1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A- What's the difference?

[REBELRON]

I think the top teams in 2A or 3A could compete with 4A or 5A teams. But! There will be more overall better teams in higher classifications because of the numbers.

 

Here is a good example. Alcoa is a very good 2A program. They have won 5 state titles. Maryville is a very good 4A program. Maryville has won 7 state titles. These 2 teams play every year. Maryville beats them almost every year. Maryville has a 51-21-3 record vs Alcoa. The reason Maryville beats Alcoa almost every year is Alcoa plays almost all their kids both ways. Maryville has very few 2 way players. None of the linemen for Maryville go both ways.Maryville wears Alcoa down at the end of the game most years..

 

 

I have seen some great 1A,2A and 3A teams.

 

97 Trousdale County was a great 1A team. They would have given any team all they wanted.

 

Two other great 1A teams were 2000 CPA and 2001 Ezell Harding. Those two teams would have been a handful for any team that year.

 

A couple of great 2A teams were Alcoa 2000 and last years Huntington team.

 

A few great 3A teams were Marion County 94,95,Melrose 96,Milan 99,Portland 2000 and Fulton 2003 team.

 

 

All those teams I mentioned would have given higher classification teams all they wanted.

 

 

Some years a smaller class team can play with or beat a higher classification team.Most times the higher classification team would win.Numbers make a difference.

[Contender]

I didn't tihnk about that till jus now, and that is a very good point, there have many times, where DB has played good teams, with excellent players, but that one or two excellent player, played everywhere, and in the end, was soo tired, he jus gave out, and we came back on them, or jus increased the lead...DB loves to say that, they own the 4th quarter, and the reaosn is GREAT conditioning and the amount of players.

 

Roll Tribe Roll

[THE KING]

I think it depends on what part of the state these teams are in. Class A Cloudland has destroyed 2, 3, and 4A schools on a regular basis up here in East Tennessee. By the same token, Cloudland cannot compete with Riverdale or Maryville. The powerful larger schools will always eat the powerful smaller schools. A powerful small school can beat a weak larger school. It depends largely on the coaching and the tradition of the program.

[AERoadrunners]

Thank you to everyone who has responded. But the only thing I'm hearing is there would be a size difference. I for one don't think that would be a factor. Put it like this, a 3A school line might be a combine weight of 305 (solid muscle) a person and the 5A would be the same. Are you saying the 5A would win that battle because they're 5A? Size can't be the reason. But I do understand that there would be more players to chose from at a bigger A school and that's the point of this thread to get you all to realize that because a team is a smaller doesn't guarantee a bigger A team a win because they're facing a smaller A team. Football is Football

Edited July 3, 2004 by AERoadrunners

[JC4life]

The only thing I'm hearing is there would be a size difference.

 

Size difference is a BIG difference.Sure a good 3A school can beat a 5A school on any given night,but over the course of a season,over the course a playoff,or over the course of a few season the 3A school won`t be able to compete.It comes down to numbers,if your school has 800 kids to choose from,and my school has 1900 kids to choose from,who will have the better team over the next 3 seasons?Plus there are more better teams in 5A than 3A,2A,1A

Edited July 3, 2004 by JC4life

[REBELRON]

AERoadrunners

 

I think what most people are saying is most of the time a bigger school would win but not all the time.

 

The biggest advantage that a Riverdale,Maryville,Germantown or some other bigger school has over smaller schools is more players. Riverdale,Maryville and other large schools have kids that play offense only and kids that play defense only. At smaller schools like Alcoa,Cloudland and Greenback most of their kids play both ways. I noticed Fulton and AE had a lot more kids playing both ways than Maryville or Riverdale also.

 

 

A bigger roster doesn't always guarantee victory. Hillsboro had great teams in 4A the last few years and they don't have that many players. They had a lot of studs the last few years. Hillsboro whipped MOWest last year. MOWest probably had twice as many players.

 

Unless a team that has 35 players have a few superstars the team with 85 players will win 90% of the time.

[12yr.oldchamps]

It's this simple.

 

Big schools reload and small schools rebuild. It's a cycle. Here at Milan, we have a team probably every 3-4 years that could compete against the top 4A and 5A schools. However, those years in between, we probably get destroyed.

[REBELRON]

It's this simple.

 

Big schools reload and small schools rebuild. It's a cycle. Here at Milan, we have a team probably every 3-4 years that could compete against the top 4A and 5A schools. However, those years in between, we probably get destroyed.

That is a good point.

 

I remember in 1998 when MHS went 15-0 and won the 4A Title. The 98 team had over 30 seniors. A lot of teams when they lose 30 seniors go in the tank. The 99 MHS team went 10-3. All 3 of those losses were close losses. Maryville could have easily been 13-0 after 13 games in 1999.

 

I remember watching a darn good South Pittsburgh team in 1999 dominate Moore County. SP was loaded that year. The next year they go 1-9 I believe. SP lost most of their team the next year.

[ELA]

Using your same logic, The University of Tennessee should try to schedule Cumberland University or Lambuth every year because the size of the school means nothing to you.

[Antwan]

Using your same logic, The University of Tennessee should try to schedule Cumberland University or Lambuth every year because the size of the school means nothing to you. 

In universities...size really doesn't matter. Whether you are DI or lower is. Notre Dame has 8,261 undergraduate students...roughly the same as Tennessee Tech. Another example is a team in my daughter's school's conference. Indiana University Southeast is an NAIA school that has 6500 students. They don't have a football or softball team. All the other teams in their baseball conference all have about or less than 1000 students.

Edited July 4, 2004 by Antwan

[AERoadrunners]

Using your same logic, The University of Tennessee should try to schedule Cumberland University or Lambuth every year because the size of the school means nothing to you.

Now in College the difference would be money. Do you really think the fans would come to that game? I don't think so. UT wouldn't schedule somebody like that.

 

 

AE has 2 or 3 players that plays both ways but I don't think playing both ways the whole game will wear anybody down. A lot of teams no matter their classification might have 2 or 3 players that plays both ways. But I get the point. I just wanted to hear what everybody thought. This is good. I'm getting a lot of opinions. I still think any small A school could compete with any Big A school year in and year out. Hey, AE played Independence in NC. They got stomp but that team was the #1 team in the Nation when AE played them.

[Antwan]

Now in College the difference would be money.  Do you really think the fans would come to that game?  I don't think so.  UT wouldn't schedule somebody like that. 

 

 

AE has 2 or 3 players that plays both ways but I don't think playing both ways the whole game will wear anybody down.  A lot of teams no matter their classification might have 2 or 3 players that plays both ways.  But I get the point.  I just wanted to hear what everybody thought.  This is good. I'm getting  a lot of opinions.  I still think any small A school could compete with any Big A school year in and year out.  Hey, AE played Independence in NC.  They got stomp but that team was the #1 team in the Nation when AE played them.

Playing a team a competing with them are two different animals. Riverdale could beat almost all 1a teams in the state 77-14 too. Riverdale beat one of the best 1a private schools in the state last year 55-3.

Edited July 4, 2004 by Antwan