madman11;823702 wrote:Beast- How are your Bears looking??

i got the bears finishing in the top 3 with an upset win over norwayne!....a little pay back from last year

madman11;823702 wrote:Beast- How are your Bears looking??

Allow me to answer this for my friend.....

We look weak, it is going to be a looooong year in The Creek. We lost some of our younger more promising athletes to the Amish schools in the area. Damn those recruiters. The cupboard is bare, we might win a game if the other team doesn't show up. Our band has more members than our football team does. We are rebuilding, so hopefully our kids can keep their spirits up another dozen or so years until our program gets back on its feet. It is going to be a looooooong season. And our wrestling team isn't much better.

How'd I do?????????

THE4RINGZ;827361 wrote:Allow me to answer this for my friend.....

We look weak, it is going to be a looooong year in The Creek. We lost some of our younger more promising athletes to the Amish schools in the area. Damn those recruiters. The cupboard is bare, we might win a game if the other team doesn't show up. Our band has more members than our football team does. We are rebuilding, so hopefully our kids can keep their spirits up another dozen or so years until our program gets back on its feet. It is going to be a looooooong season. And our wrestling team isn't much better.

How'd I do?????????

LOL...I have been playing my cards close to the vest (no pun intended)....I still need to evaluate the situation...but I think you hit it spot on!!!

This is how Miyagi predicts the season as of right now
1 norwayne
2 hillsdale
3 smithies
4 ACSJ (Apple Creek St. Joseph)
5 dalton
6 rittman
7 chipps
8 huskies
now all things could change...... if the huskies 2 lineman transfers from Cardinal Mooney pan out and the Black River running back transfer is better than what they have now, they may jump up to 4 spots...... like Miyagi says all things could change come the end of August, just early predictions

Ok, I'm curious. I've seen several people picking Smithville to finish near or at the top of the WCAL. I'm not saying that it won't happen but I'm not sure what is behind this turn around. Can anyone explain it to me? They didn't even put up a decent fight against a few of the leagues best last year and a couple of those teams are returning ALOT of talent. Any input?

footballnut;827475 wrote:Ok, I'm curious. I've seen several people picking Smithville to finish near or at the top of the WCAL. I'm not saying that it won't happen but I'm not sure what is behind this turn around. Can anyone explain it to me? They didn't even put up a decent fight against a few of the leagues best last year and a couple of those teams are returning ALOT of talent. Any input?

My guess....this is Schrock's Swan Song and a guy like him will rally the troops to go out on a positive note.

THE4RINGZ;827589 wrote:My guess....this is Schrock's Swan Song and a guy like him will rally the troops to go out on a positive note.

Add to the fact that the Smithies were hampered with alot of injuries last year as well, and they are right near the top of the crop. My Bears...well....::sigh:: 4RINGZ has us pegged...and Myagi is a sandbagger...Im curious how many of those Black River kids will be Huskies....

1_beast;827594 wrote:Add to the fact that the Smithies were hampered with alot of injuries last year as well, and they are right near the top of the crop. My Bears...well....::sigh:: 4RINGZ has us pegged...and Myagi is a sandbagger...Im curious how many of those Black River kids will be Huskies....

Hopefully a lot of them and some former Cloverleaf kids too. NWN is pimping their open enrollment policy hard.

yes Miyagi sandbags a little, just trying to keep up with Beast.... hardly any transfers 4Ringz, they may be pimping open enrollment hard but unlike many schools they are really pushing academic excellence yeah yeah i know.....things have changed a lot since Redrum and Ringz attended there !

Who was hurt last year for the Smithies that is coming back this year. I know Bates was and he is a good athlete. I wouldn't put him in the top 2 or 3 in the WCAL though....even healthy. I know they have nice backs but I wouldnt call them superstars. A good line can definitely make mediocre backs and quarterbacks look great. That has to be what everyone is thinking.

I think Hillsdale will be much better then people are thinking. In my opinion they have the best coach in the league.

I think Norwayne is still the team to beat. I hear they have 3 very good classes stacked on top of each other. It's hard to get any info about who's who there. Most of the people I know from there are being very tight lipped.

footballnut;827808 wrote:Who was hurt last year for the Smithies that is coming back this year. I know Bates was and he is a good athlete. I wouldn't put him in the top 2 or 3 in the WCAL though....even healthy. I know they have nice backs but I wouldnt call them superstars. A good line can definitely make mediocre backs and quarterbacks look great. That has to be what everyone is thinking.

I know Bates, Kelbly and Hilty missed time last season. All three are two-way starters.

I think the positive outlook for Smithville is due in large part to 19 returning starters and the addition of Besancon back to the coaching staff.

Footballnut, Are you calling Bates a mediocre quarterback and Hilty, Steiner, and Buss mediocre backs? I just want this to be clear for future reference.

