Metro Overview

[oldmetrodog]

First post under new name. There's always a lot of talk about metro here and I wanted to give an overview of each school from a guy who's been around it for 1000 years. My apologies for the length of the post.

 

Whites Creek ??“ Don??™t know a lot about Law. They??™ve had a tough time of late, but the talent??™s been down. He did one of the smartest things a young coach (or any coach for that matter) can do. He kept, at least, one old warrior around. Keeping Richard Coure on staff was a great move. He knows the ins and outs of not only football, but metro and WC in particular. If history proves, the talent will come back around and we??™ll see what he can do then.

 

Stratford ??“ I think Smith has done a good job with a really tough situation. He loves the school and works really hard for his kids. In a situation like his, I won??™t say winning is secondary, but there are so many other issues that need to be dealt with. If he turns out a string of good young men, finds a way to get as many as possible to college, and along the way wins some games, he has been successful. I think he is doing those things.

 

Pearl-Cohn ??“ I put the HC job at PC in sort of the same category as Stratford. So many outside issues to deal with. What makes Brunetti??™s job a little tougher is following in the footsteps of a legend. Maurice Fitzgerald was far more to his boys than a coach. Yes, he won 2 championships, but to me, he will be remembered far more for his influence on the lives of the young men he coached. Brunetti seems to have apprenticed well under Coach Fitzgerald. He sent 12-15 young men to college last year. These are young men who probably had no prayer of going without him.

 

Maplewood ??“ Thompson has done amazing things in another really tough situation. Coaching becomes a whole different job when you are coaching kids who may or may not have the essentials of life (food, clothes, home) on a daily basis. I also think he is a very good football guy. I think he is a guy who could go and win most anywhere. He is another one who made an incredibly smart phone call when he dialed up Dorris Armstrong. Dorris is one of the best coaches and DC??™s around.

 

Hunters Lane ??“ Campbell is a die hard metro guy. Very good coach who has had trouble keeping a good staff. He has managed to always try and surround himself with old warriors. From Steve Peden to Gerald Johnson to Jerry Pigue and now (I??™m told) Wes Elrod, he??™s had some great battle tested guys around him. The talent is there right now andd if he can add to Elrod and Moreno on his staff they have a chance to be pretty good.

 

McGavock ??“ This seems to be the one place in metro right now that is in total disarray. Broome??™s been in some trouble, but even before that there seemed to be some serious issues. Broome was a good player, but I think he was thrown into the fire a little early on this one. He seems to be in over his head. There appears to be very little discipline and chemistry. I hope they get this solved because McGavock should be one of the premier programs in town.

 

Antioch ??“ Woodward is one of those who isn??™t a ???metro guy??? so I don??™t know much about him, but may be one of the best coaches in metro. Considering how badly the talent has fallen off in the last few years, it is a job well done keeping them in the playoffs and winning playoff games. The ridiculous talent they had for a few years is a memory and he??™s managed to continue to have the team in the playoffs every year. His big mistake was not doing what others have. He either let Tony Currie go or let him get away (I don??™t know which) and it??™s hurt them. Currie would have made them better because they haven??™t been very good defensively since he left and that, for all the talk of Coker and those guys, was what made Antioch good.

 

Cane Ridge ??“ Jury is out. They had a very good freshmen bunch this year so we??™ll see what happens in a couple of years. Abner seems to have a new lease on life as most would given a new situation. The big question here is how CR and Antioch deal with being a mile or so apart. Is there enough talent to go around?

 

Glencliff ??“ Don??™t really know much about Murray. He??™s another one who made a great phone call and was able to snatch Tony Currie up so they have to be getting better defensively. Didn??™t see them play this year, but from what I??™m told they seem to have picked up the pace. Talent has been nearly non-existent the last few years, so it??™s hard to say how things will go until it picks up.

