All-State

[Imrightyourewrong]

DII all-state has been updated on tnlax.com

[palmetto6]

I think Penn Brafford for McCallie has not received the accolates he deserved. He is a very good attackmen, who plays very composed heads up ball, he is a strong outside shot, and can dodge and feed very well. It seems that the voting is done more so on the analysis of points than consideration of each player. While number of points shows alot, the coaches should have considered the schedules each team played (Mcdonough ranked #2 in the nation midseason) such that just points may not exactly reflect the ability of the player.

When voting merely by points, some such as the USN coach decided that a player like Clint Brakebill was the 6th best middie in the state, whereas in other posts he has been deemed by unbiased sorces to be the hands down best player in the state

[TNtarHeel]

both golden and palmetto6 have very valid points and make strong arguments. we can only hope that coaches go into the meeting with an unbiased approach to their selection. brakebill eximplifies the need to look beyond stats. points should not be ignored, but when teams run up scores and win by 20 points, it only seems conter productive to judge players on simple numbers. just as it would be an insuffincient representation of a player who scores once against an oustanding team but plays with a level head and contributes to the team in many intangable ways. there is one stat which i feel very cleary indicates the caliber of a player; that is ground balls. while some players might not be in a position to be ranked, the leaders of the league in ground balls are undoubtedly some of the most driven players. it shows their willingness to get outside the comfort of set play and subject themselves to quite a beating in some cases. it also shows their hussle and that they are willing to push themselves with the team in mind, not their stat sheet.

Edited May 17, 2004 by TNtarHeel

[Redtwin]

Mcdonough is not the number 2 team in the country. Outside of them, Mccallie's schedule is not so amazing.

[Golden]

Redtwin gets really defensive when it comes to SOS, but it is justified. The level of play in TN is certainly comparable to higher ranked teams. But it's going to take a win at a McD. or Episcopal to get the deserved attention. McCallie played McD. similar to the way they played MUS the first time.

Not amazing, but definitely noteworthy. Both GA state champs, Texas state champs (MUS played also, along with DA), McD. and Episcopal. Clearly the travel and preparation for these teams is much more rigorous then staying with an All-TN schedule, or having teams travel to your place. McCallie took their hits early, and were prepared for any situation in the playoffs.

[lax32]

it was harder than anyone elses in the state though

[Golden]

No doubt.

[ThePenAtrAtoR69]

When Farragut played McCallie i honestyl didnt see anything special about Brafford. The only goals he scored were form our goalie passing him the ball on bad clears, but maybe he was havinbg an off game. Our long poles also played really well that game.

[actionjackson19]

Mcdonough is not the number 2 team in the country. Outside of them, Mccallie's schedule is not so amazing.

They were when we played them. Now they are merely ranked number 7. You're right, it's not amazing, but it sure makes it a heck of a lot harder to put up 20 goals playing the best teams in the South instead of knocking around division 2 teams in TN.

Edited May 17, 2004 by actionjackson19

[Golden]

Brafford had 3g, 2a vs. Farragut

[Redtwin]

Mcdonough is a very good team no doubt, but year in and year out have a tough time with MIAA or IAC teams. If you believe national rankingsthen, they are currently 22nd but go down to the bottom and I would bet that the majority of those teams could take Mcdonough. The problem that I have with people from McCallie claiming all this SOS stuff comes from the GA, NC, and TX games. I dont know when GA became a benchmark for TN but it is a sad day when it has. I saw all three of the top GA teams and the only one that impressed me was Westminister (3rd place). TN has traditionally dominated GA, and I would hope it would continue that way. DA is a pretty good team from NC, but they always get beat soundly by CCDS. This year they were shut out 7-0 and were also beaten by Cardinal Gibbons 1-8. Highland Park got beat by MUS and St. Johns, which kinda measures them up as another average team.

I love to see people play the best that they can. It's great to see Mccallie playing on a national level. But getting beaten badly by McDonough serves no more practical purpose than playing an in state game. Honestly out of those first six games, I would expect to come out 5-1 or 4-2 at worst.

[Imrightyourewrong]

Brafford had 3g, 2a vs. Farragut

One was an open netter, one was off a interception between a D and the goalie trying to clear. Bradford didn't impress me much that game but, we all have off games.