What is the one thing you would change about Arkansas High School Football?

[bigtank]

Amen brother Parish! Or at least no private school should be less than a 3A, no matter the enrollment.

I dont think private schools should be put into there own league i just think they need to stop recuiting the best players from other schools.  I go the LRCA and we dont go out and take other schools players most of LRCA's kids have been there since elementry-including dyer. One of my friends got recuited from a certain private school, yet he did not go. And i went to Oak Grove before LRCA so i see both sides of the issue.

What really needs to be changed is all the restrictions of what you can and cant do.  Now AAA has made a rule where players cant wear arm bans anymore, or smoke colored face shields.  And the students cant boo, have signs, paint any part of there body.  What is next, the student wont be able to stand up when watching the game?  What is wrong with having a little bit of fun, there is no harm in it.  Kids just want to show school spirit and players just want to look their best on the field.  Why punish them for it?

[Coach DePriest, Sheridan]

I go the LRCA and we dont go out and take other schools players most of LRCA's kids have been there since elementry-including dyer.  Put CAC and PA both take kids from other schools. And i went to Oak Grove before LRCA so i see both sides of the issue.

Does anyone else see a contradiction with the bolded statements?

[bigtank]

 !!

[10yardfight]

I don't know if anyone has touched on this yet.  But I think the whole issue of kids being able to change schools before their sophomore year is insane.  Unless you physically move into a school district, you should not be allowed to play there.
And I don't care if a great player gets more exposure at a bigger school.  I've seen D-1 players come from 8-man football teams before.

[bigtank]

yeah i see both sides of that, it hurts a team when a going to be junior or senior switches out and it sucks,  but i understand why they switch sometimes.  i dont think it is right to switch to a bigger school.  if you are d-1 material people will hear about you no matter where you go.  But on the other hand i switched to a private school from a public school even though it was at the beginning of my 10th grade year, i wanted to switch because the school was a lot better.  to me the public school system failed me and is failing others.  I ended up not even playing my junior and senior year because of an injury.

[Nip/Tusk]

The 7 classifications in our state are a joke.
We should have 4 max.

[bigtank]

The 7 classifications in our state are a joke.
We should have 4 max.

that is the way it was when my grandfather played.  he played for blytheville and was a 2 time all arkansas all star and a freshman all american at tulsa.  he was set to go draft but he got a major injury.  but anywho he said it was so much better back then.  i agree with the 4 classifications, but they would need to drop the private school muliplyer back to 1.5 or 1.3.  It would make for some great arkansas football.

[gilndoc]

Axe the private schools enableing a 5 classification system.
2 Birds 1 Stone

[SouthpawSensation]

I don't know about classifications, but when it comes to games, I have something in mind ...
In overtime, have teams start from the 25 instead of the 10.

[threepeat]

There is no way to truly justify a public school having to go up against a private school in the playoffs.  Being from Nashville, we haven't had to deal with it, but other public schools have, and it just isn't fair to those boys who work their tails off in the summer to have the misfortune of going against Springdale's and Little Rock's elite players on one of their private schools.  Next year, Shiloh comes up to 4A, and we'll probably have to deal with them some time.  Our local boys will have to play, at some time, Springdale High's and Har Ber High's elite athletes who want to combine their talents to win the 4A at Shiloh.  Just imagine if we all had that luxury.  Kids from Mineral Springs, Dierks, Blevins, Murfreesboro, Prescott, Hope and any other local school, could come to Nashville openly and combine their talents to win state championships.  This is exactly what Shiloh and CAC do.

[Scrapper Slapper]

There is no way to truly justify a public school having to go up against a private school in the playoffs.  Being from Nashville, we haven't had to deal with it, but other public schools have, and it just isn't fair to those boys who work their tails off in the summer to have the misfortune of going against Springdale's and Little Rock's elite players on one of their private schools.  Next year, Shiloh comes up to 4A, and we'll probably have to deal with them some time.  Our local boys will have to play, at some time, Springdale High's and Har Ber High's elite athletes who want to combine their talents to win the 4A at Shiloh.  Just imagine if we all had that luxury.  Kids from Mineral Springs, Dierks, Blevins, Murfreesboro, Prescott, Hope and any other local school, could come to Nashville openly and combine their talents to win state championships.  This is exactly what Shiloh and CAC do.

