BGA to move down to D-II A

[Gambler]

I am puzzled by your definition of "success" - the BGA football program helped itself tremendously by playing with the big privates. They went from losing to schools like Lipscomb, Goodpasture and CPA to beating the likes of MBA, Baylor, Father Ryan, McCallie, Christian Brothers, Smyrna, Franklin, Ravenwood, Pearl-Cohn (BGA has now beaten them 4 years in a row), etc. over the past couple of years. Looks to me like they are now light-years ahead of any of the DI privates (with the arguable exception of CPA, which is also coached by a former Ensworth assistant). I do know that BGA has been ready, willing and able to play against opponents that those D1 privates wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. BGA now has one of the best young coaches in the state, awesome facilities and things are looking up. Doesn't sound like they have made any mistakes whatsoever. They will be missed, but I wish them the best in their new division.

 

If they helped themselves so much then why are they dropping a division? My defintion of success is winning championships and competing for championships. Also your school enrollment growing. Light years ahead huh how many state titles has Lipscomb won in the last 6 years in all sports? How many has goodpasture won? CPA has won a few correct? These schools have been more competetive and their enrollments have all grown. CPA is booming. Lipscomb just laid plans to build a new high school and completely new athletic complex that is already paid for. Thats a great idea. Goodpasture is continued to stay strong and just hired a great new bball coach. So BGA isnt light years ahead of anyone. All those schools are bigger than BGA enrollment. Just face it BGA wanted to grow they built to big of facilities for too much money had to raise tuition and get all the doners to pay for it so money could not be spent else where and tuition couldnt be kept at a cost that working famalies can afford. All the wins you speak of are great but what happened last year with BGA's best team in the last 5 years? I believe it was a first round exit. True they were ready to play and get beat by the privates I will give them that. The other schools wisely stayed out of those divisions for the same reasons BGA is now dropping they are on a different level. Yes you can beat them a few times every once in a while but in the end MBA is MBA BA is BA etc. Coach Batten is a fine coach but let me know when he wins a championship in football and your athletic department gets the new facility paid off. FRA kind of is in the same boat as BGA. Let me say this BGA is a great school with great people and a great academic program and good athletics. However the facts are well the facts the numbers are well the numbers. Best of luck to BGA and I hope you dont run off your baseball coach.

[RedRobin]

If they helped themselves so much then why are they dropping a division? My defintion of success is winning championships and competing for championships. Also your school enrollment growing. Light years ahead huh how many state titles has Lipscomb won in the last 6 years in all sports? How many has goodpasture won? CPA has won a few correct? These schools have been more competetive and their enrollments have all grown. CPA is booming. Lipscomb just laid plans to build a new high school and completely new athletic complex that is already paid for. Thats a great idea. Goodpasture is continued to stay strong and just hired a great new bball coach. So BGA isnt light years ahead of anyone. All those schools are bigger than BGA enrollment. Just face it BGA wanted to grow they built to big of facilities for too much money had to raise tuition and get all the doners to pay for it so money could not be spent else where and tuition couldnt be kept at a cost that working famalies can afford. All the wins you speak of are great but what happened last year with BGA's best team in the last 5 years? I believe it was a first round exit. True they were ready to play and get beat by the privates I will give them that. The other schools wisely stayed out of those divisions for the same reasons BGA is now dropping they are on a different level. Yes you can beat them a few times every once in a while but in the end MBA is MBA BA is BA etc. Coach Batten is a fine coach but let me know when he wins a championship in football and your athletic department gets the new facility paid off. FRA kind of is in the same boat as BGA. Let me say this BGA is a great school with great people and a great academic program and good athletics. However the facts are well the facts the numbers are well the numbers. Best of luck to BGA and I hope you dont run off your baseball coach.

 

Sorry - I thought we were talking about football. The portion of your post to which I replied is solely about "success" in football. There are many different ways to define "success" and I was merely trying to point out that BGA has enjoyed football "success" on many different levels in the last few years. Does Knoxville Webb's gold ball earned by beating up schools less than half their size indicate greater football success than some of the BGA victories that I pointed out? I think not, but I understand that others will have a different opinion. Now that BGA has built it's program at the D2-AA level, I have a feeling that the gold balls will find their way there once they move down to D2-A. I have no connection whatsoever with BGA and have no qualifications and insufficient knowledge to speak on other aspects of the school - just an admirer of Coach Batten and their football program in general. My children do have friends that attend BGA and I do know that their parents are universally happy with it. The same is not true as regards Lipscomb and CPA.

[RedRobin]

BA goes into UNA to get the players and Ensworth robs everyone but mainly us in Rutherford County. I would say the school system there does hurt BGA. I doubt Ensworth cares about many kids from Williamson County unless they are bringing their checkbook

 

Ensworth has a total of 14 high school (grades 9-12) students who have one or both parents residing in Rutherford County. Of those, 8 play football (some more successfully than others). I agree that Ensworth has great coaches and fantastic facilities. However, what do you think draws the non- football players? Do you think they are willing to travel so far and sacrifice so much just to watch football games? Or could it possibly be that it is an incredible school with great teachers, coaches and administrators which offers fantastic opportunities to all students, whether they choose to play sports or not? This may not fit in with your view of the world, but every kid at Ensworth (athlete or not) pays something out of pocket to go to that school - there are no athletic scholarships or other "full rides" for athletes. Ensworth forces none of these students to attend, so I think you are mistaken when you say they are somehow "robbing" you. Since you seem to think you have your finger on the pulse of this situation, why don't you ask some of these kids about the opportunities (both athletic and otherwise) that they have realized while attending Ensworth and ask them if they feel they are somehow being "robbed"? Ask them too whether they feel that they have better opportunities to excel in life than if they attended a public school. Better yet, ask their parents. You would find out pretty quickly that while football is an important part of many young men's lives, it is hardly the be-all and end-all to their existence or, more importantly, to their future. I look forward to your report back after you conclude these interviews.

Edited September 14, 2012 by RedRobin

[shakinthefat]

BGA might want to drop to DII A this year. They have BA, Baylor and Ensworth left on schedule. Only W left on schedule is Father Ryan. They will stay make the playoffs.

Edited September 15, 2012 by shakinthefat