Small Town Schools

[tackle]

Tackle,

 

I also grew up in North Mississippi in the 70's, and we had 80-90 out for football every year. My graduating class was 111, and the male students numbered about 350 total. Pretty good participation. I remember we practiced during school, taking 4 classes per year. That has all changed. Several of us played Basketball and baseball as well, but the seasons conflicted very little.

 

Mississippi still has a lot of non-football playing schools. Union County has, I think, Ingomar, West Union, East Union and probably others that don't play football. They play basketball very well though.

 

We'll never see those days again. Where did you play, Tackle? I am an old Shannon Red Raider, Class of '78.

Riverdale,

 

I was in the class of 78, but played high school football in Tennessee. I played in Ripley through the 8th grade. My family then moved to Tennessee.

I don't think we played Shannon in jr high. I remember playing New ALbany, Booneville, Falkner and Kossuth.

 

I remember watcing Ripley and Shannon play when I was in elementary and junior high. Shannon usually beat us. Ripley had several players in the early and mid 70's who did well in college. James Story was a running back at Ole Miss, Jim Miller was a punter at Ole Miss and later with the 49'ers and Michael Dees went on to State. I seem to remember Shannon having some outstanding players also. While I don't have too much contact with that area any more, I do know that Ripley has 2 players at Ole Miss and has had a player at Auburn lately. There are a lot of kids from that area that play D1 football.

[warriordawg31]

I remember those Ripley teams well. My dad was the head coach at Shannon so I saw a lot of football growing up. James Storey had the biggest thighs I ever saw on a human being. He was a monster of a running back. Jim Miller was punting for the Tigers when I played. He had a pretty good college and NFL career. I think he led the nation in yards per kick at least one year in college, but that may not be correct.

 

Shannon had four offensive starters for Ole Miss a couple of years back, including the QB - Romaro Miller. They have sent many players to D1 schools. It surprises me how few of the players at Riverdale go on to big name programs. Shannon is a 3A or 4A school now, and seems to send 1-2 every year.

 

Oh well, 'nuff about the past. I miss those days.

[Big Daddy]

I got some for old timers. Maury, Wynn of Habersham, Pruden, Norris, Rush Strong, Lake City, Norma, Falls Branch, Jacksboro, Lafollette and recently Forge Ridge. I think it hurt basketball more than football as most of those small teams did not have football, but think of how many basketball players consolidation knocked out of playing.

[QueenBee]

Paper, not that it is important, but I was one of the 40.

 

You are probably from Kentucky or Indiana and wouldn't understand any point made on a football message board.

I love you tackle!!!!!!!!!!!!!....LMAO

[behappy229]

I live in Perry Co. We only have one high school,two elementary,and two middle schools. I can say our schools don't have alot of things that inner city schools have. We do not have music in schools and we don't have art in elementary schools but what these schools have is chances for alot of kids to get to play in a sport if they want without so many other kids taking there chance from them.We do not have many sports in Perry Co. for the kids to play but it is great for those who do play. Small town schools have a special touch that alot of the bigger schools don't have and that is the one on one knowing everyone by name. We all feel like we are a family in a way in the sports here. Yes basketball is what Perry Co. is well known for but I feel football is making great progress and in time we will keep making progress.

When a kid makes a touchdown everyone in town either knows that child or who their parents are and they talk about it for weeks here. We are all proud of the kids and we all know other schools have alot ot offer but we feel we offer alot that alot of schools don't have anymore. We know each other and care about everyone here. The kids who play sports here all play with each other from Jr. Pro years until they graduate. The class of 2004 here will graduate around 90. Maybe a few more but they all know each other and have gone from kindergarden until the 12th grade together. There close and they know each classmate. I am proud of our small county school for the chance for all to get a chance to play in the sports here.

[Ftballfanatic]

Consolidation has put a cramp in some teams like Johnson Co. who lost so many teams that were relatively close that were the same size that they are playing up to not have to travel so far to play. It has been good in some respects but bad in others. Scary thought, it won't happen because the county is too large but if Greene Co. consolidated that would be one tough program.

 

Another one would be Hamblen Co. which if you look on the map is a small county, I don't know the population, but West and East together. Look out 5A that would be an awsome team and West would only need about three players from East, because they gave Jeff Co all they wanted anyway. Hope that would never happen as it would cut a lot of kids from playing.

[Budrock]

I attended one of the consolidated schools (Heritage) before transferring to a smaller school (Alcoa). In my experience, the atmosphere in the smaller school was much better. While playing football at Alcoa we got to play in some great places (South Pittsburg, Hampton, Madisonville, etc.). I just don't think the bigger schools have the same kind of atmosphere you have with the small schools. Maybe its because the fans typically know most of the kids or their parents. I do think it makes a difference.

[Kendren]

You are probably from Kentucky or Indiana and wouldn't understand any point made on a football message board.

I'm from Indiana, and I understand where you're coming from, so not more dissing Indiana people. Feel free to continue on those from Kentucky, tho

 

In my home county, as late as 1968 or so, we had high schools in every incorporated community, so we had Bicknell, Bruceville, Vincennes Lincoln, Decker, Decker Chapel, Oaktown, and Monroe City in a county of 14,000. They're down to 4 in a county of 18,000, and I think that's as far as they're going. Sorry about the names, I know they mean nothing to Tennessee people, just making the point.

[tengine1]

I am from the state of MS and I know that there are many small schools in MS, I also know that there are a lot of great athletes that have came from the state of MS. For example the NFL's leading receiver Jerry Rice is from a small town called Crawford, MS. Others who have come from the state is Walter Payton, the Titans own Steve McNair is from a small 1A school called Mt. Olive, and there are many others. Big shchools are not always better. I think that when you consolidate or have a large school some students won't partcipate because of the number of the athletes. It is like the old saying "Big fish in a little pond, or little fish in a big pond. Small schools are good in alot of ways.

[Coleypso]

Ya'll may think your town is small! Well if you do you obviously haven't been to GREENBACK. I mean we have a school a cornor market a flashing redlight and thats it!!!! I mean you blink and you miss it!

Edited October 31, 2003 by Coleypso

[rlh]

There are plenty of small towns in TN with small schools.

 

Just to name a few...Collinwood, Greenback, Oneida, Copper Basin (in Copper Hill), South Pittsburg, Whitwell, Jasper (Marion County High), Forrest (Chappel Hill), Huntland and a lot more.

 

There are some that no longer exist like Walland, Vonore, Charleston etc.

 

Alabama has combined some small towns into large schools (Brigdeport & Stevenson) and most other southern states including Mississippi have combined or Consolidated as politicians like to call it.

[REBELRON]

I also wish this trend had never started. Smaller, community schools were spit out of Metro during the late '70s and early '80s when we lost Goodlettsville, Cohn, Bellevue, Madison, DuPont, North, Joelton, East and Two Rivers. It killed community pride and damaged all sports in Metro. Nashville's high school sports used to draw huge crowds. No more. Now, we've got monster schools like McGavock and Hunters Lane. Whites Creek's monster school sits nearly half-used. All in the name of progress. Go figure.

Scrappy, I was wondering what happened to Goodlettesville.

 

Maryville played Goodlettesville twice. MHS lost to them in 1974.

In 1978 MHS killed them 50-12.