How long have you been in Nashville?  I think the pitcher from your state championship baseball team started the school year at Dierks last year.  I guess the key word is "openly" since you obviously do it.

And what do you mean about not having to deal with them since you are in Nashville?  Didn't the Scrappers beat one of those cheatin' private schools in the state championship two years ago? 

Nashville has facilities that are matched by only one private school in the state (Shiloh).  They have more coaches.  They have more support.

And this may be a big surprise to you, but the kids at the successful private schools work their tails off during the summer too.

Stop whining.

[alliegator]

oh! how about overtime in non-conference games! it killed our cross town rivalry this year! arkansas tied with texas for the first time in history (1912) thanks to us playing at home, AAA rules. If we had played across town (like last year) UIL wouldve let us continue to play. this game is more for the fans/ community than anything and we had NO closure. I was a girl about it- I cried. I wanted SO bad to say my junior year we won state and my senior year, MY class beat texas. Now i have to say we tied 17-17.  Also i bet atleast half our boys would scrimmage against them risking a loss just so it would be final.
>

[Scorpiux]

Arkansas doesn't need 7 classifications for football. I guess we're trying to not seem "small" to neighboring states. Consolidate the 7A & 6A.

[Sensitive]

4 classes is enough.

[Sensitive]

haha haha.  yeah, i dont even play anymore, due to an injury and surgery.  and i did say most, did i not.  So don't be to quick to judge DePriest.  I know some do it more than others, or at least they make it more obvious.  OG coach- Mayes had a big article in the paper where he attacked CAC for recuiting his players.  Then i dont know about AB but from there win record, i dont think they recuit much.

If Coach Mayes had worked as hard at coaching his team as he did trying to run down CAC the Hornets would still be playing.  He did less with more talent than any coach in the 7-4A.  He was whining and crying about his kids being "recruited" when the truth of the matter was they were leaving on their own to get to a program that was willing to put forth the effort to win.  While he was playing golf last summer, the "cheating" coaches at CAC were running a 7-on-7 program and summer conditioning.  Their kids had a total of 3 weekends all summer long without a tournament or camp.

I was told by a very reliable source that immediately after the CAC/Oak Grove game, Coach Mayes told CAC that he was turning them in for using an ineligible player.  Supposedly he knew about it for several weeks but waited until after the game to get a cheap win.  The facts are that the player was eligible but Mayes lost his copy of the CSAP form.

If all you are going on is what Coach Mayes claims, you don't have much evidence as far as I am concerned.

Hopefully the Hornets' new coach will be more interested in his kids than his handicap on the golf course.  The kids deserve better!

[Fourth and Long]

4 classes is enough.

I agree.  I think the coaches and administrators must want more classifications in order to say they made the playoffs.  The AAA has cheapened what a state championship means in 6A and 7A.  It now means that the state champion was the best out of the sixteen teams in their division.  The best teams in the state this year look like they are in 4A and 5A.

Also, there are to many teams making the playoffs in the lower divisions.  There were some fifth place teams that made the playoffs this season when there were only eight teams in their conference.  No need for first round byes - just allow fewer teams in.

[Scrapper Slapper]

Amen!  There should at least be enough teams from each classification to fill brackets without byes or fifth seeds.  Not everyone can make the playoffs every year.

[muleshoe_forever]

There is no way to truly justify a public school having to go up against a private school in the playoffs.  Being from Nashville, we haven't had to deal with it, but other public schools have, and it just isn't fair to those boys who work their tails off in the summer to have the misfortune of going against Springdale's and Little Rock's elite players on one of their private schools.  Next year, Shiloh comes up to 4A, and we'll probably have to deal with them some time.  Our local boys will have to play, at some time, Springdale High's and Har Ber High's elite athletes who want to combine their talents to win the 4A at Shiloh.  Just imagine if we all had that luxury.  Kids from Mineral Springs, Dierks, Blevins, Murfreesboro, Prescott, Hope and any other local school, could come to Nashville openly and combine their talents to win state championships.  This is exactly what Shiloh and CAC do.

