bobcat4life

Slam, I understand what you are saying. I guess from a kids point of view they got beat by a school half its size, and one that isn't necessarily a power house year in and year out.  (For instance when Newton plays 3A teams, they win a lot.) So I understand the pro's, but the psychological cons may outweigh them.  I really do wish the best for LCM. 

One more general comment; LCM scrimmaging OF is a lose-lose for them.  If they win the scrimmage, everyone says, well you should have won.  If you lose it, it gets your kids down.  Not sure of the alternative, but it is definitely true. Best of luck to all of you Bear Fans and kids

Josh Smalley and his staff deserve a ton of credit.  They have those kids believing in what they are doing.  They averaged 65-70 kids per day at summer workouts, which is a huge percentage of the kids participating.  They are prepared to have success on the field because of the work they have done in the off season and summer. Now, they just have to keep moving forward and do it on the field.

OK Venom, I'll take that bet with that spread :) How much you got?

It is amazing that more teams don't run the Slot T with the success that people have had with it.  Buna, OF and Vidor are proving it is hard to defend!

Seems like it has come down to the BC-OF game for the last 4 years or so.  Even when OF has won, we can't seem to get over the point hump and are watching during the playoffs.  Unfortunately, it means something to beat your opponent by as many as possible!

This is why matchups in every sport our huge.  We didn't match up well against Silsbee, and not having several starters was huge.  If you read this thread, OF shouldn't have even showed up.  However, you can't predict anything other than high taxes and death! Good job Cats!

33-6 Orangefield at halftime

Completely unbiased opinion, my guess is 17-14 Jasper.

OF fumbled twice driving when it was still a game.  Had two 4th down plays end up disastrously.  OF is very young.  Will only lose a few seniors, so they have several kids on Varsity for the first time.  Funny someone should mention the fans.  My sons were discussing that at home, it holds true for all of our sports.  It's gonna take Smalley a while to turn things around, but he's on the right path! The boys just need a lil break in the schedule.  If we quit putting the ball on the ground it will help immensely.

My comments before were based off of what I have witnessed with Jasper teams in the last several years.  Guess that goes to show you what a difference a year can make! OF is young, and will get better as the year moves along.  They are trying to fill some holes that were left and it showed! I thnk everyone that knew anything about the schedule understood the first 4 games were gonna be a fight a battle.  We could very well be 0-4 going into district and still fight for a playoff spot. 

I'm gonna eat crow and tell you that I was shocked at the difference between this years Jasper team and last year.  There is a drastic difference.  I'm proud of our boys, they didn't get too down, and kept playing in the second half.  I'll have to say that is THE worst group of officials I've ever seen, although they were bad all the way around and had zero to do with the outcome.  Good luck to you guys, and I hope that your announcer has lost his voice next time we come to visit ya'll!!  :) 

I guess Jasper has earned a bit of respect through the years.  I agree with you though OF should be getting more respect than they are on the thread so far.  I think it will be a high scoring affair. [/quote] OF was only out of 2 games last year.  Coldsprings and BC.  All the rest they were at least competetive.  If OF was in the same district as jasper, they would have been in the playoffs the last 4 years.... jmo

Absolutely no way Jasper keeps OF under 30. Once OF decided to play they scored 28 in one half.  That was without Carl Wiley, who in my opinion is the best player hands down on OF's team. He is the same kid that had a 98 yard run last year against Jasper as a Sophmore.  The game will come down to turnovers and possession. It should be a good game. I do find it interesting that OF has won all but one of the games in the last several years, yet every pick has Jasper winning...

I personally hope Coach Smalley has a long and successful career at OF.  I also hope that several of the items of discipline that Huck brought to the program will be continued.  There is no question that the kids need a measure of discipline brought to the program.  I watched my oldest son cry when Smalley left back a few years ago. I didn't really know him at the time, but now I understand what he was upset about.  Smalley touches kids hearts wherever he goes, and now I get the chance to watch my youngest son play for him, and become a better young man from the experience.  If someone has a beef with an administrator or a school board member then by all means, look them up and discuss it with them.  However, it is time to get behind Coach Smalley and the rest of the coaches and be supportive of what they are bringing to the table.