Knox Halls HS Football Future

[Sienfield]

Halls HS football program is in real trouble. What is the problem and what can be done? Halls has a tradition of putting a good team on the field. Are the athletes just not there in the school or do they just not want to play anymore?

[osunut2]

Halls HS football program is in real trouble. What is the problem and what can be done? Halls has a tradition of putting a good team on the field. Are the athletes just not there in the school or do they just not want to play anymore?

I think it's a combination of both, plus some other factors. Ultimately, it's hard to ignore the fact that Halls just doesn't have the horses like it used to, but when you aren't winning, it's difficult to build depth because some guys would rather roam the halls rather than play football. Double whammy.

 

I've mentioned this before on this board, but community growth has slowed a lot in Halls, while the opposite is true in surrounding areas (Powell, Karns, and Gibbs). This doesn't help at all. Halls had a lot of success in the 90s, when the community was growing at an alarming rate. Over the past decade, it has slowed, while a lot of the growth have shifted towards Corryton/Gibbs area. Gibbs has had a lot of recent success in 4A. I think rezoning has probably hurt Halls to a degree (lost some kids to Gibbs and Central), but I think that is minor, compared to other factors.

 

Again, there are multiple factors in play here, and Halls has a long road ahead, if they want to be competitive again. The good news for Halls is that they are in a district where they can win some games, even with a minimal amount of improvement. If Clark Duncan can turn around South Doyle in 3-4 seasons, I think someone can have a similar impact at Halls (although I would argue that Clark had a lot more raw talent roaming the hallways at SD).

[sneakypete]

With all this outpouring of enthusiasm for Halls football, I guess it reveals another obstacle to overcome.