How long have you been in Nashville?  I think the pitcher from your state championship baseball team started the school year at Dierks last year.  I guess the key word is "openly" since you obviously do it.

And what do you mean about not having to deal with them since you are in Nashville?  Didn't the Scrappers beat one of those cheatin' private schools in the state championship two years ago? 

Nashville has facilities that are matched by only one private school in the state (Shiloh).  They have more coaches.  They have more support.

And this may be a big surprise to you, but the kids at the successful private schools work their tails off during the summer too.

Stop whining.

To add on to what M.D. said.....last year was the first year since 2003 that Nashville hasn't played a private school in the playoffs, but they played on of the "cheatin'" private schools in conference.  In other words, don't open your mouth if you don't know what you're talking about.

[Catgrad79]

First. Too many teams in the playoffs. It's about money and the season is too long. Only three teams from each conference and conference winners get bye first round. Then winner from 2&3 travel to conference winner.

Second. Private schools play each other. No public/private conference game mixes. There would be a public school and a private school champion.

Third. Very small schools would be classified as A ball and would play 8 man football. Many smaller schools can not compete because of lack of players.

[bigtank]

haha haha.  yeah, i dont even play anymore, due to an injury and surgery.  and i did say most, did i not.  So don't be to quick to judge DePriest.  I know some do it more than others, or at least they make it more obvious.  OG coach- Mayes had a big article in the paper where he attacked CAC for recuiting his players.  Then i dont know about AB but from there win record, i dont think they recuit much.

If Coach Mayes had worked as hard at coaching his team as he did trying to run down CAC the Hornets would still be playing.  He did less with more talent than any coach in the 7-4A.  He was whining and crying about his kids being "recruited" when the truth of the matter was they were leaving on their own to get to a program that was willing to put forth the effort to win.  While he was playing golf last summer, the "cheating" coaches at CAC were running a 7-on-7 program and summer conditioning.  Their kids had a total of 3 weekends all summer long without a tournament or camp.

I was told by a very reliable source that immediately after the CAC/Oak Grove game, Coach Mayes told CAC that he was turning them in for using an ineligible player.  Supposedly he knew about it for several weeks but waited until after the game to get a cheap win.  The facts are that the player was eligible but Mayes lost his copy of the CSAP form.

If all you are going on is what Coach Mayes claims, you don't have much evidence as far as I am concerned.

Hopefully the Hornets' new coach will be more interested in his kids than his handicap on the golf course.  The kids deserve better!

have you ever met coach mayes?  he is a great man, and he knows how to coach football, the fact is he only had 23 players this season, and not because most left, but because so many didnt have the grades to play due to the failing school system of pulaski country.  --thats why i left myself.  this year there really wasnt even that much talent, yes they had a few talents but how many kids can play both ways without stopping at all.  There main talent was there line- sheldon bull and karlos richardson.
The problem is teamwork.  that was the problem when d-dawg was on the team and thats the problem now.  Mayes can coach, even though he plays golf- which you should blame him for having a life- he works hard on the team and so does the other coaches. Again what can you do with 23 players in 4A who half of them are the backwash.- i mean they didnt even have there best player- little mcfadden- this year.

[Sensitive]

Yes, I have had that dubious honor.  My time with Mr. Mayes went a long way towards forming my opinion of him.  Discretion prevents me from being more specific.

I repeat my contention that if Ex-Coach Mayes spent as much time working with his team as he did bad mouthing CAC he would have won enough games to be in the playoffs.  Your definition of "great man" and mine are very different.  Great men take challenging situations and try to make a difference.  Little men make excuses and whine.

I never said Oak Grove had enough talent to win the conference, but they had more than some of the teams in 7-4A that beat them.

