HUNTSVILLE, Tenn. — Scott County’s natural scenic beauty and relaxed rural way of life will be on full display throughout the month of September, which will feature events each weekend.
The month will be jump-started by a Labor Day weekend chock full of events, including Brimstone Recreation’s SXS Roundup, a Ball Brothers concert at the Bull Creek Farm near Huntsville, and a number of interpretive programs — including hay rides and story-telling — at the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.
It’s a little early in the week to be thinking about high school football, but Oneida coach John Brewster is urging fans to turn out in a show of support for his Indian football team Friday as the Tribe takes on visiting Wartburg at Dr. M.E. Thompson Field.
This game has been circled on the calendar ever since last September, when Wartburg defeated Oneida in a game that left a bitter taste in the Indians’ mouth.
Oneida coach John Brewster has hinted at “something special” planned for Friday’s game in Oneida, but he isn’t saying what it is, only that it remains a secret. “We’ve been giving our kids a few little hints here and there but we haven’t told them yet,” he said.
Of course, the Oneida game isn’t the only one in town this week. Scott will host arch-rival Kingston at Highlander Stadium Friday. Tony Lambert’s Highlanders are fresh off a big win over York Institute.
As evidence calling the global warming theory into question continues to mount, Gore becomes more outrageous in his defense of the theory that man is artificially warming the earth. His latest claim is that global warming skeptics are this generation’s racists.
(Seen in comments: “And global warming advocates are this generation’s snake oil salesmen.”)
the issue of sexual harassment will quietly go away.
And there’s this:
Lindsay Campbell, communications specialist with the Tennessee School Boards Association, said, “we are not aware of any public school system (in) Tennessee that has or is currently banning the use of social media.”
Actually, there’s at least one. The Scott County School System has demanded teachers to remove students from their “friends” list. [Correction: The school system doesn't have an official policy banning teachers from interacting with students on Facebook; rather, the system "strongly encourages" teachers to remove students from their Facebook friends list.]
I agree with Michael: it’s taking a valid concern way too far. Social media networks are how folks stay in touch today. Nearly everyone has a Facebook account, and nearly everyone checks it frequently. Although few teachers do it, it would actually be a very effective medium for informing students of homework assignments when they’re absent, delivering classroom reminders, and a host of other communications between the teacher and her students and parents of students. Certainly, it would be much more effective and easier than sending home notes or having to take time out for phone calls.
Would there be some teachers who abuse the setup? Sure there would. But they would be few, and they’re going to have inappropriate discussions or contact with students anyway. Facebook is such an open network that if there is inappropriate discussions taking place between teachers and students anywhere except in private one-on-one messages, any contact on either’s list of friends will see it.
Oneida 24, West Greene 20: I felt like Oneida could spring the upset in this one, and the Indians didn’t disappoint. Despite 234 yards from all-state running back Dalton Boles, who the West Greene staff says is leaning towards Mississippi State, Oneida managed to take advantage of a couple of Buffalo miscues and build a 17-7 lead early in the third quarter after trailing 7-3 at the half. It was a lead that the Indians would not relinquish. (Prediction was Oneida 31-28.)
Scott 16, York Institute 7: The Highlanders built a 9-0 first half lead, then played the boys from Jimtown evenly in the second half, pulling out a 16-7 win, Tony Lambert’s first as head coach of the Highlanders. It was a nice way for Scott to bounce back from last week’s disappointing shutout at Gibbs. (Prediction was Scott 14-13.)
Coalfield 54, Cloudland 2: Think this score is lopsided? How about if I told you it was 54-0 at halftime. That’s complete annihilation. And Coalfield is proving that it is ready to take the District 4-A championship again.
Gibbs 56, Claiborne County 0: Will it make the Highlanders feel better about their loss to Gibbs last week if the Eagles are a little more legitimate than most folks expected coming into the season? (Prediction was Gibbs 49-0.)
Greenback 31, Oliver Springs 10: This one will have to make Oneida feel a bit better. The Cherokees throttle Oz after struggling to beat Oneida last week. It would have been a red flag if Oz had pulled this one off. (Prediction was Greenback 35-20.)
Kingston 41, Harriman 0: Yikes. Kingston won its 19th straight over inner-county rival Harriman in dominating fashion after struggling to get by Oliver Springs last week. The close win over Oz might have caused some alarm, but a lot of doubts were put to rest tonight: this Kingston team is good. (Prediction was Kingston 35-21.)
Loudon 18, Lenoir City 9: This one was a little closer than I expected, but Loudon continues its run of dominance in the series.
Powell 28, Austin-East 7: The boys from Emory Road continue to look pretty darned good. (Prediction was Powell 31-21.)
Sweetwater 34, Stone Memorial 20: Sweetwater scored a couple of late touchdowns to break open a tie ballgame and pull away. And this Stone team may not be as much improved as some expected. (Prediction was Stone 21-20.)