 

Hillsboro ??“ Blade was another non ???metro guy??? so I don??™t know a lot about him, either, but I thought he did a really good job managing this team. Hillsboro is really apples and oranges compared to the rest on this list. Open zoning has allowed them to function, basically, like a private school. While I think a long list of guys could have done what he did, it takes being a good coach to do it. Blade was a good coach who was lucky to land in the right place at the right time. That??™s part of it and he got a good deal out of it. Hats off. As long as they continue to have open zoning, they will continue to win, and kids will continue to flock to Hillsboro from all over the city. Not really fair to the rest, but I guess that??™s life.

 

Overton ??“ Steady Terry. Anderson is the last of my generation hanging on and is the dean of metro football. Terry is a very good football coach and I??™ve known him for decades. He??™s in the same boat as most good coaches. When the talent is there, he wins. When it??™s not, he struggles. Terry is a lot like Smith at Stratford in that he??™s coaching at his alma mater and he loves the school. He wouldn??™t leave Overton for any other job (I know because there have been opportunities). Don??™t know how long he??™ll hang on, but I??™ll hate to see my generation finally ride off into the sunset.

 

Hillwood ??“ Poor, poor Mose. I can??™t really say how good a HC Mose is because as long as he??™s at Hillwood he??™ll never have a chance. Hillwood has very, very small numbers and very, very little talent. When the school zone changes it??™s only going to get worse. My advice to Mose-run for your life. Take whatever job you can get and be thankful. If it isn??™t a head job another will come along, but RUN!

[Gambler]

Thanks for the update. One descrpancy is I think you did not give Mcgavok justice as to how bad things are. The reason the program is still standing is Coach Baskins and especially the defensive coordinator John Green. Coach Green deserves a shot at running the program.

[oldmetrodog]

Thanks for the update. One descrpancy is I think you did not give Mcgavok justice as to how bad things are. The reason the program is still standing is Coach Baskins and especially the defensive coordinator John Green. Coach Green deserves a shot at running the program.

 

Are you saying I didn't bash them enough? I'd add Larry Coffee to you your list too.

[workinprogress]

Thanks for the update. One descrpancy is I think you did not give Mcgavok justice as to how bad things are. The reason the program is still standing is Coach Baskins and especially the defensive coordinator John Green. Coach Green deserves a shot at running the program.

 

You would put Green over Baskins???

[badguy]

Oldmetrodog:

 

 

 

A couple of notes:

 

 

 

1. As you should know Blade is out at Hillsboro. The is going to have a major impact on the METRO landscape. This could either mean a current METRO HC or assistant gets a shot at this or an "outsider". Either way in general this alone could cause anothe HC job to open up!

 

2. Most METRO coaches have more than ttheir share of external issuse to deal with and if you have not really had to deal with an inter-city program and its issuse it is daunting (I am NOT taking away issues that others have in other places! I have been on both sides of the ball on this and if you are are going to go to a place like METRO I hope you have a very understanding wife! Or better yet put her to work on your staff and keep your marriage intact!)

 

3. You left out East-Literature: Here you have two old school METRO warriors running the program going into their first season of varsity play. Last year they graduated a number of players so we will see what will happen there. You have to also take into consideration that East-Lit. is pulling players away from Stratford which is lesst than 2 miles give or take away. The upcomming season will tell a lot!

 

4. The real question here is which teams in Metro are going to be contenders and which are going to be pretenders? With many of these schools bashing their heads against each in two seperate regions we will see how rough it is going to be!

 

 

 

Say hello...to the BADGUY!

[workinprogress]

First post under new name. There's always a lot of talk about metro here and I wanted to give an overview of each school from a guy who's been around it for 1000 years. My apologies for the length of the post.

 

Whites Creek ??“ Don??™t know a lot about Law. They??™ve had a tough time of late, but the talent??™s been down. He did one of the smartest things a young coach (or any coach for that matter) can do. He kept, at least, one old warrior around. Keeping Richard Coure on staff was a great move. He knows the ins and outs of not only football, but metro and WC in particular. If history proves, the talent will come back around and we??™ll see what he can do then.

