PORTLAND PANTHER FOOTBALL COACH RESIGNS

[chickhot2]

I would hire Hendersonville freshman coach.

[mondo44]

Chickhot, since earlier this year you had mentioned Roger Perry's availability and since it does not appear that the Gallatin job will be coming open is Coach Perry open for a return to Ptown? Seriously, a couple of things need to happen for Portland to have a chance.

1. Get out of 9-AAA

2. Drop down to 4-A when reclassification comes

3. Get everyone on the same page because currently that is not the case and it's not close to being the case. You have a few who give unconditional support (Southernfried is a great example)

 

No disrespect but I would not touch this job with a 10 foot pole.

[64NB95]

Chickhot, since earlier this year you had mentioned Roger Perry's availability and since it does not appear that the Gallatin job will be coming open is Coach Perry open for a return to Ptown? Seriously, a couple of things need to happen for Portland to have a chance.

1. Get out of 9-AAA

2. Drop down to 4-A when reclassification comes

3. Get everyone on the same page because currently that is not the case and it's not close to being the case. You have a few who give unconditional support (Southernfried is a great example)

 

No disrespect but I would not touch this job with a 10 foot pole.

With the disrespect shown to Roger Perry prior to him leaving Portland, I don't see him even considering this job.  He is not going to take a step back.  He always takes steps forward.

[13sports]

With the disrespect shown to Roger Perry prior to him leaving Portland, I don't see him even considering this job.  He is not going to take a step back.  He always takes steps forward.

Isn't the old saying about "2 steps forward and one step back?"  Westmoreland to Portland, Portland to Mt. Juliet, and Mt. Juliet back to Portland.  That would be it, right?  I'm just kidding, so don't anyone take offense.  I don't thin he will go back either.  Portland is a great community.  Just not athletic enough to compete in most men's sports at this level.  It will take a special person to handle this job.

[eers]

It truly has to be a culture change. Administration (which I think he will be onboard), students, parents, community. A new coach will have a challenge, but it can be done. The negativity has to be gone and understand a new coach is going to need a few years (reclass wouldn't hurt, but that doesn't help next year). A new coach needs HIS staff (it's a 5A program and needs 6-8 assistants if his choice) and booster support (not sure the current state of boosters for this program). It would certainly be a challenge to be in the too of 9AAA every year, but it is possible to be playoff caliber with some creative scheduling and everyone buying in.

 

Someone said they wouldn't touch this job with a ten foot pole. If I were a teacher/coach, I would love this job. The community knows how to win, they just need a little re-education and success.

Edited November 20, 2013 by eers

[64NB95]

It truly has to be a culture change. Administration (which I think he will be onboard), students, parents, community. A new coach will have a challenge, but it can be done. The negativity has to be gone and understand a new coach is going to need a few years (reclass wouldn't hurt, but that doesn't help next year). A new coach needs HIS staff (it's a 5A program and needs 6-8 assistants if his choice) and booster support (not sure the current state of boosters for this program). It would certainly be a challenge to be in the too of 9AAA every year, but it is possible to be playoff caliber with some creative scheduling and everyone buying in.

 

Someone said they wouldn't touch this job with a ten foot pole. If I were a teacher/coach, I would love this job. The community knows how to win, they just need a little re-education and success.

I will tell you this.  Portland had the players in 2013 to win 5 or 6 games and with some good Coaching 7-3 was not out of the picture.  There are teams that won this many games that would have liked to had the talent Portland had.  Portland  played the likes of Greenbrier, Westmoreland and White House.  Lebanon wasn't very good.  Wilson Central was very beatable.  Gallatin was beatable.  Beech at the time was very beatable and so was Mt. Juliet this year due to injuries.  That is eight teams.  When 7 of just those games you are looking at 7 and 3 and playoffs.

[SOUTHERNFRIED]

Chickhot, since earlier this year you had mentioned Roger Perry's availability and since it does not appear that the Gallatin job will be coming open is Coach Perry open for a return to Ptown? Seriously, a couple of things need to happen for Portland to have a chance.

1. Get out of 9-AAA

2. Drop down to 4-A when reclassification comes

3. Get everyone on the same page because currently that is not the case and it's not close to being the case. You have a few who give unconditional support (Southernfried is a great example)

 

No disrespect but I would not touch this job with a 10 foot pole.

1- I dont know why we are not in at least 8AAA, at least the majority of those schools are 5a instead of the 7 6a schools we face in our 9aaa

2. The way I understand it, we are locked in for the next 3 or more years, since they just did the reclassification this past summer. If I remember right, from the time they did the count till school started we lost over a hundred students, that would have gotten us to 4a. You also have to realize within 7-8 miles of the school kids are zoned for White House and East Robertson. We only have a little over 8000 people in the city. Kids outside of the city are all zoned for other schools. We live 1 mile outside of the city limits and choose to go to Portland, but we are only 3.5 miles from the high school. Most all land outside of the city is agriculture. 

3. You could not be more correct. They split the middles schools, which was a disaster, now you have two football teams running two different offenses than what we are running in the high school. The Freshmen have to relearn everything from both schools again. 

