Walker Valley

[alt1958b]

12 hours ago, BarneySox2007 said:

That was a good rundown on how it all came to be on Walker Valley. If you don't ask questions time flies and eventually there won't be anyone to ask. Back when I was in school Bradley had a girl named Data Caldwell if I remember right and she was 6-4 or 5 and they were unbeatable. Still remember watching them and the Everett Girls play a couple of times.

Data was a year ahead of me. I remember her in the halls. Towered over almost everyone, The Bearettes went 36-0 her senior year, 

[BarneySox2007]

1 hour ago, alt1958b said:

Data was a year ahead of me. I remember her in the halls. Towered over almost everyone, The Bearettes went 36-0 her senior year, 

Bradley also had a real good girl's basketball coach at that time. I had a lot of good friends that played for Everett and that was the only game they would lose.

[alt1958b]

8 minutes ago, BarneySox2007 said:

Bradley also had a real good girl's basketball coach at that time. I had a lot of good friends that played for Everett and that was the only game they would lose.

Jim Smiddy, who at one time had won the most games of any High School Basketball Coach. Been surpassed by a coach from Granville Texas now. He was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Bradley's Gym is named after him, Smiddy Arena. Had 7 State Championships and 2 National.

Jason Rueter is our current coach and his win percentage is actually surpassing Coach Smiddy. 

Edited December 30, 2023 by alt1958b

[alt1958b]

Walker Valley is going to be like Heritage. Heritage was the combination of Walden, Townsend and I think another HS I can't remember the name of (case in point). No one will remember the old schools.

Same for Sequoyah, Madisonville and Vonore are no more.

[BarneySox2007]

10 minutes ago, alt1958b said:

Walker Valley is going to be like Heritage. Heritage was the combination of Walden, Townsend and I think another HS I can't remember the name of (case in point). No one will remember the old schools.

Same for Sequoyah, Madisonville and Vonore are no more.

Everett Bulldogs, Walland Indians and Townsend Tigers last year was in 1976 football season before closing to go into Heritage. In 1979 William Blount opened taking in Friendsville Falcons, Lanier Eagles while about 350 or so were moved from Heritage that would have been zoned for WB and a school 2 miles away Porter Panthers was fed into Heritage to offset the ones going to WB. There was such a bitter rival between Walland and Porter I'm pretty sure that was the safest way to put them together after the rivalry was gone and done with. Madisonville Tornadoes and Vonore Blue Devils last year was the in1994 and both were pathetic in football as you could get it and a big reason Sequoyah has been so bad. There were many times it was so bad at Vonore only 10-12 came out for football and they had to go out and beg kids to play to avoid throwing in the towel and not having a team that season and all the coaches they had would quit after one season to get out of that mess. That's one big reason Sweetwater was 2-8, Sequoyah 2-8 and Tellico was 1-9. Monroe County is one big mess led by a pack of idiots.

[alt1958b]

1 hour ago, BarneySox2007 said:

Everett Bulldogs, Walland Indians and Townsend Tigers last year was in 1976 football season before closing to go into Heritage. In 1979 William Blount opened taking in Friendsville Falcons, Lanier Eagles while about 350 or so were moved from Heritage that would have been zoned for WB and a school 2 miles away Porter Panthers was fed into Heritage to offset the ones going to WB. There was such a bitter rival between Walland and Porter I'm pretty sure that was the safest way to put them together after the rivalry was gone and done with. Madisonville Tornadoes and Vonore Blue Devils last year was the in1994 and both were pathetic in football as you could get it and a big reason Sequoyah has been so bad. There were many times it was so bad at Vonore only 10-12 came out for football and they had to go out and beg kids to play to avoid throwing in the towel and not having a team that season and all the coaches they had would quit after one season to get out of that mess. That's one big reason Sweetwater was 2-8, Sequoyah 2-8 and Tellico was 1-9. Monroe County is one big mess led by a pack of idiots.

I thought of Everett but was not sure who it was combined with from memory. Porter was the one I could not remember at all.

I had a coworker that went to Madisonville High. 

Rhea County High is a combination of Spring City and Dayton High Schools.

Two schools in Chattanooga that are gone are Chattanooga City Dynamos and Kirkman Hawks. Chattanooga Central was moved from downtown to Harrison, 

[BarneySox2007]

1 hour ago, alt1958b said:

I thought of Everett but was not sure who it was combined with from memory. Porter was the one I could not remember at all.

I had a coworker that went to Madisonville High. 

Rhea County High is a combination of Spring City and Dayton High Schools.

Two schools in Chattanooga that are gone are Chattanooga City Dynamos and Kirkman Hawks. Chattanooga Central was moved from downtown to Harrison, 

I've done so mush research on East Tennessee of the schools that are now gone I may make a thread on these schools and what happened to them, I think it would be very interesting for most of the folks that enjoy the culture and hopefully some will ad to it on what they know.

[Charger64]

1 hour ago, alt1958b said:

Walker Valley is going to be like Heritage. Heritage was the combination of Walden, Townsend and I think another HS I can't remember the name of (case in point). No one will remember the old schools.

Same for Sequoyah, Madisonville and Vonore are no more.

Walker Valley HS was not consolidation of multiple schools like Heritage or Sequoyah. The old Charleston High School was converted to an elementary school when Walker Valley opened. Walker Valley was built to serve the northern part of Bradley County. They started out as a 3A football school but its enrollment quickly grew to 5A size. They have improved in football over the last several years....Drew Akins has steadily built a competitive team at WV....

[alt1958b]

9 hours ago, Charger64 said:

Walker Valley HS was not consolidation of multiple schools like Heritage or Sequoyah. The old Charleston High School was converted to an elementary school when Walker Valley opened. Walker Valley was built to serve the northern part of Bradley County. They started out as a 3A football school but its enrollment quickly grew to 5A size. They have improved in football over the last several years....Drew Akins has steadily built a competitive team at WV....

I was referring to the fact that no one will remember Charleston High after being replaced by Walker Valley. and being an open zone county, it does not just serve northern Bradley County. I know kids who live in the south end that went there and are going there, and that took place from the start, just as some from the northern part are going to Bradley.

And a lot of the growth has to be attributed to Danny Coogan taking the principle job after being band director at Bradley and most band students followed him there (pretty much decimated the Bradley Band program).

Drew Akins has done a nice job there, after Jon Lovingood started the program and Scott Webb and others did some good work.

I hope Alan Morris builds the wrestling program up more before he retires. Alan was one of Bradley's first wrestling team members. (although his son is AD at Cleveland now)

[Orangeslide]

On 12/30/2023 at 12:55 PM, Charger64 said:

Walker Valley HS was not consolidation of multiple schools like Heritage or Sequoyah. The old Charleston High School was converted to an elementary school when Walker Valley opened. Walker Valley was built to serve the northern part of Bradley County. They started out as a 3A football school but its enrollment quickly grew to 5A size. They have improved in football over the last several years....Drew Akins has steadily built a competitive team at WV....

Obviously the enrollment hike has helped improve their football program. I saw their playoff win at Clinton and was impressed.  The QB was really impressive.  I hope they continue to grow their program.  

[bounder]

Just asking cause I don't know, if they didn't grow by consolidation how the get so big?

[Charger64]

10 hours ago, bounder said:

Just asking cause I don't know, if they didn't grow by consolidation how the get so big?

Increase in population in Bradley County has grown over the the past 10-15 years.