CardinalBacker

Teachers collectively overestimate the value of their chosen profession. If teachers were paid their actual market value in an uncontrolled environment, most would starve. No offense, but 8-3, M-F for 185 days per year just isn't worth the big bucks that everybody else with real jobs earns. I mean, you do have to buy some nicer clothes to wear in those air conditioned classrooms, but other than that, I don't get it. If somebody needs a raise, it's the janitor.

I'll bet that once the new Coach at Barbers Hill is fielding a varsity team made up of kids that have been in his program since junior high, we'll all be singing a different tune. Kids who have never hit the weight room can't make up for 4-6 years of missed gains in a single off-season. Same goes for trying to pick up fundamentals after years of neglectful coaching. I don't buy the whole "athletes sticking around" because there are too many schools that seem to draw from the same talent pools but get wildly different results. Kountze has done well in b-ball, just like Silsbee, but do we really want to compare football successes? Who wants to compare schools like Kirbyville and Newton? Livingston and Corrigan-Camden? WOS has managed to succeed despite numerous transfers out of the district... even as much as losing multiple starting qbs in 2014. Are you trying to say that WOS had 4 state champion caliber qbs on the roster that fall? Or is the system the reason for the team's success? Coach T could do as well at some other districts, but only after time, and only if the parents and the kids were willing to accept the work that's required. It's also fair to point out that some classifications seem to fit better than others. 4A D1 is a totally different animal than 4A D2. The Stangs would still be VERY successful, but I don't think they'd be making their 4th trip to the SC facing teams like Carthage.... Hypothetically, of course.

I thought that kid transferred in.... On the other hand, a fellow Alabama signee from Beaumont didn't collect any state football championships (or even make the playoffs), so I guess you'd have to say that it takes more than athletes to get to Jerryworld. But I do believe that Coach Thompson could take his entire staff to High Island and win big after 5-6 years, IF the parents and kids would allow him to do his thing. I'll be a jerk here just because... Coach Thompson would fail miserably at BC. You can say it's a lack of "athletes" but that's not entirely true. We have our share of speed and size, maybe not at consistently as WOS, but so much of WOS's size isn't just occurring. It's an off-season program that builds bigger, stronger athletes. The problem is that parents and kids here in BC (and in a lot of other mediocre programs) aren't willing to do the work it takes to win consistently. I've heard stories from WOS athletes who were like "What? That's it?" after their first conditioning workouts in college. I don't doubt it. My guess is that IF either of those Alabama signees had gone to BC, they'd be about finished with their undergrad studies after an uneventful high school career and no scholarship offers. That, my friends, has nothing to do with the fast-twitch or slow-twitch fibers of those particular athletes. If all it took was a good group of athletes, I think Silsbee would have a collection of championship trophies by now, no offense. It's both... you've got to have a decent group of athletes, cultivate them with great coaching and offseason programs (through all levels), and an elite coaching staff.

I agree with a lot of this, but not all. WOS doesn’t just “have” athletes. They are molded and trained through years of participating in fantastic offseason programs and good coaching. Having parents that don’t sue the coaches for making Junior do bear crawls is a bonus, too. I firmly believe that when you lose the years between a good pee wee program and a solid varsity high school program, you can’t get them back.

In 2015 when the question was asked, “can WOS return to the state championship game,” I said no. Before this season started I again answered the same question with “no,” based on the number of talented kids that were lost to graduation. Once more I have underestimated the Mustangs, and I stand corrected.

Sounds reasonable.

I’m curious to see who ends up in our district for non-football sports. I’d think Lumberton would replace Silsbee, but would expect the Lyins to replace Cleveland over there with that district.

Newton definitely looks poised. WOS D is on point, but I’d feel a lot better about the Stangs chances if they were lighting up the scoreboard. One more win and they’re in... you have to really like both schools’ chances at this stage of the game.

Wait... Big Sandy is pretty close to Livingston. You aren’t one of those Livingston guys that moved out to Big Sandy so his kids could compete for a winner, are you? Lol.

When you have what it universally recognized as the worst football stadium for a school your size, pretty much anywhere, AND you don’t even have a baseball facility adequate to host high school baseball games, well.... you’ve indicated that you, as a community, put “zero” emphasis on your kids academic experience and fail to realize that how it hurts your community. I’ve got to believe that when people consider relocating to your area, the lack of opportunities for kids to participate and compete with other schools has to be a huge deterrent. There is no civic pride in Livingston whatsoever. Here’s some irony. What do you call a family of lions? A pride! Yet this Lyin’ pride has none.

