Shelby Metro Area players in TN-KY All Star Game

The 6th Annual National Guard Border Bowl will be played on January 12, 2013 at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, KY. There are 3 players from the Shelby Metro area participating in the game: WR/DB Thomas Adams from Central and RB Antonio Webber & DB George Odum from Millington.

Here is a link to the website with all of the information:

http://ky-tn-borderbowl.com/home

5A and 6A All State Teams

Congrats to all of the area selections for the 5A and 6A all state teams from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA).

5A
Offense
RB-Orlando Johnson-Ridgeway
OL-Christian Morris-East
OL-Lorenzo Young-Ridgeway

Defense
LB-Marcus Robinson-East
LB-Dorian Robinson-Craigmont

6A
Offense
RB-Mark Dodson-Whitehaven
WR-Donald Gray-White Station
OL-Vincent Hunter-Whitehaven
K-C.J. Stafford-Houston

Defense
DL-Frank Herron-Central
DL-Jason Carr-White Station
DL-Christian Johnson-Southwind*
LB-Petera Wilson, Jr-White Station
LB-Adam Collins-Whitehaven
DB-Darius Sims-Whitehaven

*Johnson is listed as being on the 5A team but everyone in the area knows that Southwind is a 6A team so that is where we are placing him.

Here is a link to the entire team:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/dec/21/tswa-all-state-class-5a-and-6a-football-teams/

Coach of the Year-Rodney Saulsberry-Whitehaven

3A & 4A All State Teams

Congrats to Dedrick Guy from Fairley, Johnson White and Carlos Williams from Covington and DeJuan McQuarters and Antonio Gilliam from Mitchell for making the 4A TSWA All State Team.

Guy is listed as on the 3A team but Fairley is a 4A school.
Here is a link to both teams:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/dec/20/tswa-all-state-class-3a-and-4a-football-teams/

2A All State Team

Congrats to Nikia Cathey and Jeremie Glass from Westwood for making the 2A All State team from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA). Here is the link for the 1A and 2A teams:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/dec/19/tswa-all-state-football-teams/

Arkansas All State Selections

The following players were selected for the Arkansas all-state team.

7A Central

RB-Kendall Allen-West Memphis
FB/LB-Jarvis Cooper-West Memphis
LB-Trayvon Olden-West Memphis

6A East

RB/DB/OLB-Brian Scott-Marion
OT/DT- Clifford Thomas-Marion

D2 All State Teams

The TSWA (Tennessee Sports Writers Association) will be releasing their all state teams this week. First up is the D-2 all state teams. We will list just the area players selected.

D2-AA
Offense
QB-Jordan Rodgers-MUS
RB-Ramadi Warren-CBHS
WR-Devin Perry-MUS
OL-Alexander Karr-CBHS
OL-Arbre Jones-MUS

Defense
LB-Peyton Klawinski-MUS
LB-Ford Howell-MUS
LB-Alex Ashlock-St. Benedict
DB-Chris Carrier-CBHS
P-Gary Wunderlich-MUS

D2-A
Offense
QB-Brent Rooker-ECS
RB-Marcus Miller-Fayette Academy
OL-Zach Collins-Harding Academy

Defense
DL-Mack Weaver-Harding Academy
DL-Dylan Young-St. George's
LB-Walker Jones-ECS

To view the whole team, click on this link:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/dec/18/tswa-all-state-football-teams/?CID=happeningnow

Updated area commitments

Player		POS	HS	College
Jason	Carr	DE	White Station	Tennessee
Zach	Collins	OL	Harding Academy	Memphis
Sam	Craft	ATH	Olive Branch	Memphis
Mark	Dodson	RB	Whitehaven	Mississippi
Lenard	Harden	LB	Ridgeway	Memphis
Frank	Herron	DE	Central	LSU
Ford	Howell	LB	MUS	Wake Forest
Justin	Hunt	WR	Whitehaven	Marshall
Cedric	Jones	DB	East	Toledo
Walker	Jones	LB	ECS	Alabama
Alexander	Karr	OL	CBHS	Arkansas St
Marquez	Lanton	WR	MAHS	Arkansas St
Herbert	Moore	DL	East	Mississippi
Christian	Morris	OL	East	UCLA
Dontrell	Nelson	DB	Olive Branch	Memphis
Demaris	Peppers	DL	Fairley	Minnesota
Gerald	Perry	WR	Whitehaven	Vanderbilt
Latevius	Rayford	WR	Central	Vanderbilt
Marcus	Robinson	LB	East	Arkansas
Darius	Sims	DB	Whitehaven	Vanderbilt
Mack	Weaver	DE	Harding Academy	Vanderbilt
Jordan	Wilkins	RB	St. Benedict	Auburn

Whitehaven WR Justin Hunt commits

From our friend Donovan Stewart who you can follow at Examine_Stew...

First Justin Hunt helped Whitehaven win their first Class 6A state title a couple of weeks ago now Hunt is securing his future.

Hunt has committed to Marshall University and becomes the fourth Whitehaven player to commit this season joining Mark Dodson (Ole Miss), Darius Sims (Vanderbilt) and Gerald Perry (Vanderbilt).

