Region 3 3A swept again.

[TigerPride]

How in the world did Brandon come up with these ideas?

 

 

(from today's Daily Post-Athenian):

 

"No disrespect to the other teams in our league, but we just don't see the same caliber of competition," said Derrick. "Those teams (Region 4) are tested week-in and week-out."

 

"We had a rugged preseason scrimmage schedule and I think showed we could play with anybody in our division," he added. "Then we got into the regular season and things came so easy - we were only really tested once in the first nine games. We just weren't mentally prepared for the adversity we faced in the last two weeks."

 

 

 

He had adversity day 1, from within. We all new he wouldnt be tested until Polk or Howard. ER was a surprise and showed some weakness for the first time. Just as we have all said, you cant do anything about being in a week region. His statement summed it up.

[Iceman14]

just thought i'd throw my opinion out there.... I think some kids are just bad apples. Lost causes, but they all deserve a chance. I think Coach Derrick gave them more then enough chances and eventually had to give up. I think if he would have given up after the first time, like some of you wanted him to, it would have been irresponsible. As a coach, or even an adult, you have to at least try to make a difference in the kids lives. If he throws him off the team the first time there's no hope for the kid. Maybe kids don't learn the lessons right away but if one day the fact that coach derrick gave him more then one chances has a positive effect on him, then its worth it. You can't just kick kids to the curb when they mess up.

 

As for the voting thing, i think its a great idea. We voted on some issues while i was there, thats not to say what we decided was final. The final decision is always in a coaches hand but its a good idea to see if what the players think. Because players get to see a different side of kids.

 

And i disagree with the statement that Central has a win by all means attitude. Yeah they want to win but they also know there are bigger issues. The coaches aren't just tryin to win games they're tryin to get kids into college and make an impact on the players futures. I know from first hand experience what great lenghts they'll go to help a guy out with college. So its not a win by all means, the coaches care about the players. So they give guys chances to change, is that so bad?

 

I don't want to start any trouble. But central's played players with a lot bigger issues and problems in the past and nobody cared. Could it be the only reason people really care now is cause they're going 9-1 instead of 1-9?

[WreckingCrew]

just thought i'd throw my opinion out there.... I think some kids are just bad apples. Lost causes, but they all deserve a chance. I think Coach Derrick gave them more then enough chances and eventually had to give up. I think if he would have given up after the first time, like some of you wanted him to, it would have been irresponsible. As a coach, or even an adult, you have to at least try to make a difference in the kids lives. If he throws him off the team the first time there's no hope for the kid. Maybe kids don't learn the lessons right away but if one day the fact that coach derrick gave him more then one chances has a positive effect on him, then its worth it. You can't just kick kids to the curb when they mess up.

 

As for the voting thing, i think its a great idea. We voted on some issues while i was there, thats not to say what we decided was final. The final decision is always in a coaches hand but its a good idea to see if what the players think. Because players get to see a different side of kids.

 

And i disagree with the statement that Central has a win by all means attitude. Yeah they want to win but they also know there are bigger issues. The coaches aren't just tryin to win games they're tryin to get kids into college and make an impact on the players futures. I know from first hand experience what great lenghts they'll go to help a guy out with college. So its not a win by all means, the coaches care about the players. So they give guys chances to change, is that so bad?

 

I don't want to start any trouble. But central's played players with a lot bigger issues and problems in the past and nobody cared. Could it be the only reason people really care now is cause they're going 9-1 instead of 1-9?

 

 

Since you were a former player at Central, I appreciate your honest, candid input, and personal observation. Anyone doubting Coach Derrick being in control doesn't know him very well. Perhaps he's been too fair, and if he was, it was because he genuinely cared about the young man - not winning. As I've alluded to many times on here, people on the outside don't realize all he's put up with by some worthless parents who didn't care for their children.

 

As Coach Fulmer says, the wind blows the hardest at the top of the flagpole. Being 9-1 in lieu of 1-9 will draw all sorts of high winds.

[Old Warhorse]

In White House, we have enough boys to field 2 jr pro divisions. We also have a middle school team, a freshman team (they have their own coaches and schedule). Our JV team plays as many JV games as they can get scheduled. These are on Monday nights. Many of our seniors both last year and this year have been playing football together since they were 6 or 7 years old.

 

 

It is way past due that McMinn County start middle school football. The obstacles simply need to be overcome. McMinn County should let the two high school head coaches get it off the ground this year. The elementary schools in the western part of the county should feed McMinn. Etowah, Englewood and Mt. View would feed McMinn Central. Youth league play would then be at the three lower divisions. If the Monroe, Polk and Loudon County leagues do not participate, then everybody in McMinn County go back to the McMinn-Meigs league. The county would hire middle school coaches and support them with volunteers. It could be worked out if all parties BOE, Football Coaches and youth league directors would meet together and compromise.

