Big Games in Memphis

[kwc]

Ok Memphis area high school football fans, it's that time of the year again. It's Week 0 and there are plenty of Big Games to be played. If you've seen my posts in recent years, you know how we do this. I'm going to list what I think are the big games in the Memphis area and then I am going to try and prognosticate those games. This is an open thread where you the reader are implored to join in the fun as well. It's just some good ole clean fun. I'm sorry for not posting this earlier, but the old saying of "Better late then never!" applies in this case ... LOL!

 

If you would like to add a game to the list, you are more then welcome. I do not try to list every game being played on any particular week end. I list what I think are Big Games.

 

P.S. The number by a team is their Commercial Appeal Dandy Dozen ranking.

 

That being stated ... let's do this!

 

 

BIG GAMES IN MEMPHIS .... WEEK 0

 

 

(1) Ridgeway vs. White Station

Time/place: 7 p.m. at Halle Stadium

 

 

(5) Wooddale at (4) CBHS

Time: 7 p.m.

 

 

Ensworth at (2) MUS

Time: 7:30 p.m.

 

 

(9) Olive Branch at Madison Central

Time: 7:30 p.m.

 

 

(10) Arlington at Murfreesboro Oakland

Time: 7:30 p.m.

 

 

Trezevant at Melrose

Time: 7:00 p.m.

 

 

Southwind vs. East at Fairgrounds

Time: 7:00 p.m.

 

 

Brighton at Murfreesboro Riverdale

Time: 7:00 p.m.

 

 

 

With this being the preseason ... this makes these predictions much more difficult. With that disclaimer being proclaimed ... here goes ...

 

 

(1) Ridgeway vs. White Station:

 

Last year, White Station didn't follow it's 2009 tittle as they had hoped. This is a new year and a chance for getting back to being a dominant FB team in Memphis. To be the best, you have to beat the best ... and last year, RW was the best. RW lost an assistant coach to become the new head coach at Wooddale ... what kind of domino effect will that have on RW? Even though all of the preseason talk has been about RW ... don't sleep on WS ... they always have talent. Has the RW team been reading their clippings and started to think they will win just because they are being touted as the best? All of this makes you go ... Hmmmmmmm ...

 

I really don't know, but since I started this thing I'm going to pick a team ... and that is RW.

 

RW ... 28, WS ... 21

 

 

 

(5) Wooddale at (4) CBHS:

 

Wow ... another delima. Wooddale has three players to already commit to D1 schools already. They have Jovon Robinson ... let me repeat that .... they have Jovon Robinson. (If you haven't seen him play in person, you are doing yourself an injustice). Wooddale also has a brand new head coach, who was an assistant at RW last year. CBHS on the other hand is ALWAYS fundimentally sound and loaded with talent. I read in the CA where CBHS is young at most of it's positions, except at QB ... and that speaks volumes. To beat Wooddale ... you are going to have to eat clock and keep JR off of the field. My pick is .... CBHS.

 

Wooddale ... 14, CBHS ... 21

 

 

 

Ensworth at (2) MUS:

 

I'm of the same mindset as the MUS head coach and that is, if Ensworth is coming to town, you better believe that they think they have the talent to win! MUS didn't respond to their back to back titles like they would have liked last year. They have experience and they scrimmaged both Ridgeway and Whitehaven this summer to get prepared for the season. I'm just going to be a homer in this one and go with MUS.

 

Ensworth ... 17, MUS ... 24

 

 

(9) Olive Branch at Madison Central:

 

Well, OB is up to it's old tricks again, and that is recruiting players from Memphis programs. They hit Melrose pretty hard by stealing four players. (Oops ... did I types that? ... those were all legit transfers) Anyway, recruiting aside, will OB have enough to defeat MC is the question. I'm not convinced.

 

Olive Branch ... 21, Madison Central ... 35

 

 

(10) Arlington at Murfreesboro Oakland:

 

In an attemp to prepare Arlington for the post season, the coach has scheduled some non district games against some tougher opponents than it has in the previous seasons. I commend that move and I believe it will pay off in the long run. Beating a bunch of inferior teams will tend to give a team an over inflated sense of self. Oakland is an excellent program.

 

Go here and check out their history (2010 & 2009): http://www.coacht.com/tennessee/inside/schedule.cfm?SchoolID=380&SportID=1&SeasonID=149

 

I think Arlington loses ... but they will be better prepared for the post season as a result of the newer, tougher schedule.