Who has the responsibility of getting the players on the team to work together?  I had always thought it was the coach. 

Who has the responsibility for seeing that the kids are eligible?  Do the Oak Grove coaches not have access to grades or progress reports?  Can't they find some smart kids to help tutor the kids who can play football even if they can't spell it?

Okay, enough about Coach Mayes.  Let's talk about you just a little.  It amazes me that you left Oak Grove because of its failing school system, but when others leave it is because they were recruited.  What is the difference between you choosing LRC and the kids who chose CAC?  Besides, if they were good enough that CAC was recruiting them, why are they not good enough to play?  You would think that if the CAC coaches were going to break AAA rules to get players, they would get good ones.

Oh, I remember now.  I read your post where you admitted to being a liar.  Would you please do me a favor and stop lying about CAC?

[Sensitive]

Back to the topic of this thread, I would cut back to four or at the most five classifications and eliminate the byes in the playoffs.

[bigtank]

Yes, I have had that dubious honor.  My time with Mr. Mayes went a long way towards forming my opinion of him.  Discretion prevents me from being more specific.

I repeat my contention that if Ex-Coach Mayes spent as much time working with his team as he did bad mouthing CAC he would have won enough games to be in the playoffs.  Your definition of "great man" and mine are very different.  Great men take challenging situations and try to make a difference.  Little men make excuses and whine.

I never said Oak Grove had enough talent to win the conference, but they had more than some of the teams in 7-4A that beat them.

Who has the responsibility of getting the players on the team to work together?  I had always thought it was the coach. 

Who has the responsibility for seeing that the kids are eligible?  Do the Oak Grove coaches not have access to grades or progress reports?  Can't they find some smart kids to help tutor the kids who can play football even if they can't spell it?

Okay, enough about Coach Mayes.  Let's talk about you just a little.  It amazes me that you left Oak Grove because of its failing school system, but when others leave it is because they were recruited.  What is the difference between you choosing LRC and the kids who chose CAC?  Besides, if they were good enough that CAC was recruiting them, why are they not good enough to play?  You would think that if the CAC coaches were going to break AAA rules to get players, they would get good ones.

Oh, I remember now.  I read your post where you admitted to being a liar.  Would you please do me a favor and stop lying about CAC?

i left oak grove becuae i was #1 in my class and was bored to tears because the teachers didnt teach and i wasnt even trying in my classes, yet still #1.  Yes i did play football, but i dont play anymore just because of injuries.
Oh and CAC tryed to get two linemen who are D-1 quality, both have been recruited by the Hogs. And i lied about tyler weddle being Ok to play a game, just because i was asked to.  but why not pull the plank out of your own eye before taking the speck out of mine. 

Oh and the kids at OG have been tutored and have tryed to pass, but it is hard to pass when your teachers dont teach.

oh and i like the idea of 4 or 5 classes and no byes, then with 4 or 5 classes only take 3 seeds for each conference or put more people in each conference.

[Sensitive]

i left oak grove becuae i was #1 in my class and was bored to tears because the teachers didnt teach and i wasnt even trying in my classes, yet still #1. 

If you were number one in your class, then you are correct about the school being lousy.  You can't spell, use capitalization or punctuation.

Oh and CAC tryed to get two linemen who are D-1 quality, both have been recruited by the Hogs.

How did they make  this attempt?  Did they make in-home visits, or just borrow Coach Nutt's cell phone and text them?

And i lied about tyler weddle being Ok to play a game, just because i was asked to.

Why did you lie about editing the above post as you told me you would in a PM?

but why not pull the plank out of your own eye before taking the speck out of mine. 

I will gladly post a retraction and an apology if you can show me a post where I lied about anything on here.

Oh and the kids at OG have been tutored and have tryed to pass, but it is hard to pass when your teachers dont teach.

Aren't the coaches teachers?  Why didn't they get involved?  Besides, if the teachers don't care enough to teach, why would they care enough to grade strictly?  If it doesn't matter it doesn't matter.  Do they just not like the football team?