Trousdale County 52, Macon County 27: Yeah, Trousdale is good. (Prediction was Trousdale 28-13.)
Other scores of interest:
CAK 50, Lexington Christian Academy 7
Campbell County 34, Cumberland County 28
Cosby 41, Kings Academy 0
Cumberland Gap 28, Union County 12
Farragut 28, Oak Ridge 21
Dobyns Bennett 49, Clinton 0
Hampton 30, Johnson County 7
West 21, Fulton 12
Morristown West 14, Greeneville 10
North Greene 46, Jellico 0
Pigeon Forge 42, Wartburg 15
Rockwood 35, South Greene 7
Sunbright 45, Copper Basin 31
Oakdale 42, Pickett County 7
Upperman 39, Monterey 7
First of all, a disclaimer: I am not advocating that the scenario I’m about to lay out should come to fruition. And I am not suggesting that there’s even a remote possibility that it will. But it’s always fun to speculate, so…
What if?
Former Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl was fired in March, allegedly because new NCAA violations had been committed by he and his staff — including a “bump” with a recruit at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia on Sept. 14, 2010, and giving a player’s family free tickets to the final home game of the season in March 2011.
Tennessee’s administration repeatedly said between September and February that Pearl would be the coach at Tennessee for the foreseeable future. When their tune changed shortly before the Vols visited Charlotte, N.C., to face Michigan in the NCAA Tournament, it was supposedly because of that September “bump.” (And the March violation, but it wasn’t committed by Pearl, nor did he have knowledge of it.)
Reasonable folks realize that the bump wasn’t why Pearl was fired; it was simply a means. Pearl was fired because Tennessee couldn’t withstand the 3-year show cause penalty that was going to be levied against Pearl by the NCAA. UT would have had to have shouldered significant penalties, suspended Pearl for three years, or both. That was an impossibility.
But words are words, and the official reason for Pearl’s termination was primarily the bump.
With the NCAA’s final report on the matter being released Wednesday, we now know that the bump that cost Pearl his job (on paper, anyway) was dropped. UT successfully appealed it. As far as the NCAA is concerned, it never happened. And, as has already been pointed out, the March violation was on the staff, not on Pearl himself. So, for all intents and purposes, Pearl had a clean record from the time he interviewed with NCAA investigators in August 2010 until he was terminated in March 2011.
With Pearl the ex-coach, the focus on Tennessee basketball turns to Cuonzo Martin. By most accounts, Martin is a coach who has a bright future in college basketball. But he also enters Tennessee with the deck stacked against him. The odds of him being successful at UT increased substantially when the NCAA did not dock him scholarships or ban him from the postseason. But most prognosticators still saddle the Vols with a grim outlook on the upcoming season. With a depleted roster, a new coach and a tough schedule, Tennessee will probably be an NIT team even if Martin proves to be a good coach.
After that, Martin’s success at Tennessee will be determined largely by whether he can recruit successfully. But there’s at least an average chance, perhaps better than average, that he will not last. Mind you, I’m not saying that I want him to fail. To the contrary, I want him to succeed and take the program to even higher heights than Pearl took the program. I’m simply stating probabilities.
A coach who isn’t successful is usually given about three years. There’s no reason to think that the tale of Martin’s success or lack thereof at Tennessee won’t also be told in three years.
Coincidentally, that will be about the time Pearl is ready to re-enter the college basketball coaching profession, even-stephens with the NCAA.
One of the administrators who was chiefly responsible for Pearl’s termination is already gone (Mike Hamilton). It’s possible, perhaps likely, that the other (Jimmy Cheek) will be gone in three years. Meanwhile, several of UT’s more influential donors were reportedly dedicated to Pearl throughout the process that ultimately led to his dismissal from Tennessee. And Pearl himself has remained loyal to Knoxville, dedicating his time to local charities and speaking highly of his former employer. He was spotted wearing Tennessee orange as recently as this week.
So…is it possible?
Almost certainly, your answer to that is: NO! But, just as certainly, there will be some folks — including some who wield a bit of power — who would advocate for Pearl’s return to the program if Martin is unsuccessful.
It may not be likely, but I certainly wouldn’t dismiss the possibility altogether.
Of course, all of that hinges on whether Martin is successful at Tennessee. And if the vast majority of Tennessee fans see their hopes come true, there will not be a need for this discussion in three years because Martin will be winning games and taking the Vols to NCAA Tournaments on a regular basis.
