Read about MBA-Moeller, and other 2008 Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Football Challenge matchups, at Cincinnati.com: High school sports: Herbstreit '08 matchups set
Saturday, March 01, 2008
MBA (TN) vs. Moeller (OH) - 2008 Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Football Challenge
Friday, February 29, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Saturday, February 09, 2008
McCallie Football
Friday, February 03, 2006
2006 NFL Draft: Double Shot for MBA?
Montgomery Bell Academy alumni Ingle Martin and Moses Osemwegie hope to give Tennessee a rare double shot in the 2006 NFL Draft, as the two former Big Red stars should appear on quite a few draft boards later this year.
With only roughly three dozen former Tennessee high school stars appearing in the NFL during the past two seasons, very few Tennessee high schools can claim at least one alum on an NFL roster. MBA looks to add two in the same draft come April.
Martin served as quarterback for MBA's back-to-back state title teams in 1999 and 2000, and the high school All-American ultimately signed scholarship papers with Steve Spurrier and the Florida Gators. However, Spurrier's ultimate departure from his alma mater, and the emergence of another high school All-American - Chris Leak - later led to Martin's transfer to I-AA Furman. Martin had a stellar two-year career for the Paladins, passing for roughly 2,800 yards and 22 touchdowns as a junior, and another 20 touchdowns and over 2,900 yards as a senior. Martin also rushed for another eight touchdowns over his two years at Furman.
Osemwegie had an equally successful college career, playing linebacker for Vanderbilt. Martin's high school teammate was a major contributor for the Commodores in each of his four years, registering 53 tackles as a freshman, 126 stops as a sophomore, 94 hits as a junior, and another 118 as a senior, giving him almost 400 tackles over his career. The All-SEC performer also contributed four interceptions over his college career and continued a tradition of fine linebacker play by MBA alums playing for the Commodores, most recently accomplished by Hunter Hillenemeyer, who currently is a third-year linebacker for the Chicago Bears.
Where Martin and Osemwegie end up in the 2006 NFL Draft remains to be seen. Martin was in the top 10 of quarterback prospects going into the 2005 season, and while his stock may have dropped somewhat with the emergence of some other fine quarterbacks, most notably Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler, Martin's tremendous will-to-win and gritty scrambling ability likely will earn him consideration from some NFL clubs. Osemwegie, at roughly 6' 0", 230 pounds, will have to convince scouts that size isn't everything, but given Vanderbilt's solid tradition of producing hard-nosed linebackers (Hillenmeyer, Shelton Quarles, Jamie Winborn), Osemwegie should be able to garner interest from a variety of clubs seeking defensive help.
The 2006 NFL Draft should, once again, find its way into the homes of a few Tennesseans. Martin and Osemwegie aren't the only former Tennessee high school stars who will get looks from the pro ranks - Hollow Rock-Bruceton's Patrick Willis from Ole Miss is one of a handful of others who should rank favorably on NFL Draft boards - but these two former stars give MBA fans a shot at doubling the excitement of watching NFL dreams potentially come true later this April.
Read this commentary and more at HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL DATABASE.
Friday, December 23, 2005
Tennessee Making the Most out of Out-of-State Scheduling
As high school football takes on more of a national flavor, we'll see more and more matchups between schools from different states, and if one takes the time to look at Tennessee high school football schedules, one will find that Tennessee programs not only are riding the wave of intra-state scheduling, but also are taking on some of the best teams other states have to offer.
A look at the composite national rankings for 2005, based on polls from six outlets who provide national rankings for high school football, shows four programs in the national Top 7 who have played Tennessee teams at some point during the past five seasons. Independence (NC), #4 in the 2005 composite rankings, appeared on Austin-East's schedule in 2001. The two teams tied for #5, Byrnes (SC) and St. Xavier (OH), have taken on two Tennessee private schools - MBA (vs. Byrnes in 2005) and Brentwood Academy (vs. St. Xavier in 2002). The nation's #7 team, South Panola (MS), took on two Tennessee schools in 2005 - Germantown and G.W. Carver.
Granted, Tennessee did not fare well in the five aforementioned matchups - 0-5 to be precise - but Tennessee schools have fared well in other out-of-state matchups with top flight regional and national programs over time. MBA holds a 2-1 series lead over Louisville Trinity, including a 17-13 victory over the Shamrocks in 2003 when Trinity entered the game as the #4 team in America according to USA Today. The Big Red also scored a 26-21 victory over highly-rated Jacksonville Bolles in 1999; Bolles is a perennial Florida power, coached by the state's all-time wins leader in Corky Rogers, and was rated the number one team in the country a few years prior to the matchup with MBA in 1999. Christian Brothers scored a nice win over the aforementioned South Panola in 1995, when the Tigers were just two years removed from their first final Super 25 USA Today ranking. Brentwood Academy has also played numerous out-of-state powers, highlighted by a 6-0 victory over Pascagoula in 1988, during a period in which Pascagoula was cracking national rankings with future NFL stars in Terrell Buckley and Shane Matthews.
The previous matchups just scratch the surface when it comes to out-of-state teams played by Tennessee schools. In addition to previously mentioned states, teams from Texas, Ohio, Missouri, Arkansas, North Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, and Alaska have made their way onto Volunteer State schedules. And while it is fully reasonable to expect a mixed bag, in terms of wins and losses, when unfamiliar foes are challenged, it is not unreasonable to think that such clashes on the gridiron only help put Tennessee on the national map.
Read this commentary and more at HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL DATABASE.
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