Scott Cummings the new head football coach at Oak Ridge!

[SweetScience]

2 hours ago, oridgecat said:

There is no more East and West.  We are down to one team per age group.  7U, 9U, and 11U.  That's it.  Coach knows the importance of the youth league.  He built the West youth football league from the ground up and that league is still thriving to this day.  He also knows the middle schools have to be on the same page with the high school staff.  At least running some common concepts.  The biggest challenge right now is clearly the ability to build a staff.  Right now we have 3 coaches total.  It may take a while, but I'm excited for the direction moving forward.  We got a coach now that is willing to do all parts of the HC job and to run a legitimate year round football program.   

I’ve noticed for awhile now that some OR kids don’t even play little league football out of OR. My neighbors across the street kids have played for Norwood and OS, respectively the past few years. There’s zero excuse for that and it needs to change. It would help the low numbers too, if we really put a limit to that taking place. Gotta make things more fun for the kids, which is why if the numbers did go up that pitting the schools against one another might help. Kids kinda like that type of competition. When I was playing the whole East West thing never really meant very much to most of us.

Edited December 16, 2021 by SweetScience

[oridgecat]

1 hour ago, SweetScience said:

I’ve noticed for awhile now that some OR kids don’t even play little league football out of OR. My neighbors across the street kids have played for Norwood and OS, respectively the past few years. There’s zero excuse for that and it needs to change. It would help the low numbers too, if we really put a limit to that taking place. Gotta make things more fun for the kids, which is why if the numbers did go up that pitting the schools against one another might help. Kids kinda like that type of competition. When I was playing the whole East West thing never really meant very much to most of us.

This is so true.  When my son played for ORBC on the 11U, literally all the best players went down to play for Norwood.  What we were left with was the Bad News Bears of youth football.  And the kicker is that the coach for the Norwood team is an OR guy with two sons both played/playing now for OR Cats.  This crap has got to stop. 

[HTV]

3 minutes ago, oridgecat said:

This is so true.  When my son played for ORBC on the 11U, literally all the best players went down to play for Norwood.  What we were left with was the Bad News Bears of youth football.  And the kicker is that the coach for the Norwood team is an OR guy with two sons both played/playing now for OR Cats.  This crap has got to stop. 

Youth football has gone the way of travel teams baseball now.  It's free agency every year.  And that has carried over in to high school sports,  as well.  

[SweetScience]

3 hours ago, oridgecat said:

This is so true.  When my son played for ORBC on the 11U, literally all the best players went down to play for Norwood.  What we were left with was the Bad News Bears of youth football.  And the kicker is that the coach for the Norwood team is an OR guy with two sons both played/playing now for OR Cats.  This crap has got to stop. 

I believe I know exactly who you’re talking about. His son was really good for us on those teams that lost to Catholic in the playoffs. My question is, why would any OR father want their kid to play for Norwood?! Nothing against Norwood, but c’mon man!! 

Edited December 16, 2021 by SweetScience

[WilleTheWildcat]

3 hours ago, Cactus Jack said:

I like that too, I remember way back in the day that Elm Grove had a team,  The catch is they need to get the numbers up for all elementary schools to have a team at each age level.

I went to St.Mary's but played youth football for Cedar Hill. If they do try and go back to Elementary teams please include the kids at St.Mary's somehow. I mean a real effort to get them involved. Not just a one minute talk during P.E class. Actually make contacts with the Parents and make them feel welcomed and needed.

RWR.

[bounder]

SS as you know some of the coaches weren't the best in Oak Ridge, too much "I'm the coach so my kid is the quarterback". Even though the poor kid is really a 3rd string guard or tackle. no offense meant towards guards or tackles. My grandson and great grandson played  at Norwood. Next year my great grandson will be a freshman at ORHS and IS really looking forward to playing for Oak Ridge.

WILDCAT PRIDE

[SweetScience]

46 minutes ago, bounder said:

SS as you know some of the coaches weren't the best in Oak Ridge, too much "I'm the coach so my kid is the quarterback". Even though the poor kid is really a 3rd string guard or tackle. no offense meant towards guards or tackles. My grandson and great grandson played  at Norwood. Next year my great grandson will be a freshman at ORHS and IS really looking forward to playing for Oak Ridge.

WILDCAT PRIDE

Yeah, unfortunately that’s something you always have to deal with in sports. And to be honest, it even happens in HS, too. Just harken back to when BL was an assistant at OR and his son was the QB. No offense to Chad, he was my classmate, but he shouldn’t have ever been the starting QB the years he was. That should’ve been Mike Gipson. Gipson was a really good WR, but heck, half the time Chad could never get him the ball. In a circumstance like that, your best bet is to always have the ball in the hands of your best (or one of your best) athlete, and at the time it was Mike G.

Edited December 16, 2021 by SweetScience

[HTV]

59 minutes ago, bounder said:

SS as you know some of the coaches weren't the best in Oak Ridge, too much "I'm the coach so my kid is the quarterback". Even though the poor kid is really a 3rd string guard or tackle. no offense meant towards guards or tackles. My grandson and great grandson played  at Norwood. Next year my great grandson will be a freshman at ORHS and IS really looking forward to playing for Oak Ridge.

WILDCAT PRIDE

And that's one of the things that makes the feeder programs in Maryville so solid.  They don't play "Daddy ball" there.  Most of the coaches don't have sons on the teams they coach.  

 

 

[SweetScience]

39 minutes ago, HTV said:

And that's one of the things that makes the feeder programs in Maryville so solid.  They don't play "Daddy ball" there.  Most of the coaches don't have sons on the teams they coach.  

 

 

But even then, you still have those outside influences from parents, even if the coaches don’t have kids on the team. I remember one year I played, and Johnny Burgess (former All State LB at OR on the ‘79 Hale team) was the coach. All year long he had to deal with complaints from parents that Johnny or Joe wasn’t playing enough. It’s never ending with some folks. One reason I could never be a coach. I’d tell most parents to jump in the lake.

[BarneySox2007]

That was a great interview last night with the new coach. Hope things do work out as they did in his last few years at West. Maybe Cleveland is a harder place to win at than I previously thought. 

[chs1984]

52 minutes ago, BarneySox2007 said:

That was a great interview last night with the new coach. Hope things do work out as they did in his last few years at West. Maybe Cleveland is a harder place to win at than I previously thought. 

Impossible to win in the highest class at Cleveland, even when Benny was there. Unlike Maryville, they were unable to make the transition. 

[WilleTheWildcat]

Alan Beauchamp talked to Scott Cummings on BBBTV12 and it was very interesting. They touched on the AC situation and how he would want to fill out the coaching staff.

 

Edited December 17, 2021 by WilleTheWildcat