Maryville (4-0) @ Science Hill (3-0)

[TicketToRide]

whats the Maryville win streak at? How long has it been since the Rebles lost a conference game?

34 games and back to back titles. They've never lost a conference game, only run out of time.

Edited September 18, 2015 by TicketToRide

[STARSNBARS]

Play that Notre Dame Fight Song over and over and over and over

UD... now eye keap tellin' peepull eye down't why Nilter Daim wint and stolt "Cheers Cheers Fer Old Mairvul Hi".......

 

[STARSNBARS]

Maybe some of our fans will tell you, but I don't talk about win streaks.

 

 

Eye'm like Geeker RR.....Onlee concintraitin' on tha necks 'un......

[UpperDecker]

UD... now eye keap tellin' peepull eye down't why Nilter Daim wint and stolt "Cheers Cheers Fer Old Mairvul Hi".......

 

that is very cool

[STARSNBARS]

34 games and back to back titles. They've never lost a conference game, only run out of time.

TTR.......Eye haiv two agree......Ewe must like tha Fabb 4....???.....

[STARSNBARS]

that is very cool

Sum ov Momma's peepull ere vurry good sangurs two......Mammy on tha tamburrine and hur bruvvur "Tiny" wif tha rhith'um geetarr......

 

[Red Rebels]

Looks like the "no fun virus" is thriving!

[Acumen]

To all those Maryville and DB fans that are upset our kids and coaches have not gotten down on our knees and worshiped Quarles and Maryville enough for their liking will see below that there is a healthy respect from the players, coaches and media for what has been developed southwest of us.  

 

However I know what I have instilled in my son since he was born and he will take it into tonight's game.  You show respect for the game and the opponent but you never allow doubts to creep into your consciousness. If you don't want to compete against the best then all the hard work is a waste of time AND it is an even bigger waste of time if you walk on the field convinced that hard work has not prepared you for victory.

 

Respect Yes...a defeatist mindset...heck No!

 

Go Toppers! 

 

 

 

 

by TREY WILLIAMS

TriCitiesSports.com

September 17, 2015

 

Science Hill’s football program hasn’t been in the same league as Maryville, figuratively speaking, which puts the Hilltoppers on a long list.

 

Will literally being in the same league help Science Hill acclimate? The ‘Toppers (1-0, 3-0) get their first chance tonight when they host Maryville (1-0, 4-0) in a Big East Conference game at Kermit Tipton Stadium.

 

Superlatives ring hollow when trying to do the Rebels’ run under coach George Quarles justice. He’s 227-14, for goodness sakes. He lost seven games in his first three seasons, including a four-game losing streak in 200, and has lost seven games in the 12-plus seasons since.

 

Quarles has won 11 state titles and been to 11 straight title games and 15 straight semifinals. Maryville will arrive in Johnson City having won 34 straight and 77 of its last 78.

 

Since arriving at Science Hill in 2010 coach Stacy Carter is 0-3 against Maryville, the latest of which was last year’s 45-0 state quarterfinal loss.

 

Two weeks later, the Rebels fell behind undefeated Ravenwood 28-7 in the first quarter of the state championship game before rallying for an overtime victory.

 

“It’s amazing; it really is,†Carter said. “Really, I think one key is being able to satisfy all those good players he has. … He has real good players playing at a high level. For some of those guys to be able to wait their turn – it’s a selfish world. So being able to sell the team aspect to it and to able to buy in sometimes to sacrifice individual accomplishments for team goals and trying to win that state championship ring – he’s been a master at doing that. …

 

“The big thing is they’ve got a community dedicated to football … and he’s the catalyst to the whole thing.â€

 

Quarles, a 48-year-old alum of Jefferson County and Furman, chuckles almost self-consciously if you start reeling off accomplishments. But rallying for last year’s state title seemed to take the aura to another level.

 

“We just kind of shake our heads,†Quarles said. “It was definitely surreal. I think just performing when you’re down 28-7 and your kids not quitting, kids believing and somehow finding a way to make some plays was special. I was just really proud of our guys for not quitting and hanging in there, because we’re on the sidelines thinking, ‘28 times four is 112. This is gonna get really bad.’ But our kids just kept going and didn’t blink.

