DB FOOTBALL=TIME FOR A CHANGE!

[blazer1set]

Well I'll give you a gold star for posting this. You are 100% correct. But I hate to tell you your beating a dead horse to think this would be tried in Kingsport. It would be fun though to put this post on a billboard in front of the school and watch the powers that be try to figure out what it means.

 

Better than a billboard, post this quote on the covered walkway that goes over Ft Henry Drive between the school and the park, that will definitely get their attention.

FYI - a few months ago a middle school kid told me he would rather play 4th string for Maryville than start at another school that was just mediocre.  That statement may seem benign on the surface but it really does speak volumes...

[BatmanDB]

Better than a billboard, post this quote on the covered walkway that goes over Ft Henry Drive between the school and the park, that will definitely get their attention.

FYI - a few months ago a middle school kid told me he would rather play 4th string for Maryville than start at another school that was just mediocre.  That statement may seem benign on the surface but it really does speak volumes...

I understand that thinking for some kids but only so many kids can play for Maryville and some kids just want to wear a jersey and could care less about playing for any team.It was the same on a smaller scale in Greene county when I was growing up.You could go to a smaller school in the county and start if you were pretty good or move to town  and maybe start if you were really good.My thinking was a little different.I didn't go back into town to maybe do anything.I went to play and did so in the 10th.that's what competitors do.When you have a competitor that wants to play and has the tools,you turn him loose and coach a little.That's pretty hard to fup,but it happens all the time at many schools in many sports.Kids start looking around at other schools or just quit that sport.I talked to a kid from Knoxville this weekend that is a stud of a wrestler and he gave up another sport because of politics until the coaches talked him into coming back and he had a great career in two sports.Many times it doesn't work out that way .

[WaCoJaCo]

Better than a billboard, post this quote on the covered walkway that goes over Ft Henry Drive between the school and the park, that will definitely get their attention.

FYI - a few months ago a middle school kid told me he would rather play 4th string for Maryville than start at another school that was just mediocre.  That statement may seem benign on the surface but it really does speak volumes...

The covered walkway that hasn't been built yet?

[BatmanDB]

Should be a walk over bridge like Eastman has at their new building.One on Fort Henry and one on the backside over center street.I bring it up all the time and until someone importants kid gets run over and I hope it doesn't happen,it may take a while.I know kids have been hit back there and I seen nearly twenty 9th grade football players come very close to getting run over by a speeding car a few years ago.

[formerblazer]

Well I'll give you a gold star for posting this. You are 100% correct. But I hate to tell you your beating a dead horse to think this would be tried in Kingsport. It would be fun though to put this post on a billboard in front of the school and watch the powers that be try to figure out what it means.

 

You know as well as anyone else, football is important in Upper East TN as far as beating all the local teams.  If you can beat up on schools around here, that's all that most people care about.  If you are one of the top 5 teams up here, you will keep your job unless you have a couple of winless seasons, and the way the schedule plays out, that won't happen.  Seriously, unless we saw one of them go 0-10 for a couple of years, there won't be coaching changes.  I believe every head coach for one of the big teams (Let's say Greeneville, DB, SH, Elizabethan, even say Hampton) is a teacher first then a coach.  We don't have some magical high paying coaching only job up here. They want teachers.  Money pumps into teachers and teaching, no sports.  Booster clubs, donations, parents build up that stuff.  That's what is important to your district administration leaders.

 

You've posted what needs to be done multiple times to make this area state championship contention material.  It's the 110% correct answer.  Starts from the lowest level, everyone is on the same page, everyone is with the program, no egos.  Can it be done?  No.  I'll say no to every single area up here.  Every coach won't be able to put aside their ego, thus it can not be done.  After randomly hanging out here for years and reading everyone's thoughts and opinions, I've finally formed this one:  We aren't that good in football past our own conferences, we won't ever be state competitors (with the way things are), and Upper East TN has weak football.  It is what it is.

[BatmanDB]

Greeneville has around 800 to 850 depending on the year.Sullivan central and East both have 900 or so students .Boone and DC have around 1300 students.I'd say Greeneville is playing a lot bigger then the size of their school.Many schools in upper east Tennessee are just not getting the bang for their buck.Greeneville does good in other sports as well,so it can be done.

[blazer1set]

Greeneville is a NET football anomaly for sure.   In the last few years they have been in several state title games.     What is it that makes Greeneville so different from the Tri-cities teams?    Coaching?     Community buy-in from the bottom up?     Exceptional athletes?

[RebRaider85]

Greeneville is a NET football anomaly for sure. In the last few years they have been in several state title games. What is it that makes Greeneville so different from the Tri-cities teams? Coaching? Community buy-in from the bottom up? Exceptional athletes?

I've got experience here from a family perspective. Some homegrown athletes and others are electing to attend (via tuition) the city schools at an early age for education benefits that they are not even thought of as transfers by the time they get to high school. Great coaching, fantastic facilities, etc. If I had a smart kid with potential in Greene county I know where I'd send him/her (unless I lived way up north along Horton Highway then I'd send them to Sullivan South). Edited December 16, 2015 by RebRaider85

[blazer1set]

I've got experience here from a family perspective. Some homegrown athletes and others are electing to attend (via tuition) the city schools at an early age for education benefits that they are not even thought of as transfers by the time they get to high school. Great coaching, fantastic facilities, etc. If I had a smart kid with potential in Greene county I know where I'd send him/her (unless I lived way up north along Horton Highway then I'd send them to Sullivan South).