 

All of these attributes of living in a small town atmosphere, are the killing points in athletic programs. Its not just football, make no mistake, we have the same issue in all sports. I know its too late for my Sophomore son, but I do wish they'd at least move the Freshmen out of the high school into their own building and put the middle schools back together. That alone would get us close to being back in 3a/4a. We wouldn't win all the time, but, we would at least be competitive. There is just no way to compete with the numbers of the larger schools. Our last game is just an example. We played MJ with about 68 players on the on our sidelines (all 9th-12th grade), we had about 10 seniors, MJ had 34. They dressed close to 100 players, and only 10 were Freshmen. Hendersonville had at least 74 players on their FRESHMEN team, we werent close to that will ALL our players. LOL anyone that says this system is fair, is on something. lol 

[eers]

As a coach I would want my feeder schools to run the same system, however there are limitation to what can be run by middle school kids (the single wing would be horrific at the middle school level). That said, you can't make the middle schools run your offense and defense, however most middle school coaches will be supportive of their high school coach. Spend some time at the middle schools, go to the occasional youth practice and games. Take your staff and high school players to youth practice or hold a camp. Kids and parents love that. If you want to build a program, it's not just about number of students, but more about community pride and wanting to be a part of the program, perhaps from a very early age. But it takes time. A very good staff has already been run out. Hopefully different parents and administration won't make that mistake again.

[SOUTHERNFRIED]

I will tell you this.  Portland had the players in 2013 to win 5 or 6 games and with some good Coaching 7-3 was not out of the picture.  There are teams that won this many games that would have liked to had the talent Portland had.  Portland  played the likes of Greenbrier, Westmoreland and White House.  Lebanon wasn't very good.  Wilson Central was very beatable.  Gallatin was beatable.  Beech at the time was very beatable and so was Mt. Juliet this year due to injuries.  That is eight teams.  When 7 of just those games you are looking at 7 and 3 and playoffs.

I love these kids to death, known most in this age group since they were 5, but, please, put the crack pipe down. 8 of the 10 teams Portland played made the playoffs, yes that includes Westmoreland, Greenbrier and White House. Westmoreland beat just about every other team in Sumner County this year as well, besides us. We had the 6th hardest schedule in the state based on all that (according to what I've heard). The games we were close in, at the beginning of the year, we lost in the 4th, why? We had on average 7-10 playing both ways the entire game, our kids were in shape, and the strongest team we have had in years, but, that is a grind for anyone. Non stop for an entire game. If you had been at the practices, like I had, been on the sidelines, taking photos like I did, you'd realize real quick, our size, skill and speed does not give a favorable match-up most weeks, against most teams we played. But the perspective people get from listening to others, that know everything, the perspective from being in the stands, is a lot different from the sideline. I myself, did not know that till this year.  I don't play or live in fantasy football, I'm a little more realistic than that. Make no mistake, I want the best for my son, he was a Sophomore this year, I want him to win every game, we (myself, my son and wife) hate to lose more than we love to win. But, even in my eyes, the coaches did not have many options at their disposal. I don't put down any present coach, I support them, like a parent should. They are human, and make mistakes. Unless their name is Coach Jesus, they will continue to make mistakes. But, as long as a coach does their best to prepare the player for the game, mentally and physically, that's all i can ask for, and expect. The game play is on the player. The coaches prepare them, and call the plays. The coaches do not make a single play on the field, dont recover or turn it over. That is on the players. Geeze in football they are playing the game with a freaking pointy ball, that doesnt bounce right to begin with.  I understand anything in a game can happen, this year it did.  THEY are the coaches, its their job, not ours as parents, to tell the coaches how to do it.........now if Portland were Marion County, then yea there are issues to deal with, but, that is not what happened here. Thank the Lord. Am I disappointed in our season? Yes, you think the players and coaches werent? But, was my child prepared to play on Friday night? yes he was. Was my child treated fairly and with respect as a man? Yes he was. Was he taught the right way to run, catch a pass, take a handoff, make a tackle? Yes he was. Did he have on best equipment to protect his body? Yes he did. On Friday nights when he made a mistake and coughed up the ball or allowed a touchdown, was that the coaches fault? NO it wasn't, it was his. They are kids for goodness sake, and we as parents forget that sometime. I will never forget the class ALL our coaches showed my son, one night, when he made a mistake and cost us a TD. I was ready to hammer him myself with my camera, the second he realized it, he manned up, went straight to Coach Aric and said "coach that was totally my fault, I'm sorry", His response? Buddy, thats ok, we all make mistakes". I was floored. Instead of crushing a kid, (and he had every right to, in my opinion) he didn't, my son finished the night with 11 tackles and 2 were touchdown saving tackles. A great night for him, even in the loss. Even now, our coaches have to do whats best for them, I understand that. Our administration at PHS, has to make the right choices for the school as well, in all areas. I will say, that our principal is the largest supporter of athletics at Portland we have had in a long, long time.  All I can do is pray to God to guide our administration in the decision making process. That really, is all I should do as a parent.......then support what ever decision is made, and support the coach, as I supported the others.....

[SOUTHERNFRIED]

As a coach I would want my feeder schools to run the same system, however there are limitation to what can be run by middle school kids (the single wing would be horrific at the middle school level). That said, you can't make the middle schools run your offense and defense, however most middle school coaches will be supportive of their high school coach. Spend some time at the middle schools, go to the occasional youth practice and games. Take your staff and high school players to youth practice or hold a camp. Kids and parents love that. If you want to build a program, it's not just about number of students, but more about community pride and wanting to be a part of the program, perhaps from a very early age. But it takes time. A very good staff has already been run out. Hopefully different parents and administration won't make that mistake again.

Eers,  great point, in any town, the success in any sport, at any high school, starts when they are 5 not 15. We lack that as well and I could not agree more. 

[eers]

Eers, great point, in any town, the success in any sport, at any high school, starts when they are 5 not 15. We lack that as well and I could not agree more.

I have seen and been part of the success that can lead to. It really is important. Most people think the middle school is the feeder when in reality it's the community and it has to start early. Not necessarily teaching X's and O's, but building a sense of pride in the program. The young kids in the town need to be looking up to the high school players. They need to aspire to be that kid. That's how you truly build a PROGRAM.

[chickhot2]

They should try to get Brent Alexander or chad Perry (roger Perry family member). Or schedule new schools and 1a teams. Put east Robertson and red boiling springs on schedule.