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Tatum offered by Texas.

I'm picking Harmony. I saw a great, well rounded team effort Friday night. I hope the Eagles bring home a title. Teams like this are what make High School Football so enjoyable! Keep it rolling Big Red! You've earned a fan here in Newton!

No surprise he went off in front of their hc

Nothing earth-shattering but appears to be a little above the norm. Seven head coaches this week are in their first-year with a specific school, five of them are first-year head coaches outright. Class 6-A, Division I: Austin Westlake (Tony Salazar) Class 6-A, Division II: Denton Guyer (Reed Heim) Class 5-A, Division I: College Station (Stoney Pryor) Class 5-A, Division II: Port Neches-Groves (Jeff Joseph) Class 4-A, Division I: Decatur (Steve Huff--previously HC at College Station where he won a state championship) Class 4-A, Division I: China Spring (Tyler Beatty) Class 3-A, Division II: Harmony (Jeremy Jenkins---previously HC at Tenaha and Mount Enterprise)

We should probably change the name of the thread next year…. Let’s go with “Kirks weekly USC Rant.” We won’t even need to talk about the rest of the top 10. It will just be a thread about why USC is overrated if they are in it and I told you so’s if they are out of it.

You won’t find a meek fanbase here. We are very proud of the program and success here and just like Surratt expects above and beyond each year from his team and coaches, it has rubbed off on the fans. We know what he expects and what the players expect from theirselves and each other, which is to be state champions. In turn, we end up expecting the same. That is one of the many reasons why Carthage has built the nearly unheard of, sustained success that they have. Not going to apologize for being a confident FAN. That is what all of us are on here, regardless of the program we follow. We are fans. Fans can talk smack and be confident in their team, no one is owed some kind of “sportsmanship” in discussing football and what they think is going to happen or what a random fan in the stands thinks should have happened on a given play (Since you apparently sit on Carthage side and worry about what’s being said in the stands instead of enjoying the quality product on the field). Players can talk smack and often do, many times to great effect as you can see when other teams and players get rattled.

My son is graduating college Friday or I would!!

The best way to attack Refugio’s defense is on the edges. The are not big at the end spots and their corners are not real physical. If you look at highlights that is how Shiner scored.Since they are not big they stunt a lot to creat havoc with their speed. They play a base 3-4 type defense. Secondary is solid against the pass on passing downs but has been susceptible to play action. Offensively I think you need to get them in obvious down and distance situations. Their sophomore QB is pretty solid but if you get pressure you have a chance to get a pick. They actually run two base offenses. The power to offset I and the Spread. Very tough to defend when they get it going. For instance they ran for over 400 earlier this year against Shiner but threw it 20 times against Holland and finished with almost 400 yards passing. Best way to play is like Shiner which is to play keep away. Refugio only ran 10 plays in the first half. Where they can torch you is on play action or on first and second down with their wideouts when you play man on man on the outside because the safeties are normally playing close due to the run threat. Their Rbs vary from a scat back like Deuce Vaughn at K State and their 200 lb soph back that is the bruiser. The other 3 they run are solid and in between from 170-190. Hope this helps.

DISD not as greedy as Jerry Jones.

When I was younger I would have responded differently. But now, I honestly dont mind. I recognize we have been extremely fortunate in Aledo and this comes with the territory. We have played very good teams from all over the state and have dealt with many enthusiastic fan bases. This isnt even our first semifinal game against an East, TX power. Keeping things in perspective, this is a very successful season for Aledo. Win or lose.

Job just posted today on THSCA

I would expect nothing less. Btw I have no idea how every single time I type your name on here it autocorrects to Kirk. Sometimes I’ll look 2-3 times and it will be right and then just reverts back. Only solution is for you to change your handle. I vote for “JumboTrojans” since it’s your two favorite topics.