 

I have often wondered what makes a very gifted high school athlete stand out more to college recruiting, playing for a top notch team that wins the title but where you are one of many  --or--  playing for a mediocre team where you are head and shoulders above the rest?

[BatmanDB]

I've got experience here from a family perspective. Some homegrown athletes and others are electing to attend (via tuition) the city schools at an early age for education benefits that they are not even thought of as transfers by the time they get to high school. Great coaching, fantastic facilities, etc. If I had a smart kid with potential in Greene county I know where I'd send him/her (unless I lived way up north along Horton Highway then I'd send them to Sullivan South).

When you first posted this,I was going to say it's closer to DB then Greeneville,but I see what you done there.Yes,either way if a parent could do it,Greeneville ,South or DB would be a better choice because there just isn't near the money going toward NG as the other three and I know a lot of NG people

[WaCoJaCo]

You know as well as anyone else, football is important in Upper East TN as far as beating all the local teams.  If you can beat up on schools around here, that's all that most people care about.  If you are one of the top 5 teams up here, you will keep your job unless you have a couple of winless seasons, and the way the schedule plays out, that won't happen.  Seriously, unless we saw one of them go 0-10 for a couple of years, there won't be coaching changes.  I believe every head coach for one of the big teams (Let's say Greeneville, DB, SH, Elizabethan, even say Hampton) is a teacher first then a coach.  We don't have some magical high paying coaching only job up here. They want teachers.  Money pumps into teachers and teaching, no sports.  Booster clubs, donations, parents build up that stuff.  That's what is important to your district administration leaders.

 

You've posted what needs to be done multiple times to make this area state championship contention material.  It's the 110% correct answer.  Starts from the lowest level, everyone is on the same page, everyone is with the program, no egos.  Can it be done?  No.  I'll say no to every single area up here.  Every coach won't be able to put aside their ego, thus it can not be done.  After randomly hanging out here for years and reading everyone's thoughts and opinions, I've finally formed this one:  We aren't that good in football past our own conferences, we won't ever be state competitors (with the way things are), and Upper East TN has weak football.  It is what it is.

All of what you say is true. But I'm not to sure a lot of these coaches are much of a teacher except on paper. Some I guess are pretty good teachers but I've never heard of any of them winning any teaching awards. I think there is enough talent in upper east Tennessee to have state contenders years in and year out but we're lacking in quality coaches. I think mostly that has to do with politics. And you are probably right about it never getting fixed.

[formerblazer]

All of what you say is true. But I'm not to sure a lot of these coaches are much of a teacher except on paper. Some I guess are pretty good teachers but I've never heard of any of them winning any teaching awards. I think there is enough talent in upper east Tennessee to have state contenders years in and year out but we're lacking in quality coaches. I think mostly that has to do with politics. And you are probably right about it never getting fixed.

I think getting quality coaches to move to Upper East Tennessee is going to take money.  That is not something that I see happening with any of the school systems in our area.  Why should we pay a coach 70k a year when that will supply you with two more teachers?  Good or not, it's currently wanted right now by administrations.  There are a lot more important things to worry about than how a football team is doing.

 

Highest three paid coaches in the area?  DB, SH, and Greeneville.  I remember way....waaaaaay back a long time ago that the figures of 100k were thrown around for these, but I think the truth is a lot lower by comparison.  All the coaches of those schools are going to get a teachers salary, and the supplement is going to come from elsewhere.  I think (don't know for sure) for example you are looking at a head football coach in Washington County getting 3k for a coaching supplement and also put on an 11 month contract.  Depending on experience... what something between 6-8k to coach football.  Sullivan County head coaches for football are looking at a 5k supplement per year.  If boosters help, great, but I don't think any of the four schools do that.

 

DB? What's the guess on that one?  Teachers salary plus experience, no idea on the supplement, and I will assume boosters are splitting some of the bill.  For a long time that was the highest paid coaching job in the area, but that number added up would probably total 60-70k.  That isn't a bad deal at all, but when you take into consideration it's a 200 day teaching contract, also add professional development hours, you still have a job where you are showing up at 7 Am and leaving in the wee hours of the night.  How desirable is that?  If a search was held by any of the big three, would we have a lot of outside sources who you would consider good want to bite on the job?  What is in store for the job... a complete rebuilding of a football program from pee wee to varsity.  It may not be too desirable for most people.

 

Won't argue with if a coach is a good teacher or not.  I've seen great teachers and I've seen horrible teachers, but that doesn't mean they have to be a coach.  I think if they were absolutely terrible and in one of those classes that have to show good test scores, you would see them butting heads with administrations.  I would say that most of the positions aren't terribly hard classes to teach.  I won't say that is true for every coach we have in the area.  

 

All in all, I've gotten a nice bitter attitude towards sports in our area.  Give all the parents and kids a juice box and a gold star, because we sure aren't going to see a gold ball up here for a long time.  Or silver.  Maybe a fake one.