Taking a look into Oneida Football

[Captainmidnite51]

On 4/21/2025 at 9:57 AM, IndianOutlaw24 said:

The young readers will not understand this post. Oneida is revisiting the cycle from 20 years ago. The comparison shares many characteristics. I can't even share all the similarities without making it personal.

In the early 2000s Oneida was able to protect a few wins with scheduling. Taft and McCreary Co allowed us to grab a few wins. Small and under talented district opponents such as Oakdale provided the same boost. All this said, we were going 7-3 and people deceptively claimed program stability. However, we would face the strong team in the region (usually greenback) and get beat 40s to 0. Round 1 or 2 of playoffs and we were a 30 point underdog. Not a great place to be considering the classification, region, area, etc.

2005 hit rock bottom... 4-6. No playoffs. Change in coaching staff before season. Program corruption. No player buy in. Furthermore, 4-6 then is about like 2-8 in 2025. Scheduling makes it much tougher to find easy wins. I hate to predict the 2025 season... but it smells a lot like 2005. 

My hope is in the comparison of what happened next. Late 2000s Oneida found success. TL and staff found consistency. New classes came in. Middle school coach was on a mission. He was sending tough kids who knew how to win. County kids pitched in at times. The region, overall, was still weak. However, it was single A rural area football so that's not unreasonable. The new (2025) region and classification worries me a bit, but no reason to give up hope. 

I guess all this post to say, small school sports goes in cycles. I have heard that time and time again. I believe I have a good understanding of the cycle we are repeating. My biggest concern: do those calling the shots understand, care, or even have any desire to drive us out of this cycle and back towards a successful football program???

Idk how you thinner they’re schedule was soft on the early 2000’s that’s was the strongest conference in 1a they were in 

[IndianOutlaw24]

5 hours ago, Captainmidnite51 said:

Idk how you thinner they’re schedule was soft on the early 2000’s that’s was the strongest conference in 1a they were in 

I do not remember our region being that strong during that era. I remember greenback having a few good teams… and beating us 45-0 when they did.

oakdale 

taft 

mccreary co

sunbright

wartburg 

that allowed us to quickly approach .500 without much push back. 
 

[PoundTheRock37]

10 hours ago, IndianOutlaw24 said:

Great post. I appreciate an intellectual discussion.

I wrote "they" in my reference for figurative purposes. If the shoe fits.

Honestly, I was referring more to the parents if I had to label a specific generation. 

Only 1 statement you made in which I place myself on the opposing side. Effort and Commitment shouldn't change appearance. Those 2 terms have thousands of years of shaping (sports aside). I feel they are significantly pure when evaluating a football team and its capacity of both. 

Maryville and Alcoa mastered the zip code thing you mentioned. When kids enroll there, they fully expect to win a state championship. I know that's kind of big scale and an extreme for the example, but it does exist.

I support the idea of the old timers just saying how much better things were back then. I agree, that does nothing for kids. Zero motivational help.

I guess I was taking the analytical approach and trying to examine some comparisons across the history of the program. Nothing against our kids in this community. We have some great athletes! With the proper guidance, they can be successful. 

 

 

We have some absolute athletic freaks, they just need their potential to come out so they can shine. Oneida’s potential is through the roof, but as they say, shoulda, woulda, coulda, never amounted to anything.

[Chicken]

12 hours ago, IndianOutlaw24 said:

Great post. I appreciate an intellectual discussion.

I wrote "they" in my reference for figurative purposes. If the shoe fits.

Honestly, I was referring more to the parents if I had to label a specific generation. 

Only 1 statement you made in which I place myself on the opposing side. Effort and Commitment shouldn't change appearance. Those 2 terms have thousands of years of shaping (sports aside). I feel they are significantly pure when evaluating a football team and its capacity of both. 

Maryville and Alcoa mastered the zip code thing you mentioned. When kids enroll there, they fully expect to win a state championship. I know that's kind of big scale and an extreme for the example, but it does exist.

I support the idea of the old timers just saying how much better things were back then. I agree, that does nothing for kids. Zero motivational help.

I guess I was taking the analytical approach and trying to examine some comparisons across the history of the program. Nothing against our kids in this community. We have some great athletes! With the proper guidance, they can be successful. 

