Dead-o-Winter 2004 Region 4-5A Picks

[TDCman]

Euverard gone? When did that happen?

 

Can you give us some background on the new coach?

[TDCman]

Well, never mind, I see the other posts.

 

I'm excited for both Coach Euverard and the Oakland team. This looks like maybe the right time and probably a plus for all parties involved.

 

I usually try to stay out of any other team's internal affairs but this really does seem like everyone gets a fresh start. Jeff County gets a winner, Coach Everard gets a new challenge, and Oakland gets a new Captain to get things energized again.

 

Congrats to all....

[Guest region4fan]

Ferg is a long time assistant at oakland. He has been the O line coach for a long time. He is really respected by players, fans, and parents. We are just excited that the kids still have some continuity w/i the program.

[Guest Oakland]

no doubt ferg has earned it, but have liked to see tackett go after somebody outside of the program, particually somebody who likes to throw the ball britton from riverdale and crawford from brentwood come to mind but oh well. hopefully ferg will reenergize these guys but i dunno, oakland maybe in for a LONG year

[Guest region4fan]

Hey Oakland if Britton couldn't get warren County, why do you think he would have a shot at OHS? Crawford is biding his time for Rankin to leave.......PLUS>>>>>>Britton is a defensive man and Crawford is also a defensive man. Truthfully with the lack of numbers out b/c of Siegel, I don't think too many quality folk are up for the challenge. I am just proud that Ferg didn't jump ship with Marty. I think the writing is on the wall for this season already unless we get some transfers in or some young kids step up and fill some pretty large shoes! By the way, If you will recall when Moose was at Lebanon they aired it out PLENTY! That is how they came back and tore us up back in 2000 and 2001 with that Lanning kid. So maybe there is hope for some airing it out after all! I guess Ferg needs to use his resources!

[Guest Oakland]

personally, if i was britton i wouldnt go to warren co in the first place. crawford maybe a defensive man, but they sure havent had problems puttin up pts since he has came on. but i believe ur right i think the writing is on the wall and marty saw it comin as well and went to greener oppurtunities. i bet he is glad he gets rid of rankin but now he gets worry about graham clark and i am sure rankin will give his good ole buddy clark a pretty good scouting report on how euverard operates . also from what i understand euverard was gonna take ferg, but jeff co wouldnt let him. somewhere jpats5 and his warped brain is smiling.......................

[Guest region4fan]

Britton is originally from Warren County so that is why he wanted to go there. He has also applied for Blackman and Siegel when they were opening up. You are right about Brentwood and points. But Crawford inherited Jack Daniels's crew that threw constantly. Do you remember that Whittemore kid that played QB there? Man was he impressive! We will have to wait and see what happens there now that most of Daniels's boys have graduated.

 

You are right about Marty seeing what lies ahead at OHS. The days will be dark there this next year. There have been about 4 coaches that have bailed so far. Ferg and Moose were both asked to go to Jefferson with Marty. I am glad that they remained loyal to Oakland and to its players, and believe enough in the boys to stay put. Now if only the kids learn how to believe too ! I am telling you that good things will come Oakland's way if we will all be patient and let the coaches work their magic. I hope that TAckett's expectations are reasonable and he doesn't put undue pressure on the staff to work miracles right away.

 

I heard that Rankin is ready to jump ship after this next year at Riverdale. He will see what it is really like when Christian High opens and takes all his kids. I will see to it that the board DOES not honor any exemptions like they did to Oakland! Since he got to keep his kids....all 33 of them when Blackman opened!

 

NOW WHY did you have to bring up Jpats5???? POOR MARTY....stuck with that NUT!!

Edited March 16, 2004 by region4fan

[TDCman]

My understanding is that Riverdale lost a lot of kids to Blackman when they opened. Sort of like a ready-made football team. The board did learn some lessons when Blackman opened--too many exemptions. They learned some more when Siegel opened--really hurt Oakland. Hopefully, we can hit on a fair but effective formula in a few years when the next school opens.

 

If/when the new high school opens, it will present a challenge to the Riverdale program. The fact that it will impact Riverdale will not make any of the other schools have better football teams. I want to see all the teams get better, not worse. My guess, Riverdale will continue to be Riverdale for at least a few more years. A lot can happen in the next 4-5 years.

 

Not sure where Rankin would go from here. I can understand wanting new challenges but I'm not sure what the next move would be for him. One thing is for sure, everybody at Riverdale believes in Coach Rankin and his program 100%.

