Emory Road Rivalry - Halls @ Powell

[thefox]

9 minutes ago, HTV said:

First of all, I have no "obsession" with Powell.  Like Nut said, my son played there, my daughter graduated from there, and I was the radio play by play guy at Powell from 2001-2013.  I have lived in the Powell community since 1976.  It's home.   I was at Powell during the tenures of Clark Duncan, Larry Stephens, Matt's first time around, Derek Rang's year, and Toby Kilgore's year. I left after Powell hired John Allen, who might be the worst football hire in Knox County history.   

I have been a lot more places than Powell as a radio guy.  I started my broadcasting career as a color guy for Webb School of Knoxville radio broadcasts, then did play by play in Blount County for a game of the week (alternated between Heritage, William Blount, Maryville, and Alcoa), did play by play for South-Doyle, and ended my career as a radio guy at Maryville with a 3 year run, retiring because of glaucoma issues after the 2017 state championship game.  

I also covered high school sports for print and electronic media during that time, which brought me in contact with a lot of coaches at schools all over East Tennessee and statewide.  

And I don't think that makes me any "better" than anybody else.  Just factual that I have been around for a long time and have been close to high school football for a reason.  

If you think I am "obsessed" then you are wrong.  My issue is that all of the fingers being pointed at Powell right now are being pointed by schools that have played on the edges of the margins for years, and now don't like that Matt is currently outworking them at their own game.  It's people from those schools that I have challenged to talk specifics on what Matt and Powell are allegedly doing that is illegal.  But it's telling that not one of them will answer the question.   

Yep. The ineligible player thing was a violation.  And Powell admitted to it and took their medicine.  Cost them a potential deep playoff run that year.  That was a really good football team.  

Since then there have been multiple fingers pointed, multiple investigations, and no findings of improprieties.  That's just reality and some can't stand it and still point fingers, but can't give any legitimate specifics.  

And why are you asking Nut about me?  I am here and have never shied away from answering your questions.   Nut is a good guy and a friend.  Don't put him in the middle of something he shouldn't be put in the middle of.  

Can't speak on any of the accusations you mentioned but in my time in East TN it looks like Powell's real crime is choking. Went to the big dance and got beat by a good HC team in 2011. Then Powell had to say bye to the King of Emory Road for a while. Turned around with Rang and lost in the semis to a good Columbia team. Then come the time of troubles you mentioned. Then the King of Emory Road returns and whatever happened in 2018 happened. In 2019 they fought to the death with West twice just to get to see who would lose to a good Knox Central. Finally, in 2020 Powell got bested in the first round by Walker Valley. Correct me if I'm wrong but is that not a pattern? To me Powell is like Georgia, they have all the juice and they've usually got the right pieces but what do they really have to show for it?

[Czar]

3 minutes ago, thefox said:

Can't speak on any of the accusations you mentioned but in my time in East TN it looks like Powell's real crime is choking. Went to the big dance and got beat by a good HC team in 2011. Then Powell had to say bye to the King of Emory Road for a while. Turned around with Rang and lost in the semis to a good Columbia team. Then come the time of troubles you mentioned. Then the King of Emory Road returns and whatever happened in 2018 happened. In 2019 they fought to the death with West twice just to get to see who would lose to a good Knox Central. Finally, in 2020 Powell got bested in the first round by Walker Valley. Correct me if I'm wrong but is that not a pattern? To me Powell is like Georgia, they have all the juice and they've usually got the right pieces but what do they really have to show for it?

I will tell you what they have to show for it. Less wins than HVA since 2013 and  same # of playoff wins! 

Edited October 5, 2021 by FilmCzar

[HTV]

22 minutes ago, thefox said:

Can't speak on any of the accusations you mentioned but in my time in East TN it looks like Powell's real crime is choking. Went to the big dance and got beat by a good HC team in 2011. Then Powell had to say bye to the King of Emory Road for a while. Turned around with Rang and lost in the semis to a good Columbia team. Then come the time of troubles you mentioned. Then the King of Emory Road returns and whatever happened in 2018 happened. In 2019 they fought to the death with West twice just to get to see who would lose to a good Knox Central. Finally, in 2020 Powell got bested in the first round by Walker Valley. Correct me if I'm wrong but is that not a pattern? To me Powell is like Georgia, they have all the juice and they've usually got the right pieces but what do they really have to show for it?

