Rverdale 0-2 at #6 Blackman 2-0

[warhawks]

As SID at Riverdale and involved with the program since 1994, I feel the need to add my two cents to this conversation.  I have missed three Riverdale football games since 1994.  Work got in the way.  I was in the rain at Cordova, watching my son try to kick off with the water deeper than the ball was high.  I was at Sevier County when it was Locke vs Mathews. 

 

The 1994 team may be one of the greatest teams, other than some amazing Central teams, to play in Rutherford County. Senior Corey Carney was an amazing athlete and starting QB who went on to play and excel at Samford.  His backup, a freshman, was Eric Locke, who went on to Alabama and Tennessee.  Alvin Duke scored 41 touchdowns that year and went on to Vanderbilt, returning a punt for a touchdown against Alabama.  Offensive lineman David Coppeans joined him at Vandy. Fernando Bryant went on to Alabama and the NFL.  Antron Peebles (one of the best high school linebackers I have ever seen) went to Tennessee.  Gerald Griffin would follow him there.  Larry Floyd went on to play at Tennessee State. Marcus Smith was the best FB I have ever seen in high school, literally the second coming of Alabama's Johnny Davis.  Johnta Martin and Ron Smith averaged 9.0 a carry. Kevin Litchford was a pretty good linebacker.

 

It was a fun team to watch.  http://www.riverdalewarriors.com/football/1994IndividualStats.pdf

 

We opened with a 38-0 win over Hillsboro. Cookeville 45-0, Gallatin 24-7, Warren Co 38-0, Christian Co Ky 76-3, Beech 48-0, Hendersonville 45-14, Mt Juliet 53-7, Lebanon 52-3, Oakland 49-0, Baylor 49-0, Dobyns-Bennett 28-0, Science Hill 40-0, Oak Ridge 21-8 and Germantown in championship game on an amazing Alvin Duke run, 14-10.

 

Here is a link to the history of coaches at Riverdale:  http://www.riverdalewarriors.com/football/tradition/21/58-coaching-history.html

 

My son was a kicker on the freshman team in 1994.  He was the kickoff kicker on the 1997 championship team.  Scoring 36, 46, 47, 35, 34, 34, 42, 56, 52, 20, 48, 20, 41, 45 and 34 in Championship game meant he kicked off a lot.

 

During this time we had two schools in Murfreesboro, Riverdale and Oakland. 

 

We now have a lot more than two schools in Murfreesboro.  Even with the great athletes at Oakland this year, and the awesome young man Jennings at Blackman, the 1994 Riverdale team had more SEC and D-1 players than our whole county combined today.  It goes in cycles.  Ask USC and Texas fans.  Oakland has won titles before.  Oakland has been pummeled by Riverdale as well.  My Tide had down years, including an 0-3 start by Gene Stallings. He turned out to be ok.  

 

Having worked closely with the coaching staff at Riverdale, I personally know their character, their ability to coach and how much they care about the program, including the players. It is easy to be the 100th player on a roster when things are going good.  It is hard to be the 70th player when things aren't going so well.

 

Water flows downhill, not up.  Quitting is far easier than working.   I will close with something a well-known writer and friend sent me when he heard I was running for state senate:

 

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."  - Theodore Roosevelt.

 

Grab a whistle. Show up at a practice.  Get involved.  Wait - that takes a lot of effort. Typing under a pseudonym is far easier.  After all, water does tend to run down hill.

Awesome post David! The only thing I want to point out is you talk about two state title teams in this post and you are right about those two teams! With that said and I myself had listen to Coach Rankin say we should of not made it this far for some of the years they did play in state title games. Riverdale has had some great players but what I noticed was the work in the weightroom and conditioning was second to none while Coach R was at the helm! He was an excellent CEO of his program while he was there as that was mentioned on here by someone else. I understand about talent being down and I am not questioning Coach A"s character and maybe you can answer this? Why are there so few players at Riverdale wanting to play football? Hard to look at a once proud program and see the direction it has gone and it sure makes you feel that there is more then meets the eye here. Especially when people from other schools take notice and make some of the comments they make! I know Coach A has had a very tough act to follow as well and most times that does not aleays end up well! GO WARRIORS!!

[mykidsdad]

So what would you call it if the very same thing were to happen these days with a stud player  zoned to Oakland, but through some conversations with the coach and a few tricks ends up at Riverdale? What would you say about the Riverdale coach then? What would the Oakland coach say? Dodgeball is a fun game. 

It is happening now its called the IBP Program. I did nothing illegal and it was Grammer not Momma that came to my school.

[SwamiSays]

It is happening now its called the IBP Program. I did nothing illegal and it was Grammer not Momma that came to my school.

Riverdale doesnt have an IB program to my knowledge. Although there are complaints of IB students on the football team at Oakland that are either not actually taking or passing IB courses...but as I previously stated, TSSAA is too incompetent to do anything about it. 

 

And while your coaches may have exploited a loophole, is that the lesson want taught to young men? So you cheated legally, and a coach taught you how to do it, after influencing you to come play at a different school. No wonder you jump on LOD's bandwagon. You learned the low road at an early age. 

[mykidsdad]

Riverdale doesnt have an IB program to my knowledge. Although there are complaints of IB students on the football team at Oakland that are either not actually taking or passing IB courses...but as I previously stated, TSSAA is too incompetent to do anything about it. 

 

And while your coaches may have exploited a loophole, is that the lesson want taught to young men? So you cheated legally, and a coach taught you how to do it, after influencing you to come play at a different school. No wonder you jump on LOD's bandwagon. You learned the low road at an early age. 

Your stupid!

[SwamiSays]

Your stupid!

 

Or to put it less stupidly and in the correct, grammatically correct and grammar police enforced proper way, it is YOU"RE (contraction of YOU ARE) stupid. YOUR (possessive) Maplewood education is really showing. Are you running for an elected position as well?

[mykidsdad]

Or to put it less stupidly and in the correct, grammatically correct and grammar police enforced proper way, it is YOU"RE (contraction of YOU ARE) stupid. YOUR (possessive) Maplewood education is really showing. Are you running for an elected position as well?

So you agree with the post! Yep, you is so stupid!

[SwamiSays]

So you agree with the post! Yep, you is so stupid!

Sure, you can think we agree if that makes you feel better.You might be the only person that reads these posts that misses the fact that I just insulted you, using your own words. The evidence provided by your own post shows us all that you are too slow to figure it out. 

 

I believe you may out qualify LOD for a seat on the school board. 

[mykidsdad]

Sure, you can think we agree if that makes you feel better.You might be the only person that reads these posts that misses the fact that I just insulted you, using your own words. The evidence provided by your own post shows us all that you are too slow to figure it out. 

 

I believe you may out qualify LOD for a seat on the school board. 

As long as we agree that you're stupid, that's good enough for me!

[SwamiSays]

As long as we agree that you're stupid, that's good enough for me!

You can think we agree if that is what it takes for you to be able to look in the mirror. I am sure you have all kinds of self deluded thoughts to be able to keep a new one company.   

[mykidsdad]

You can think we agree if that is what it takes for you to be able to look in the mirror. I am sure you have all kinds of self deluded thoughts to be able to keep a new one company.   

Thanks lap dog!

[SwamiSays]

Thanks lap dog!

That's the response we have come to expect from you. When you are down to name calling, you are at the end of your abilities. Since this is about the third name you have called me, you were in essence out of this argument a long time ago. Feel safe in your superior name calling. You win. 

[mat73557]