 

Arlington ... 14, Oakland ... 28

 

 

Trezevant at Melrose:

 

Trezevant played in the state championship game last year in 3A. They looked horrible in that game ... but they played in it just the same. Melrose, on the other hand, had a horrible season last year, compared to Melrose standards. They have a brand new coach. They just lost four of their players to Olive Branch. I don't know about you, but I think Melrose could be on the brink of a sharp decline if things continue to spiral downward. Melrose should win this game, but who knows what to expect from them this year. I'm going to pick Melrose, but I wouldn't be surprised if Trezevant won.

 

Trezevant ... 21, Melrose ... 35

 

 

Southwind vs. East:

 

Southwind has been quietly improving on each season as they go along. East didn't have the season last year that some felt that they should of had. Both have potential to be really good this season. I know some of you are wondering why I selected this game. I just think both teams are going to do better this year then they did last year. I just can't put a finger on it. Southwind is the bigger school and they have a proven coach. I'm going with SW in this one.

 

Southwind ... 28, East ... 21

 

 

Brighton at Murfreesboro Riverdale:

 

Brighton is in the same boat as Arlington. They had a tremendous season last year, but their quality of opponents was lacking, IMO. They have beefed up the non district part of their schedule with Riverdale! Good step coach. I think they play well ... but this will be a Riverdale victory. Brighton will be all the better for playing this game however.

 

Brighton ... 14, Riverdale ... 35

 

 

Well ... that's it for me. What do you guys think?

Edited August 19, 2011 by kwc

[footballace1]

kwc, ive been wondering when you were going to post your thread. I can tell you put a lot of work into it though. Im excited to see the season kick off tonight. Here are my picks...

 

Ridgeway over Whitestation

MUS over Ensworth ( MUS looks very good this year. Possibly a state title contender)

CBHS over Wooddale

East over Southwind

Trezevant over Melrose

[fourthree]

Thanks for getting us going again, KWC! I was looking forward to it!

 

 

Ridgeway vs. White Station- Though White Station will be improved, Ridgeway will have too much offense/firepower. 28-18 Ridgeway.

 

Wooddale at CBHS- Large private schools in most cases are better prepared than publics at the beginning of the season. I predict either a big win for the Brothers or a very competitive game, with Wooddale coming out on top. 22-20 Wooddale.

 

 

 

Ensworth at MUS- 24-10 MUS

 

 

 

Olive Branch at Madison Central- 24-21 OB

 

 

 

Arlington at Oakland- 31-13 Oakland

 

 

 

Trezevant at Melrose- I know Melrose has a great QB in Gross and a new coach. I also know that they loss some good players to other schools. This is all I know about Melrose thus far. Besides a poor showing in the championship game last year, and all that went with that, I do not know much about Trezevant. So even though Trezevant was in the championship game last year, this year I'll go with the great QB and home-field in this one. 20-18 Melrose

 

 

 

Southwind vs. East- 18-13 East

 

 

 

Brighton at Riverdale- 31-9 Riverdale

Edited August 19, 2011 by fourthree

[dou]

KWC, Iagree with all of your picks. Go TROJANS

[TraderB]

Ok Memphis area high school football fans, it's that time of the year again. It's Week 0 and there are plenty of Big Games to be played.

 

That being stated ... let's do this!

 

 

With this being the preseason ... this makes these predictions much more difficult. With that disclaimer being proclaimed ... here goes ...

 

 

 

RW ... 28, WS ... 21

 

Wooddale ... 14, CBHS ... 21

 

Ensworth ... 17, MUS ... 24

 

Olive Branch ... 21, Madison Central ... 35

 

Arlington ... 14, Oakland ... 28

 

Trezevant ... 21, Melrose ... 35

 

Southwind ... 28, East ... 21

 

Brighton ... 14, Riverdale ... 35

 

 

Well ... that's it for me. What do you guys think?

 

 

RW 34 -- WS 21 ...... While Ridgeway lost a lot of key starters on defense, I'm not sure that White Station has the offensive weapons with which to take full advantage. RW's offense should not miss a beat.

 

CBHS 20 -- Wood 8 ...... Woodale lost too many key starters. Javon Robinson will not be enough.

