Best TENN High School Team of all Time

[timeout]

Does Melrose play 1A?

[pitw]

negative. Melrose won two State titles at AAA. They currently play AAAA. They are IMHO one of the top 10 teams in the state overall.

[Guest kyle08]

Melrose does not have the talent when they last won the AAA State Title. They do not have four future NFL Players but do not sell them short. Their new coach has done a better job with the talent that they have. They are a more disiplined team with great speed. They are poor in the kicking game though. Maryville will have a hard time against them. Their are many good teams this year in the Public Div while Brentwood Aca is head and shoulders above everyone in the Private Div.. The overall talent level is down compared to past years. I think Brentwood Academy fans would agree that this years team could not compare to other BA teams. The same can be said for Riverdale and Melrose. Germantown, on the other hand; has the best team they have had since losing to that great Riverdale team in the finals 14-10.

[WarriorFan]

Kyle, I agree the talent is down all across the board. I have never heard Coach Flatt really talk about which BA team he feels is best in the newspapers. I don't know how to answer your question. Coach Flatt has mentioned in recent years his teams from the early 80's in the papers, but I have never heard comparisons. I guess because we are now men in our mid-late 30's, it is impossible to compare as we are old enough to be today's kids' daddy's!

[Edited by Brandon100 on 11-21-02 10:16P]

[FlyBy]

I saw the BA team of '81 and all of the other BA teams since then. I have also seen the MBA teams of the same era. While there is no way to say definitively which is the greatest, the MBA team of Ingle Martin's Jr year is the best high school team I have ever seen. The boys playing the game now are stronger and faster than the boys from '81, so it's not completely fair to caompare them in that manner. That BA team of '81 was a dominating team as was that MBA team.

 

The MBA boys at Yale to whom you refer could have played at most SEC schools as well.

[WarriorFan]

This is indeed a tough debate. Been around TSSAA football for a long time, and I would say that the 1998 MBA team would be in my top 5 picks of all-time best teams. Lots of heart and talent, but lacking in speed with the exception of Ingle Martin. Coach Bowers is a tremendous coach. I would also include the 1986 Knoxville Austin-East team and possibly a Cleveland team from the 1990's.The Clarksville NE team of Travis Stephen's Junior year was no slouch. I hope that folk's are noticing I am giving public school's credit where it is due. I cannot say you are totally right on kids being stronger and faster. The weightroom and track has been around a long time at BA. There were plenty of kids (including myself ) who benched over 300 lbs in the early 80's. Gregg Johnson WR(Penn State) ran a sub 4.4 40. He was also the 110 high hurdles state champ. Joe Johnson TB (Vanderbilt) was a legit 4.2 40. Any BA player or Vanderbilt player on this board from the early 1980's can back this up. He ran kick off's back at Vandy for years. No one has come through BA that was faster. He is still the 100 meter dash school record holder. If you go to BA, you will notice that most of the school records in track are still standing from the 1980's. I believe that the early 80's BA teams could play and win strong against today's teams. These teams had heart that you don't see today. The kids of today are for the most part scared of hitting. We were fighting the same battles regarding "recruiting" issues then as the school does now. Lots of Haters.

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[itzme]

Brandon100, are you sure you're in your mid-30's? You sound like my Dad, and I'm 48. Although BA had a good concentration of football players back in the day, today's athletes in general are bigger, stronger, faster, and receive better coaching at an earlier age. By the way, give the current Eagles another year or two to mature. They have a bunch of Sophomores and Juniors playing a lot, and the best class of 8th graders in many years.

 

By-cracky, I think they might be able to stay in the game with some of you guys.

[Redtwin]

The greatest asset the 99 MBA team had was speed. Dominique Morris and Moses Osemwegie could fly...as the both started as frosh at Vandy. The biggest factor, besides Ingle Martin and Barton Simmons, was the speed of both lines. These guys were not huge, probably averaging around 230-240, but they had great quickness for linemen

[WarriorFan]

Red Twin, we are talking about the 1998 MBA team. I think those guys were on the MBA freshman team at that time. I member Jonas Rodriguez being a good player, but don't remember Moses or Dominique contributing much on the 98 team.

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[WarriorFan]

itzme, there were some really good athletes in this area in the 1980's. Kent Austin(MS), John Windham(Vandy),Jimmy Hockaday(GA), Keith Davis(TN), Carl Woods(Vandy), John Short(Vandy), Lasovier Fisher(TN), Tim Jones(KY), Robbin Perry(TN), Jeremy Spivey(TN), Jeff Brothers(Vandy), Ralph Thompson(GA), among many, many others. These guys were better than what you are seeing out there today, I can assure you. There were more athletes going to major programs during the 80's compared to today. On a high school level, the kids don't look much different. The weight room has been aggresively pushed for a long time. Kids haven't miraculously grown on average an extra 6 inches in height in the last 20 years. Just as I can assure you that Herschel Walker of Georgia fame, or Bo Jackson of Auburn fame were better than what we see out there today in college football, so are kids from past decades in TN high school football. Bo and Herschel could have started for any team they wanted to today in this era. Do not discount the caliber of athletes from the past just because they are a faint memory. As far as hitting, I have been to plenty of BA games since 1976 to today, having either played in or observed well over 100 and I can assure you that these kids don't hit like the BA teams from the past. BA was always known for aggresive sticks, ie. Jeremy Spivey(TN), Irvin Pasley(UT-Martin and one of 2 players in the history of the school to have their number retired at BA. His number was 63 and he was a LB. He was about 5'9" and 230 lbs, but literally played like a high school Dick Butkus. His height kept him from going to a large school. Coach Flatt said that if he would have been 3 inches taller, he could have gone to any school he wanted. If you ever talk to any of the coaches at BA, ask them about Irvin or Jeremy, among other 80's players and ask the coaches if any players of today hit the same), . I have heard plenty of alumni and "old timers" notice it in the stands as well. I believe that Coach Flatt is bringing back the understanding of what it is to play at BA to these kids, ie. tradition and the expectation that no one can beat you. BA is the Notre Dame of TN high school football. To start for BA meant you are the "best of the best" when I was there. Games were won before the kickoff, because of the mystique of BA, coaching and the confidence levels of the kids. I am glad to see Coach Flatt back. He is a good man! Since he is back, I have noticed a shift back to the way it used to be. I am glad to hear about the underclassmen and 8th graders! This is very encouraging!

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[itzme]

Brandon100, I do recognize that there have been a lot of outstanding athletes at BA. I know several. Having Coach Flatt back does make a big difference. He is an incredible practice coach.

 

If you talk to the coaches, they believe that with the kids they have now and the ones coming up, they have a chance to be one of the best BA teams ever in the next 2-3 years. We'll see. It would not surprise me if 10-12 kids currently in the program today play at the next level. They will be better next year than they are now, and better the year after that as well.

 

Starts tonight!!

[rollredroll]

Brandon100, you mentioned Lavosier Fisher. Do you (or anyone else) remember the interview he did on Channel 4? He was on the set - I think Rudy Kalis was the anchor - and he was asked if he had made his college decision. He said,

 

"I'm going to the University of UT".

 

A classic in the annals of Nashville television.