No, not at all. I dont know that much about them. I'm a big football fan. I actually am an Orrville fan and a big fan of area football. I think we (Wayne County) play some of the best ball in the state. I watched Smithville play Norwayne and Hillsdale last year and I also watched Hillsdale play Norwayne. I just dont see it with Smithville that's all. They were handled in those games and both teams have a lot coming back. I really didnt seee anything that any of the guys mentioned above did that made them stick out to me...in fact Smithville got spanked in both games. I was definitely impressed with Norwayne and Hillsdale. That game could have gone either way. The Norwayne staff was outcoached. I have a lot of friends spread throughout Wayne County so I hear a lot about the county teams. I'm not that close to Hillsdale but they have an impressive bunch of athletes. I'm assuming Mr. Russell is a Smithville guy. No offense Mr Russell....I just dont see it

Easy Mr. Russell! Smithville has every reason to be optimistic for the upcoming season Footballnut. The players mentioned are fine athletes. I dont know the Steiner boy but I know the Hilty boy is a fine young man. He works very hard and doesnt say a whole lot. The kind of kid every coach loves. Buss is very fast and low to the ground. Bates, in my opinion is one of the better overall athletes in the league. I agree that he is not one of the top couple QB's in the league but he is a great athlete and can make things happen. With that many returning starters Smithville has every reason to be excited about 2011. I do however agree with Footballnuts earlier assessment. Smithville did get handled in both of those games last year. I didn't see them play Hillsdale but I was at the Norwayne game. The score could have actually been a lot worse. Norwayne had their backups and Freshmen in for the fourth qtr. Bates and Hilty both played in that game. I dont know who Kelby is but it's sounds like he's not going to be back this year. I assume he was a senior last year.

No offense taken footballnut. I don't post on here much anymore, not because I don't respect the opinions of others, but because of all of the false information that is often posted. I already know all there is to know about Bates, Hilty, Steiner, and Buss. Obviously there are some other people who they need to prove themselves to. It should be a great fall in the WCAL. Also, Kelbly is back and is on the radar of numerous division one colleges. Michigan, West Virginia, Pitt, and Toledo were all at the school this month. Scary thing is last year he wasn't even the best lineman Smithville had. That goes to Zach Douglass and he is also back and also being recruited by Toledo. Everyone knows about Hillsdale and Norwayne, and everyone should respect them by now, but looking at Smithville going 2-8 last year and expecting that to have anything to do with their record this year would be the wrong decision to make in my opinion.

Mr. Russell;827998 wrote:No offense taken footballnut. I don't post on here much anymore, not because I don't respect the opinions of others, but because of all of the false information that is often posted. I already know all there is to know about Bates, Hilty, Steiner, and Buss. Obviously there are some other people who they need to prove themselves to. It should be a great fall in the WCAL. Also, Kelbly is back and is on the radar of numerous division one colleges. Michigan, West Virginia, Pitt, and Toledo were all at the school this month. Scary thing is last year he wasn't even the best lineman Smithville had. That goes to Zach Douglass and he is also back and also being recruited by Toledo. Everyone knows about Hillsdale and Norwayne, and everyone should respect them by now, but looking at Smithville going 2-8 last year and expecting that to have anything to do with their record this year would be the wrong decision to make in my opinion.

I see 6-4 in their future.
I can talk as much crap as I want, my Bulldogs might be lucky to go 5-5.

I pick Norwayne this year to take it all.

Last seasons results are fun to look at but you can't base this coming year on what happened then. Just look at Northwestern a few years ago.. In 2004, Northwestern finished 2-8 with there only wins coming against two 0-10 teams.. They were blown out more then not, yet in 2005 the Huskies were playing for a Regional Title. It may not happen often but a quick turnaround is possible.

Smithvilles line is by far the best in the league next year. I think if they can keep the turnovers to a minimum then the smithies are league champs. Norwaynes line won't be able to compete with smithvilles and I see smithville dominating the line of scrimmage that game. With besancon back on staff he will be able to take a big load of schrocks shoulders. I see smithville going 8-2 next year with the bears or falcons right behind them.

Ok I'm curious how hillsdale is looking? I know they got 2 good backs coming back along with the quarterback but who else do they have??

The thing with Hillsdale is success breeds success. After years of being the whipping boy in the WCAL they have turned the corner and are looking for some revenge. You can't discount that in any fight.

Shut down Smithvilles inside counter/trap...and you beat them...but it has worked for 40 years....

when my 7 year old predicts the smithies offensive plays...how can def cords not defend it? but as soon as you collapse on that...they come off tackle or jet sweeps...good play calling and blocking schemes in smithie land

1_beast;828707 wrote:Shut down Smithvilles inside counter/trap...and you beat them...but it has worked for 40 years....

when my 7 year old predicts the smithies offensive plays...how can def cords not defend it? but as soon as you collapse on that...they come off tackle or jet sweeps...good play calling and blocking schemes in smithie land

Have to agree with you beast. I've been watching this kick our butts alot in the past 20 years.

thedemoralizer7;828625 wrote:Ok I'm curious how hillsdale is looking? I know they got 2 good backs coming back along with the quarterback but who else do they have??

There is a cautious buzz of excitment in Falcon country. I hear attendence has been strong at weightlift, ect. The leadership from the seniors last year will be the toughest thing to replace from last year....not neccessarily their talent.....that is saying alot. There are some very nice pieces coming back on both sides of the ball....don't really feel like name dropping....

Both linebackers, several D-line starters/contributors, guys that saw time in the secondary(couple of big hitters!), a couple starters on the o-line, plus returning backup o-lineman that contributed all season...but saw major minutes in the playoffs and did very well, recieving corps will be soild, along with the above mentioned backs and quarterback. Speed and toughness all around the field. No one is going to boast about a leauge title or playoff birth, but both are/should be realistic goals for this team. If they countinue to follow the example set by the last few groups of seniors, this team will be in every game on their schedule. IMO

How many seniors did the Falcons lose?

Is it just me, or does anyone else think its crazy that we have spoken of Hillsdale, Norwayne and over the last decade, Northwestern as Pre Season favorites? I love the idea that these kids are feeling success on the field and we are seeing more good ball being played, as opposed to only hearing about "The Big 3".....

Smithville has plenty to be excited about this year, but you better have Hillsdale AND Norwayne on your radar!!!! Looks to be another competitive year in the WCAL!!!