 

 

Appreciate the thoughtful reply — and I see where you're coming from now. That distinction between the kids and the parents makes a lot more sense with the context you just gave. I’ll own that I misunderstood and grouped it too generally in my response.

 

Well if you were referring more to the parents of this generation in your previous remarks then I agree. The entitlement is real. They want the wins without the work — and that mindset trickles down fast. It's hard to build a lasting culture when the foundation is all about shortcuts and spotlight chasing. All in all Couldn’t agree with you more there.

 

You make a fair point — realistically, if you enroll at a place like Alcoa or Maryville, your chances of winning a ring do skyrocket. In that sense, yeah, you can expect a banner to hang just based on the program’s track record. But the truth is, most kids don’t have the luxury of living near two powerhouse schools that are projected to compete for a state title year in and year out where they can choose to willingly enroll in to. We’ve honestly been a bit spoiled here in East Tennessee having programs like that in the area. And while I know you mentioned those examples were a bit extreme, outside of Alcoa, Maryville, and maybe a few others, I’d say for 95% of high schools out there, you really don’t just walk into a program expecting championships — even if the school used to be great. Past success doesn’t guarantee future results unless the culture, work ethic, and leadership are still there to back it up. That said, I highly doubt the kids at those schools walk in with the mindset that they’re just going to win because “that’s what we do.” I’d bet their coaches preach against that mentality every day. That level of success doesn't happen by coasting — it’s built on daily discipline and a refusal to let past success breed complacency. But yeah, I’ll agree — there are a few schools in the state where you can walk in and realistically expect banners to hang just because of the zip code, and that does exist. But that’s the exception, not the rule. Again I was really speaking on behalf of the VAST majority of schools where that kind of success isn’t as automatic as it is for Alcoa and Maryville. The analogy I was trying to make wasn’t 100% literal — it was more about the idea that you don’t inherit greatness; you earn it. If you let entitlement replace effort, you’re already off track. I think maybe we were just coming at it from slightly different angles, but I’m with you on the core of it. 

 

Also, really respect your take on effort and commitment being timeless. You’re right — those qualities hardly change, even if our view of them might. But I do think it’s changed sightly. In the past, effort was mostly seen through physical presence and obedience. Now, effort might be more fragmented, digital, or personal. An example:

Then:

A player never missed a summer workout, showed up early, stayed late, and followed every coach’s instruction without question — that’s how commitment looked.

Now:

A player trains with a private coach in the offseason, watches film on Hudl from home, juggles football with a job and other extra school activities — it may look different, but the dedication is still there. That’s the only point I was trying to make. 

 

All in all I just hope our kids have a successful season and turn this ship around and get it sailing in the right direction. This community wants Oneida football back where it was. 

 

Glad we’re having this discussion Mr Outlaw — I enjoy reading what you have to say. It’s good to know two folks can have an intellectual conversation online without it turning into a cage match.

Edited April 30 by Chicken

[IndianOutlaw24]

8 hours ago, Chicken said:

Appreciate the thoughtful reply — and I see where you're coming from now. That distinction between the kids and the parents makes a lot more sense with the context you just gave. I’ll own that I misunderstood and grouped it too generally in my response.

 

Well if you were referring more to the parents of this generation in your previous remarks then I agree. The entitlement is real. They want the wins without the work — and that mindset trickles down fast. It's hard to build a lasting culture when the foundation is all about shortcuts and spotlight chasing. All in all Couldn’t agree with you more there.

 