 

Stratford ??“ I think Smith has done a good job with a really tough situation. He loves the school and works really hard for his kids. In a situation like his, I won??™t say winning is secondary, but there are so many other issues that need to be dealt with. If he turns out a string of good young men, finds a way to get as many as possible to college, and along the way wins some games, he has been successful. I think he is doing those things.

 

Pearl-Cohn ??“ I put the HC job at PC in sort of the same category as Stratford. So many outside issues to deal with. What makes Brunetti??™s job a little tougher is following in the footsteps of a legend. Maurice Fitzgerald was far more to his boys than a coach. Yes, he won 2 championships, but to me, he will be remembered far more for his influence on the lives of the young men he coached. Brunetti seems to have apprenticed well under Coach Fitzgerald. He sent 12-15 young men to college last year. These are young men who probably had no prayer of going without him.

 

Maplewood ??“ Thompson has done amazing things in another really tough situation. Coaching becomes a whole different job when you are coaching kids who may or may not have the essentials of life (food, clothes, home) on a daily basis. I also think he is a very good football guy. I think he is a guy who could go and win most anywhere. He is another one who made an incredibly smart phone call when he dialed up Dorris Armstrong. Dorris is one of the best coaches and DC??™s around.

 

Hunters Lane ??“ Campbell is a die hard metro guy. Very good coach who has had trouble keeping a good staff. He has managed to always try and surround himself with old warriors. From Steve Peden to Gerald Johnson to Jerry Pigue and now (I??™m told) Wes Elrod, he??™s had some great battle tested guys around him. The talent is there right now andd if he can add to Elrod and Moreno on his staff they have a chance to be pretty good.

 

McGavock ??“ This seems to be the one place in metro right now that is in total disarray. Broome??™s been in some trouble, but even before that there seemed to be some serious issues. Broome was a good player, but I think he was thrown into the fire a little early on this one. He seems to be in over his head. There appears to be very little discipline and chemistry. I hope they get this solved because McGavock should be one of the premier programs in town.

 

Antioch ??“ Woodward is one of those who isn??™t a ???metro guy??? so I don??™t know much about him, but may be one of the best coaches in metro. Considering how badly the talent has fallen off in the last few years, it is a job well done keeping them in the playoffs and winning playoff games. The ridiculous talent they had for a few years is a memory and he??™s managed to continue to have the team in the playoffs every year. His big mistake was not doing what others have. He either let Tony Currie go or let him get away (I don??™t know which) and it??™s hurt them. Currie would have made them better because they haven??™t been very good defensively since he left and that, for all the talk of Coker and those guys, was what made Antioch good.

 

Cane Ridge ??“ Jury is out. They had a very good freshmen bunch this year so we??™ll see what happens in a couple of years. Abner seems to have a new lease on life as most would given a new situation. The big question here is how CR and Antioch deal with being a mile or so apart. Is there enough talent to go around?

 

Glencliff ??“ Don??™t really know much about Murray. He??™s another one who made a great phone call and was able to snatch Tony Currie up so they have to be getting better defensively. Didn??™t see them play this year, but from what I??™m told they seem to have picked up the pace. Talent has been nearly non-existent the last few years, so it??™s hard to say how things will go until it picks up.

 

Hillsboro ??“ Blade was another non ???metro guy??? so I don??™t know a lot about him, either, but I thought he did a really good job managing this team. Hillsboro is really apples and oranges compared to the rest on this list. Open zoning has allowed them to function, basically, like a private school. While I think a long list of guys could have done what he did, it takes being a good coach to do it. Blade was a good coach who was lucky to land in the right place at the right time. That??™s part of it and he got a good deal out of it. Hats off. As long as they continue to have open zoning, they will continue to win, and kids will continue to flock to Hillsboro from all over the city. Not really fair to the rest, but I guess that??™s life.

