Henry County vs. Dickson County

[pats73]

I live in dc but I am a patroit fan. My son has been posting on this site without my knowing about it. When the patroits come to dc I sit on the patroits side of the field . Until this year because he plays and the boss saids that i have to sit on dc side or she will break my plate. DC has a good running game but not big in the o line or on the d line defence looks bad. Have not stopped anyone all year. QB has a fair arm the backs are small but fast they get lost behind the o line and are hard to find coming out of the backfield. They can get around the end quick. They have been passing more of late.

Edited October 20, 2011 by pats73

[QBClubPrez]

From the Paris Post-Intelligencer:

 

Dickson County Cougars.

 

No words can stir the passion of athletes and their fans in Henry County like the mention of the teams from Dickson County High School.

 

Henry County High School senior football player LaQuan McFerren hasn’t lived here all his life but he learned real quick the meaning of playing against Dickson. He and his Patriot teammates will be playing the Cougars for the District 10-AAA championship 7:30 p.m. Friday at Patriot Stadium.

 

“This is the big game that everybody comes to see,†McFerren said. “It is for the district championship right there. It doesn’t get any bigger than that.â€

 

Playing for the district title makes the game big. It is also big because the Patriots will celebrate Senior Night starting at 6:40 by recognizing the senir players and their families.

 

Its importance is underscored by the fact several Southeastern Conference coaches are expected to attend the game as well as Nashville sportscaster Rudy Kalis from WSMV, channel 4.

 

Every sport at HCHS shares the same kind of rivalry with Dickson but it began in earnest with the football teams meeting for the first time in 1977. The Patriots scored a 14-0 victory in that contest. There have been 34 meetings on the gridiron between the Patriots and Cougars with each school celebrating 17 wins. Each score is recorded on a Victory Barrel that is painted in the colors of both schools.

 

One school will go in front on the barrel’s list of scores and keep the wooden monument for the next year when the final horn sounds Friday night. The Tennessean in Nashville picks the Patriots to win 34-28 but said the winner of the game will have to score a lot of points. McFerren and his teammates want to be sure it is the Patriots that move in front in the series.

 

If Henry County can win, the senior class will have won every game they played against Dickson County while playing football for the Patriots. In all, it would mean five straight wins for Henry County since Dickson County last won 27-22 in 2006.

 

Patriot head coach James Counce was in his first year as a Patriot assistant in that 1977 game. He said it has been amazing how quickly the rivalry has grown and how much passion each school puts into it. He said while no two teams will play each other harder than the Patriots and Cougars do on the field, there is no animosity between the schools.

 

“The rivalry is a class act all the way,†Counce said. “There are no bitter things between the schools. I really appreciate that part of the rivalry and I’m sure Dickson’s coaches feel the same way.â€

 

While the games may not foster lasting bitterness between the communities, a loss is devastating to the team on the short end of the scoreboard. Nearly every game has been close between the teams. Henry County has won the past two games by 43-0 in 2009 and 29-3 last season but most of the games have been decided by less than 10 points.

 

In the early days of the series, the game annually decided the District 10-AAA championship when only two teams from each district advanced to the playoffs and the district winners got to play at home in the first round of the playoffs. When the TSSAA reorganized into regions in the early 1990s, the Patriots’ and Cougars’ contest still decided the Region 6-5A championship.

 

Further alignment change has divided the schools in classification but the teams kept playing with the barrel becoming the prize before being reunited in District 10-AAA again in 2009. Only difference is in the expanded playoff series Dickson County is a Class 6A school while Henry County competes in the Class 5A playoffs.

 

Henry County has a lot on the line this week as the 8-0 Patriots are now ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Class 5A poll and as the No. 1 seed in the state for the Class 5A playoffs. The Cougars are 8-1 on the season and ranked No. 10 in the Tennessean’s Mid-State poll (the Patriots are No. 5 in that poll). Counce said those are nice accomplishments for the players and the school but none of that will matter when the Cougars and Patriots play Friday night.

 

“Our seniors have told our other guys about the tradition of playing Dickson County. They know what the game means. They know it is for the district championship. They know it is for the barrel,†Counce said.

 

It is the kind of rivalry that produces legendary stories that take on mythical proportions like the games at Dickson County where three different Patriot centers all were knocked out of the game by blows to the head. Andy Patterson still doesn’t believe there was a second half played in that late 1980s game.

 

Counce isn’t known for calling trick plays but in a 21-14 loss in 1988 he had quarterback Rob Nichols pass to Tom Cate who caught the pass near midfield but pitched it back to Derrick Allen who ran the rest of the way for a touchdown. The 85 yards the play covered is the still in the HCHS record book as the longest pass play in school history.

 

Yes, that is the same Rob Nichols you’ll find at Medical Center Pharmacy these days. Tom Cate is now the Inman Middle School girls’ basketball coach.

 

Derrick Allen has the fifth highest career rushing total in HCHS history with 2,258 yards. His son, Dominique tops the list with 2,937 yards, and another son, Shaquille, will be the Patriots’ starting tailback against Dickson County.

 

Those guys and many more former Patriot greats will be at Friday night’s game and you can bet they will be telling stories, bragging about who had the best team and cheering for the Patriots to beat up on the Cougars one more time.