Hunt (6-2, 185) chose Marshall over offers from Memphis, Arkansas State, Middle Tennessee State and Western Kentucky.

“Justin is being recruited to play as a wide receiver at Marshall,” Whitehaven coach Rodney Saulsberry said.
“The upside potential for him is off the charts and Marshall did a great job recruiting him and I think he is a great fit for their offense.”

Hunt helped the Tigers cap off an undefeated 15-0 season and a Class 6A state title earlier this month as Whitehaven beat Maryville 36-35 in overtime.

He is the seventh commitment in the Thundering Herd’s recruiting class of 2013 and he is ranked No. 25 in Rivals Top 25 Tennessee 2013 prospects.

All star games in Mississippi

Southaven's Hunter Bull was the only area player in this past weekend's Alabama-Mississippi All Star game which was won by Alabama 21-16. There are a number of players participating in the Bernard Blackwell North/South All Star Game on Dec. 22 down in Gulfport.

Desmond King-Southaven
Kanavos Lyons-Center Hill
Benny McCall, Jr-Lake Cormorant
Brett Thompson-Lake Cormorant

Anthony Jenkins of Hernando is the head coach for the North team. Assisting him are Roy Bolden of Hernando and Nick Nester from Lake Cormorant.

Coaches All State Teams from Mississippi

Here are the area representatives on the 4A and 6A Coaches All State Teams from the state of Mississippi.

4A
First Team Offense
K – Matt Bratton, Lewisburg, Sr.

6A
First Team Offense

TE – Hunter Bull, Southaven, Sr.

First Team Defense
FS – Alfred Dickens, Olive Branch, Jr.

Second Team Defense
CB – Jamil Collins, Olive Branch, Sr.

Post season recognition

Here is the link to the Commercial Appeal's "Best of the Preps" selections for football. As the post season honors continue to be announced, we will provide that information to you.

http://media.commercialappeal.com/media/static/12_16BOPFootball.pdf

Classification changes for North Mississippi schools

Tennessee schools had their classification changes just about a month ago and now Mississippi schools have followed suit.

Lewisburg will move up from 4A to Region 1 in 5A and Hernando jumps from 5A to Region 1 in 6A.

Here is a link to the story from the Commercial Appeal's Chris Van Tuyl:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/dec/13/hernando-lewisburg-move-up-the-mhsaa-ladder/

East-West All Star Game in Cookeville

Before the AutoZone Liberty Bowl All Star Game was played this past Saturday, the 6th annual Toyota East vs West Tennessee All Star Game was being held in Cookeville at Tennessee Tech University. 12 players from the Shelby Metro area participated in the game which was won by the East squad, 41-20. Mitchell DE Jeremiah Blanchard (6'2, 240) had 7 tackles, Fairley LB Dedrick Guy (6'3, 225) had 6, Whitehaven DL Andra Smith (6'4, 265) had 2 tackles while Fairley DL Demaris Peppers (6'4, 255) and Mitchell CB Anthony Williams (5'11, 190) each had 1.  Germantown WR Caylon Weathers (6'4, 189) caught 4 passes for 32 yds and Whitehaven WR Justin Hunt (6'2, 180) caught 1 for 16. Fairley RB Dominique Smith (5'9, 190) had 7 carries for 34 yards. The other players participating from this area were East OL Bobby Billingsley (6'2, 255), Whitehaven OL Vincent Hunter (6'5, 330), Germantown OL Dan Hrvoich (6'4, 290) and MUS OL Arbre Jones (6'6, 310).

Thoughts from the AutoZone Liberty Bowl All Star Game

There were outstanding performances on both sides of the ball. For my money, I thought that the best player on the field was Raleigh Egypt's Denarius Dooley (6'2, 230) of the Blue team. Although they didn't keep stats (why I don't know), Dooley always seemed to be involved in the play/tackle. The LB was all over the field and even scooped up a fumble and returned it 32 yds for a score.

Post season honors for 2 area players

Millington DB George Odom and RB Antonio Webber will be playing in the 6th annual Tennessee vs Kentucky Border Bowl All Star Game. The game will take place on January 12 over at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky. Webber rushed for over 1,400 yds and scored 16 TD's on the year and was the team's leading punter at 35 yds a kick while Odom was second on the team in tackles with 73.5. He had 5.5 tackles for loss, 3 forced fumbles, recovered 4 fumbles, had 3 interceptions (returned two of them for touchdowns) and returned a punt for a touchdown as well.

Whitehaven-Maryville controversy

There has been a lot of controversy over the call in the 6A state title game between Whitehaven and Maryville over the two point conversion that was taken away and forced Maryville to kick the extra point to tie the game. Of course, Whitehaven went on to win the game in overtime.