 

Agree that this year is when we see what Crawford's program will be long-term. I'm betting that Brentwood pulls the surprise and wins the region again. I definitely believe he is for real.

 

This will likely be a tough year for Oakland. What is important is to get the players back out and start building for the future.

[Guest region4fan]

I like your positive attitude, TDC. All these new schools have definitely hurt athletics.Oakland only has 1400 kids right now. It is sad when the new school has more kids than the school they got kids from isn't it??

 

I heard that Rankin is ready to get out of coaching, I don't think he is wanting to go elsewhere. He has been at it a long time and persevered thru many things, including losing lots of coaches to head jobs. That is a testament to hi s ability to keep getting the job done. But I know that 33 kids got to stay at RHS when Blackman opened that were NOT juniors or seniors. They got the exemptions, and some were freshmen! If we could have kept our 17, and only lost 5 it would have been different. The constant re-changing of the zone lines were my cause of concern. Lines were changed again LATE in the game and no exemptions were given. That is not right.

 

Sounds like Smyrna may become the top dog what with their 2000 kids to choose from.

[bud]

I don't think it is so much about the numbers really. The boro schools like Riverdale and Oakland have on average always been in the top few of the largest 5A schools. Now that they are building new schools you will see what many of the smaller 5A schools have always had. Red Bank won the 2000 football title with a 4A enrollment. You act like 1400 is the end of the world. It won't be. A good program is a good program. Bigger is not always better though; I will say Oakland and Riverdale have long had the enrollment advantage over most other 5A schools. Germantown has always been in that boat as well. My school, DB has always been in the middle except for our 250 student growth spurt the last two years pushing us near 1700. Other than that before about 1999 we never had more than 1400. I remembered back a few years ago lookin at DB with 1400 and Oakland, Riverdale, Germantown, and maybe one or two others with over 2000. Now that is huge. One prime example of bigger not being better; McGavock. They once had the largest enrollment in the state with about 2500 and never made any noise in football, although baseball was good at the time.

[82cat]

1. Don't underestimate the loss of Euverard. I have had the good fortune to obseve coaching staffs up close during game situations and there are several types of coaches.

 

a. lets coordinators handle call on O and D and has litle input

b. as above but has some input

c.. lets one coordinator have O OR D and head coach takes the other

d. has coordinators involved but head coach is obviously in charge and has major input on both and makes calls and substitutions.

 

c. is what the majority do with some input at times most head coaches take offense and a few take defense(crawford at Brentwood)

 

d. is where coach Euverard is in my opinion and that is why he will be missed more than I think many are believing. Coach d. is the type teams feed off of and play for. I was extremely impressed with his presence and how he ran his sideline.

 

And there is one type coach that I will call f. he and his whole staff are clueless and spend the entire game yelling at and degrading his players when one of there stupid calls goes wrong. One instance i can think of was a team called a time out on a crucial play early in the game (it didn't matter later because they got thumped) and when they ran the play after there coaching staff substituted during the time out they only had 9 men on the field and the TB was 3rd string and I heard a coach say right before the play "what is ------- doing in there at TB! HE HAS NEVER PRACTICED THIS PLAY! the play was ran wrong the team fumbled and the beating started. This team was not a region 4 team and it was not last year.

 

Thank God that for the most part region 4 has good football coaches and staffs.

Edited March 17, 2004 by 82cat

[Guest region4fan]

Cat, I know that losing Marty is a huge loss for our program. He was absolutely everything that we could have ever hoped for in a head coach. My son still holds him in the highest esteem. I am just happy that we did not lose some of our other fine coaches as well. Losing Marty, although rough for the kids, is not the end of the world for things at Oakland. I am sure that Ferg will follow many of the same traditions as Marty started, after all they are best friends. You can be sure that these kids will not be berated , and any new additions to the staff will be hired to fit the scheme of things at OHS. One of the most important things is to help a boy grow mentally, physically, and spiritually. I think that the coaches that remain are fully capable of doing so. The coaches's ability is the very least of my concerns about the program!

 

I do know that having to split a feeder school with Riverdale and that the feeder school only has about 700 kidss in it IS of a concern! Oakland is the only school in the county's 7 high schools that does not have its own feeder school with a football program. That is a travesty! Lavergne will be the school that has 2 feeder schools this fall with football programs. Riverdale has 1 1/2. Oakland is definitely at a disadvantage! Blackman and Siegel have the best set-ups with elem and middle schools close by. I guess I have whined enough for today!