 

“That’s a trait that’s awful special. I’d love to say we had something to do with that, but that’s our kids more than anything. They’re amazing.â€

 

Science Hill lost 34-7 to Maryville in the 2010 playoffs and 45-7 in the following year’s playoffs. As hard it might be to believe, those teams were considerably more overmatched than the ‘Toppers that lost 45-0 last year.

 

In the first half of last season’s quarterfinals matchup, Science Hill forced three punts and forced a field goal after Maryville recovered a botched handoff at the Hilltoppers’ 21-yard line. Maryville was close to two other punts in the first half, but converted a third-and-10 and a third-and-13, the latter of which was good for the game’s first score – a 32-yard TD pass to Kelby Brock.

 

“The score was not a real good indicator of how close that game was,†Quarles said. “It kind of snowballed in a good way for us and a bad way for them. … We big-played them last year at times, but you can’t depend on that.â€

 

Quarles called out the jersey numbers of defensive linemen Quintin Alibocas, Cameron Burress, Chad Gage and linebackers Bryson Tolley and Zach Kanady while mentioning Hilltopper defenders that stood out on film.

 

“The defensive front’s big,†Quarles said. “The linebackers run well. There don’t seem to be many weaknesses. … We’re expecting a very physical game against a well-coached team. Coach Carter has built that program and they’ve gotten better every year.â€

 

Still, there’s a psychological barrier the Hilltoppers need to break through. The 2010-11 teams gave off the vibe of being beaten before they got off the bus, and even the athletic, talented McGue seemed somewhat psyched out last season.

 

And while Maryville’s a different animal, Carter likens the HIlltoppers’ body language against the Rebels to what Science Hill occasionally had during a 19-game losing streak to Dobyns-Bennett.

 

“It’s back to that D-B thing; you’ve got to get in there and compete,†Carter said. “We haven’t had any early success. And when you don’t have any early success maybe doubt starts setting in and then (bad) things start happening. It’s important to start out good.

 

“We think our defense is better than we’ve had ever here. … When you have that you have more chances to get things right. … But again, if we don’t move the ball offensively and can’t get anything done there and keep putting the defense in bad situations, eventually a good team like Maryville – you can’t do that. It’s got to be a total team effort by both sides of the ball to be able to hang with those guys for sure.â€

 

Maryville is using two quarterbacks Austin Ensley and sophomore Dylan Hopkins, who has a high ceiling.

 

“I think in some ways he may be a little ahead (of schedule),†Quarles said. “He’s very, very gifted physically. He’s got good size, a great arm and he runs extremely well. I think the thing is he’s picked up on everything a little more quickly than we thought he would.

 

“He and Austin both, it’s been a good combo for us. Both of them can run the offense. We don’t have to do anything different when one of them’s in there and then the other one comes in.â€

 

Brock is back. He caught two TD passes against Science Hill last year.

Junior linebacker TD Blackmon is arguably Maryville’s best player. The 6-foot, 210-pounder runs a 4.6 40.

 

“TD Blackmon is one of the best linebackers in the state,†Carter said. “He was a sophomore All-American (CBS unapproved website). He’s super-fast.â€

 

Running back Joel Hopkins had eight carries for 54 yards and two TDs against Science Hill last season. Randall Cobb’s nephew, sophomore Isaiah Cobb, will likely get some carries, too.

 

“He’s a good player,†Quarles said. “With Jordan Ervin out, Isaiah’s gotten more snaps at running back. But early in the year it was debatable, because he was probably one of our two or three top defensive players. And in games like this when you’re playing athletic teams, he’ll probably see some time on defense as well.â€

 

Another back that leaves a mark is 6-foot-1, 225-pound junior Michael Hall. He has 4.6 speed and he’s squatted 600 pounds.

 

“And it’s a deep squat, doing it right,†Quarles said. “He’s a big, ole good-looking kid. He’s a junior who’s not played a whole lot of football, but just a freak of nature strength wise. …

 

“He’s one that has tons of potential. He looks the part. We let him get off the bus pretty early.â€

 

Carter was amused when hearing how some people said prior to the Jefferson County game that Maryville was “down†this year.

 

“You hear that every year,†Carter said. “This time last year I think you heard that. Well, they were wrong. I think maybe it’s wishful thinking on some people’s part.â€

 

Maryville did have some adversity this season. Defensive coordinator Jimmy Gaylor, in his 17th year at Maryville, resigned two days before the Rebels beat Fulton, 49-18. He cited health reasons, but had also been fired from his head baseball coaching position following last season. Defensive ends coach Jeremy Russell and secondary coach Nick White are filling the void.