[Old Warhorse]

It looks like this thread has turned into an evaluation of the football program at McMinn Central. There has been very little discussion about why Region 3-3A fails to perform in the play-offs. Every team with the exception of the 2005 Norte Dame team has gotten beat in the first round. I do not think that Polk and Meigs do much better playing with the 2A teams in Chattanooga who play the likes of Westmoreland and Smith County. Next years alignment promises the same match-ups for Central and Sequoyah who are playing 4A (play-offs). Meigs, Polk and Sweetwater are in the same classification with Alcoa, Tyner and Howard. How does it get better for all of us?

It is nice playing and beating a rival, but it would be nice to play latter in November.

[WreckingCrew]

It looks like this thread has turned into an evaluation of the football program at McMinn Central. There has been very little discussion about why Region 3-3A fails to perform in the play-offs. Every team with the exception of the 2005 Norte Dame team has gotten beat in the first round. I do not think that Polk and Meigs do much better playing with the 2A teams in Chattanooga who play the likes of Westmoreland and Smith County. Next years alignment promises the same match-ups for Central and Sequoyah who are playing 4A (play-offs). Meigs, Polk and Sweetwater are in the same classification with Alcoa, Tyner and Howard. How does it get better for all of us?

It is nice playing and beating a rival, but it would be nice to play latter in November.

 

 

Actually, there has been a lot of discussion by me and a few others about one of the reasons why Region 3-3A fails to perform well in the playoffs......lack of quality competition. Brandon echoed those same sentiments in his comments given to the Daily Post-Athenian (posted by me a few posts back in this thread). Another reason is just the sheer quantity of talented, skilled athletes who are faster (possibly bigger and stronger) compared to several teams in Region 4.........and other 3A Region teams. An argument could probably be made that many of those teams are better coached because the teaching/coaching pay is much higher than this area, thus attracting the cream of the crop coaches. I still tend to think it's based more on seasonal competition, plus quantity and quality of athletes.

 

I haven't looked that close to next years' playoff alignment, and got confused when I did. I hope you, or someone else, have and will examine it further after the TSSAA finalizes these schedules and alignments.....then will share it with us lazy and less intelligent people. /huh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":huh:" border="0" alt="huh.gif" />

 

Perhaps teams in this area just need to enjoy the intense rivalries with nearby schools that exist, and not set their expectations so high beyond a Regional Championship? I don't think you'll find more community pride, support and spirit than you'll find in a Polk -vs- Meigs football game, for example. And if the game is at Meigs, you'll be treated like family to some of the best food around! /hungry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":hungry:" border="0" alt="hungry.gif" />

[logcabinman]

Actually, there has been a lot of discussion by me and a few others about one of the reasons why Region 3-3A fails to perform well in the playoffs......lack of quality competition. Brandon echoed those same sentiments in his comments given to the Daily Post-Athenian (posted by me a few posts back in this thread). Another reason is just the sheer quantity of talented, skilled athletes who are faster (possibly bigger and stronger) compared to several teams in Region 4.........and other 3A Region teams. An argument could probably be made that many of those teams are better coached because the teaching/coaching pay is much higher than this area, thus attracting the cream of the crop coaches. I still tend to think it's based more on seasonal competition, plus quantity and quality of athletes.

 

I haven't looked that close to next years' playoff alignment, and got confused when I did. I hope you, or someone else, have and will examine it further after the TSSAA finalizes these schedules and alignments.....then will share it with us lazy and less intelligent people. /huh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":huh:" border="0" alt="huh.gif" />

 

Perhaps teams in this area just need to enjoy the intense rivalries with nearby schools that exist, and not set their expectations so high beyond a Regional Championship? I don't think you'll find more community pride, support and spirit than you'll find in a Polk -vs- Meigs football game, for example. And if the game is at Meigs, you'll be treated like family to some of the best food around! /hungry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":hungry:" border="0" alt="hungry.gif" />

 

 

This is why I say, focus on making good kids first - the rest will follow. We have proven in the past that we can compete at a high level. It will happen, but I gaurantee it will take a group of individuals working as a unit to accomplish a common goal - oops, I just gave the definition of team. You make some good points on why we struggle during the play offs, but I think we can both agree that the biggest problem that occured was their was some individuals that did not understand the concept of team. It just takes two or three to blow the team unity.

