who is the best player in tennessee right now?

[BeastMode96]

how do you think beardon will do on Friday against big maryville????

[utvolzfan]

I think the coaching schemes in their run game are poor and they play vanilla to much on offense and defense, they don't change or adapt much. I also think the coaches let them get away with too many penalties without helping them see that this is a sure way to lose against better teams, turnovers have been a factor this year too. Talent wise I think they stack up well with almost anybody in TN public school leagues but all the other stuff kills them..L City was pretty good, especially their lines so that game was a good game, the other teams Bearden has played have been average, not terrible but not great. I say Maryville by 28, if its 10 or less or even a 4th quarter game I will be amazed because that will mean Bearden has been disciplined as a team which I have not seen.

[411]

From a person that has watched plenty of football over the years (5-6AAA) and (D2 - AA), there is not a significant difference between either of these division's powerhouse teams. While people may want to believe this, it is not so. If you remember correctly, Maryville was the top ranked team in the state last year (in any classification), and I would have certainly put my money on them rather than an Ensworth. They were just that strong!

 

What d2 game shave you watched? I just gave some facts on another post. If you would like I will do for you as well. Off the top of my head though. 2 years ago when Maryville beat Smyrna in the championship 23-21 Ensworth beat them 30-14 the same year. Corn Elder had 198 yards on 22 carries and was a 160 lb sophmore. That same sophmore group that beat Smyrna are now seniors.

[Aweezy6969]

 

 

What d2 game shave you watched? I just gave some facts on another post. If you would like I will do for you as well. Off the top of my head though. 2 years ago when Maryville beat Smyrna in the championship 23-21 Ensworth beat them 30-14 the same year. Corn Elder had 198 yards on 22 carries and was a 160 lb sophmore. That same sophmore group that beat Smyrna are now seniors.

 

The same Ensworth team got demolished by Oakland 20-7 the same year

[BeastMode96]

What I want to know is can anyone answer the Question of the week?????

[RedRobin]

I would like to see Ensworth, MBA or BA or any other top private play a top 5-6AAA program.There is a big difference between 5-6AAA. I think the privates would be suprised at how well the top public schools play them. Just my opinion; but I think any of the semi finalists in 6AAA ( Maryville, Riverdale, White Haven and Mt Juliet ) last year could have more than held their own last year against Ensworth or Baylor. Dodson and Hurd are every bit as good as Elder. They all have different running styles. Elder with shiftiness; Dodson with pure speed and Hurd with power.

 

Wish the privates and the 5-6AAA did play in the playoffs ! What games we would have.

 

None of the four 6A semi-finalists last year played a D2-AA Team. However, one team that made the finals in 6A each of the two prior years did in fact play one or more D2-AA teams during the regular season There follow some scores:

 

2010

Smyrna (6A runner up to Maryville by a score of 23-21) lost to Ensworth 30-14

 

2009

White Station (6A state champs over Maryville by a score of 37-27) lost to Christian Brothers (lost in the first round of the D2-AA playoffs) by a score of 27-0 and lost to MUS by a score of 55-35.

 

Feel free to draw conclusions as warranted on the "quality of opponent" issue.

[Vol74]

I just listed players from one team not a whole city. While their are tough individuals on many teams the depth of quality players isnt the same. I can assure you Ensworth would destroy every team they played in div 4a and 6a. Believe what you want but it would happen. Ive watched video on mr Hurd and he is quite impressive but his competetion to date isnt even decent. I woukld just like to see him play a top notch team. he may very well dominate that game too, he is very very good from what Ive seen. I think he would be much better running out of an I or behind the qb instead of the wing. He is way to tall to play wing. If you let that big boy get his shoulders square with the line of scrimmage quicker instead of running parallel to the line he would be even better. Ensworths d would hit him low because he is so tall and cant get his pad level low enough from the wing position. I am willing to bet if he goes to a big time school like Alabama or Lsu or somewhere like that he will be a receiver and not a rb. Mark my words on that one.

 

Hurd is coming out of the I this year with every opposing defense stacking the box and blitzing every play. He is ranked 5* for a reason guys, and even under heavier defenses (Henry Co. & Mt. Juliet), he ran for 460 and 299, respectively. Besides Elder, there is no one in the state that is even in the same league at that position. As for all around athlete, that would go to Jalen Ramsey. These are the big boys in the state.

 

What position will Hurd play in college? Absolutely anything that he wants. He's being recruited as a RB, and if Mr. Saban says that he can run the ball, then he can run the ball. Also, Hurd & Ramsey are the only 2 players in the entire state to pick up an offer from the national champions.

 

And no disrespect to the Dejuan Swafford kid, but he's not even ranked, runs a 4.7- 4.8 and has only one offer from a school (Liberty) that I have never even heard of. I am sure that he's a great player, but has no place on this topic.

