Where does DCA go?

[theunderstudy]

"THE largest middle s school in the state of Tennessee with over 1600 students. A football program with 70 players."

I think this statement is meant to convince others, but for me it raises questions more than anything. Blackman Middle has 1600 kids in 6-8 and he got 70 of them.  DCA has maybe 200 kids in high school? 

I see the point of the post saying he has run a large program at a large Rutherford county middle school that is larger and better ran than most public high school teams in the area.

But, he does not have 1600 kids to pull from here. He has about 100 guys in the entire high school versus 800 guys in the entire middle school. How does he manage that if you are use to having 70?

I don't necessarily see him building the roster in some type of huge number adding overhaul. Not because he's incapable, but because the numbers don't really allow for that with such few kids. The academy has always had a handful of athletes who did not want to play football. And another group of high school guys that don't play sports at all.  The DCA roster will be somewhere around 30-35 kids. The point to this post is he didn't have to do that at Blackman. He had numbers, kids showed up and were coached well.  But there was not much effort to find guys because the school was so big.

I think the most telling sign of his success will be what you mention, though. Does JP  have the ability to convince guys to play that have not in the past. If he can get the numbers to around 40 instead of 30, that will be a good sign.  

[QuickStrike]

37 minutes ago, stephenhargisunderstudy said:

"THE largest middle s school in the state of Tennessee with over 1600 students. A football program with 70 players."

I think this statement is meant to convince others, but for me it raises questions more than anything. Blackman Middle has 1600 kids in 6-8 and he got 70 of them.  DCA has maybe 200 kids in high school? 

I see the point of the post saying he has run a large program at a large Rutherford county middle school that is larger and better ran than most public high school teams in the area.

But, he does not have 1600 kids to pull from here. He has about 100 guys in the entire high school versus 800 guys in the entire middle school. How does he manage that if you are use to having 70?

I don't necessarily see him building the roster in some type of huge number adding overhaul. Not because he's incapable, but because the numbers don't really allow for that with such few kids. The academy has always had a handful of athletes who did not want to play football. And another group of high school guys that don't play sports at all.  The DCA roster will be somewhere around 30-35 kids. The point to this post is he didn't have to do that at Blackman. He had numbers, kids showed up and were coached well.  But there was not much effort to find guys because the school was so big.

I think the most telling sign of his success will be what you mention, though. Does JP  have the ability to convince guys to play that have not in the past. If he can get the numbers to around 40 instead of 30, that will be a good sign.  

BET

[TonyMo]

1 hour ago, stephenhargisunderstudy said:

"THE largest middle s school in the state of Tennessee with over 1600 students. A football program with 70 players."

I think this statement is meant to convince others, but for me it raises questions more than anything. Blackman Middle has 1600 kids in 6-8 and he got 70 of them.  DCA has maybe 200 kids in high school? 

I see the point of the post saying he has run a large program at a large Rutherford county middle school that is larger and better ran than most public high school teams in the area.

But, he does not have 1600 kids to pull from here. He has about 100 guys in the entire high school versus 800 guys in the entire middle school. How does he manage that if you are use to having 70?

I don't necessarily see him building the roster in some type of huge number adding overhaul. Not because he's incapable, but because the numbers don't really allow for that with such few kids. The academy has always had a handful of athletes who did not want to play football. And another group of high school guys that don't play sports at all.  The DCA roster will be somewhere around 30-35 kids. The point to this post is he didn't have to do that at Blackman. He had numbers, kids showed up and were coached well.  But there was not much effort to find guys because the school was so big.

I think the most telling sign of his success will be what you mention, though. Does JP  have the ability to convince guys to play that have not in the past. If he can get the numbers to around 40 instead of 30, that will be a good sign.  

I left off the part where he cuts 40-50 because the locker room will only hold 70. 

[Vol9093]

1 hour ago, stephenhargisunderstudy said:

"THE largest middle s school in the state of Tennessee with over 1600 students. A football program with 70 players."

I think this statement is meant to convince others, but for me it raises questions more than anything. Blackman Middle has 1600 kids in 6-8 and he got 70 of them.  DCA has maybe 200 kids in high school? 

I see the point of the post saying he has run a large program at a large Rutherford county middle school that is larger and better ran than most public high school teams in the area.

But, he does not have 1600 kids to pull from here. He has about 100 guys in the entire high school versus 800 guys in the entire middle school. How does he manage that if you are use to having 70?

I don't necessarily see him building the roster in some type of huge number adding overhaul. Not because he's incapable, but because the numbers don't really allow for that with such few kids. The academy has always had a handful of athletes who did not want to play football. And another group of high school guys that don't play sports at all.  The DCA roster will be somewhere around 30-35 kids. The point to this post is he didn't have to do that at Blackman. He had numbers, kids showed up and were coached well.  But there was not much effort to find guys because the school was so big.

I think the most telling sign of his success will be what you mention, though. Does JP  have the ability to convince guys to play that have not in the past. If he can get the numbers to around 40 instead of 30, that will be a good sign.  