 

MUS 17 -- Ens 14 .... Word on the street is that MUS is MUCH improved this year!! So, without knowing anything about Ensworth, I must simply follow my heart and go with our local team.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------

 

MC 31 -- OB 28 ..... The two teams always seem to light up the scoreboard! Madison Central tends to reload each year, while Olive Branch consistently "acquires" top Memphis talent.... Unfortunately for OB, it won't be enough at Madison Central.

 

Oak 31 -- Arl 7 ... I strongly suspect that Arlington won't be able to compete with the physical, smash-mouth style of this Middle Tennessee team.

 

 

Mel 36 -- Trez 22 ... Despite having it's starting lineup gutted by Olive Branch, Melrose still has that Orange Mound pride. From what I hear, Trezevant also lost a lot of key guys... I'm going with the bigger school. Trezevant will wear down, late.

------------------------------------------------------

 

SW 20 -- East 18 .... Southwind's program has been trending in the right direction. East, other than Brian Kimbro... I don't know too much about them this year... I saw some (very unimpressive) scrimmage highlights of them vs Olive Branch, for whatever that's worth.

 

Riverdale 35 -- Brighton 17 ....Again, I believe that Riversdale's (likely) smash-mouth style will wear down Brighton.

[wingman10]

Ok Memphis area high school football fans, it's that time of the year again. It's Week 0 and there are plenty of Big Games to be played. If you've seen my posts in recent years, you know how we do this. I'm going to list what I think are the big games in the Memphis area and then I am going to try and prognosticate those games. This is an open thread where you the reader are implored to join in the fun as well. It's just some good ole clean fun. I'm sorry for not posting this earlier, but the old saying of "Better late then never!" applies in this case ... LOL!

 

If you would like to add a game to the list, you are more then welcome. I do not try to list every game being played on any particular week end. I list what I think are Big Games.

 

P.S. The number by a team is their Commercial Appeal Dandy Dozen ranking.

 

That being stated ... let's do this!

 

 

BIG GAMES IN MEMPHIS .... WEEK 0

 

 

(1) Ridgeway vs. White Station

Time/place: 7 p.m. at Halle Stadium

 

 

(5) Wooddale at (4) CBHS

Time: 7 p.m.

 

 

Ensworth at (2) MUS

Time: 7:30 p.m.

 

 

(9) Olive Branch at Madison Central

Time: 7:30 p.m.

 

 

(10) Arlington at Murfreesboro Oakland

Time: 7:30 p.m.

 

 

Trezevant at Melrose

Time: 7:00 p.m.

 

 

Southwind vs. East at Fairgrounds

Time: 7:00 p.m.

 

 

Brighton at Murfreesboro Riverdale

Time: 7:00 p.m.

 

 

 

With this being the preseason ... this makes these predictions much more difficult. With that disclaimer being proclaimed ... here goes ...

 

 

(1) Ridgeway vs. White Station:

 

Last year, White Station didn't follow it's 2009 tittle as they had hoped. This is a new year and a chance for getting back to being a dominant FB team in Memphis. To be the best, you have to beat the best ... and last year, RW was the best. RW lost an assistant coach to become the new head coach at Wooddale ... what kind of domino effect will that have on RW? Even though all of the preseason talk has been about RW ... don't sleep on WS ... they always have talent. Has the RW team been reading their clippings and started to think they will win just because they are being touted as the best? All of this makes you go ... Hmmmmmmm ...

 

I really don't know, but since I started this thing I'm going to pick a team ... and that is RW.

 

RW ... 28, WS ... 21

 

 

 

(5) Wooddale at (4) CBHS:

 

Wow ... another delima. Wooddale has three players to already commit to D1 schools already. They have Jovon Robinson ... let me repeat that .... they have Jovon Robinson. (If you haven't seen him play in person, you are doing yourself an injustice). Wooddale also has a brand new head coach, who was an assistant at RW last year. CBHS on the other hand is ALWAYS fundimentally sound and loaded with talent. I read in the CA where CBHS is young at most of it's positions, except at QB ... and that speaks volumes. To beat Wooddale ... you are going to have to eat clock and keep JR off of the field. My pick is .... CBHS.

 

Wooddale ... 14, CBHS ... 21

 

 

 

Ensworth at (2) MUS:

 

I'm of the same mindset as the MUS head coach and that is, if Ensworth is coming to town, you better believe that they think they have the talent to win! MUS didn't respond to their back to back titles like they would have liked last year. They have experience and they scrimmaged both Ridgeway and Whitehaven this summer to get prepared for the season. I'm just going to be a homer in this one and go with MUS.

