Moving the West/Greenville Game

[MWestTrojan]

Just for clarification...the game was moved because the field was in unplayable condition. Therefore, the athletic director stated, "Burke Toney is not in playable condition. We looked around at stadiums and we had to take into consideration the size of the stands also." The field will be in good shape because it has not been played on in 4 weeks. Finally, Hamblen Co. needs to wake up and build West a stadium. Out of ALL the schools in the entire state of Tennessee, Morristown West is the only team not to have their own football field. It's not like they don't have the money. There are always school construction projects going on. BUILD A STADIUM!!!

[Guest DocHoliday]

Granted, the move to a different stadium is understandable, but the TSSAA rules were still not followed. Why the change in time though? There has got to be something behind that. Why would you choose a Saturday afternoon over a Friday night game for high school football? There have been no good reasons to move it. High school football in the afternoon doesn't feel right.

[KevB1990]

If the TSSAA rules were not followed, then why has the TSSAA given the OK for the game to be moved.

 

Good grief! It's even posted on their web site!

 

 

Posted by DocHoliday:

Granted, the move to a different stadium is understandable, but the TSSAA rules were still not followed. Why the change in time though? There has got to be something behind that. Why would you choose a Saturday afternoon over a Friday night game for high school football? There have been no good reasons to move it. High school football in the afternoon doesn't feel right.

[flyinpro]

Moving the game is a good thing because of the field conditions. But the time is in question. I feel like they should still play friday night. I think there will be coaches in the stands in Cleveland. Sevier County is close enough for us Maryville fans to take a look at the game on Sat. I think it will be a cold, wet game on Sat as well.

[mgreen]

I don't have a dog in the hunt but why is everybody from Greenville so upset. Would Greenville not have an advantage playing on a great field not in the mud? Greenville has a great passing attack. It would seem Greenville would want as good of playing conditions as they could get. It also looks like Greenville would have an advantage playing in Sevier County. Did Morristown not give up home field advantage? So Doc stop the whining.I just do not understand. What is the big deal with 2:00 on Saturday.

[HardKnocks41]

First off this is not HardKnocks41. And second your wrong. Morristown West can not handle the wet conditions. They proved that last week when they fumbled 8 times against Betsy. We, Greeneville, proved we can handle any conditions. Doc is right. Not letting the game be played on Friday night is wrong. It is as clear as day in the TSSAA Handbook (Section III Article D)that what is being done is illegal. I realize that TSSAA may not be the most organized organization, but the fact is they are not following the rules they made before the season. If they can change the rules about this, why not everything else? What they are doing is telling everybody that the handbook is pointless because when something comes up, even if there is a rule in the book about it, they are going to make up another one to get around the first rule. Its pretty bad when West has to use their principal, who is also head of the TSSAA board, to allow their team to try to gain an advantage. All the West fans out there be prepared for the wrath of JuJu. Greeneville will always be ready so bring it on West!

[Edited by HardKnocks41 on 11-22-02 9:05A]

[Guest KarnellParker]

First of all, Mo'town West did know before Thursday because they are the ones that petitioned to have the game moved. And it is a fact that the field at Burke-Toney is a disaster. Heaven forbid that one of those rich pricks in West Morristown give a few dollars to build a seperate stadium for West or that someone in Mo'town have enough intelligence to figure out to fix the field at Burke-Toney which has been bad for years. So, moving the location is not the issue. The issue is that TSSAA rules are being broken by changing the date and time of the game. If both teams agreed on it, it would be fine. But they didn't, and there are specific rules on when playoffs game should be played as DocHolliday has pointed out. Friday nights and highschool football go hand-in-hand. But at 2 on Saturday, how stupid is that? If Sevier Co didnt want them playing on Friday night, I am sure there is somewhere else they could play? What about Jeff Co?

[trojanfan87]

Maybe if Greenville could beat West in the regular season they can pick where they play their playoff games. Until then they need to quit complaining cause there is nothing they can do about it. It doesnt really matter anyways because west is going to spank them in the ground.

Greenville just like to have something to complain about so if they lose they can blame it on something.

[Guest DocHoliday]

KevB, you are definitely a master of the obvious. You are right. The rules are posted on the web site. If you took the time to look at the rules, then you would see that they are being violated. Read section IIIA and IIID of the football handbook. Again the fact that the game has moved location is somewhat understandable (although still a violation) but the reason the time was changed is not. I would just like a GOOD, REASONABLE answer, but I am afraid there is not one.

[Guest Jsmith15]

Why don't everyone just stop whining about it. Here is a thought why don't both teams just shut up and show up at Sevier County at 2:00 and see what happens.

[transplant]

For those of you complaining about this decision, please answer the following questions:

 

1. What advantage does Morristown West gain from giving up a home game?

2. What advantage do they gain from traveling over 1 hour to play?

3. What advantage do they gain from playing on a Saturday?

 

The answer to those questions is simple: NONE!

 

The fact is that the playing surface at Burke-Toney is so

bad that it would be unsafe to play on it. How would everyone feel if a player from either team suffered a preventable injury because of a bad playing surface?

 

The main reason the game is being played on Saturday is because Sevier County requested it so the damage to their

field would be minimal. I don't think that is a big sacrifice.

 

A neutral site favors neither team and evens the playing field. Why do you think college bowl games and the Super Bowl are played at neutral sites. This shouldn't be looked at with a sense of dread. Quite the contrary it should be looked upon as an exciting opportunity for two great teams to showcase their talents.

 

Good luck to both teams, and may the bickering stop!

 

What GOOD REASONABLE objection does anyone in Greeneville have to playing on Saturday? There is daily violence in the Middle East, we are probably getting ready to go to war with Iraq and we are bickering about what day and time a high school football game is going to be played. Please everyone on both sides get some perspective and play ball and stop this nonsense.

[Guest KarnellParker]

Could it be that the crown in the middle of Sevier Co field is the worst ever, it's like playing on a mountain peek, which hurts the passing team. There is no whining, Greeneville fans just want an explination about why they were kept in the dark on this and why there wasnt an effort to play somewhere else on Friday night.

P.S. To whoever said Morristown West will beat Greeneville and has the team to beat Maryville, Mo West sure had a great outing the first time, didnt they?