Here is a link to a story in which the TSSAA says the officials made the right call:

http://blountpressrow.com/2012/12/after-further-review/

Whitehaven's Rodney Saulsberry, 2012 Tennessee Titans High School Football Coach of the Year

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans announced today that Rodney Saulsberry, head football coach of Whitehaven High School has been named the 2012 Titans High School Football Coach of the Year. In a rematch of last year’s state final, the Whitehaven Tigers defeated the Maryville Rebels 36-35, ending the Rebels’ 43-game win streak and capturing their first ever state championship.
Saulsberry’s Tigers (15-0) battled throughout the contest, refusing to lose. They gained a 28-21 lead with 3:39 remaining in the game, but Maryville (14-1) slipped in a score to tie the game, 28-28, with 45 seconds remaining and force overtime. Undeterred and determined, the Whitehaven Tigers continued to battle.

Whitehaven began its second possession in overtime down 35-28, but the Tigers made all the right plays and reached the end zone for six points. Coach Saulsberry, determined to win, planned to go for two before his team reached the end zone. The Tigers lined up in a three-back formation that had been added the week of the game. Saulsberry was positive it would work, and his team proved him right with the decisive two-point conversion.

“I have known Coach Saulsberry since he was a young man and I watched him matriculate and learn how to become a great math teacher and leader in our community,” said Dr. Vincent Hunter, Principle of Whitehaven High School. “Everything about Coach Saulsberry is positive, and I not only respect him for what he does on the field but what he does in classroom and as a man. Coach is of great character and has surrounded himself with a great coaching staff, and it has been a total team effort.”

Through the Titans Foundation, team owner K.S. "Bud" Adams, Jr. will make a $2,000 contribution to the Whitehaven High School football program in Coach Saulsberry’s honor.

"High school football enjoys a great tradition in Tennessee," said Adams. "That tradition is based not only on the outstanding quality of play but on the devotion of their coaches who continue to develop high school football players into young men of strong character.  I'm very pleased to underwrite this program that recognizes the efforts of so many talented high school coaches across the state!"

Coach Saulsberry will be recognized prior to the Titans-Jaguars game on Dec. 30, where the Titans will also recognize the 10 weekly 2012 Titans Coach of the Week winners. The Coach of the Year and all 10 Coaches of the Week will be will be available for interviews /photos in the Titans post-game interview room at 10:45 a.m. Dec. 30.

Now in its 14th season, the Adams has awarded more than $151,000 from the Titans Foundation to football programs across the state in honor of the Coach of the Year and Coach of the Week winners.

The criteria for selection include the coach’s impact on his team, school and community.  A statewide media panel votes each week to determine the weekly winner.  All high school football coaches in Tennessee, regardless of their school’s size, league, or division, are eligible to be selected each week.  The program is designed to recognize high school coaches who transform, through their hard work and dedication, student-athletes into the best possible football players and citizens in their community.

Previous Titans Coach of Year winners:
1999 Jim Wilson, Glencliff High
2000 Tom Weathers, Red Bank High
2001 Ralph Potter, McCallie High
2002 Robert Lassiter, Gallatin High
2003 Jeff Morris, Milan High
2004 Buck Coatney, Knoxville Fulton High
2005 George Quarles, Maryville High
2006 Philip Shadowens, Smyrna High
2007 Ralph Thompson, Maplewood High
2008 Scott Blade, Hillsboro High
2009 Anthony Crabtree, Beech High             
2010 Gary Rankin, Alcoa High
2011 James Counce, Henry County High        
              
2012 Titans Coach of the Week winners:
1.   Mac McCurry, Marion County High School  
2.   Kevin Ward, Crockett County High School
3.   James “Bubba” Spears, Hillwood High School
4.   Josh Fronabargar, West Carroll High School      
5.   Bruce Hatfield, Hendersonville High School  
6.   Jason Fitzgerald, Hixson High School   
7.   Brad Taylor, Bearden High School 
8.   Traye Aric, Portland High School 
9.   Philip Shadowens, Blackman High School          
10. Graham Clark, Dobyns-Bennett High School

Just a reminder

There are two high school football all star games this weekend. The 11th Annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl game will take place at 2:30 at MUS. Tickets are $10 and the rosters are jam packed with talent. You can hear the game on Sports 56 WHBQ (AM 560). To view the rosters go here: http://www.libertybowl.org/events/high-school-all-star-game

The other game is the 6th Annual Toyota East vs West Tennessee Classic that will take place at 1 pm at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville. You can watch the game on WKNO Channel 10. There are a number of Shelby Metro players participating in the game. To view the rosters go here: http://taca.net/
For more info, follow them on twitter @tnallstar.

TN State Championships

This is from our friend Donovan Stewart. Follow him on twitter at @Examine_Stew. His thought on the recent Blue Cross Bowl State Championships

 

 

Bartlett has a new football coach

Jeff McFerran is the new football coach for the Bartlett Panthers. McFerran was previously the head man at Covington and Tipton Rosemark. In 5 years at Covington, he was 51-14 from 1996-2000 with trips to the playoffs every year. His teams advanced to the semifinals in 1999 and the state championship in 2000. His 2004 Tipton Rosemark team advanced to the state title game as well. McFerran was a standout LB at Germantown back in the 80's and played college football at Vanderbilt and Memphis St before getting into coaching. There were over 30 applicants for the job.