 

Overton ??“ Steady Terry. Anderson is the last of my generation hanging on and is the dean of metro football. Terry is a very good football coach and I??™ve known him for decades. He??™s in the same boat as most good coaches. When the talent is there, he wins. When it??™s not, he struggles. Terry is a lot like Smith at Stratford in that he??™s coaching at his alma mater and he loves the school. He wouldn??™t leave Overton for any other job (I know because there have been opportunities). Don??™t know how long he??™ll hang on, but I??™ll hate to see my generation finally ride off into the sunset.

 

Hillwood ??“ Poor, poor Mose. I can??™t really say how good a HC Mose is because as long as he??™s at Hillwood he??™ll never have a chance. Hillwood has very, very small numbers and very, very little talent. When the school zone changes it??™s only going to get worse. My advice to Mose-run for your life. Take whatever job you can get and be thankful. If it isn??™t a head job another will come along, but RUN!

 

 

Very good assessment of each. There are several interesting situations in metro right now for different reasons. Who will lead McGavock and Hillsboro next year? McGavocks AB has been in a bit of trouble and Hillsboro is looking for its next leader. Depending on who ends up at Hillsboro (word on the street is that Coach A may want to get out of Riverdale and head back to town) there may be other jobs opening?

What will Cane Ridge do? They had a very talented freshman team last year but that doesnt always translate into being a very good varsity team. Cane Ridge is getting their kids from the new Marshall Middle School. They have many athletes there who moved into the area to go to a new school and new high school. Antioch still has athletes just not nearly as many as in the past. They are few and far in between. Woodward is a very good coach and will get the best out of his players.

Anderson at Overton still has at least a few years left in him at Overton. He could retire now but wont. Like you said he loves football and loves Johnny O. Like Glencliff Overton took a hit when the zones were changed and they lost their third of Edge Hill. Yet they continue to be competitive.

We have yet to see what Phillips can actually do as a head coach and wont until he lands somewhere else. Will he try to go to his alma mater? If I were him I would. But if he goes there we really still will not know exactly what kind of coach he is because of the abundance of talent.

Maplewood, PC, Stratford, and Whites Creek all go in cycles just like the others. I think each has a good coach for different reasons and I look for PC and Stratford to have pretty good years.

You left out East Lit. Spears and Pigue together have a few years experience and they have the athletes and a great classification for them to be in. They could make a lot of noise this year.

The big questions this year and in the future will be the new districts and how the playoffs will actually work and when will the other metro coaches get tired of losing quality athletes to the open zoned Hillsboro who already gets the Edgehill area from Overton and Glencliff. Its really not fair and I am sure that other coaches get tired of having their best athletes or any athletes leave to go to Hillsboro. Its almost like a public/private school.

[mindlesschatter]

in the interest of being fair - everyone slams hillsboro for having "open zoning" - thus they are expected to win. If I am not mistaken, which I am not, every school in metro has an open enrollment policy - it takes place in March. Now let's give some credit to the guys that have been at Hillsboro (from Aydelott and Lawson to Blade and Manuel) for maintaining a program that players "flock" to.

[oldmetrodog]

Oldmetrodog:

 

 

 

A couple of notes:

 

 

 

1. As you should know Blade is out at Hillsboro. The is going to have a major impact on the METRO landscape. This could either mean a current METRO HC or assistant gets a shot at this or an "outsider". Either way in general this alone could cause anothe HC job to open up!

 

2. Most METRO coaches have more than ttheir share of external issuse to deal with and if you have not really had to deal with an inter-city program and its issuse it is daunting (I am NOT taking away issues that others have in other places! I have been on both sides of the ball on this and if you are are going to go to a place like METRO I hope you have a very understanding wife! Or better yet put her to work on your staff and keep your marriage intact!)