You make a fair point — realistically, if you enroll at a place like Alcoa or Maryville, your chances of winning a ring do skyrocket. In that sense, yeah, you can expect a banner to hang just based on the program’s track record. But the truth is, most kids don’t have the luxury of living near two powerhouse schools that are projected to compete for a state title year in and year out where they can choose to willingly enroll in to. We’ve honestly been a bit spoiled here in East Tennessee having programs like that in the area. And while I know you mentioned those examples were a bit extreme, outside of Alcoa, Maryville, and maybe a few others, I’d say for 95% of high schools out there, you really don’t just walk into a program expecting championships — even if the school used to be great. Past success doesn’t guarantee future results unless the culture, work ethic, and leadership are still there to back it up. That said, I highly doubt the kids at those schools walk in with the mindset that they’re just going to win because “that’s what we do.” I’d bet their coaches preach against that mentality every day. That level of success doesn't happen by coasting — it’s built on daily discipline and a refusal to let past success breed complacency. But yeah, I’ll agree — there are a few schools in the state where you can walk in and realistically expect banners to hang just because of the zip code, and that does exist. But that’s the exception, not the rule. Again I was really speaking on behalf of the VAST majority of schools where that kind of success isn’t as automatic as it is for Alcoa and Maryville. The analogy I was trying to make wasn’t 100% literal — it was more about the idea that you don’t inherit greatness; you earn it. If you let entitlement replace effort, you’re already off track. I think maybe we were just coming at it from slightly different angles, but I’m with you on the core of it. 

 

Also, really respect your take on effort and commitment being timeless. You’re right — those qualities hardly change, even if our view of them might. But I do think it’s changed sightly. In the past, effort was mostly seen through physical presence and obedience. Now, effort might be more fragmented, digital, or personal. An example:

Then:

A player never missed a summer workout, showed up early, stayed late, and followed every coach’s instruction without question — that’s how commitment looked.

Now:

A player trains with a private coach in the offseason, watches film on Hudl from home, juggles football with a job and other extra school activities — it may look different, but the dedication is still there. That’s the only point I was trying to make. 

 

All in all I just hope our kids have a successful season and turn this ship around and get it sailing in the right direction. This community wants Oneida football back where it was. 

 

Glad we’re having this discussion Mr Outlaw — I enjoy reading what you have to say. It’s good to know two folks can have an intellectual conversation online without it turning into a cage match.

Another solid post!

"spotlight chasing" I love that term. Very common today. That matches the selfish mentality mentioned by someone previously. The modern era (social media, ease of creating highlights, the idea of recruiting, current state of collegiate athletics) makes it tough for a kid to have team driven goals. If that kid comes from an environment where they have never heard a word about team driven goals... now it's nearly impossible to make such an adaptation. 

The phrase I bolded in your post is another highly observant statement. That comment alone reveals you have some powerful sports knowledge. 

I imagine the pressure on the staff and players (Alcoa or Maryville) each year is a feeling I cannot relate to. The last thing any competitor wants to be is the first group in years who did not meet the expectation. Sadly (or thankfully), the expectation at those 2 programs is to win a state title. 

Now I must ask, what are a few fundamental ideas to increase the expectation for Oneida Athletics?

Anyone feel free to answer!!

 

 

[PoundTheRock37]

2 hours ago, IndianOutlaw24 said:

Another solid post!

"spotlight chasing" I love that term. Very common today. That matches the selfish mentality mentioned by someone previously. The modern era (social media, ease of creating highlights, the idea of recruiting, current state of collegiate athletics) makes it tough for a kid to have team driven goals. If that kid comes from an environment where they have never heard a word about team driven goals... now it's nearly impossible to make such an adaptation. 

The phrase I bolded in your post is another highly observant statement. That comment alone reveals you have some powerful sports knowledge. 

I imagine the pressure on the staff and players (Alcoa or Maryville) each year is a feeling I cannot relate to. The last thing any competitor wants to be is the first group in years who did not meet the expectation. Sadly (or thankfully), the expectation at those 2 programs is to win a state title. 

Now I must ask, what are a few fundamental ideas to increase the expectation for Oneida Athletics?

Anyone feel free to answer!!

 

 

Well since you say so, I’ll speak my mind here. And I’ll answer it with one sentence. Do things differently than what’s already tried and failed. Regardless of what anyone wants to say and believe me, someone always has something to say, Oneida has the potential to be a special team. This however, cannot be done without some changes.

[CYJACKETT]

Oneida High School will never be taken seriously as a football program until they start playing Scott High School again. It's honestly pathetic to avoid your own in-county rival. How can Oneida claim to be a premier program when they won’t even line up against the other high school in Scott County? You can't be the “best in the county” if you're too afraid to prove it on the field.

