Brentwood Academy (3-1, 1-0) vs. Pope John Paul (2-2, 0-1)

[WesVLT]

Let's talk about this one. Pope John Paul has as many wins now (2) as it did all of last year. Of course, last year's wins also came in JPII's first four games.

 

Still, the Knights seem to have shown improvement under first-year coach Jerry Joslin. Friday, they visit a hot Brentwood Academy team that has allowed one offensive touchdown in its last three games.

 

BA is heavily favored, but what can we expect to see from JPII? What offense does Joslin run? Who are some key players to watch? Is there newfound energy since the coaching change?

 

Discuss.

[shakinthefat]

Wes - not sure what to discuss about this game. BA QB will be back from being banged up which will not be good news for JP2 secondary. This is a division game which hypes it up some, but BA wins by 5 TD's. It's OK though, JP2 will still make the playoffs.

[WesVLT]

Wes - not sure what to discuss about this game. BA QB will be back from being banged up which will not be good news for JP2 secondary. This is a division game which hypes it up some, but BA wins by 5 TD's. It's OK though, JP2 will still make the playoffs.

Predictions will be boring and one-sided, but I'm interested to learn more about how things are going at JPII under the new coaching staff. The folks in Hendersonville face an uphill battle, and I wonder how the new staff is going about the task of making the program relevant.

[shakinthefat]

You are asking for a lot. The only JP2 Coach T posters are during baseball season. Non-existent during football. NCS football Coach Brothers (BA alum) survived for awhile with the Tate brothers, but since then it's been a tough go for JP2.

[WesVLT]

You are asking for a lot. The only JP2 Coach T posters are during baseball season. Non-existent during football. NCS football Coach Brothers (BA alum) survived for awhile with the Tate brothers, but since then it's been a tough go for JP2.

Sure has. I hope the Knights are able to turn things around. The Hendersonville/Madison area is stocked with talent and growing. Hopefully they can capitalize.

 

Figured it couldn't hurt to throw something out there and see who might respond.

[KWoodroof]

Sure has. I hope the Knights are able to turn things around. The Hendersonville/Madison area is stocked with talent and growing. Hopefully they can capitalize.

 

Figured it couldn't hurt to throw something out there and see who might respond.

I think you're right in your assessment of the talent pool, but I don't see it helping JP II very much. If you look at Ryan's football glory days, their best days came prior to the '80's. Since Ryan's state championship in '74, the number of stable, established private schools in the area has risen considerably. In '74, the football playing private schools of significance in the area were MBA, Ryan, BGA, and Lipscomb (then a "A" school). Goodpasture's program was very new, and weak. BA was just getting established. The point here is that Ryan could attract a much wider segement of the private school market at that time. Now there are a lot more schools in the private school market, with a much wider spectrum of religious faiths. This means that Ryan and JP II will have to rely for the most part on the Catholic population in the area. In Nashville, this translates to 76,000 people (of all ages) to support 2 high school football programs. Contrast the Broward County (Florida) area, home to St Thomas Acquinas and three other relatively successful Catholic school football programs, supported by a Catholic population of roughly 400,000.

[deadaim]

Sure has. I hope the Knights are able to turn things around. The Hendersonville/Madison area is stocked with talent and growing. Hopefully they can capitalize.

 

Figured it couldn't hurt to throw something out there and see who might respond.

This game will be a 40 point win unless BA pulls the horses early. I hope JP2 has a crowd-in the last two years you could have stood on the team sideline and fired a 12 gauge shotgun with number 9 shot into the crowd and not hit anyone.

[meritage]

you could have done the same thing friday nite on the stratford side at the BA/Stratford game. sad to see to be honest. It was supposed to be a home and away with this yr being at S-ford but the BA administrators told me S-ford asked to have it at BA so they would get something from the gate. S-ford only had 28 dressed. hopefully JPII fans will be in attendance. takes something away from the game that's for sure

[WesVLT]

I think you're right in your assessment of the talent pool, but I don't see it helping JP II very much. If you look at Ryan's football glory days, their best days came prior to the '80's. Since Ryan's state championship in '74, the number of stable, established private schools in the area has risen considerably. In '74, the football playing private schools of significance in the area were MBA, Ryan, BGA, and Lipscomb (then a "A" school). Goodpasture's program was very new, and weak. BA was just getting established. The point here is that Ryan could attract a much wider segement of the private school market at that time. Now there are a lot more schools in the private school market, with a much wider spectrum of religious faiths. This means that Ryan and JP II will have to rely for the most part on the Catholic population in the area. In Nashville, this translates to 76,000 people (of all ages) to support 2 high school football programs. Contrast the Broward County (Florida) area, home to St Thomas Acquinas and three other relatively successful Catholic school football programs, supported by a Catholic population of roughly 400,000.

Good analysis. If Ryan and JPII can appeal to kids outside the Catholic church, they'll attract more talent. But at what point does that constitute abandoning their missions? It's a tough situation for coaches and administrators. I'm not sure if JPII's enrollment would allow it, but the Knights belong in DII's lower division.

[williamsoncounty]

Brentwood Academy 49

Pope John Paul II 6

[Custer]

Good analysis. If Ryan and JPII can appeal to kids outside the Catholic church, they'll attract more talent. But at what point does that constitute abandoning their missions? It's a tough situation for coaches and administrators. I'm not sure if JPII's enrollment would allow it, but the Knights belong in DII's lower division.

 

I believe the first 2 years JP2 was open, 40% of their student population was not Catholic. this might have changed recently, not sure.

[shakinthefat]

The national decline is mirrored at JP2 and Ryan.

From The National zcatholic Reporter:

 

How severe is the crisis?

It’s “the largest institutional crisis in centuries, possibly in church history,†says the National Catholic Reporter. Worldwide, the Roman Catholic Church now has 1.1 billion members, compared with 1.5 billion Muslims and 593 million Protestants. In the U.S., all the major denominations have seen their numbers decline in recent years, but the Catholic Church has taken the biggest hit. Since the 1960s, four American-born Catholics have left the church for every one who has converted, according to a 2009 Pew study. In 2008 alone, Catholic membership declined by 400,000. More than 1,000 parishes have closed since 1995, and the number of priests has fallen from about 49,000 to 40,000 during that same period. Some 3,400 Catholic parishes in the U.S. now lack a resident priest. “Catholicism is in decline across America,†says sociologist David Carlin.