 

3. You left out East-Literature: Here you have two old school METRO warriors running the program going into their first season of varsity play. Last year they graduated a number of players so we will see what will happen there. You have to also take into consideration that East-Lit. is pulling players away from Stratford which is lesst than 2 miles give or take away. The upcomming season will tell a lot!

 

4. The real question here is which teams in Metro are going to be contenders and which are going to be pretenders? With many of these schools bashing their heads against each in two seperate regions we will see how rough it is going to be!

 

 

 

Say hello...to the BADGUY!

 

1. Yes I do, that's why I used past tense. I agree with you. This could really start a domino effect. Hillsboro's open zones make it a great situation. The last two guys have gone on to "greener pastures" so I'm not sure why people won't jump on it. Downside: new region will be MUCH tougher than the old one.

 

2. I agree 100%.

 

3. Yes I did. Typed it in word and didn't copy the whole thing apparently.

East Lit - Hard to say as of yet. In the same boat as Cane Ride right now. It's not going to be easy, but you won't find two guys who will work together any better than Bubba Spears and his Daddy, Jerry Pigue. Not sure what the rest of the staff looks like but they have two old East Nashville warriors back in the neighborhood. Time will tell about wins and loses, but I know those two are going to have fun.

 

4. Obviously, Hillsboro will be good. They get another good coach who will maintain. I really don't know who all has what coming back, but I'd bet on Maplewood, Hunters Lane, and Antioch being in the mix.

[oldmetrodog]

in the interest of being fair - everyone slams hillsboro for having "open zoning" - thus they are expected to win. If I am not mistaken, which I am not, every school in metro has an open enrollment policy - it takes place in March. Now let's give some credit to the guys that have been at Hillsboro (from Aydelott and Lawson to Blade and Manuel) for maintaining a program that players "flock" to.

 

I'm not slamming Hillsboro. I'm just saying it's apples and oranges. I believe I said it takes a good coach to maintain even under the best of situations and I think Ron and Blade did a very good job. I'm not sure where you get your open zoning info from.

[TheSpoon]

in the interest of being fair - everyone slams hillsboro for having "open zoning" - thus they are expected to win. If I am not mistaken, which I am not, every school in metro has an open enrollment policy - it takes place in March. Now let's give some credit to the guys that have been at Hillsboro (from Aydelott and Lawson to Blade and Manuel) for maintaining a program that players "flock" to.

 

Someone might want to pass this info on to the rest of metro because I don't think anyone but you knows this.

[workinprogress]

in the interest of being fair - everyone slams hillsboro for having "open zoning" - thus they are expected to win. If I am not mistaken, which I am not, every school in metro has an open enrollment policy - it takes place in March. Now let's give some credit to the guys that have been at Hillsboro (from Aydelott and Lawson to Blade and Manuel) for maintaining a program that players "flock" to.

 

Not taking anything away from them at all. Those guys did a great job this year. And yes every school has open zoning to a certain degree. If a kid wants to take a class that isnt offered and if the school is not at capacity then the school can accept him or her. However, Hillsboro is open zoned period. All a kid has to do is provide his or her own transportation. Not nearly the same thing. Hillsboro even has on metros website its open enrollment deadline. There is a list of the open zoned schools. There are about 6 high schools. Not mentioned at all are schools like Overton and Antioch. Some that are are HuntersLane IB program, Hillsboro, and Cane Ridge.

[badguy]

. It's not going to be easy, but you won't find two guys who will work together any better than Bubba Spears and his Daddy, Jerry Pigue.

 

 

 

THIS IS TOO FUNNY! /roflolk.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflolk:" border="0" alt="roflolk.gif" /> /roflolk.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflolk:" border="0" alt="roflolk.gif" /> /roflolk.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflolk:" border="0" alt="roflolk.gif" /> /roflolk.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflolk:" border="0" alt="roflolk.gif" /> AND SOO TRUE!

 

 

 

-Say hello...to the BADGUY