Post season honors for Whitehaven

Whitehaven finishes out the year with the 6A state championship and a couple of national rankings. They are #22 in the National Prep top 25 poll and #25 in the Rivals 100 poll. Congrats to Coach Saulsberry and his staff and the entire Whitehaven football team on their championship season!

Was there a bias towards Shelby Metro players for Mr. Football?

We wanted to update everyone on this article and what we perceive as bias towards players in this area. I have copied the original article with the inclusion of the names and actual winners. I believe that two of the three players should have won from this area. The other is a coin flip.


To further prove that there is a bias towards players from the Shelby Metro area, check this out. I am just going to post numbers to compare without telling you the names. I am not telling you what team they play for although if you follow HS football you should be able to figure it out. I am not telling you what college they are going to or which colleges are interested in them because that should not be a determining factor in this award.

As always, comments are welcome and appreciated.

Choose one:

Player A 
107 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 9 sacks
Peyton Klawinksi-MUS (I think he should have won)

Player B
48 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 7 sacks
Derek Barnett-Brentwood Academy (Mr. Football winner)

Twice as many tackles, more tackles for loss and more sacks. Case closed.

Choose one:

Player C
2,378 yds rushing (9.6/carry) 38 total TD
Corn Elder-Ensworth (Mr. Football winner)

Player D
205-317 (65% ) for 2699 yds passing 34 TD 4 INT, 38 TD's total
Jordan Rodgers-MUS 

You could flip a coin with this one. TD's are the same and yards are pretty close.

Choose one:

Player E
76 carries-997 yds (13.1/carry) 20 TD 25 TD's total
Todd Kelly, Jr-Knoxville Webb (Mr. Football winner)

Player F
129 carries-702 yds (5.4/carry) 11 TD
162-246 (66%) 2319 yds 20 TD 5 INT 31 TD's total
Brent Rooker-ECS (should have won)

Rooker accounted for 3,000 yds and 31 TD's. Even if you factor in Kelly's receiving yards, at best he is around 1,500 and 25 TD's. No brainer as far as I'm concerned

Whitehaven-Maryville, Covington-Fulton news

Here are a couple of stories dealing with the games:

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/nov/30/whos-the-underdog-maryville-brings-history-to-6a/?partner=RSS

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/nov/30/fulton-covington-tuned-in-to-opposing-tailbacks/?partner=RSS

Whitehaven-Maryville news

Here are a couple of articles on Whitehaven from the Daily Times. It's always good to see what people in different parts of the state think about the teams from our area.

http://www.thedailytimes.com/Sports_News/story/Tigers-roster-fully-loaded-with-D1-talent-id-030255


http://www.thedailytimes.com/Sports_News/story/Its-not-revenge-Whitehaven-happy-to-have-Rebel-rematch-id-030256

State championship previews

Blue Cross Bowl 
Tennessee Tech University
Cookeville
All games can be seen locally on WKNO Channel 10

D2-A
Thursday, November 29
3 PM
ECS (6-6) vs Knoxville Webb (11-1)

The all-time series between the two schools is in favor of Webb 4-3. ECS won the first 3 meetings, including a double-double in 2005, beating the Spartans in the regular season and again in the state title game. Webb pulled off the double-double of their own in 2006, winning the state championship on a 44 yd FG with 4 seconds left. ECS has seen their season end at the hands of the Spartans 2 of the last 3 years back in 2009 & 10. Webb went on to win state titles in each of those years.

Webb is going to be hard to stop. They run the wing-T attack to perfection and come into the game averaging almost 39 pts/gm. (1 game was a forfeit). They have been held to under 35 points just twice in 11 games. They beat Knoxville Catholic 13-0 and lost to perennial power Alcoa 14-7 in the season opener. The Spartans are led by Mr. Football winner Todd Kelly, Jr. He has 1,003 yds rushing on the year on just 86 carries (11.7/carry). Kelly has 29 TD's on the year (21-rushing, 5-receiving, 2-punt return, 1-interception return). If you key on Kelly then Aaron Blance will beat you. Blance is averaging 10 yds/carry with 784 yds on the year on 78 carries. The Spartans get it done on defense as well as they have held 8 of their 11 opponents to 7 points or less.

Don't let the 6-6 record deceive you: This ECS team is pretty good. They had to forfeit a win due to using an ineligible player. 4 of the losses came by a total of 13 points combined. In this year of redemption via the rematch, they have done pretty well. The Eagles have avenged losses to both Fayette Academy and St. George's in the regular season by defeating them in the playoffs. ECS is led by Mr. Football finalists QB Brent Rooker and FB/LB Walker Jones. They are averaging almost 27 pts/gm and only allowing just under 13 pts/gm. ECS runs the spread and runs it very well behind Rooker. The senior is completing 66% of his passes for over 2300 yds with 20 TD's and only 5 INT. He has also rushed for 11 TD's as well.

Shelby Metro Bias...

To further prove that there is a bias towards players from the Shelby Metro area, check this out. I am just going to post numbers to compare without telling you the names. I am not telling you what team they play for although if you follow HS football you should be able to figure it out. I am not telling you what college they are going to or which colleges are interested in them because that should not be a determining factor in this award. You decide who the winner of the award should be by leaving your choice in the comment selection below. Please leave your name. I will tell you who the players are later on.