Historically, Oneida and Scott High had one of the most spirited rivalries in East Tennessee, with matchups going back to the 1970s. Between 1971 and 1980, the two schools met multiple times, and Scott High actually leads the series 6–3. These were games that brought the entire county together, packed the stands, and built community pride and made a lot of money for both schools. Around $20,000+ gates. But in recent years, this rivalry has completely disappeared from the schedule—and it's not because of logistics or scheduling conflicts. It’s because Oneida doesn’t want to play Scott High.

Take Oneida’s 2024 2025 schedule, for example. They had no problem scheduling non-county opponents like Rockwood, Coalfield, Greenback, The King's Academy, but they completely left out Scott High again. That’s not an oversight—it’s intentional because they are scared of getting beat by Scott County. And it sends a clear message: Oneida would rather avoid the risk of losing to their county rival than uphold a tradition that means something to the community.

The absence of this rivalry has weakened the local football culture and left fans across Scott County scratching their heads. Rekindling this matchup would not only restore a rich tradition, it would bring back the excitement, passion, and pride that made high school football matter here. Until then, Oneida’s program can’t be taken seriously by anyone who knows the full story.

Edited May 1 by CYJACKETT

[PoundTheRock37]

2 hours ago, CYJACKETT said:

Oneida High School will never be taken seriously as a football program until they start playing Scott High School again. It's honestly pathetic to avoid your own in-county rival. How can Oneida claim to be a premier program when they won’t even line up against the other high school in Scott County? You can't be the “best in the county” if you're too afraid to prove it on the field.

Historically, Oneida and Scott High had one of the most spirited rivalries in East Tennessee, with matchups going back to the 1970s. Between 1971 and 1980, the two schools met multiple times, and Scott High actually leads the series 6–3. These were games that brought the entire county together, packed the stands, and built community pride and made a lot of money for both schools. Around $20,000+ gates. But in recent years, this rivalry has completely disappeared from the schedule—and it's not because of logistics or scheduling conflicts. It’s because Oneida doesn’t want to play Scott High.

Take Oneida’s 2024 2025 schedule, for example. They had no problem scheduling non-county opponents like Rockwood, Coalfield, Greenback, The King's Academy, but they completely left out Scott High again. That’s not an oversight—it’s intentional because they are scared of getting beat by Scott County. And it sends a clear message: Oneida would rather avoid the risk of losing to their county rival than uphold a tradition that means something to the community.

The absence of this rivalry has weakened the local football culture and left fans across Scott County scratching their heads. Rekindling this matchup would not only restore a rich tradition, it would bring back the excitement, passion, and pride that made high school football matter here. Until then, Oneida’s program can’t be taken seriously by anyone who knows the full story.

I know much and inferring that everyone here is scared to play is just outright wrong. Now yes, a select few that control the scheduling, I could agree. To say however that all or even most are frightened by Scott High is heinous. Many people here WANT to play. And I can tell you one thing, Oneida isn’t in the shape it’s in because they don’t play a local team. With that being said, I’m all for playing.

[Crow]

4 hours ago, CYJACKETT said:

Oneida High School will never be taken seriously as a football program until they start playing Scott High School again. It's honestly pathetic to avoid your own in-county rival. How can Oneida claim to be a premier program when they won’t even line up against the other high school in Scott County? You can't be the “best in the county” if you're too afraid to prove it on the field.

Historically, Oneida and Scott High had one of the most spirited rivalries in East Tennessee, with matchups going back to the 1970s. Between 1971 and 1980, the two schools met multiple times, and Scott High actually leads the series 6–3. These were games that brought the entire county together, packed the stands, and built community pride and made a lot of money for both schools. Around $20,000+ gates. But in recent years, this rivalry has completely disappeared from the schedule—and it's not because of logistics or scheduling conflicts. It’s because Oneida doesn’t want to play Scott High.

Take Oneida’s 2024 2025 schedule, for example. They had no problem scheduling non-county opponents like Rockwood, Coalfield, Greenback, The King's Academy, but they completely left out Scott High again. That’s not an oversight—it’s intentional because they are scared of getting beat by Scott County. And it sends a clear message: Oneida would rather avoid the risk of losing to their county rival than uphold a tradition that means something to the community.

