Week 3: West Ridge @ Science Hill

[LINEDAD]

This one prob goes to SH from what my WR buddies tell me. But SH will max out at 4 wins this season...maybe 3.

Betsy, WR, WB, maybe Mo-East. 

[WBNC83]

4 hours ago, noonesfool said:

I’ll give this a shot.

Volunteer is bad.

Betsy is a good team but I believe what separates them from the past several Betsy squad is up front across the lines. I’m not saying they are bad, they are good, but they are not great. There skill players are good but not great. Last years 2 studs at QB and WR/RB made the others look more proficient and productive.

The Hill is not a good 6a FB team. A large school with athletes but many don’t play FB. The athletes that play FB either don’t fit the system or they don’t adjust the system to their athletes, call it coaching maybe. Their consistent strength is up front. I also wonder about their developmental  programs and younger teams.

Boone will hit you and play lights out defense. Traditionally they don’t have Roadrunners that will break the other team’s back. They EARN every offensive td, but often the better teams have a roadrunner that easily scores after the d has given up almost nothing. That is emotionally tough. I know penalties, and it is a factor particularly for a blue collar no frills FB team. Bottom line, Boone is good, very good this year.

Anderson County is as good as those cocky, blowheart rabid fans think they are. BUT they have issues. They are thin across all positions in depth. This has always been true. They are not as fast as they think they are. Defense has always been suspect and still is. Powell’s offense is suspect after injuries and Science Hill’s O is terrible. But most unusual is that the Mavs team and I believe staff take on the personality of their fans. They are over confident and freeze up under pressure. Betsy and the Devils don’t resemble their boisterous  fan base.  PS I think the Hill somewhat resembles their fan base, “theirs a game tonight?”

well that’s all folks.

Johnson City has two middle schools now, Indian Trail and Liberty Bell. From what I’ve been told, Liberty Bell has a pretty good team every year. I actually watched them play Greeneville Middle a few weeks back and Liberty Bell won 38-18. Indian Trail has a football team for the first time. They’ve only played a few games so far but I don’t think they’ve won yet. For those unfamiliar with Johnson City, until this school year they had 7 elementary schools feeding into one intermediate school (5th and 6th grade) and one middle school (7th and 8th grade). These kids all then go to Science Hill for high school. The school system has become extremely overcrowded, especially in the last few years. It’s so overcrowded they can’t even allow kids willing to pay tuition who live out of the district in. There’s no room and it gets worse every year. 

The elementary age kids play in a program called Junior Toppers. I have friends whose kids play. They seem to do well. There are a lot of kids and the coaches appear to do a good job. 

I’m not quite sure what happens once these kids get to high school. Like you said, I do know there are a ton of athletic kids roaming the halls at Science Hill who don’t play football. I’ve heard some things, politics coming into play etc but I have no idea if any of it is true. 

 

[NETNSportsFan]

5 minutes ago, WBNC83 said:

Johnson City has two middle schools now, Indian Trail and Liberty Bell. From what I’ve been told, Liberty Bell has a pretty good team every year. I actually watched them play Greeneville Middle a few weeks back and Liberty Bell won 38-18. Indian Trail has a football team for the first time. They’ve only played a few games so far but I don’t think they’ve won yet. For those unfamiliar with Johnson City, until this school year they had 7 elementary schools feeding into one intermediate school (5th and 6th grade) and one middle school (7th and 8th grade). These kids all then go to Science Hill for high school. The school system has become extremely overcrowded, especially in the last few years. It’s so overcrowded they can’t even allow kids willing to pay tuition who live out of the district in. There’s no room and it gets worse every year. 

The elementary age kids play in a program called Junior Toppers. I have friends whose kids play. They seem to do well. There are a lot of kids and the coaches appear to do a good job. 

I’m not quite sure what happens once these kids get to high school. Like you said, I do know there are a ton of athletic kids roaming the halls at Science Hill who don’t play football. I’ve heard some things, politics coming into play etc but I have no idea if any of it is true. 

 

Not to get too Socio/political, but with Science Hill... the kids that are still playing sports in HS -many times are the kids who's parents can afford the extra private lessons, the AAU etc. Everyone else kind of drops off. Bart Lyon does a good job with JR Toppers of getting lots of kids involved in the JR Toppers. I know some coaches would go to Keystone area and pick up kids for practice etc. But once they get to school ball, you don't have the other parents willing to invest in that.  Science Hill has noticed a big drop-off in fan support as well in the past couple of years.  As far as Elizabethton-  it's almost a religion. For their middle school team they had 90 kids come out to play 6-8th grade... compare that to Boone who combines 5 middle schools and can only get 30 kids to play middle school ball and they are getting killed every game.  So I think Elizabethton just needs to adjust to their new life without those 2-3 star players and they should be fine as the season goes on.  They probably have the better coach to make those adjustments. 

 

 

[WaCoJaCo]

2 hours ago, NETNSportsFan said:

Not to get too Socio/political, but with Science Hill... the kids that are still playing sports in HS -many times are the kids who's parents can afford the extra private lessons, the AAU etc. Everyone else kind of drops off. Bart Lyon does a good job with JR Toppers of getting lots of kids involved in the JR Toppers. I know some coaches would go to Keystone area and pick up kids for practice etc. But once they get to school ball, you don't have the other parents willing to invest in that.  Science Hill has noticed a big drop-off in fan support as well in the past couple of years.  As far as Elizabethton-  it's almost a religion. For their middle school team they had 90 kids come out to play 6-8th grade... compare that to Boone who combines 5 middle schools and can only get 30 kids to play middle school ball and they are getting killed every game.  So I think Elizabethton just needs to adjust to their new life without those 2-3 star players and they should be fine as the season goes on.  They probably have the better coach to make those adjustments. 

 

 

In Elizabethton, as the old saying goes, If you build it, They will come. 

[lawnman]

SH wins this one.

[WestWolvesRidge]

It's GameDay

[WBNC83]

Both teams with some costly penalties and turnovers  in the first half. 

The Chester kid from Science Hill literally dragging the West Ridge defender at least 10 yrds into the end zone to score a TD was awesome...and hilarious.

 

Hilltoppers up 21-7 at the half 

Edited September 3, 2022 by WBNC83

[WBNC83]

99 yrd kick return to start the second half for the Hilltoppers. Looking like too much speed for the Wolves to handle.

Edited September 3, 2022 by WBNC83

[WBNC83]

This one is over barring a miracle for the Wolves. Science Hill leads in the 3rd 35-7.

[WBNC83]

Speed kills. 

Science Hill leads 42-7 with 5 to go in the 3rd. 

I thought the Hilltoppers would get the W but didn’t see this coming. West Ridge has no answer tonight for Science Hill run game.

[WBNC83]

Hilltoppers win 49-7

[IMDog]

West Ridge has to be one of the worst 6a teams I've seen in a long time,for school that size there has to be more athletes in the halls to choose from