Choose one:

Player A
107 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 9 sacks

Player B
48 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 7 sacks

Choose one:

Player C
2,378 yds rushing (9.6/carry) 38 total TD

Player D
205-317 (65% ) for 2699 yds passing 34 TD 4 INT, 38 TD's total

Choose one:

Player E
76 carries-997 yds (13.1/carry) 20 TD 25 TD's total

Player F
129 carries-702 yds (5.4/carry) 11 TD
162-246 (66%) 2319 yds 20 TD 5 INT 31 TD's total

Shelby Metro area shut out at Mr. Football awards

The Shelby Metro area was well represented with 9 out of 33 finalists in the various classifications yet failed to bring home a single award. It is hard for me to comprehend how this could be. You have a player on the verge on breaking the all time single season rushing record in state history in Mark Dodson yet he doesn't win. You have a QB that has simply had an amazing year in Jordan Rodgers (3,000 yds, 34 TD 4 INT) yet he doesn't win. As I watched the awards online and heard the bio's of the players, one thing struck me. There were numerous mentions of what a player had done in past years. I thought that this award was for what happened during this year. It's not supposed to be a career award but there are media across the state that don't realize this.

Why is is this happening? Has the Shelby Metro area been slighted once again? It is very obvious that overall the most of the schools here don't take football as seriously as they do in the middle and eastern parts of the state. I think this equation sums it up best:  FB in middle and east TN = Basketball in Shelby Metro. The majority of people in the rest of the state think that since we don't win very many state titles in football, we must not be any good. That's wrong.  

Every coach and media member across the state gets a say so in nominating players for this award. Some do a very good job and some don't give it the time of day. I think that we need to do a better job of promoting our players for these type awards by communicating with each other (media and schools) and making sure they get the recognition that they deserve.  Until we do this, we can't complain when we get shut out of major awards such as Mr. Football.

There are 8 championship games being played in Cookeville starting this Thursday and we have a chance to bring home 4 state titles. Win those and they will know we can play a little football down here and aren't just waiting until the start of basketball season.

2012 Blue Cross Bowl schedule

All games are at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville and can be viewed in the Memphis area on WKNO Channel 10.

Thursday, November 29

3:00 PM
D2-A
ECS vs Knoxville Webb

7:00 PM
D2-AA
MUS vs Ensworth

Friday, November 30

11:00 AM
1A
Gordonsville vs Huntingdon

3:00 PM
3A
CAK vs Milan

7:00 PM
5A
Columbia vs Beech

Saturday, December 1

11:00 AM
2A
Friendship Christian vs Adamsville

3:00 PM
4A
Covington vs Fulton

7:00 PM
6A
Whitehaven vs Maryville

Here is the official press release from the TSSAA:

Cookeville, Tennessee (November 28, 2012) – Sixteen of the best high school football teams in Tennessee will take the field Thursday, November 29 – Saturday, December 1 in the 2012 BlueCross Bowl℠, the TSSAA’s Football state championships in Cookeville, Tennessee.  The TSSAA Network has partnered with the seven Tennessee Public Television Council stations to broadcast all the championship action LIVE throughout the state.  The games will also be streamed LIVE on ESPN3 and archived for on demand viewing at www.TSSAANetwork.com.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to broadcast all eight of our football championships to every home in Tennessee through the Tennessee Public Television stations, and to make the games available to fans worldwide through ESPN3 and TSSAAnetwork.com,” said Bernard Childress, Executive Director for TSSAA.  “This is an amazing opportunity for the participating high schools, athletes, and the TSSAA.”

The TSSAA Network is a partnership between the TSSAA and PlayOn! Sports that features live and on-demand coverage of high school sports in Tennessee across television and the Internet.  The TSSAAnetwork.com video portal is one component of the partnership and gives fans access, at no charge, to a wide variety of events including the recent TSSAA Girls’ Volleyball and Soccer Championships, the Cheer & Dance Championships, and the Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Awards. 

All football state championship games will broadcast LIVE from Tennessee Tech University on the seven Tennessee Public Television Council stations, including Chattanooga, Cookeville, Martin/Jackson, Tri-Cities, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville.  The stations and over-the-air broadcast channel numbers are provided below, but check local listings for the channel number on your cable or satellite provider.

WTCI–TV Chattanooga  |  Channel 45

WCTE–TV Cookeville  |  Channel 22

WLJT–TV Martin/Jackson  | Channel 11

WETP–TV Tri-Cities  |  Channel 2

WKOP–TV Knoxville  |  Channel 15

WKNO–TV Memphis  |  Channel 10

WNPT–TV Nashville  |  Channel 8

Watch the Mr. Football Awards ceremony

Remember to go to www.playonsports.com to watch the Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Awards ceremony from Murfressboro at 11 AM today. We will post the results as soon as they are announced.