 

“They have worked well together,†Quarles said. “We’re gonna do the same stuff and same schemes that we were doing when Jimmy was defensive coordinator, and in a lot of ways they’ve both been in training for this type of situation. And I think they’ve done a good job.

 

“I think our kids have handled that well. To me, you can’t tell a ton of difference. It’s just different people signaling stuff or calling out the defenses. Same preparation. We had some deficiencies defensively when Coach Gaylor was there, and they’re still there. We’ve given up some big plays this year. That’s been an area of concern for us, especially (Friday) night against a very athletic and talented Science Hill team.â€

 

Along with routing Fulton, Maryville has beaten Jefferson County 35-7 and rival Alcoa 20-14 without Gaylor. Could a letdown be looming?

 

“You do worry about that,†Quarles said. “I worried after the Fulton game. It was an emotional game. And then we’re definitely worried about the Alcoa game – coming out of it.

 

“We’re on a tough stretch right now. Traveling two hours is a concern. This is not a game – they’re not gonna sneak up on us. … We’ve had a good week of practice. We’ve prepared well.â€

 

Science Hill senior quarterback Justin Bedard, a 6-foot-1, 215-pounder with 4.75 speed, is a dual-threat physical ball-carrier that’s impressed Quarles.

 

“I think this year’s quarterback is a little bit better passer than (McGue),†Quarles said. “He may not be as fast as McGue, but he’s effective running the ball. He is bigger. … We’ve not seen one like that at Science Hill.

 

“He gets those tough yards. He’ll keep drives alive. The offense definitely runs through him, but I think he does a good job getting others involved, too.â€

 

Carter has been pleased with a number of players other than headliners such as Alibocas, Tolley, Bedard and Eljah Mathews; receivers Tyrek Pekins and Jordan Holly are among them, as are running backs King Russell and Colby Martin.

 

“Tyrek Perkins, you’re gonna see good things out of him,†Carter said. “He’s a good football player. Colby, first year of varsity ball, I think he’s really shown up a lot early. King, I think we’re just scratching the surface on what he can do. Holly, hopefully we’ll see some good things out of him. He’s got a lot of potential.â€

 

Perhaps even one of these players could make a big play or two early to at least make things interesting for a while against the Rebels.

 

“If you can have some success early, then it starts being man on man, playing who wants it at the end,†Carter said. “That takes all the mystique and everything away from it. We’ve just got to get some success offensively early. That’s the key.â€

 

 

 

[GREYRIDERx]

Man he loves that word.

[strongx]

Don't know much about SH or their coach. I do know one of their LB's - good kid and family. Good teams always look for extra motivation. Maybe murvil and the old ball coach found some this week? I am confident SH has plenty-a tremendous opportunity for those guys. I've had this one circled, and I expect a great game. Strange surroundings and strange officials. Murvil needs to jump out early and not play to hold on like last week. The alcoa size probably helped prepare murvil for this game (and may be the slight difference in this game). B-U-TIFUL night for football. I look forward to the trip, look forward to seeing the stadium, and hopefully look forward to the ride home.

 

MURVIL IS THE WINNING TEAM! SCIENCE HILL IS THE LOSING TEAM! HOPE NO ONE NOTICES THE REFEREES! 36-35 IS THE SCOREBOARD! -- Overtime

 

Safe travels and hope it's an injury free game.

[Red Rebels]

SH "no fun zone"!

[pepvol]

As usual Coach Quarles gives the other team a Ton of Respect .... not once did I see him say anything about Science Hill being " Easy to Prepare for " . HMMM , as a matter of fact I've never seen Coach Quarles say anybody was Easy to Prepare for ! No one from Maryville expects anyone to bow down to them ... it's just that we're not too used to a Coach talking about us being Easy to Prepare for . All you guys saying that was nothing are Hilarious .... I've been on this Board for a LONG , LONG time .... and any and all of you guys would of at least pointed out that " Easy " comment if your team had just beat that team 45-0 ten months earlier . 

 

Maybe Coach Carter is just telling the Truth and he's figured out the Formula to beat Maryville , I guess we'll see in a few hours .