You bring up many valid points, here.  I am a Blackman guy and when I heard the news , I wanted to see what you guys thought about the hire.  I'm a little confused though,  first you said, he's not qualified because he's just a middle school coach and can't handle a job of this magnitude.  Then you said he's not qualified because he's coming from a program that is too big.  My understanding is that he's an alum and has played there and understands that at this level, kids have to play both ways. At the end of the day, I don't have a dog in this fight, but you need to know that BMS's football program is no joke.  They start conditioning in late January, have Spring practice in May and then a full Summer of workouts before the season starts.  It is ran just like a high school.  You are right though.  Blackman is loaded with talent every year.  CJP will have to get players out of the hallways to come out.  But that's where I'll think that he'll do well.  He's use to relating to young kids and getting them excited for ball.  Not sure he can get the players, but if he can, I can guarantee you that they  will be coached very well.  It is an out of the box hire that I think will pay off big!

[QuickStrike]

42 minutes ago, TonyMo said:

I left off the part where he cuts 40-50 because the locker room will only hold 70. 

Well, he won't have that problem, it's the other way.  Just needs to engage some parents that he goes way back with including the Sheriff!   The Sheriff has a great pad to host some outside parties including a swimming pool, and his other half is the best cook I know!   

I'd call @Sackmaster50 and get him working that Donelson Baseball circuit, and he is the future HC of the dance team from my sources.  

Donelson Y membership is a must, and first meal should be at Whitts BBQ in Madison.

Edited February 6 by QuickStrike

[theunderstudy]

9 minutes ago, Vol9093 said:

You bring up many valid points, here.  I am a Blackman guy and when I heard the news , I wanted to see what you guys thought about the hire.  I'm a little confused though,  first you said, he's not qualified because he's just a middle school coach and can't handle a job of this magnitude.  Then you said he's not qualified because he's coming from a program that is too big.  My understanding is that he's an alum and has played there and understands that at this level, kids have to play both ways. At the end of the day, I don't have a dog in this fight, but you need to know that BMS's football program is no joke.  They start conditioning in late January, have Spring practice in May and then a full Summer of workouts before the season starts.  It is ran just like a high school.  You are right though.  Blackman is loaded with talent every year.  CJP will have to get players out of the hallways to come out.  But that's where I'll think that he'll do well.  He's use to relating to young kids and getting them excited for ball.  Not sure he can get the players, but if he can, I can guarantee you that they  will be coached very well.  It is an out of the box hire that I think will pay off big!

My concerns in order are:

1. Head coach experience as a high school coach is a limited sample size with disappointing results  (7-23). The guy has never coached in a TSSAA playoff game or at a DII school.

2. Middle School coach for the last ten years. You convinced me he did a great job there. But, dude had numbers. You guys said it yourself, biggest middle school in RuCo. 

3. How will he get guys when the cup does not runneth over with numbers? 

If Pierce was such a sure thing at Blackman and a staple of the middle school development, etc. why wasn't he hired to be on staff with Kriesky when he was hired? 

[Vol9093]

14 minutes ago, stephenhargisunderstudy said:

My concerns in order are:

1. Head coach experience as a high school coach is a limited sample size with disappointing results  (7-23). The guy has never coached in a TSSAA playoff game or at a DII school.

2. Middle School coach for the last ten years. You convinced me he did a great job there. But, dude had numbers. You guys said it yourself, biggest middle school in RuCo. 

3. How will he get guys when the cup does not runneth over with numbers? 

If Pierce was such a sure thing at Blackman and a staple of the middle school development, etc. why wasn't he hired to be on staff with Kriesky when he was hired? 

Point 1 Valid

Point 2 Yes, had players for sure

Point 3 Time will tell but understand your concern.  I will say this, Ensworth, BA, etc. would raid the roster every year.  They have a bus that comes to RuCo to get the kids and take them to school.  CJP has probably learned a thing or two about how that process works and can do the same thing.  Your administration needs to be on board though.

Point 4- My understanding is that Pierce was asked to be on Hartfield, Tygard, and Kriesky's staff as an Offensive coach but he turned down the offers because he liked having control of his own team and there would be a drop in pay.  

My advice is that wait and see how he does.  I see the cause for concern but I think you'll be pleased with how things turn out 

[TonyMo]

19 minutes ago, stephenhargisunderstudy said:

My concerns in order are:

1. Head coach experience as a high school coach is a limited sample size with disappointing results  (7-23). The guy has never coached in a TSSAA playoff game or at a DII school.

2. Middle School coach for the last ten years. You convinced me he did a great job there. But, dude had numbers. You guys said it yourself, biggest middle school in RuCo. 

3. How will he get guys when the cup does not runneth over with numbers? 

If Pierce was such a sure thing at Blackman and a staple of the middle school development, etc. why wasn't he hired to be on staff with Kriesky when he was hired? 

Correction...Largest in the entire STATE...

I am not here to argue about anything. I am not obtuse to the fact that there will be challenges...and even a learning curve, I do believe this would be true of ANY hire.  I simply commented to offer up a vote of confidence.  My opinion is based on what I have seen over the past 7 years of knowing him.  Your concerns are warranted and your option no doubt is based on...something.  When the Friday night lights turn on, we will find out what he can do.