Playoff Recaps for November 23

4A Semifinals

Covington 34 Liberty 14

The Chargers tend to be thought of as a one dimensional team as they run the Wing-T offense. But they showed the Crusaders and the rest of the state that if you concentrate too much on stopping the run, you will get burned with the pass. JR QB T.A. Watson was 4-7 passing for 183 yds and TD's of 85 and 73 as the Chargers stayed unbeaten and advanced to next week's 4A state title game in Cookeville. Covington rolled up 466 yds of total offense on the night as Mr. Football finalist Johnston White totaled 184 yds rushing of his own including an 83 yd TD run on the first offensive play of the game. Carlos Williams had a 43 yd TD run to go with his 2 receptions for 89 yds and a score while Tyrone Tipton caught 2 passes for 94 yds and a TD as well. Covington will take on Knoxville Fulton at 3 pm on Saturday, December 1 at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville for the 4A state championship.

Here is a link to the game story from the Commercial Appeal:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/nov/23/covington-tops-liberty-tech-for-berth-in-4a-game/


6A
Semifinals

Whitehaven 41 Mt. Juliet 35

The Tigers are returning to the 6A state title game for the second year in a row but it definitely wasn't as easy as last year. The game started off like it was going to be smooth sailing for the Tigers as they went 80 yds in 4 plays on the opening possession of the game. Mr. Football finalist Mark Dodson had all 4 carries on the drive including a 55 yarder that gave him the all time Shelby Metro single season rushing record. Dodson was again spectacular as he finished with 304 yds rushing on the night on just 22 carries and TD's of 5,6,56 and 88 yds with SR FB Brandon Phillips leading the way with some bone crushing blocks. But the Tigers didn't have to solely rely on Dodson to provide the offensive spark. SR QB Patrick Smith is going to make some college coach look very smart on the next level. Smith had 96 yds rushing on 11 carries and a TD and was 7-10 passing for 104 yds and a TD. Smith showed great arm strength and touch and whether it was a designed run or scrambling out of the pocket, he made multiple Mt. Juliet defenders miss. His 50 yd TD pass to SR WR Gerald Perry was a thing of beauty as he put it right where it was supposed to be and Perry made a highlight reel catch. Whitehaven will play Maryville in the 6A state title game for the second consecutive year. The game will be at 7 pm on Saturday, December 1 at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville.

Here is a link to the game story by the Commercial Appeal:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/nov/23/dodson-leads-whitehaven-into-6a-championship/

November 23 Scores

4A Simifinals	Final		6A Simifinals	Final
Liberty	14		Mt. Juliet	35
Covington	34		Whitehaven	41

Playoff preview capsules for all of the semifinal games 1A-6A

Here is a link to preview capsules for all of the playoff games being played in the state from our friend Donovan Stewart. Follow him on Twitter @dstew4vu.

http://www.examiner.com/article/examiner-com-s-semifinal-capsules?cid=db_articles

Playoff previews for November 23

6A
Mt. Juliet (12-1) at Whitehaven (13-0)

These two teams met in the semifinals last year but it was the Tigers doing the traveling up I-40. The trip back home was a happy one as Whitehaven throughly manhandled the Golden Bears 44-10. Both teams are on a roll with Mt. Juliet winning 24 of their last 26 and Whitehaven winning 27 of their last 28.

The Golden Bears defeated Brentwood last week 31-20 in a game that really wasn't close at all. They led 31-7 with 3:50 left in the game. Senior Contrez McCathern led the way with 239 yds rushing on 35 carries, part of a ground game that amassed almost 400 yds total in the game. Mt. Juliet runs the wing-T so depending on the night, any one of the backs could have huge games and that is what has happened in the playoffs so far.

In their opening round win vs Independence (52-22), RB Caleb Hopkins had only 13 carries but totaled 188 yds and 5 TD's as the Golden Bears had almost 500 yds of total offense. In their second round win over Dickson Co (39-10), they rushed for 415 yds at almost 9 yds/carry with 3 backs going over the 100 yd mark-Austin Chaplin (9-133), McCathern (13-125) and Hopkins (9-100).

Whitehaven has had their eyes focused solely on the prize as they try to return to the state title game for a second consecutive year. Their defense has been outstanding all year long as they have held opponents to 7 points or less in 11 of the 13 games. Their offense is led by Mr. Football finalist, RB Mark Dodson who has taken his game up to another level. Dodson has rushed for 2,673 yds this season and has scored 29 total TD's. He is only 21 yds away from tying the all time single season rushing record for the Shelby Metro area that was set by Gabriel Hunter of Kingsbury back in 2007. Dodson is also within reach of setting the state single season rushing record. He is 395 yds behind the record set by Powell RB Dyshawn Mobley last year.

Whitehaven dominated Germantown last week in the quarterfinals 52-7 as they scored 3 TD's within their first 10 plays from scrimmage. Dodson had 165 yds rushing on the night on only 14 carries while scoring 4 TD's (3 rushing, 1 receiving). QB Patrick Smith had 2 rushing TD's and was 7-12 passing for 113 yds and 2 TD's as well.