 

Ensworth ... 17, MUS ... 24

 

 

(9) Olive Branch at Madison Central:

 

Well, OB is up to it's old tricks again, and that is recruiting players from Memphis programs. They hit Melrose pretty hard by stealing four players. (Oops ... did I types that? ... those were all legit transfers) Anyway, recruiting aside, will OB have enough to defeat MC is the question. I'm not convinced.

 

Olive Branch ... 21, Madison Central ... 35

 

 

(10) Arlington at Murfreesboro Oakland:

 

In an attemp to prepare Arlington for the post season, the coach has scheduled some non district games against some tougher opponents than it has in the previous seasons. I commend that move and I believe it will pay off in the long run. Beating a bunch of inferior teams will tend to give a team an over inflated sense of self. Oakland is an excellent program.

 

Go here and check out their history (2010 & 2009): http://www.coacht.com/tennessee/inside/schedule.cfm?SchoolID=380&SportID=1&SeasonID=149

 

I think Arlington loses ... but they will be better prepared for the post season as a result of the newer, tougher schedule.

 

Arlington ... 14, Oakland ... 28

 

 

Trezevant at Melrose:

 

Trezevant played in the state championship game last year in 3A. They looked horrible in that game ... but they played in it just the same. Melrose, on the other hand, had a horrible season last year, compared to Melrose standards. They have a brand new coach. They just lost four of their players to Olive Branch. I don't know about you, but I think Melrose could be on the brink of a sharp decline if things continue to spiral downward. Melrose should win this game, but who knows what to expect from them this year. I'm going to pick Melrose, but I wouldn't be surprised if Trezevant won.

 

Trezevant ... 21, Melrose ... 35

 

 

Southwind vs. East:

 

Southwind has been quietly improving on each season as they go along. East didn't have the season last year that some felt that they should of had. Both have potential to be really good this season. I know some of you are wondering why I selected this game. I just think both teams are going to do better this year then they did last year. I just can't put a finger on it. Southwind is the bigger school and they have a proven coach. I'm going with SW in this one.

 

Southwind ... 28, East ... 21

 

 

Brighton at Murfreesboro Riverdale:

 

Brighton is in the same boat as Arlington. They had a tremendous season last year, but their quality of opponents was lacking, IMO. They have beefed up the non district part of their schedule with Riverdale! Good step coach. I think they play well ... but this will be a Riverdale victory. Brighton will be all the better for playing this game however.

 

Brighton ... 14, Riverdale ... 35

 

 

Well ... that's it for me. What do you guys think?

 

Thanks for the thread. I appreciate it.

Very good remarks on the games.

I think Wooddale at CBHS adn Ridgeway at White Station are the big games.

CBHS has to keep Wooddale's stud rb in check.

Ridgeway is very good. Looking forward to hearing the results.

 

MUS should have a huge crowd since Faith Hill will be in attendance.

 

East is one of my favorite teams. Hope they get the w.

Edited August 19, 2011 by wingman10

[TraderB]

RW 34 -- WS 21 ...... While Ridgeway lost a lot of key starters on defense, I'm not sure that White Station has the offensive weapons with which to take full advantage. RW's offense should not miss a beat.

 

CBHS 20 -- Wood 8 ...... Woodale lost too many key starters. Javon Robinson will not be enough.

 

MUS 17 -- Ens 14 .... Word on the street is that MUS is MUCH improved this year!! So, without knowing anything about Ensworth, I must simply follow my heart and go with our local team.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------

 

MC 31 -- OB 28 ..... The two teams always seem to light up the scoreboard! Madison Central tends to reload each year, while Olive Branch consistently "acquires" top Memphis talent.... Unfortunately for OB, it won't be enough at Madison Central.

 

Oak 31 -- Arl 7 ... I strongly suspect that Arlington won't be able to compete with the physical, smash-mouth style of this Middle Tennessee team.

 

 

Mel 36 -- Trez 22 ... Despite having it's starting lineup gutted by Olive Branch, Melrose still has that Orange Mound pride. From what I hear, Trezevant also lost a lot of key guys... I'm going with the bigger school. Trezevant will wear down, late.

------------------------------------------------------

 

SW 20 -- East 18 .... Southwind's program has been trending in the right direction. East, other than Brian Kimbro... I don't know too much about them this year... I saw some (very unimpressive) scrimmage highlights of them vs Olive Branch, for whatever that's worth.

