Heritage Mountaineers 2018

[BarneySox2007]

Looks like Heritage has done a very nice job on their Football Stadium. Hard to believe I went to the very first game they ever played against McMinn County and won 28-27 42 years ago.

Edited July 9, 2018 by BarneySox2007

[HHSFB10]

$220,000 for a pressure wash and and seal. 

[BarneySox2007]

57 minutes ago, HHSFB10 said:

$220,000 for a pressure wash and and seal. 

Someone that knows told me there was a little more than that.  There were some major issues at both Heritage and WB's Stadiums but they were caught in time before they could have been even bigger issues. I sat down to watch a game at WB last year and thought I was setting my drink in a cup holder but turned out to be the concrete was separating a couple of inches on top of the piers that hold them together. I was told of other things at Heritage also this past winter which I'm very glad to see get taken care of.

Edited July 9, 2018 by BarneySox2007

[BarneySox2007]

I'm just curious how a school that has 1,650 students in it has such a low turnout for football as I'm hearing from a few sources this year. The 10 thru 12 grades are turning out in the mid to high 30's of players this coming season. The schools that went into this consolidation alone always had more players out for football then this. Walland usually had in the mid 40's out, Porter usually had close to 40, Everett would have 45-50 and Townsend a school with only 125 students averaged about 22-25 a year except the last season when 18-19 played. Walland won the Single A State in 75 and Porter was also a Single A Power. Those communities had rich traditions in football but you would never know it by what you see now. I keep telling all my friends from Roane County this is what consolidation does and they will also reap for the day back in their lives if they move forward and put all their schools together. This was the worst mistake Blount County ever made.

[HHSFB10]

7 minutes ago, BarneySox2007 said:

I'm just curious how a school that has 1,650 students in it has such a low turnout for football as I'm hearing from a few sources this year. The 10 thru 12 grades are turning out in the mid to high 30's of players this coming season. The schools that went into this consolidation alone always had more players out for football then this. Walland usually had in the mid 40's out, Porter usually had close to 40, Everett would have 45-50 and Townsend a school with only 125 students averaged about 22-25 a year except the last season when 18-19 played. Walland won the Single A State in 75 and Porter was also a Single A Power. Those communities had rich traditions in football but you would never know it by what you see now. I keep telling all my friends from Roane County this is what consolidation does and they will also reap for the day back in their lives if they move forward and put all their schools together. This was the worst mistake Blount County ever made.

Heritage’s attendance is actually under 1500 at this point not 1650. You can continue to point out consolidation as the problem, and it may be, but the county is never going back to the small high schools. 

There are a number of reasons heritage has such low numbers. More and more kids are specializing in one sport. Both county schools, for whatever reasons, have had a difficult time keeping kids from the city schools, and now greenback. On top of fewer kids willing to play such a demanding game. My grandfather was on one of those porter teams. He would get up in the morning go work on the farm, go to school and practice, then go home and finish working on the farm. Most kids these days are built like that. 

[BarneySox2007]

9 minutes ago, HHSFB10 said:

Heritage’s attendance is actually under 1500 at this point not 1650. You can continue to point out consolidation as the problem, and it may be, but the county is never going back to the small high schools. 

There are a number of reasons heritage has such low numbers. More and more kids are specializing in one sport. Both county schools, for whatever reasons, have had a difficult time keeping kids from the city schools, and now greenback. On top of fewer kids willing to play such a demanding game. My grandfather was on one of those porter teams. He would get up in the morning go work on the farm, go to school and practice, then go home and finish working on the farm. Most kids these days are built like that. 

I know the county isn't going to go back to small schools because they have no choice but to live with what they created, a mess. I also know kids have changed now days versus the days gone by with so many choices.  Just tired of hearing that excuse because Alcoa and Maryville have no problems like that.  No one has ever held a gun to anyone's head and said you have to go to a city school or Greenback. Those people go to avoid the mess that can't ever for some reason get straightened out. Could be the people of Blount County thinks a leader is someone who was an ex fireman and their only solution to any problem is to get a longer fire hose instead of a successful professional business man. 

[HHSFB10]

47 minutes ago, BarneySox2007 said:

I know the county isn't going to go back to small schools because they have no choice but to live with what they created, a mess. I also know kids have changed now days versus the days gone by with so many choices.  Just tired of hearing that excuse because Alcoa and Maryville have no problems like that.  No one has ever held a gun to anyone's head and said you have to go to a city school or Greenback. Those people go to avoid the mess that can't ever for some reason get straightened out. Could be the people of Blount County thinks a leader is someone who was an ex fireman and their only solution to any problem is to get a longer fire hose instead of a successful professional business man. 

So what should the county do? What’s the solution? 

[BarneySox2007]

5 minutes ago, HHSFB10 said:

So what should the county do? What’s the solution? 

HHSFB10 I am the last person in the world that wants to see this happening. I have to many great memories of those teams that went into this school to see it in this condition today. Anyone my age or older will tell you this was a big mistake but it can't be reversed now. I do know Hammontree is a good coach but his personality is that of a rock and I'm sure that doesn't suit well with the ones that have left that program and went to Alcoa. Anytime they usually get a new coach out there it's always someone from away from here no one knows and it never works out. If I were the coach out there my first thing I would do is stop the bleed of players going to Alcoa anyway I had to. The next thing would be the feeder system. I don't blame either WB or Heritage for not playing Alcoa because I wouldn't want to get beat by a team using players that should by all rights be on Heritage. I also believe both Heritage and WB need to be in 5A due to circumstances. Enrollment is a poor guide alone to determine which class they should play in. Schools that have the money and short distances to get to school have a major impact as well on how many will or can play. Remember when those other schools were from small communities they had more out versus driving from 30 to 40 minutes away.

[HTV]

I wonder if they will allow the lights to be turned on inside the press box this year so the people covering the game can actually see?  

[WilleTheWildcat]

Heritage you will be scrimmaging Oak Ridge at Blankenship Field in the Ridge this Friday ( July 27 ). Your freshmen play at 6pm with the varsity to follow. Free admission and parking, Concessions will be sold if you don't stop at Big Ed's and eat in or carry out before the game.

Good luck to you all. RWR!

[rebelwoman87]

5 hours ago, WilleTheWildcat said:

Heritage you will be scrimmaging Oak Ridge at Blankenship Field in the Ridge this Friday ( July 27 ). Your freshmen play at 6pm with the varsity to follow. Free admission and parking, Concessions will be sold if you don't stop at Big Ed's and eat in or carry out before the game.

Good luck to you all. RWR!

Will the Maryville scrimmage be at Blankenship as well? I figured it would be at the practice field. 

[BarneySox2007]

1 hour ago, rebelwoman87 said:

Will the Maryville scrimmage be at Blankenship as well? I figured it would be at the practice field. 

RW every ten yards on the practice field is as bald as Jeremy Pruitt's head. I don't think I could explain it any better than that so I'm hoping both games are at Blankenship.

Edited July 23, 2018 by BarneySox2007