Jeez... I was at PNG about 8 years ago when the Lyin’s beat the Indians on PNG’s homecoming. There were honestly 21 Lyin’ Fans there to witness it. 10,000 screaming Indian fans and 21 Lyin’ supporters. To say that Livingston kids get absolutely no support from their community is totally the truth. It’s always been that way, and it always will. It’s a proven fact that there are more seats at the Livingston Livestock Exchange than at the football stadium. Except in Livingston, they don’t actually call it the football stadium, it’s usually called the “soccer stadium.” Which is kinda ironic because they stink at soccer, too. The last time I paid attention, LISD uses private fields for their baseball games because the school doesn’t own acceptable facilities. And lastly, the only Lyin’ fan here pretends to be a bear. That’s all I’m saying.

That’s what I’m talking about!

I misspoke... they’re committed to NOT building a stadium.

BearEssentials97 isn’t one of yall’s? I know the Lions have to be excited about moving down after being perrenial doormats in 5A. I’m not convinced they’ll do a whole lot better in 4A D1. Livingston just isn’t a school with very good extracurriculars. I mean, everybody is good at something. We just don’t know what y’all do well, yet. Do y’all excel at showing animals at the livestock show? What about UIL? Maybe that’s what y’all are good at and the rest of us just don’t know yet. Maybe the new high school fishing competitions are something y’all can dominate. How sweet it is!!!!!!

And parking... the ISD tons of property near the new high school, old high school, and jr high for a Stadium. As far as stadium shaming goes, when ours is hands down bigger and better than 5A Livingston’s, they should be ashamed.

I think Silsbee has the best chance of joining that group.

Don’t forget the spaces reserved for coaches’ kids.

I don’t know... his brother’s in Bellville. His Dad died a few years ago. I don’t know how many ties he still has in the area.

They didn't misplace him.... they ran him off. Livingston isn't, and hasn't ever been, concerned with having a successful football program. In fact, they're committed to sucking on the grandest of scales, up to and including even building a stadium that would be necessary for a moderately successful 3A program.

Don't mention it.

I’m not sure where we’ll be in 2018. Lara and Hamm should return in the backfield, but we lose Baker/Denton from the backfield and Dubois at QB. We are definitely losing a lot of seniors. It’s hard to say how many because our starting unit was so fluid due to injuries this year. There were some bright spots last season by newcomers like Ply who I expect to shine in 2018. We’re in a tough spot as we’ve lost two smaller schools in the last two realignments and are now taking our place as the smallest school in the district. People were joking about band, but it’s a bummer, too. Four schools from our Area (which covers about 45 schools) can advance to the state tournament. We’ve got a really good band program but missed state by a hair in 14. We expected to advance in 16 but LCM dropped down and snagged our spot, lol. Now Lumberton (who went to state as a 5a this year is dropping down and the odds of 3 bands of the 4 advancing being from our District is incalculable. To the people who don’t have band kids, it’s like having two new state semi finalists get put into your district. In consecutive realignments. I’m not excited about the realignment.

Did Dontre get a ring that year? How many touchdowns did he score when he actually faced WOS? And who was the winning qb the night that WOS actually faced Silsbee that fall? I’d be too ashamed to claim my guy hypothetically deserved an award more than the guy who strapped it up and busted my guy’s tail in an actual game. But that’s too logical for Silsbee fan.

Ugh... I hate it. We’ll end up as the smallest school in a district full of teams that we really don’t have much of a history with. Oh, well....

Thanks. I got in before your follow up. Edit.

I wasn’t criticizing Tyler, I was making fun of Silsbee Fans.... they believe that Silsbee kids should sweep the All-District awards and Willie Ray Smith Awards, AND each Tiger should receive a full fight to a D1 school. Anything less is a screw job. Silsbee Fans would have never considered Tyler worthy of anything in 2015 because he played for Ozen. You have to remember that 2015 was the year that Silsbee Fans also claimed to have one of the best receivers to ever come out of southeast Texas.... Mackey. Silsbee has a long history of honking their horn over nothing.