Football 2013

Well the old blog has been neglected for the past year or so. Had enough other stuff going on to feel uninspired on the football front. This season is my first in Tennessee however, so there is a good deal to ramble on about. Since I am a Friendship Christian dad, I will obviously be a fan and close observer of the 2 time defending state champs in 1A. This year the Commander’s jump up to DII A where the competition is likely to be tougher. I will be getting the inside scoop from Jeff Cherry Jr., Colton Craig and little Andrew Wood. Jeff and Colton are in the Sunday school class I teach and all three of these “in the trenches” guys hang out at our house from time to time. They opened by taking down Harding Academy from Memphis 35-6. Bye week and then Homecoming against King’s Academy. Friendship’s QB has committed to Syracuse. AJ Long is a good athlete and talented, but in my limited observations so far, not sure he will be a starting QB for the Orange. I watched Ty Detmer play in high school, Danny Wuerffal, Charlie Ward and Tim Tebow too. Those 4 Heisman winners I watched play before they suited up at BYU, UF, FSU and UF. Funny thing is, when I saw John Brantly play in high school, I thought he had more talent and potential for the next level than the eventual Trophy winners. Brantly did not fare well in Gainesville when Urban Myer tried to make him a running QB. Just admitting that while I’m good, I’m not perfect  Opening weekend of prep football featured some stellar inter-state match ups and some quality in state tilts on the ESPN family of networks. Washington of Miami throttled Norcross, Georgia 55-0. Byrnes from South Carolina put down Apopka and literally knocked out Blue Darter QB Zach Darlington. Lincoln from Tally beat South Gwinnet, while Station Camp fought hard but could not overcome Jalen Hurd and Beech. This weekend has some quality border wars as well. Hoover from the Birmingham area tackles Colquitt County, Georgia and former coach Russ Probst. St Thomas Aquinas from Ft Lauderdale plays Miami NW. Two top teams in Texas slug it out – Allan and South Lake Carroll. Finally, Tally Godby and coach Ronnie Cottrell go up to Maryland to play Hyattsville DeMatha. NEXT weekend features more cross state bragging rights games. Down in the Panhandle, Crestview opens against Milton. Who knows what to expect with new coach Tim Hatten. My friend and Russ King’s son in law, Nathan Daniel has joined the coaching staff at Fort Walton Beach High, the alma mater of my wife, her sister and her brother John Baker. The college season kicks off this week with Thursday night featuring North Carolina vs South Carolina, and Ole Miss coming to Nashville to tangle with Vandy. Since I live in Tennessee now, I am adopting Vandy (not the Vols) as my local team…except when they play the Gators. Georgia and Clemson is the highlight of the weekend, while LSU and TCU should be entertaining. Mississippi State at Oklahoma State might be a dandy. Labor Day evening features Florida State taking on Pitt Panthers. It is a GREAT time of the year. Did Johnny Football accept payment for autographs? Sure he did, but unless they have proof, he will be playing. I don’t like rule breakers, but the NCAA is the worst excuse for a governing body in the universe. Did Jadaveon take a lil cash for his signature? Probably. I would have too … As is always the case, I love the Gators and the Seminoles. Florida is talented, but there is zero margin for error in the SEC. Injuries have tainted their outlook, but every team has to deal with that. For what it is worth, I like South Carolina, Georgia, Florida to finish in that order in the East. I want the Gators to beat the Dawgs, but have little confidence in the offense. Alabama is still the king, but who knows, they could go down some week. I want Ohio State to lose every single game. My most unliked team by a large margin this year. FSU will be going with a freshman QB, so Clemson is getting the nod by experts to win the ACC. With their game being played at Clemson this year, that’s the logical choice. I would not be the least bit shocked to see FSU beat Clemson, but lose to an ACC team that they shouldn’t. Jimbo is one of the best recruiters in the nation, but I don’t think he is a great game day coach. My nephew Nate Baker is still on the coaching staff at Georgia Southern. I talked to him today and has been given the responsibility to recruit Tennessee. I am ready willing and able to help him scout the state! I will be more consistent this season, lots to share. Hey, my son got married and my daughter is killing it in volleyball! Outlaw