I'm not arguing that they have not underachieved, with the exception of the 2010/2012 run.  Everybody in Powell will tell you that has been the case.  But there's not a school in the Knox County area not named Maryville or Alcoa that wouldn't have been proud of that 37-4 run, including final and semi final appearances back to back.  Still lots of regret for not winning it one of those years, however.  

And I have never said that Powell was "elite" or belongs in the same breath as the teams that have won gold balls from this area recently. 

But they are trying to get there and the fact that fingers keep being pointed at them without anything other than three fingers pointing back at the accusers tells you that somebody is worried about where they are.  

 

 

[thefox]

4 minutes ago, HTV said:

I'm not arguing that they have not underachieved, with the exception of the 2010/2012 run.  Everybody in Powell will tell you that has been the case.  But there's not a school in the Knox County area not named Maryville or Alcoa that wouldn't have been proud of that 37-4 run, including final and semi final appearances back to back.  Still lots of regret for not winning it one of those years, however.  

And I have never said that Powell was "elite" or belongs in the same breath as the teams that have won gold balls from this area recently. 

But they are trying to get there and the fact that fingers keep being pointed at them without anything other than three fingers pointing back at the accusers tells you that somebody is worried about where they are.  

 

 

For what it's worth from an outsider things in Knoxville seem semi wide open in regards to recruiting. This is what this thread has gotten me thinking about. When I retired to Knoxville in 2010, Powell had lost in the second round to Anderson Co but they were on the verge of doing something special. In that same time West had surprised people, Knox Central was in the doldrums, Farragut was solid but riding the fence between 5 and 6A. Powell had the Mobley back and things were looking up in a big way they played some great games against West but now ten years on, West has been to two and won one, Sevier County went and lost to a good Independence team, Farragut dropped down and won one, Knox Central won two back to back, and now even Oak Ridge went to one. It seems like in this golden era of East TN 5A that we may very well be at the end of the team that helped kick it off is the only one to not get their taste. Powell is a proud community it's hard to imagine how they process that. They seem like the kind of people who expect to win the last game of the season.

[osunut2]

1 hour ago, thefox said:

For what it's worth from an outsider things in Knoxville seem semi wide open in regards to recruiting. This is what this thread has gotten me thinking about. When I retired to Knoxville in 2010, Powell had lost in the second round to Anderson Co but they were on the verge of doing something special. In that same time West had surprised people, Knox Central was in the doldrums, Farragut was solid but riding the fence between 5 and 6A. Powell had the Mobley back and things were looking up in a big way they played some great games against West but now ten years on, West has been to two and won one, Sevier County went and lost to a good Independence team, Farragut dropped down and won one, Knox Central won two back to back, and now even Oak Ridge went to one. It seems like in this golden era of East TN 5A that we may very well be at the end of the team that helped kick it off is the only one to not get their taste. Powell is a proud community it's hard to imagine how they process that. They seem like the kind of people who expect to win the last game of the season.

Fox, I'm not sure how familiar you are with the Powell program, but it's been a roller coaster of a decade. Matt's 2010 and 2011 teams were special. It was tough losing him after the 2011 run, but he had a great opportunity to build something from the ground up at King's Academy, and most folks understood that. Derek Rang did a tremendous job taking over in 2012, and came within one score of a return to Cookeville, but he lost his teaching position that off-season (another story for another day). Toby Kilgore did a decent job in 2013 until the star QB was lost for the season, but he was ultimately angling for an administrative position and left for Karns after that season. Despite all of that, the worst part for the Powell community was what everyone endured in 2014. To watch one guy decimate a program as accomplished as Powell, in less than one calendar year, was just awful. John Allen was run out of there before the season even ended, leaving without a single win. It was a sad, unhealthy situation that set the program back in ways that no one ever expected. It took Rodney Ellison three full seasons (2015-17) just to get Powell's roster numbers back to a decent number. Rodney did an admirable job pulling Powell up out of the gutter, but by year 3, it was evident that the ceiling was still pretty low for the program. Lowe returned in 2018, and here we are. The landscape of high school football in Knox County has changed a lot in the past decade. I think Matt would even admit that, especially when you consider where the talent lands.

5A has been a fun classification to follow for the past decade because it's been so wide open, and this year is another great example. Powell has come close a few times, and while I understand that most folks don't like them (or Matt), I certainly hope they get another crack at their first gold ball. I'm not sure that they'll get there, but they have a real shot this season and next.