Congrats to Cloudland all state

[pujo]

Four guys made the all state,Byrd, Benfield,Barnett and Cristman. Three years in a row for Byrd,two for Benfield. I believe we can top that next year. Way to go Landers.

[deputydog]

A well deserved honor for all four. Especially glad to see that Barnett finally got some recogniton. He doesn't get the publicity that the others get but he iswas a key cog in the Highlander machine. Congratulations to all four.

[black99]

I am from Powell Valley High School and I watched Cloudland play Powell Valley twice. If I am not mistaken Dane Christman played tight end and linebacker not offensive line. Mark Barnett played fullback and linebacker not defensive line. Both of them should have been named to the all-state team as LINEBACKERS not for the position they didn't play. Rusty Loza was named as a defensive back and I assume cloudland fans would agree that he should have made it as a WIde Receiver. Mark Byrd is probably the best athelete in the state and he made as a defensive back. The Tennessee sports writer's took long enough time to screw things up. Corey Russell for Powell Valley is a better quarterback then Austin James. Congratulations to the three B's, Christman, and Loza. Way to represent our region.

[kilt]

I think that the selection of Byrd as a defensive back was a great one. Against Powell Valley's Loza, who by the way is a great receiver and deserved the recognition he received, Byrd totally stopped him. He also intercepted a pass and returned it for a TD in that playoff game. Teams threw away from Byrd all year.I am also glad that Barnett received the recognition he deserved. He will be sorely missed next season. He played every down with heart. Glad for Christman and Benfield too. These 4 players are all heart. I'm not as concerned at what position they received the recognition as I am that these great players received the recognition they truly deserved .

[Edited by kilt on 12-20-02 9:49A]