[WreckingCrew]

This is why I say, focus on making good kids first - the rest will follow. We have proven in the past that we can compete at a high level. It will happen, but I gaurantee it will take a group of individuals working as a unit to accomplish a common goal - oops, I just gave the definition of team. You make some good points on why we struggle during the play offs, but I think we can both agree that the biggest problem that occured was their was some individuals that did not understand the concept of team. It just takes two or three to blow the team unity.

 

 

How do you make kids good when systems, society and situtations are in place that doesn't support that? Parental discipline and home lifestyle is the primary place for that to successfully happen. I'm not saying it's impossible, and I fully agree with your premise, but in reality most of these problem children will always exist in certain areas.

 

Inheriting these type of individuals at the high school level and trying to help them is compounded by the problems and situations these children have been exposed to since they first started school and/or first started playing sports. I think playing even little league sports is a privilege, and one that a parent needs to determine based on their child's attitude and how well they're applying themself in school. When the parent doesn't care about anything but the fact that their child scores the most points or touchdowns, then the child is already being rewarded for the wrong things and they're missing the most important lessons of life being ingrained in them.

 

Forget the fact that a lot of little league coaches don't have a clue about coaching, but many times they, too, contribute to a child's problem by making them think that winning at any cost is acceptable. I've watched various little league sports before, and some of the players have terrible attitudes and tempers even at that age......yet the coaches or refs did absolutely nothing to correct these problem children. Many moons ago when I first started out as a referee I was reffing a little league football game comprised of 8-10 year old boys (I believe), and there was this one particualr player who had the absolute worst attitude and sportsmanship of anyone I had ever seen at any age. I had already flagged him for two obvious personal fouls in the first quarter alone, and watched as he berated and shoved his own teammates, calling one of them a f__khead, and even talked back to his coaches with total disrespect. I finally called the head coach over to the edge of the field - away from everyone - and suggested he take the kid out of the game for awhile to let him cool down. The coach told me he couldn't win the game without him. I just shook my head in disbelief and asked him if that was all he was concerned about. He said both teams were undefeated and this game would determine the championship. I again asked him if that was all he was concerned about, and he didn't reply. Now, back to the two personal fouls penalties I had already called on this one particular player. After I called threw both flags, the parents of the kids from that team booed and called me all kinds of names for throwing the flag on their team. Now bear in mind, reffing a game of kids at that age, one could legitimately throw a flag on virtually every play.....but we were understandably taught to be lenient on some nebulous infractions. But obvious, flagrant, acts of violence and bad sportsmanship were always called. Well, early in the second quarter this same player intentionally got up and started kicking the player from the opposing team who had tackled him. I immediately ran over to pull this problem child away, then he jerked away from me and tried to kick me. I ejected him from the game, and he said "f__k you and flipped me a bird"! My goodness, I had never even heard that word until I was about 13....and yet this kid knew it fluently. Wonder where he learned it? Anyway, the whole situation was a mess and I received all sorts of threats and foul language from this kids parents (who reeked of alcohol) after the game because their team lost......and they said these things right in front of the players. Now, being that this one particular kid wasn't being taught values at home, this coach certainly didn't help this young man to learn them either. Our society is so driven about winning at any cost, and when you couple that with children not being taught right from wrong at home, you can quickly see how a child like this isn't going to change until possibly it's too late for him.

 

And then there's the problems with public elementary schools not discipling these children properly, and passing them on the next grade because it's easier to do than explain/justify why you need to fail them and have to face angry, worthless parents, as well as a wimpy principal and school board. But since I've been so long-winded, I'll not go into any more detail other than to say these problems already DO exist at some places, and they seem to be growing.

[Indian]

Tyner played McCallie and South Pittsburg outside the league and Boyd-Buchanan inside the league, lost at Westmoreland. If the playoff opponent is just better or just plays better than night, sometimes the strength of schedule won't make a difference.

[OldSchoolCharger]

I know a lot of this discussion has been about Central partly because a lot of people thought the team this year had the players to win some in the playoffs, but keep in mind Region 3 has had only 1 win in 4 years against Region 4!! That folks is a 1 -15 record and Central has only had 2 of those losses. Yes, I have agreed that discipline has to improve at Central but the other 13 losses were by teams that have been the pinnacle of disciplined teams! 4 losses by Polk, 3 by Meigs, 2 by Notre Dame, etc. Seems that tallent, (very few players playing at the d-1 level) and schedule strength, along with a mental block about beating Reg. 4, to me are the main reasons for not advancing in the playoffs right now.

[logcabinman]

How do you make kids good when systems, society and situtations are in place that doesn't support that? Parental discipline and home lifestyle is the primary place for that to successfully happen. I'm not saying it's impossible, and I fully agree with your premise, but in reality most of these problem children will always exist in certain areas.