Point total isn't really indicative sometimes. For example. Aledo beat Centennial by 21 points this past week- doubled their score. But was that game really a blowout? It was within a touchdown in the 4th quarter and Aledo scored a couple late touchdowns to really put it away. Longview beat Timberview 37-21 (could've been 44-21 EASILY or at the least, 38-21 which is 3 possessions but we missed a PAT lol). But it was 21-21 into the 3rd quarter and 28-21 in the 4th. Neither game was a blowout in my opinion, in spite of 3 possession wins. I don't see either team winning this game in a blowout where the other team is never in the game past halftime. I do think a similar scenario to last week could happen where it's close into the 4th and one team scores late to put it away.

Lol I don't think Aledo are chumps... I do think Longview are the better team. Still have to prove it Saturday!

I mean y'all don't lose this late in the season often either lol.

No argument with anything you said. As a matter of a fact, I agree with it. BUT - all I'm saying is that it's the "sleeper" teams, the ones you least expect, that tend to sneak up and bite you in the backside. Like it or not, looking at what this GR team has done, they're dangerous. If Carthage comes in thinking they've already wrapped it up, I pick GR by 7. If they take GR serious, Carthage by 21.

Yeah Rudy, you don't need size, speed, strength, or skill to win at this level, just a big heart.

I hear winner gets to play Carthage for chance to play in cfp

Will know something on Tuesday is what I read.

There were no votes for Decatur, so I'll give them sort of a homer vote.....my son is on the coaching staff there. Gonna be really tough to beat CS.

Doesn’t matter what they do, if they don’t become more physical it won’t matter. Carthage was far more physical and it showed in the running game. PG got whipped in the trenches

Harmony Nation is bursting with pride at what our players and coaches have accomplished thus far. My son is a starting senior on this squad and I’m so proud for him to be a part of this. Great season for Newton and the other teams we’ve played. GO BIG RED !!!!

I disagree. Talent alone doesn't win games, especially against good coaches. Willis and Alvarez are state champion coaches. Also, you keep saying JT doesn't have talent in the trenches...maybe its because the coaching there was subpar. They have 2 guys on the Dline now that will likely play college ball. One already has a D-1 offer. There are several schools in the area (some currently playing) that don't have D-1 or even D-2 players on the line. But they are coached up. And who's to say this year freshman can't help. Seen lots of soph contribute on varsity. Also, Wolf was only a soph. Not saying he is all world, but he has potential to be a solid high school qb for Legacy.

You are extremely HUMBLE to sit in this forum and listen to the subtle shots being thrown and not fire back. I’ve seen my fanbase get a little too over the top many times throughout the years and I am sure y’all student athletes see this banter and chest-beating going on and it’s nothing but, bulletin board material to the opposition to dig deeper than they ever have and ignite a switch that we can’t turn off. Sometimes I think we’ll never learn to just be confident without teetering the line of cockiness.

This will be an amazing game, probably the game of the year in 5A d1! Goodluck to aledo! Go lobos!

I'll finish posting my thoughts later. For me, Longview will have to play its cleanest and best game of the year to win.

That sounds great but just isn’t in Chill DNA this year. They just don’t need to spot more than 14 points before they decide to start playing.

I have seen Bussy throwing to wide open guys as well my point is Bussey is a great 2A player not the best player/athlete in the state at all classifications that is delusional. Bussey is dominating in 2A and he should with his talent. But all these outrageous claims need to stop.

I’d venture to say we’ve played two teams that are some of the best in the state. Lumberton and Kilgore are outstanding football teams and we got by. We are battled tested and WONT quit. I like our chances this week.

Also this years defense will not be on the field the whole game like against CS last year because Carthage offense this year is 100 percent better than last years. Your offense has to sustain drives to give your defense a rest. Dawgs will dominate this game.

Harmony by 2 TD'S. This run has been fantastic for the Harmony community. Hoping they get the Win and get to play Gunter for the Title!! After all the years of driving to Dallas to watch Gilmer, Carthage, Longview in Jerry World it will be surreal to see the Red Eagles there!!!

Your original question nor the answer mattered either, but your DA still showed up here and asked it.

They aren't playing the trophy case. They are lining up 11 v 11 on the field. Them kids from Timpson don't give a dang what you've done in the past. They believe this is their year. Your trophy case ain't gonna stop that.