 

Riverdale 35 -- Brighton 17 ....Again, I believe that Riversdale's (likely) smash-mouth style will wear down Brighton.

 

News Flash:

-----------------------

 

4th qtr -- 10 minutes remaining (when I left the game):

 

 

White Station 37 -- Ridgeway 14

 

---------------------------------------------------

 

I'll post some details before the weekend is out. For now, here's the long and short of it:

 

 

-- Ridgeway is NOWHERE near as good as they were last year, offensively or defensively!

 

-- White Station is much improved, but not very balanced offensively.

 

 

I left the game early because it was crystal clear that Ridgeway was NOT equipped to make a comeback (of course, I could turn out to be wrong. I'll have to check the final score, later).

[bellgo]

News Flash:

-----------------------

 

4th qtr -- 10 minutes remaining (when I left the game):

 

 

White Station 37 -- Ridgeway 14

 

---------------------------------------------------

 

I'll post some details before the weekend is out. For now, here's the long and short of it:

 

 

-- Ridgeway is NOWHERE near as good as they were last year, offensively or defensively!

 

-- White Station is much improved, but not very balanced offensively.

 

 

I left the game early because it was crystal clear that Ridgeway was NOT equipped to make a comeback (of course, I could turn out to be wrong. I'll have to check the final score, later).

 

Ridgeway received a lot of hype in the preason. I was not expecting this.

[wingman10]

Wow. I thought White Station might stay close for 3 quarters. I was shocked.

 

Congrats to East. Very glad to see them open the season with a w.

[TraderB]

Ridgeway received a lot of hype in the preason. I was not expecting this.

Bellgo,

 

You are definitely not alone.... Ridgeway's loss shocked a whole bunch of people, including me!

 

I fully expected RW's offense to pick up where it left off last year; its defense...well, while their Head Coach spoke about the loss of a lot of guys on that side of the ball, I genuinely never expected the Roadrunners to be this impotent! I mean, they looked absolutely horrible versus the pass. Their run defense, however, was actually quite stout. They just totally shut down White Station's running game.

 

As for White Station...I figured that they would be improved over last year, but I seriously did not expect them to embarrass Ridgeway in this manner. The Spartans, to the credit of their coaching staff, took full advantage of Ridgeway's biggest weakness -- the secondary, and just chunked the ball deep down field repeatedly. It was as if their game plan was to just get the ball up into the air and let their receivers find a way to catch it! It often looked like something you'd draw up in backyard football.

 

It worked. Often.

 

I used the word "chunked" because, in my view, that's pretty much all that White Station's QB was doing. He does not seem to have a very strong arm, nor does he appear to be a very accurate passer. He was, however, very effective. At the end of the day, I guess that's all that really matters -- results.

 

Anyway, White Station kept Ridgeway on its heels -- offensively and defensively, the entire night. The Spartans stacked 8 men in the box and just DARED the Roadrunners to run the ball. They couldn't, consistently anyway. They could not throw either! Ridgeway's QB was woefully inaccurate and indecisive; he moved like molasses, as if he were stuck in the mud or something (the field was bone dry), whenever he attempted to run the ball. The result was a complete and total breakdown of its offense, thanks to White Station's super aggressive defense.

 

Based on body language, particularly after White Station scored its third unanswered TD (to go up 21 to 7), you could just tell that Ridgeway was one shell-shocked and frustrated football team! They were beaten. Soundly.

 

The rest is history.

 

-----------------------------------------------

 

Kudos to White Station for a well-executed game plan. They must be beaming with confidence right about now, and super excited about their immediate football future.

 

As for Ridgeway... well, let just say that they've got a WHOLE lot of work to do -- physically, mentally and every other way imaginable. Meanwhile, their future opponents are likely licking their chops to get a chance at revenge. They smell blood in the water, already.

Edited August 21, 2011 by TraderB

[onefortheteam]

Kwc and dou thanks for the support, you guys have a thing for Arlington...good let's see how it works out.

I edited it to include trarderb .....

Edited August 21, 2011 by onefortheteam

[olddevil]

Thanks again,KWC, from your upper West Tennessee neighbors.No Commercial, No TV, No Radio up here so you, Trader B, and others are ourinformation source for Memphis HS football. Anyone there got the Whitehaven, Manassas,and Fairly scores?