It’s time for week two of the Tennessee high school football season (which is known as Week One in TSSAA-speak). Here are the games to watch tonight as far as our area is concerned:
1.) West Greene at Oneida — Oneida is coming off an emotional loss to Greenback in overtime, while West Greene is coming off a somewhat lopsided loss to Cherokee. The Indians battled back from 14-point deficits on two occasions to force overtime, then lost when Greenback scored on a do-or-die fourth-and-goal play. The Buffaloes had some misfortunes early in their 59-28 loss to Cherokee, then actually played pretty well once they got their sea legs. On paper, this is easily West Greene’s game. The Buffaloes finished last season with a 7-3 record in Class AA, and return most of their starters. They’re picked to finish second in District 2-AA, behind only Greeneville. But don’t count Oneida out. This is a pretty good Indians football team. Some are quick to write off Oneida after last week’s loss to Greenback. That would be a mistake. Greenback is a much better team than a lot of folks give them credit for. Don’t be surprised if they finish the season undefeated. And don’t be surprised if Oneida springs the upset tonight. Prediction: Oneida 31, West Greene 28.
2.) Scott at York — An old rivalry is renewed tonight in the Battle of the Gorge. The boys from the east side of the river will travel to Jamestown to face the boys from the west side of the river. York Institute is one of the state’s toughest venues for a visiting high school football team, and the Highlanders certainly know they have their work cut out for them after a 31-0 loss to Gibbs last week in which Scott managed just 43 yards of total offense. York is also coming off a loss, to Sequatchie County, and feels like that one just got away from them. The Highlanders learn a little bit more about themselves tonight, as they try to win their second straight over the Dragons. Prediction: Scott 14, York 13.
3.) Oliver Springs at Greenback — Oneida will be watching this one with interest. Oz is one of three teams in District 4-A (the other two being the Indians and Coalfield) with nearly everyone back from last year. Last week Oneida went to Cooper Field and gave Greenback all it wanted. This week Oliver Springs will do the same. If the Bobcats win, they have to be considered the early favorite in District 4. If it’s close, we know nothing we didn’t already know. If Greenback wins big, it could be a prelude to another disappointing third-place district finish for Oliver Springs. Prediction: Greenback 35, Oliver Springs 20.
4.) Harriman at Kingston — Kingston entered this season thinking it had one of its best teams in quite some time. But in Week 0, the Yellow Jackets were put to the test by an Oliver Springs team that thinks it has one of its best teams in a while, too. Kingston needed a touchdown late to pull out the 35-31 win. Sure, it was an in-county rivalry game, which means you can throw everything that you have on paper out the window. Well, tonight is another one of those games. Can Harriman break its long losing streak to the boys over at the steam plant? Or will Kingston earn yet another win? The Battle of Watts Bar renews itself tonight. Prediction: Kingston 35, Harriman 21.
5.) Lenoir City at Loudon — Simply put, Loudon has dominated this matchup in recent years. But Lenoir City has been steadily rebuilding its program from the bottom up. Are they ready for a reversal of fortunes against their arch-rivals? And is Loudon good enough to give CAK or Alcoa a serious run for the money this year? Tonight those questions will begin to be answered. Prediction: Loudon 34, Lenoir City 14.
6.) Gibbs at Claiborne County — In the grand scheme of things, this one doesn’t matter to anyone west of Powell Valley. But it might provide Scott some answers about itself. The boys from Tazewell were rocked last week by Cocke County, 33-0. Scott would like to think that Gibbs is going to smoke Claiborne this week. If it’s a close game and Gibbs isn’t as good as everyone expects, it isn’t good news for the Highlanders that last week’s game ended in a shutout. Prediction: Gibbs 49, Claiborne County 0.
7.) Austin-East at Powell — Powell steamrolled through the regular season a year ago as one of the best teams in East Tennessee before getting derailed in the playoffs. This year, they’ve started off on the right foot again, hammering Rhea County 42-17 last week. But Austin-East makes the short drive up I-75 with a very good football team of its own. Can the Roadrunners topple the Panthers? Prediction: Powell 31, Austin-East 21.
8.) Stone Memorial at Sweetwater — Is Sweetwater really back? And just how good is this Stone Memorial team, anyway
? Sweetwater rolled to a 41-0 win over Tellico Plains last week, while Stone lost to Livingston, 28-14. But Tellico is a Class A also-ran, while Livingston looks in pretty good shape for a pretty good season. Stone is the one team that Scott has to beat to have a decent shot at the playoffs. Tonight we start to learn just what the boys from Crossville have in them this year. Prediction: Stone 21, Sweetwater 20.
9.) Trousdale County at Macon County — Ordinarily, this game might hardly be worth putting on the radar. But after Macon Bacon County thumped Jo Byrns last week to the tune of 35-7 and Trousdale got smacked in the mouth by Warren Central (Ky.), 42-22, this one is a little more interesting. Granted, Warren Central is among the upper echelon of Kentucky high school football teams. But Jo Byrns is no slouch. Can Macon County give the perennial title contenders a run for their money? Prediction: Trousdale 28, Macon County 13.
This is a 2D-barcode containing the address of our mobile site.If your mobile has a barcode reader, simply snap this bar code with the camera and launch the site.