Timpson by 14+. Riding with Bussey & Co. until someone stops them. It’s the Terry Bears from Timpson for me! Let’s gooooooo!

I really do not understand why all people in East Texas are not pulling for the Bears. We all know the 2 teams from region 4 are good. Look at all the good teams out of region 3 and Timpson handled them all. Terry Bussey and boys I hope ring the championship bell.

Longview doesn't have THIS amount of talent year after year. Heck, the last time that Longview had a backfield/WR combo remotely comparable to what we have now with Tatum/Alijah/Hale was 2004 with McGee/Ivory/Kelly. That isn't year after year. Also, Aledo will have 11 players on their sidelines that are getting DI attention....one of them is a 4* committed to our beloved Longhorns. I'd wager to say that both teams are pretty talented...

Who said he hasn't had his hiccups? I dont think that any of us agree with every single thing he does....I just don't understand the need to lament over things that happened over a decade ago. Especially when his record speaks for itself, not to mention state championship bling. Someone asked the question earlier..but it got looked over I guess. But how many non suburban 5A/6A programs in Texas are doing what Longview is doing? I'll wait. I have another question. Why haven't we seen you in a Longview thread all year, up until now? You don't have to answer, some of us already know what you're doing. You're trying to set this whole "Longview should win this by X amount of points" so that if we don't, it gives you the green light to do your yearly bash on the Longview program/Coach King. Same material, different year. You're a closet Longview hater...always have been, probably always will be.

Wasn't saying that at all. But this idea that Aledo doesn't make mistakes, that they don't commit penalties or turnovers...I mean come on lol. Are they well coached? Of course. But they're not the Lake Travis team that we saw in 2008, or even the Denton Ryan team in 2020 that we saw. Talented yes, on a completely different planet from any other team we've faced this season, no.

Man, you came at me talking about I was riled up and making up hypotheticals. This is “cap” at it’s finest. Like I said the ONLY complaint I have with John King to sum it up is his UNWILLINGNESS to come out of his conservatism and be aggressive when NEED be. Us being at their red zone towards the end of the Timberview game and deliberately running time out was NOT some fabricated story I made up. That sh @& actually happened just like I and everyone else seen it. Hell, I want the man to be BETTER than what he is. He has the opportunity to be mentioned amongst the elite in Texas High School football BUT!!!!!! Keep it with yourself, he does some of the most boneheaded things at the most inopportune times. He reverts back to doing the little things that puts him and the team in positions that they don’t have to be in is all I have ever said. He won’t get out of his own way a lot of times and that’s just the honest-to-God truth. I understand why he was trying to run the clock out obviously but, the way we were moving the ball on them on the ground, we should have just put the nail in the proverbial coffin and then we damn sure ain’t got to worry about them staging some miraculous comeback. The team was way too dangerous to be playing around with. He needs to destroy a team’s WILL to win or want to even try with the horsepower we have this year. John Outlaw, would have had Timberview down SEVERAL scores and they’d be fighting amongst each other rather than taking cheap shots at our boys after every conceivable play.

Idk man. I can kinda understand what you’re trying to say. But. If there were any big schools in East Texas that get “out coached” or lose even though they have the more talented team it would be Tyler and Lufkin. Not Longview. You ever wonder why Longview is the only big school in East Texas with the consistency they have? A lot of y’all forget, we don’t have the same advantages here in little ol East Texas that those DFW and houston schools have. We don’t have hundreds of thousands of people, schools popping up every other week, and certainly don’t have the economies to bring “random” talent into the school district to help us win games. Call it recruiting or whatever you want. We get very few of those around these parts. It’s not a yearly thing. Our teams are home grown. Longview is successful because of the coaching 100%. John King has built a program that those kids grow up wanting to play in. It’s a winning culture there. Have they won 5+ titles like some of the other successful programs? No.. Doesn’t mean they were out coached along the way. There might have been bad calls here and there. Everybody has those. Sometimes the other teams are a mistake better. It is what it is. Lufkin was better than most of the state from 1999-2007. We have 1 state championship to show for it. What happened a few years after that? Our coach unexpectedly died, and we fell off. Coaching is everything for us out here. Obviously you have to have talent as well, which Longview does. But John King gets the absolute most out of those Longview boys. Half of their teams the last 15 years probably wouldn’t have won a playoff game if they had Lufkins staff. He does the very best he can with what he has to work with. He’s done a fine job.

