D2A State Championship Knox Webb vs. Lausanne

[Spartan4Life]

The two teams that played tonight are definitely good enough to play with much bigger schools. They both knocked off 5A and 6A schools this year. I'd like to see both play a D2AAA team next year.

[chainsaw2]

The two teams that played tonight are definitely good enough to play with much bigger schools. They both knocked off 5A and 6A schools this year. I'd like to see both play a D2AAA team next year.

Spartan- this is exactly my point.  Webb is a great team, awesome team and so is Lausanne.  Both should have been in this championship game.  However, Webb has had a monopoly on the state title ever since you moved down 7-8 years ago.  I know you are playing where you are classified, but the recent classification vote wherein your head coach who was on the Board of Control advocated, changed the recommendations of the TSSAA to split the division fairly and then ultimately voted along with Lipscomb to ensure Webb and Lipscomb stayed out of the AAA class is just wrong.  You belong in the big school class.  You can play there and win.  You have done so before.  It just so happens Lausanne figured out how to get kids without having to spend more money to get them.  Hence, the charter school.  I bet Bd of Control member Webb head coach is thinking about that today and not liking it one bit.  Eventually, our entire division except for the smallest class, will become teams full of recruits like BA, Baylor, etc rather than kids who have grown up in that school with a few transfer players mixed in.  This game and the winner proves that point.

[BlackHavenSenator]

Sour truth

Nah, Grapes...

[chainsaw2]

Nah, Grapes...

Nah truth

[MSU85]

Wish I could have seen the game, both good teams. Next year will be a lot tougher getting back there playing in D2 AA.

[somewhereinmemphis]

FUN game to watch - Both teams played well.  Gray did all he could to win the championship.  The cut howard made on the short touchdown run made my jaw drop.....he can hit a hole....and very quickly.

 

Credit goes to two people who were never on the field.  First is Stuart Mccaffrey - the headmaster at Lausanne for hiring quality people like Lacastro.  CBHS parents and players absolutely loved this guy (Lacastro).  Hiring him 4-5 years ago was huge and visionary for a school that never had a football team.

 

Kevin Lacastro - great coaching job.  He clearly runs a disciplined program.

 

Quote from a Lausanne player in the commercial appeal - "We had seen their offense (the wing-T) twice before and we had two weeks to prepare for it," said defensive back Cameron Kinley. "Our offense wasn't clicking but we put the game on our backs."

 

Quote from Lacastro - "All season long we've won the turnover battle," said Locastro. "But the thing I'm most proud about was our demeanor at halftime after the turnover. We didn't panic. We knew this was going to be a dogfight.

 

That says it all to me - quality preparation for the opponents offense and quality coaching during what could have been an adverse turn of events before halftime.   Congrats to Lausanne!!

Edited December 2, 2016 by somewhereinmemphis

[Spartan4Life]

Spartan- this is exactly my point. Webb is a great team, awesome team and so is Lausanne. Both should have been in this championship game. However, Webb has had a monopoly on the state title ever since you moved down 7-8 years ago. I know you are playing where you are classified, but the recent classification vote wherein your head coach who was on the Board of Control advocated, changed the recommendations of the TSSAA to split the division fairly and then ultimately voted along with Lipscomb to ensure Webb and Lipscomb stayed out of the AAA class is just wrong. You belong in the big school class. You can play there and win. You have done so before. It just so happens Lausanne figured out how to get kids without having to spend more money to get them. Hence, the charter school. I bet Bd of Control member Webb head coach is thinking about that today and not liking it one bit. Eventually, our entire division except for the smallest class, will become teams full of recruits like BA, Baylor, etc rather than kids who have grown up in that school with a few transfer players mixed in. This game and the winner proves that point.

I definitely get your point. These were not your Momma's D2A teams. These were something a lot better.

 

Webb struggles with depth. I'd argue that was the reason for giving up two scores in the fourth. If Webb can get more kids to come out and play they can definitely play in whatever classification and be successful. . I believe it was 35 this year in comparison to almost double for Lausanne.

 

Get Webb's depth to 50-60 and you may see them move up. Right now they wouldn't have enough depth to play a full season in D2AA as presently constructed.

Edited December 2, 2016 by Spartan4Life

[DownTownCharlie1]

I definitely get your point. These were not your Momma's D2A teams. These were something a lot better.

 

Webb struggles with depth. I'd argue that was the reason for giving up two scores in the fourth. If Webb can get more kids to come out and play they can definitely play in whatever classification and be successful. . I believe it was 35 this year in comparison to almost double for Lausanne.

 

Get Webb's depth to 50-60 and you may see them move up. Right now they wouldn't have enough depth to play a full season in D2AA as presently constructed.

I remember we talked about this a couple of days ago... depth.  From what I remember Lausanne doesn't play alot of players both ways and in a grind 'em hard fought game like yesterday, it definitely makes a difference.  Congrats to both teams, wish I could have seen it.

[kwc]

FUN game to watch - Both teams played well. Gray did all he could to win the championship. The cut howard made on the short touchdown run made my jaw drop.....he can hit a hole....and very quickly.

 

Credit goes to two people who were never on the field. First is Stuart Mccaffrey - the headmaster at Lausanne for hiring quality people like Lacastro. CBHS parents and players absolutely loved this guy (Lacastro). Hiring him 4-5 years ago was huge and visionary for a school that never had a football team.

 

Kevin Lacastro - great coaching job. He clearly runs a disciplined program.