 

Inheriting these type of individuals at the high school level and trying to help them is compounded by the problems and situations these children have been exposed to since they first started school and/or first started playing sports. I think playing even little league sports is a privilege, and one that a parent needs to determine based on their child's attitude and how well they're applying themself in school. When the parent doesn't care about anything but the fact that their child scores the most points or touchdowns, then the child is already being rewarded for the wrong things and they're missing the most important lessons of life being ingrained in them.

 

Forget the fact that a lot of little league coaches don't have a clue about coaching, but many times they, too, contribute to a child's problem by making them think that winning at any cost is acceptable. I've watched various little league sports before, and some of the players have terrible attitudes and tempers even at that age......yet the coaches or refs did absolutely nothing to correct these problem children. Many moons ago when I first started out as a referee I was reffing a little league football game comprised of 8-10 year old boys (I believe), and there was this one particualr player who had the absolute worst attitude and sportsmanship of anyone I had ever seen at any age. I had already flagged him for two obvious personal fouls in the first quarter alone, and watched as he berated and shoved his own teammates, calling one of them a f__khead, and even talked back to his coaches with total disrespect. I finally called the head coach over to the edge of the field - away from everyone - and suggested he take the kid out of the game for awhile to let him cool down. The coach told me he couldn't win the game without him. I just shook my head in disbelief and asked him if that was all he was concerned about. He said both teams were undefeated and this game would determine the championship. I again asked him if that was all he was concerned about, and he didn't reply. Now, back to the two personal fouls penalties I had already called on this one particular player. After I called threw both flags, the parents of the kids from that team booed and called me all kinds of names for throwing the flag on their team. Now bear in mind, reffing a game of kids at that age, one could legitimately throw a flag on virtually every play.....but we were understandably taught to be lenient on some nebulous infractions. But obvious, flagrant, acts of violence and bad sportsmanship were always called. Well, early in the second quarter this same player intentionally got up and started kicking the player from the opposing team who had tackled him. I immediately ran over to pull this problem child away, then he jerked away from me and tried to kick me. I ejected him from the game, and he said "f__k you and flipped me a bird"! My goodness, I had never even heard that word until I was about 13....and yet this kid knew it fluently. Wonder where he learned it? Anyway, the whole situation was a mess and I received all sorts of threats and foul language from this kids parents (who reeked of alcohol) after the game because their team lost......and they said these things right in front of the players. Now, being that this one particular kid wasn't being taught values at home, this coach certainly didn't help this young man to learn them either. Our society is so driven about winning at any cost, and when you couple that with children not being taught right from wrong at home, you can quickly see how a child like this isn't going to change until possibly it's too late for him.

 

And then there's the problems with public elementary schools not discipling these children properly, and passing them on the next grade because it's easier to do than explain/justify why you need to fail them and have to face angry, worthless parents, as well as a wimpy principal and school board. But since I've been so long-winded, I'll not go into any more detail other than to say these problems already DO exist at some places, and they seem to be growing.

 

 

It is so simple yet so hard to do. I agree you do want to help those kids with no direction, but I think that sometimes when we do give them the benifit of the doubt it does more harm than good. Set a standard early, be consistant across the board, and let the kids see your consistancy. THEY WILL FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY NEED TO BE SUCESSFUL WITH YOU! This puts the choice on them. Some do not learn values at home, that is why it is even more important that a coach set the rules and standards and don't bend for any reason. Kids in general will learn the weakness of their athorities and play on them. I agree our society has problems with this, I don't know why? I guess this topic should be in another thread. Sorry. I know no one wants to see kids fail, but I know I have learn more of my own personal lessons in life through my own failures and downfalls.

[6+4+3=2]

Strength of schedule IMO plays a minor role in the reason 3A teams never advance. Lets face it the reason we are talking so much about Central is that they had the athletes to compete with Region 4 this year and last. The only difference in Region 4 teams and Central was discipline no matter how hard it is for some to except it. Polk, Meigs and Notre Dame etc does not have the athletes to compete. I am not saying we don't have one or two but there is no comparison when they have four or five. Polk's fastest kid runs a 4.6 or 4.7. Most of the time we are playing teams that are bigger, faster and stronger. We have great kids no doubt but just not the number of athletes and I mean no disrespect to any of the kids because they work very hard and I think Coach Davis gets the most out of what he has. If you would have asked Coach Davis last spring would you take a 8-2 regular season record I gurantee you he would have said gladly, especially starting a sophomore QB and having lost a starting RB to a broken leg in the spring.