 

Don’t be afraid to ask them what playing Dickson means but bring a rested ear and when the horn sounds on the Patriots’ victory get out their way as they tear down the stadium stairs to race onto the field to help the current Patriots carry that barrel to midfield.

Edited October 20, 2011 by QBClubPrez

[RedRabbit09]

From the Tennessean:

 

Dickson Co. (8-1, 7-0) at Henry Co. (8-0, 6-0): The winner will take home at least a share of the District 10-AAA crown — and will have to score a lot of points. Henry County is averaging 47 points. Dickson County is scoring at a 34-point clip after a 52-45 triple-overtime win against Clarksville in which Ottis Gerron rushed for 193 yards and five TDs. Henry Co, 34, Dickson Co. 28.

 

Somehow I don't see it being this close.

 

I do not agree with you at all on this score. Henry County is averaging 47 points a game and Dickson might be averaging 34 points but the varsity patriot defense hasnt let any points up all year except for Beech. The cougars are a running team and this is why I believe they will not score 38 points. Henry County's defense is able to shut down any team who tries to run on them

[RedRabbit09]

But what we really need is a prediction from someone who really counts. So where is the YANKER?!?!?!

[chaos001]

I do not agree with you at all on this score. Henry County is averaging 47 points a game and Dickson might be averaging 34 points but the varsity patriot defense hasnt let any points up all year except for Beech. The cougars are a running team and this is why I believe they will not score 38 points. Henry County's defense is able to shut down any team who tries to run on them

 

Do mind that the quote was taken from Maurice Patton's article in the Tennessean.

[FactsOnly]

I live in dc but I am a patroit fan. My son has been posting on this site without my knowing about it. When the patroits come to dc I sit on the patroits side of the field . Until this year because he plays and the boss saids that i have to sit on dc side or she will break my plate. DC has a good running game but not big in the o line or on the d line defence looks bad. Have not stopped anyone all year. QB has a fair arm the backs are small but fast they get lost behind the o line and are hard to find coming out of the backfield. They can get around the end quick. They have been passing more of late.

Hahh!

 

Everything makes sense now. Tell the little bugger he had us all going!

 

We all understand your situation. Follow these instructions exactly:

 

1 Sit on Dickson County's side

2 Scream like a Banshee at every call the referee makes that is in any way unfavorable to Dickson County

3 High five every one you can reach when a Patriot gets tackled

4 Make no reference to your playing days for at least 3 months

5 Tell "the boss" all us loudmouths in Henry County wish your son a good game and good health

 

You are going to be proud of what you see Friday night.

[RedSwarm10]

But what we really need is a prediction from someone who really counts. So where is the YANKER?!?!?!

 

Don't hold your breath. It appears that he is merely a shell of his former self. It saddens and disappoints me, but it is what it is.

[wyattearp]

Its importance is underscored by the fact several Southeastern Conference coaches are expected to attend the game as well as Nashville sportscaster Rudy Kalis from WSMV, channel 4.

 

QB Club Prez you make me wish I was suiting up for a game tonight! Reading through all of the posts about tonight's game has got me pumped. No one is giving the Cougars a prayer but exactly what would happen to the Henry "faithful" if they were to somehow lose tonight. A lot of confidence (cockiness) by supporters saying they don't see a real opponent until the third or fourth round. Seems like it would be devastating to a team with all this hype ! Clock running in the 2nd quarter ? 45-0 at halftime ? What if......

[SweetScience]

Great to see former state championship coach of Oak Ridge and former Henry County coach "smokin" Joe Gaddis at the Oak Ridge game tonight vs Clinton. He was there along with the great 1991 Oak Ridge team that got remembered before tonights game.

Edited October 21, 2011 by SweetScience

[Patriot Pride W.A.O.]

Great to see former state championship coach of Oak Ridge and former Henry County coach "smokin" Joe Gaddis at the Oak Ridge game tonight vs Clinton. He was there along with the great 1991 Oak Ridge team that got remembered before tonights game.

Thats good to hear. we still think a lot about ol' coach gaddis. he got us on the right track and is a good man.

Edited October 21, 2011 by Patriot Pride W.A.O.

[Patriot Pride W.A.O.]

Its importance is underscored by the fact several Southeastern Conference coaches are expected to attend the game as well as Nashville sportscaster Rudy Kalis from WSMV, channel 4.

 

QB Club Prez you make me wish I was suiting up for a game tonight! Reading through all of the posts about tonight's game has got me pumped. No one is giving the Cougars a prayer but exactly what would happen to the Henry "faithful" if they were to somehow lose tonight. A lot of confidence (cockiness) by supporters saying they don't see a real opponent until the third or fourth round. Seems like it would be devastating to a team with all this hype ! Clock running in the 2nd quarter ? 45-0 at halftime ? What if......

Its gonna be an awesome atmosphere for both teams, its just what this rivalry and district championship game deserve.

[SweetScience]

Thats good to hear. we still think a lot about ol' coach gaddis. he got us on the right track and is a good man.

That he is, he gave us A LOT of great memories here at Oak Ridge that a lot of us will never forget.