In their second round shutout of Southwind (54-0), the defense took front and center stage, holding the Jaguars to 56 yds of total offense for the game. Dodson had 250 yds on just 18 carries and TD's of 85,14 and 38 with another 80 yd TD run called back due to penalty. The Tigers beat Collierville (42-7) in the opening round of the playoffs behind Dodson and the Tiger D. Darius Sims and David Rivers each returned interceptions for TD's and Dodson finished with 245 yds on 21 carries and 3 TD's.

The following is from our friend Donovan Stewart who covers preps across the state. Follow him on Twitter @dstew4vu

Offense-Mt. Juliet- Hybrid Wing T, Whitehaven-Multiple
Defense- Mt. Juliet- 3-4 Whitehaven- 50
Winning Streaks-Mt. Juliet- 8, Whitehaven- 13
Last Semifinal Appearance- Mt. Juliet- 2011, Whitehaven- 2011
Semifinal Records- Mt. Juliet- 0-2, Whitehaven- 1-1
Players To Watch- Mt. Juliet- Contrez McCathern (RB/LB, Sr., 1,586 rushing yards, 20 TDs), Caleb Hopkins (RB, Sr., 1,142 rushing yards, 16 TDs), Cody Carr (SS, Sr., 129 tackles), Jalen Graham (RB, Sr.), Josh Belhu (LB, Sr., 91 tackles), Tre Nealous (DB, Sr.), Ryan Jenkins (K, Sr., 13 of 14 FGs), Nolan Chowbay (QB, Soph.)
Whitehaven- Mark Dodson (RB, Sr., 2,673 rushing yards, 28 TDs), Gerald Perry (WR/DB, Sr.), Adam Collins (LB, Sr.),Vincent Hunter (OL, Sr.), Darrius Sims (DB/ATH, Sr., 4 INTs, 2 for TD), Justin Hunt (WR/DB, Sr., 3 INTs), Patrick Smith (QB, Sr.), Andra Smith (DE, Sr.), Racquan Robinson (LB, Sr.), David Rivers (DB, Sr.), Gerald Bates (DL, Sr.), Roderick Owens (RB/DB, Sr., 5 INTs, one for TD ), Cordarro Chatman (OL/DL, Sr.)

D2A-West 2 All District Team

Co-Players of the Year-Powers Spencer, USJ & Marcus Miller, Fayette Academy
Co-Offensive Players of the Year-Ryan Garner, USJ & Chandler Loy, St. George's
Co-Defensive Players of the Year-Chase Hensley, USJ & Dylan Young, St. George's
Offensive Lineman of the Year-Dylan Young, St. George's
Defensive Lineman of the Year-Davis Lenoir, St. George's
Co-Kickers of the Year-Troy Smigielski, USJ & Henry Cowan, St. George's
Coach of the Year-Vic Shivers, Fayette Academy

D2-A West 1 All District Team

Player of the Year - Chad Parker, Harding
Offensive MVP - Brent Rooker, ECS
Defensive MVP - Grant Kimberlin, SBEC
Lineman of the Year - Zach Collins, Harding
Kicker of the Year - Chandler Williams, ECS
Coach of the Year - Geoff Walters, ECS

Recaps from November 16

Whitehaven 52 Germantown 7

The Tigers rolled and rolled early as they scored 3 touchdowns on their first 10 plays from scrimmage and never looked back. Mr. Football finalist Mark Dodson had 165 yds rushing on just 14 carries and scored 4 TD's on the night (3 rushing & 1 receiving). Patrick Smith had 2 TD's rushing and was 7-12 passing for 113 yds and 2 TD's while Darius Sims returned a punt 63 yds for a score as well. The Tigers advance to their third straight semifinal where they will take on Mt. Juliet for the second straight year. The Tigers went on the road last year and demolished the Golden Bears last year 44-10 and this year it will be Thanksgiving at Da' Haven in the rematch.

Here is a link to the game story from the Commercial Appeal:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/nov/16/whitehaven-overpowers-germantown-52-7-to-reach/

Nov 16 Playoff Scores

D2-AA Semi	Final		AR 7A 2nd Round	Final
Brentwood	45		West Memphis	0
MUS	46		Bentonville	42
D2-A Semi	F - 2OT		TN 6A Quarter	Final
St. George	20		Germantown	7
ECS	27		Whitehaven	52
MS 6A Quarter	Final		TN 5A Quarter	Final
Olive Branch	6		Ridgeway	42
Madison Central	27		Jackson North Side	45
TN 4A Quarter	Final
Trezevant	18
Covington	23

Classifications and new districts for 2013-2017 from TSSAA

The classification listed beside each name is for football purposes. If there is no listing, that school doesn't play football. These will be the districts for all other sports as well.