[Vol74]

What d2 game shave you watched? I just gave some facts on another post. If you would like I will do for you as well. Off the top of my head though. 2 years ago when Maryville beat Smyrna in the championship 23-21 Ensworth beat them 30-14 the same year. Corn Elder had 198 yards on 22 carries and was a 160 lb sophmore. That same sophmore group that beat Smyrna are now seniors.

 

Ok, since you're stuck on Ensworth, let's look at the facts. Bowers has only played against four 6 A teams in his career while coaching at Ensworth. They barely beat Oakland and Smyrna (2 whole points - each game) in 2009, and while they handled Smyrna, they got their butts whooped by Oakland the very next year 20-7 in 2010. Guess how many 6A schools he's played since then? Zero!

 

No one is contesting that Ensworth is not a great program; they obviously are. Yet, there are many 5-6A programs that just as good. When they lose Elder next year, they will struggle to replace him because Ferby will not do the job.

[owlbooster]

I would like to see Ensworth, MBA or BA or any other top private play a top 5-6AAA program.There is a big difference between 5-6AAA. I think the privates would be suprised at how well the top public schools play them. Just my opinion; but I think any of the semi finalists in 6AAA ( Maryville, Riverdale, White Haven and Mt Juliet ) last year could have more than held their own last year against Ensworth or Baylor. Dodson and Hurd are every bit as good as Elder. They all have different running styles. Elder with shiftiness; Dodson with pure speed and Hurd with power.

 

Wish the privates and the 5-6AAA did play in the playoffs ! What games we would have.

 

I agree. This blog is supposed to be about the best players - and logically the competition they play against. Those 4 6A teams were the team in their district or region but almost never would play each other before the semifinals of the playoffs. Before D II AA split into West and Central/East, it clearly was the toughest division in the state to earn your "stats" week after week; almost brutal, especially with the travel. Now, the Rutherford county District 7 which includes Siegel, Riverdale, Oakland, Smyrna and Blackman is arguably at least as tough as D2 Central/West. IMO no other districts come close. A player who excels in those districts can claim a few more "bragging rights." But the "best" players still could come from practically any school - Beech, Whitehaven, Ensworth - and they would excel wherever they played. It makes more sense to me to pick maybe the 5 best in both "skilled" and "strength" positions and forget the order of ranking.

Edited September 27, 2012 by owlbooster

[kwc]

Hopefully this will put it in perspective for you. I will list the schools you named above as being "tough " competetion.

Last year Mus played a lot of those schools. below was the score.

Mus 38 Memphis Central 0

Mus 41- Memphis east 0

Mus 20 White Station 0

Mus 35 St benedict 0

 

do we see a pattern yet? While they may have good individuals, they quanity of talented players isnt even in gthe same ball park. Now lets realize Mus wasnt even in the top 2 in the D2 state. Their score against Ensworth:

Mus 0 Ensworth 28

 

411

 

You are the one who wanted to use individuals who were recruited from private schools as a base of supporting your 'better quality of opponent' argument. Now, since I used that same tatic to support the other two gentlemen, you NOW want to switch to another tatic of 'comparative score analysis' to support your 'better quality of opponent' argument. That argument is just as flawed. MUS lost to Ensworth twice last year as a matter of fact. The first lost was more competative with a score of 28-14. They also lost last year to two different public schools as well. Olive Branch and South Panola. Last year Whitehaven beat Central 33-7, East 20-7, and White Station twice, 26-17, and 34-14. What does any of this prove? Nothing. Everything. Who cares where MUS was ranked amound D2 schools. Like any district or classification, you are going to have good teams and those who are not so good. None of this suggests that Mr. Elder constantly faces stiffer opposition then Mr. Hurd or Mr. Dodson. To put up these types of numbers you have to be an exceptional athlete. PERIOD.

 

I think you could take either and place them at each school and hand the ball off to them and all three would flourish. You are trying to make Mr. Elder's feats of heroics look better in comparison to Mr. Hurd's or Mr. Dodson's by tryin to elevate the level of competition Mr. Elder faces above the level of competition Mr. Hurd and Mr. Dodson faces and in doing so, you inadvertently diminish Mr. Hurd's and Mr. Dodson's accomplishments in an attempt to make what Mr. Elder has done look better then the other two. It doesn't fly.

 

But ... it is your opinion, and you are entitled to it. I just disagree completely. Right now, Mr. Hurd is the stud of Tennessee High School football players. Mr. Elder and Mr. Dodson and a host of others are also rans in comparison.

[kwc]

By the way ... nice dialogue on everyone's part.

[Vol74]

Ive watched video on mr Hurd and he is quite impressive but his competetion to date isnt even decent.

 

And just to put the icing on the cake, Hurd went to MBA for 3 years as well (7th-9th). He played on the varsity team his freshman year, and while he didn't see a lot of carries behind their starting RB at the time, he was still ranked as the top freshman in the state - most rushing yards - per unapproved website, and that was against your coveted D2 schools. Their junior high teams also demolished everyone that they played too.