 

Quote from a Lausanne player in the commercial appeal - "We had seen their offense (the wing-T) twice before and we had two weeks to prepare for it," said defensive back Cameron Kinley. "Our offense wasn't clicking but we put the game on our backs."

 

Quote from Lacastro - "All season long we've won the turnover battle," said Locastro. "But the thing I'm most proud about was our demeanor at halftime after the turnover. We didn't panic. We knew this was going to be a dogfight.

 

That says it all to me - quality preparation for the opponents offense and quality coaching during what could have been an adverse turn of events before halftime. Congrats to Lausanne!!

It is actually a very good hire. I'm glad to see him excell after the treatment he received at CBHS.

[kwc]

So Gray had the same yards as Walker did against Webb? Of course Walker did it with a line that averaged 200 lbs and no spread attack? Hmmm?

 

Quantify that. Lol

LOL LOL LOL ... pure lunacy.

 

Your case for trying to relegate Mr. Gray as the 5th or 6th best RB in D2-A blows up in your face when he puts on a clinic against the team that the RB that you are advocating to be the best plays on. Not only did your boy get shut down. Their whole offense was shut down. You know, the offense that had so much speed that it would overwhelm Lausanne. That offense. WHEN it was time to shove and prove, your guy DIDN'T/COULDN'T. Mr. Gray however, did what the best RB in D2-A is supposed to do. He was/is the better RB. Not 5th or 6th. The BEST.

 

Pure lunacy.

 

Lolololololololololol ... this is hilarious!

Edited December 2, 2016 by kwc

[Spartan4Life]

LOL LOL LOL ... pure lunacy.

 

Your case for trying to relegate Mr. Gray as the 5th or 6th best RB in D2-A blows up in your face when he puts on a clinic against the team that the RB that you are advocating to be the best plays on. Not only did your boy get shut down. Their whole offense was shut down. You know, the offense that had so much speed that it would overwhelm Lausanne. That offense. WHEN it was time to shove and prove, your guy DIDN'T/COULDN'T. Mr. Gray however, did what the best RB in D2-A is supposed to do. He was/is the better RB. Not 5th or 6th. The BEST.

 

Pure lunacy.

 

Lolololololololololol ... this is hilarious!

You must not understand that controlling the line of scrimmage has a lot to do with how successful a running back is. Gray behind his large line had 35 carries and finally got in the end zone in the fourth against a worn down Webb team who plays almost everyone both ways.

 

Howard had 13 carries. He broke tackles every time he touched the ball. Clearly was the fastest player on the field. But when your offense line isn't blocking there is only so much one player can do.

 

Laussane depth and size on the line won this game. Not Gray. That and webb dropping two touchdow passes early on the game.

Edited December 2, 2016 by Spartan4Life

[kwc]

You must not understand that controlling the line of scrimmage has a lot to do with how successful a running back is. Gray behind his large line had 35 carries and finally got in the end zone in the fourth against a worn down Webb team who plays almost everyone both ways.

 

Howard had 13 carries. He broke tackles every time he touched the ball. Clearly was the fastest player on the field. But when your offense line isn't blocking there is only so much one player can do.

 

Laussane depth and size on the line won this game. Not Gray. That and webb dropping two touchdow passes early on the game.

Of course I understand control of three LOS is what win games.

 

That's not the issue. The issue was the proclamation that Mr. Gray was the 5th or 6th best RB in D2-A. The Webb RB was being portrayed as the best that D2-A had to offer.

 

Now, after the two teams square off, and Mr. Gray's team beat Mr. Howard's team. Also, where, Mr. Gray's performance clearly outshined Mr. Howard's performance, significantly, I might add; then all of a sudden, Mr. Howard is only an eight grader. Now. suddenly, the size of Lausanne's line is the determining factor. Now, all of a sudden, Webb doesn't have the depth that Lausanne has.

 

Excuse, after excuse, after excuse, ad nauseam.

 

THEN, to top it all off. You have the unmitigated gall to try and insinuate that Mr. Gray's performance had nothing to do with Lausanne winning the game. I guess he casually strolled through the Webb defense sipping on tea and eating crumpets behind that overwhelmingly huge and dominating Lausanne O-line that he didn't seem to put in the work. Somebody had better confer with th people responsible for giving out the MVP award for the game, because, if memory serves me correctly, I seem to remember them giving that particular award to Mr. Gray.

 

Let's recap shall we?

 

Mr. Gray wins the D2-A, Mr. Football, back of the year for 2016, and you co-sign on someone else's assessment that Mr. Gray is probably only the 5th or 6th best in that classification. When asked how that assessment was made, we were told "SEC coaches" said it. (Lol) When it was brought up that these awards are given out by panels that know what they are doing, the rebuttal was ... " these awards are stats drven" (not entirely, case in point, the 2016 2A back of the year is Cordarrian Richardson, and he doesn't have the best stats in 2A, by a large margin, I might add). Then we have a game in which Mr. Gray and Mr. Howard both participate in and not only did Mr. Gray's team win, but his team relied upon his production to win the game ... and as a result, the panel of people who select the MVP selected him, and you sit here and try to say he wasn't why they won the game. Yes his line blocked, but they handed the ball to HIM.

 

Fine. However, I and most of the people who are reading this thread can see that your opinion is clearly biased and your assessment of Mr. Gray's performance in the game is disingenuous at best.

Edited December 2, 2016 by kwc