So my initial thoughts...I've seen Aledo in person twice this season, I've watched multiple games of theirs this season. They are a completely different teams from the start of the season with those two losses. Yesterday though, gave me flash backs to those early losses when watching them. I saw their game against Shoemaker, and while I thought they would win convincingly, they looked better than I was expecting. Yesterday, I was expecting to see that same Aledo squad from four weeks ago, but I didn't see it. It looked a lot like injuries were catching up to them, but I mean Centennial just did not have the horses to keep up for a full 48 minutes. Aledo's QB is their everything. Everything goes through him. Yes, their backs are good. But he is everything for them. I need to rewatch the Ryan game because I do remember them getting pressure, but I think our D line will be the best they've faced since Guyer. I think that is the real question for Aledo, how much have they improved overall since Guyer? Obviously they're not going to be facing a threat at QB like Guyer has. But Jordan Allen has shown he is serviceable this season, and he'll need to be continue to be for us to continue to win. Getting the ball in Tatum, Johnson and Hale's hands will be paramount on Saturday, especially if the conditions are looking like they're going to be....which I think is what King wanted overall. I struggle to see how they will slow down Tatum throughout the night. I don't think this is your usual Aledo team of the past couple years, I have no problem putting that thought out there. Not saying they are not an extremely solid and good, especially on the coaching front, team. But this is a game, if Longview plays their brand and style of football without a lot of mistakes we should be winning this season. Last season or 2020, I do think Aledo beats us. But this group of guys, against their group of guys this season. Longview should be winning and is the favorite for a reason. Our secondary will no doubt be tested. We've all known all season that if someone was going to beat us, it would be there. But, I also think we could get some picks on their QB if he put things in places that he did against Centennial. We have to get pressure and not let him have time to find #11, cause that's who he's going to 75% of the time. Their O line is solid, but I have a hard time believing we will struggle with them like we did with Timberview's in the first half. But who knows, I've been wrong before and will be again. I just think this Longview team should be beating this group of Bearcats if we play our brand and don't make stupid mistakes.

Hmm...Aledo has 10 trophies in that case for a reason...yall better put hands on em,steady and often..they ain't going to lay down,yall are gonna have to put them down and make them stay down..Mr king probably knows this Bo's by 10ish late,this is where you earn it..

Please……. Take this down. Lol! Man, we don’t need to give the opps anymore bulletin board material to internalize and use as a voltage switch that we can’t turn off. It’s bad enough that John King REFUSES to put a damn team away when he needs to.

I mean, we no doubt made adjustments to what they were doing as well. Longview's defense completely controlled the second half outside of a single play that resulted in a long touchdown. I feel like you're downplaying the W tbh. Regardless, we'll see what happens. I have more than enough confidence in our boys to get the W this coming week. Especially in the rain, like it's looking like it's going to be.

I just don't see Longview losing this game unless they play their F game. Just way too much talent for Aledo to account for. A game Longview wins by 21.

Excited to get away from the slot-t, wing-t, triple option, ect run teams. We accept the challenge of bully ball. *Bully ball- Longviews version of we are going to line up in the I-formation and run right at you. No tricks, no gadgets, just big on big.

That offense is weird. I’m telling you. The angles and reads are all different from anything you see elsewhere. TV had some size and speed. Seems like they just lacked conditioning. They ran out of gas. Had bad 2nd halves all year.

Have to disagree. I think Timberview will be the best team we will play all year. Not saying Aledo doesn't have a good chance to beat us or anything. But we will not face a team more talented than Timberview IMO. Personally think Aledo will struggle mightily with our speed and pressure. I have no idea how that QB for Centennial caused as many problems for them as he did.