CardinalBacker

What makes you think that the new unit is DOA? I haven’t heard that.

I think it goes like this. Valero decides not to build that new unit (thanks, Biden) and enrollment continues to drop. Or, the unit does get built and there is an influx of new students... but they aren’t Mustangs and aren’t about to buy into the work ethic over there. All good things come to an end, and the Mustangs championship days are, too.

That’s a long way off, I guess.... but some of us remember when WOS couldn’t even make the playoffs in the old 4A. It’s not a big deal... it’s just my opinion that unless something drastic happens, WOS has no realistic championship expectations. You’ll notice that nobody from WOS even bothers to make those “do you think WOS will go to state this year” or “I’ve already got my room in Dallas reserved” posts anymore? The same softies that were hurt by the “chain gang” moniker are running the show now. In the old days the Mustangs would have treated those positive Covid tests like failing report cards and just went out and dominated. Not anymore. The championship spirit is long gone... just like it no longer lives in BC. The kids that used to move into WOS to play for the Mustangs have stopped coming. It won’t be long and the kids want to play for rings and looks will start leaving.

I wonder where the cutoff is? Im too lazy to look it up.

How far from 3A D1 are the Stangs? I’ve got a feeling that they’re going to struggle until they can drop down a classification. And by struggle I mean not make it beyond a round or two in the playoffs.

I can’t listen to them at all... I’m just not in that headspace anymore. I guess I’m just getting old.

For sure.... the lead singer of the Gourds (Shinyribs) just played a music fest outside of Kountze about a month ago. He’s entertaining, no doubt. I think my problem with “country rap” is that most of it just isn’t any good. I say the same thing about the new hip-hop that the kids try to make me listen to these days. Freaking mumble rap. I really appreciated the staring outta Compton movie a couple of years ago because it introduced a lot of kids to genuine artists (even if you didn’t care for the format) from a few years back. “The game has evolved,” the kids say.... “no, you’re just listening to a bunch of pill heads with laptops and face tattoos who can’t come up with anything original.” But back to the country rap... most of it is just fat white dudes rapping about moonshine, backroads, and mud. Oh, and hard work, which I’m pretty sure none of them have ever done. No offense, but country rap is kinda like most contemporary Christian music. It’s just a bad music.

Ummmm... I can’t stand country rap. It’s just not my thing.

Oooooo.... Prince doing “while my guitar gently weeps” with Tom Petty and about 50 other people is a religious experience.

Man, that’s a toughie because my tastes have changed as I’ve aged. I grew up in the era of the hair bands and then grunge/thrash. I saw Pantera several times back in the day and they WOULD have been my favorite, but I just can’t handle it anymore. I guess it’s my low T or something. Early Skynyrd is under appreciated. Motown soul (Marvin, Sam Cooke, Otis). I’ve seen John Mayer a few times and he is also under appreciated. George Strait will forever be the king of country. Lately I’ve been into a lot of alternative country I had a Blackberry Smoke phase, Cody Jinks phase, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, and Tyler Childers are just the kind of catalogs I’ve been through in the last few years. The Drive-by Truckers have a top notch catalog. If you check them out, you’ll be going through it for months. The last couple of albums are too political for my taste, but otherwise they are a fantastic representation of the way a lot of white educated southerners from my generation feel on social issues. They were a favorite of mine for years. This week I’m all over the new Koe Wetzel. The Turnpike Troubadours are another current favorite of mine. It doesn’t get any sweeter than the Blackwood Brothers backing up Elvis. I love music, lol.

My man spittin'.

Agreed... but nobody thought that Carthage would skunk ‘em, either.

Good job to the Mustang for showing up with that many starters out, playing hard, and making adjustments. It sucks, but that’s but that’s how it goes in football and in life. And Dj just have a really sorry lineman that lives at his house. So sorry that he couldn’t even get in the game with the whole line out. At least that’s what it sounds like.

Y'all forget that the media and parties have us all painted into corners... you have to recite every party platform or you're a traitor, Trumper, RINO, etc..... It's okay to be pro-life and pro-immigration reform. It's okay to speak out against racial inequality and also against "democratic socialism. It's not just okay, but normal to be pro law enforcement and pro gun control. It's okay to be a conservative who thinks Donald Trump is a clown. Just because Kountzer doesn't check every box for either party just means he's thinking for himself.... and we could all use a lot more people like that.

The good news is now that BLM has turned out the blacks to voted straight "d" again, the democrats can ignore them completely for three more years. So long, lowest unemployment rate for blacks, ever.... welcome back to waiting on handouts. "Just keep shooting each other and aborting your babies.... we'll be back when we need you, black people." Sincerely, Every White Democrat

I think if Silsbee plays up to their potential, they could find themselves in striking distance late in the game. Carthage will have to lay an egg, too. But that’s why they still have to play the games.

It’s not just mental toughness they lack... them boys are soft.

Possibly... Coldspring was LOADED with talent in some of that stretch. I also have no idea who their coordinators and assistants were then, but I don’t think his staff transitioned to Jasper. I think most of us are just talking about the way that the Dawgs seem to show up unprepared a few times each season and how adjustments don’t seem to get made in-game. The idea of Jasper getting smoked down in the first round as a 2 seed is just kinda... weak.

I think you have to find a small town HC on the way up to 4A, or a young coordinator from a larger, super successful bigger program. It just seems like the older coaches can’t do as well on the rebound to me.

Exactly... his stock rose in my opinion when he resumed the Silsbee game this year. Not a bad dude, not a bad coach... I just don’t think he’s a state champ level guy... that’s not an insult, just my perspective.

Moment of clarity... Silsbee didn’t get consistently better until they brought in Coach Smith, who I don’t believe anybody is comparing to Surratt.... the consistent athletic talent level in Silsbee camouflaged some subpar coaching for years, in my opinion. I think Jasper is possibly in the same spot.

Oh.

If preseason rankings are the true measure of success.... Jasper is right where they need to be.

I blame Newton for building public housing and sucking all of the talent out of Burkeville. It’s just not fair.