Personally, I feel like it will be a good fit and I have no doubt he will exceed expectations.  I wish JP success and wish DCA well and hope they have a successful future!

[theunderstudy]

53 minutes ago, TonyMo said:

Correction...Largest in the entire STATE...

I am not here to argue about anything. I am not obtuse to the fact that there will be challenges...and even a learning curve, I do believe this would be true of ANY hire.  I simply commented to offer up a vote of confidence.  My opinion is based on what I have seen over the past 7 years of knowing him.  Your concerns are warranted and your option no doubt is based on...something.  When the Friday night lights turn on, we will find out what he can do.

Personally, I feel like it will be a good fit and I have no doubt he will exceed expectations.  I wish JP success and wish DCA well and hope they have a successful future!

Yes, largest in state. I appreciate your response. It definitely gives a nod of confidence hearing stories of guys who have worked with him in the past. 

My concerns and opinion are based off nothing more than a non-biased eye test and resume test. That's it. I want DCA to win games. Period. If JP proves to be the guy that can do that, awesome. 

Like vol9093 said, only time will tell. My posts have detailed my concerns of him not having the pre-requisite success or experience of other candidates at the same level or at an independent school. I don't know how critical that is and why people are upset at that? Just because I have doubts of a candidate doesn't mean I want the program to fail. It's quite the opposite. 

I"m tired of commenting on this thread, but I will close my thoughts with wishing JP the best of luck. Let's go win some more gold balls. 

[QuickStrike]

1 hour ago, stephenhargisunderstudy said:

Yes, largest in state. I appreciate your response. It definitely gives a nod of confidence hearing stories of guys who have worked with him in the past. 

My concerns and opinion are based off nothing more than a non-biased eye test and resume test. That's it. I want DCA to win games. Period. If JP proves to be the guy that can do that, awesome. 

Like vol9093 said, only time will tell. My posts have detailed my concerns of him not having the pre-requisite success or experience of other candidates at the same level or at an independent school. I don't know how critical that is and why people are upset at that? Just because I have doubts of a candidate doesn't mean I want the program to fail. It's quite the opposite. 

I"m tired of commenting on this thread, but I will close my thoughts with wishing JP the best of luck. Let's go win some more gold balls. 

Thanks @stephenhargisunderstudy - Any thoughts on the former coach's feedback?   Since you are still keeping up with the thread and the school with a bird's eye view, what do you think about the feedback provided?

I would be @Playerscoach would have an opinion about it also.  Let's discuss.  

Edited February 6 by QuickStrike

[Doppelganger]

1 hour ago, QuickStrike said:

Thanks @stephenhargisunderstudy - Any thoughts on the former coach's feedback?   Since you are still keeping up with the thread and the school with a bird's eye view, what do you think about the feedback provided?

I would be @Playerscoach would have an opinion about it also.  Let's discuss.  

I would like to jump in please.  Pierce is a DA/DCA guy.  I am sure he understands the DII landscape a little bit from 20 years ago.  Not as a coach recently, but as a naive high school QB.  My concerns lie with him trying to win games.  NCS, FCS, CA, GCA, just in regular season.  He had stallions at East Robertson.  Everyone knows that, but he was losing games to the likes of McEwen, Cornersville, Clay County, Houston County, Richland, Harpeth, Stewart County, etc.  No disrespect to these teams, but they are not what I would call powerhouses at the A/AA level.  And they sure didn't have the players East Robertson had/has.  There is a big difference than having to try to outcoach someone as opposed to just being able to run jet sweep or misdirection in middle school and let their better kid out run everyone to the corner and be gone.  My concern is in no way toward this hire as a person or teacher.  It is strictly based on facts/games as proof and probably more qualified people applied.  I have had friends play at DCA years ago and have close friends coach at DCA over the years.  It is a special place.  I want to see them do well. I watched many a game where Paul Wade and staff had to actually outcoach people to win games.  Same for Dennis Goodwin.  They are 2 fantastic coaches who could out scheme you.   If it was close in the 4th Qtr, more times than not, they made it happen.  

[QuickStrike]

CJP is a great hire for the future of the school and program.  He is a symbol of change.  I think the administration did a great job, and I think he will suprise a lot of people.   
 

He is young, energetic, motivated and exactly what is needed.   The naysayers will point at the record and resume, but this is much more about fit.  CJP is a fit.   This is not going to be an easy job, and will require a tremendous amount of energy and work.  

The guy had the balls to take the HC job at MJCA.   He took over ER when the admin was an absolute trainwreck, and it didnt work.  
His middle school program had been top notch since.   

It is perfectly understandable that other candidates be upset, disappointed, and hurt.  

People are going to complain no matter what, but the facts are that he was the right fit and offered the position.  
 

The biggest thing is that he will care.   
 

All the football alumni that ###### and complain that read here can listen up.  
 

Instead of bitching, complaining, texting, bashing, listen up.  Most of you that spend your years complaining about certain folks.  Instead of doing that, you should walk up in that school, tell them you are in no matter who the coach is,  enroll your kids, grab your balls and quit letting your wives dictate where your kids go to school.   Be apart of the solution.  

Edited February 7 by QuickStrike