Powell aint nothing. I would much rather have lost at Halls this year than to have won with Powell.

 

I would say that this is the ultimate statement of the obvious, since you are a Halls fan and not a Powell fan.

[devilsden]

Go thru the record books and see who has won more times...Halls or Powell. I dont know the answer but I will bet lunch at Amber's its the Red Devils!

Hay, the better tean won this year, but I would bet the Devils have more wins.

[osunut2]

I would love to try and compile that head-to-head record. HSFdatabase.com provides the head-to-head record since 1993, which gives Powell a 9-7 advantage. Obviously, there are a lot of games missing.

[ZCAR]

zcar,

You make good points, but I always heard you build your offence and defence round what your players can do. If our players are capable of running a shotgun wide open offence then go for it. We always say we dont have good speed. How can a wide open spread offence work if you dont have good speed that can take a short pass all the way?

The wing-T might be the best offense for our talent level. Now add some new innovations to the wing -T and lets see if we can get back to the playoffs. No need for me to coment on the little fellar, we all agree he got to go.

No we are not in the sewer, but we are looking at the man hole cover, and we can smell the smell.

faninthstands, you are nothing. Powell aint nothing. I would much rather have lost at Halls this year than to have won with Powell.

 

 

I have to agree you have to work with your talent pool. But you have to experiment occasionally and provide other opportunities if things aren't working like they should. We can run up and down the field and if we don't put points on the scoreboard little comfort will result in the outcome. We have to open the offense more even if we work on 3-5 plays all spring long and preseason next year it has to be done. Or we will be having these same conversations next year about this time. Change isn't always bad. It may move you out of your comfort zone but hey these other schools aren't standing still.

 

Wing-T there is another sore spot for most fans including me in the past. I have warmed up to it because what I have seen the past few years is how flexible it can be at times. So I'm not trashing the Wing-T even though most people think it's antiquated I would like to see a little modification and surprise the opposition like Coach Ward seemed to do. I'm not suggesting a spread offense but at least if we are two scores down and limited time left of the clock we can implement a no-huddle(non sideline) quick up tempo offense when the need arises.