District 16-A
B.T. Washington	2A
City Univ. School Liberal Arts
George Wash. Carver	2A
Hillcrest	2A
KIPP Memphis Collegiate	2A
Memphis Acad. Science/Engineering
Memphis Business Acad.
Memphis Northside	1A
Memphis School of Excellence
Middle College
Mitchell	2A
Oakhaven	2A
Power Center Acad.
Soulsville

Playoff previews for November 16

D2-AA Semifinal

Brentwood Academy (9-2) at MUS (9-2)

MUS is 8-18 all time vs Brentwood Academy. Last time the two teams met was 2010 in the quarterfinal round. BA won 42-24. Last time MUS won was 2008 38-18 in the state championship.  MUS has won 4 of the last 6 times they two have played since 2004 including victories in 2 state title games. The teams have met in the semifinals 3 times with BA winning 2 of 3. They have met in the playoffs a total of 12 times with BA winning 8 of the 12. BA has played in 9 state title games since 1998 but they are 1-8 in those games. MUS is 4-0 in state title games.

Both teams are very similar. They both average 38 pts/gm on offense. BA is giving up 16/gm on defense while MUS is allowing 18/gm. BA has 2 Mr. Football finalists in SR WR Jalen Ramsey & JR DE Derek Barnett. MUS has 2 Mr. Football finalists in SR QB Jordan Rodgers & SR LB Peyton Klawinski.

The Eagles beat Briarcrest last week 44-17 and had almost 400 yds of total offense in the win. QB Max Staver was 8-12 for 163 yds and a TD. He has thrown for almost 1700 yds this season and 17 TD with only 6 INT. His go to receiver is Ramsey. Ramsey has 29 catches for 670 yds (23/catch) and 9 TD's.

Here is what MUS thinks about BA:

http://mussports.typepad.com/football/

The Owls beat Baylor last week 20-14 and had almost 400 yds of total offense as well. SR Shane Tucker had 176 yds rushing on only 23 carries and now has over 750 yds on the season (6.8/carry). Rodgers had another stellar night going 20-28 for 210 yds and 2 TD's. He has almost 2300 yds passing on the year and 31 TD's with only 4 INT. Whit Hawkins leads the team in receptions with 44 but Devin Perry & Will Whitley both have 9 TD's each. Klawinski had 12 tackles and a sack in the game and now has 100 tackles on the year ( including 26 for loss) to go with 9 sacks, 1 INT and 3 FF.

Shelby Metro Players in Toyota East-West Game

There are two all star games on December 8. One is right here in Memphis with the AutoZone Liberty Bowl game at MUS at 2:30 pm. The other is the Toyota East vs West Tennessee All Star Classic that will be played at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville at 1 pm. Here are the Shelby Metro players that will be playing in Cookeville for the West team:

Bobby	Billingsley		East	C	6'2	255
Jeremiah	Blanchard		Mitchell	DE	6'2	240
Dedrick	Guy		Fairley	LB	6'3	225
Dan	Hrvoich		Germantown	T	6'4	290
Justin	Hunt		Whitehaven	WR	6'2	180
Vincent	Hunter		Whitehaven	G	6'5	330
Arbre	Jones		MUS	T	6'6	310
Demaris	Peppers		Fairley	DT	6'4	255
Andra	Smith		Whitehaven	DT	6'4	265
Dominique	Smith		Fairley	RB	5'9	190
Caylon	Weathers		Germantown	WR	6'4	189
Anthony	Williams		Mitchell	CB	5'11	190

15-AA All District Team

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE

QB-Martavious Hayslett, Raleigh Egypt
QB-Jordan Pegues, Manassas
QB-Jordan Spencer, Trezevant;
QB-Jalon Whitmore, Douglass
RB-Melvin Bond, Manassas
RB-Jordan Brown, Kingsbury
RB-Raphael Ellis, Trezevant
RB-Jamal Jones, Trezevant
RB-Montavious McNary, Frayser
RB-George Monson, Trezevant
RB-Narcquese White, Raleigh Egypt
FB-Frankie Allen, Manassas
FB-Michael Harris, Douglass
FB-Tyheim Wright, Trezevant
WR-Rayford Albright, Manassas
WR-Derrick Hankins, Kingsbury
WR-Cinque Reynolds, Douglass
WR-Isaiah Scott, Trezevant
WR-LeMarcus Stewart, Trezevant
WR-Antonio Turner, Frayser
TE-Alton Pickett, Manassas
OL-Teriko Booker, Manassas
OL-Darius Davis, Raleigh Egypt
OL-Tony Grandberry, Trezevant 
OL-DeAndre Jones, Douglass 
OL-Joshua Jones, Trezevant
OL-Kevin Jones, Trezevant
OL-Quzarrius Lacey, Trezevant
OL-Stephon Stuckey, Kingsbury

Offensive Player of the Year-Melvin Bond, Manassas

Coach of the Year-Teli White, Trezevant

16-AA All District Team

1^st Team Offense

QB–Tamadreus Trezevant, Mitchell

RB–Tarrance Dixon, Sheffield

RB–Dominique Smith, Fairley

TE–Patrick Hill, Sheffield

OL–Devin King, Sheffield

OL–Courtney Gaines, Hillcrest

OL–Chris Gladney, Mitchell

OL–Denzel Murphy, Mitchell

WR–Dejuan McQuarters, Mitchell

WR–Horris Carpenter, Fairley

WR–Trence Blevins, Sheffield

ATH–Bryon Logan, Hillcrest

Offensive Player of the Year-Tarrance Dixon, Sheffield