The absence of this rivalry has weakened the local football culture and left fans across Scott County scratching their heads. Rekindling this matchup would not only restore a rich tradition, it would bring back the excitement, passion, and pride that made high school football matter here. Until then, Oneida’s program can’t be taken seriously by anyone who knows the full story.

CY I don’t disagree with most of what you said and I’ll be 💯 clear I believe they should play and no reason not to except the powers that be at Oneida will not do it. That said the only thing that I disagree with is that it’s a rivalry important to the community and a tradition. It only happened 9 years and hasn’t happened in 40 years now. I think the tradition has in fact been lost at this point. I agree it should be restarted and sadly it is Oneida’s fault that it has not happened and will not happen anywhere in the foreseeable future unfortunately. Also while I think the community overall would like to see it rekindled I’m not sure it is really of any importance to them. There is a segment of the population that it is extremely important to but that group mostly is the same group that obsesses about all things Oneida while hating them at the same time. You know the same group that cheer when an Oneida score is announced and Oneida is losing or boos at a winning score announcement. That group has an obsession that honestly borders on a mental illness concerning anything good happening for or to Oneida schools and athletics in general. Example is my step son was playing during the 2008 season and I ran into one of my former middle school football coaches. Scott was not in the post season and I invited him to come to a game and watch my step son play. His whole demeanor changed instantly and he said some of the most hateful things about an in county high school program and how he would never be caught at an Oneida game unless it was on the visitors side of a Game Scott was playing them. That sort of crowd is the same crowd that compares the Scott score to the score of a common opponents common opponent when Scott played them vs when Oneida did. That sort of thing. Sad really and honestly that mentality of more than a few Scott supporters probably doesn’t help the situation either. For the record he was an employee of the county system and a coach acting and speaking like that in public to a “friend” with a kid in the team. He has not spoken to me since then and that is approaching 17 years ago now. 

Edited May 1 by Crow

[MoonMan57]

11 hours ago, Crow said:

CY I don’t disagree with most of what you said and I’ll be 💯 clear I believe they should play and no reason not to except the powers that be at Oneida will not do it. That said the only thing that I disagree with is that it’s a rivalry important to the community and a tradition. It only happened 9 years and hasn’t happened in 40 years now. I think the tradition has in fact been lost at this point. I agree it should be restarted and sadly it is Oneida’s fault that it has not happened and will not happen anywhere in the foreseeable future unfortunately. Also while I think the community overall would like to see it rekindled I’m not sure it is really of any importance to them. There is a segment of the population that it is extremely important to but that group mostly is the same group that obsesses about all things Oneida while hating them at the same time. You know the same group that cheer when an Oneida score is announced and Oneida is losing or boos at a winning score announcement. That group has an obsession that honestly borders on a mental illness concerning anything good happening for or to Oneida schools and athletics in general. Example is my step son was playing during the 2008 season and I ran into one of my former middle school football coaches. Scott was not in the post season and I invited him to come to a game and watch my step son play. His whole demeanor changed instantly and he said some of the most hateful things about an in county high school program and how he would never be caught at an Oneida game unless it was on the visitors side of a Game Scott was playing them. That sort of crowd is the same crowd that compares the Scott score to the score of a common opponents common opponent when Scott played them vs when Oneida did. That sort of thing. Sad really and honestly that mentality of more than a few Scott supporters probably doesn’t help the situation either. For the record he was an employee of the county system and a coach acting and speaking like that in public to a “friend” with a kid in the team. He has not spoken to me since then and that is approaching 17 years ago now. 

This may be unpopular but I think Scott beats Oneida last year and maybe this year simply due to the fact of Scott having a semi decent ability to move the ball.

[Crow]

7 hours ago, MoonMan57 said:

This may be unpopular but I think Scott beats Oneida last year and maybe this year simply due to the fact of Scott having a semi decent ability to move the ball.

Maybe so, we should be playing every year and then we wouldn’t have to speculate. It’s a huge gate 8 miles from each other. 

[JimBobCooters]

Oneida like to claim they are a great historical program but if they are scared of Scott County they are a joke and everyone is figuring it out. Scott County will be the program of the future in the county.