Pea-Pickin’ Picks Sept. 28

Hillsboro's star Jacques Seward (5)

What a week of prognosticating.
After picking 46 winners and only eight losers in Tennessee preps, 16 winners and two losers in college games and going 8-3 in professional picks last week I started to take a few days off.
But when you’re hot you’re hot and it is the time to move forward and work harder.
I heard an old coach say that once. Or, did he say it twice?
This is going to be a tough week for the Pea-Pickin’ Picks, named appropriately after Tennessee Ernie Ford.
Tennessee Ernie Ford was born in Bristol Tennessee. He went on to become one of the most popular entertainers in Tennessee history.
He reached stardom in the mid 1950’s with a rendition of the song “Sixteen tons.”
I still remember him singing, “You load sixteen tons, what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt. Saint Peter, don't you call me, 'cause I can't go; I owe my soul to the company store...”
Now guys and gals, if you’re using my picks to wager let me warn you that you too will be like the lyrics of Tennessee Ernie Ford’s song, “another day older and deeper in debt.”
There are some hard to pick games across the Volunteer State this week. And who do you pick in the Alabama and Florida State game?
Plus, you never know who is going to show up in throw back uniforms as ugly as those the Philadelphia Eagles wore last week.
Ouch, those threads were hideous.
OK, enough of the procrastinating on the prognosticating.
Last week, The Great Stumpola, and his crystal ball were able to come up with 71 winners and 13 losers. That brings the season total of the “Round Mound of Profound” to 171-57.

HIGH SCHOOL
Knoxville Catholic over Baylor
Bearden over Knoxville Halls
Brainerd over Austin-East
Grace over Bledsoe County
Oak Ridge over Clinton
Cookeville over Cleveland
Dobyns Bennett over Elizabethton
Knoxville Fulton over Morristown East
Ooltewah over Maplewood
Maryville over William Blount
McMinn County over Rhea County
Polk County over Sweetwater
Red Bank over Boyd Buchanan
East Ridge over Sequoyah
Soddy-Daisy over Hixson
South Pittsburg over Tyner
Father Ryan over CPA
Jo Byrns over Forrest
David Lipscomb over Goodpasture
Hillsboro over Hillwood
Howard over Grundy County
MBA over Ravenwood
McCallie over Ensworth
Pearl Cohn over Stratford
Pope John Paul over BGA
Riverdale over Dickson County
Smyrna over Gallatin
CBHS over Carver
Cordova over Arlington
Ezell-Harding over Bishop Byrne
Melrose over Hamilton
Jackson South Side over Jackson Northside
MUS over Memphis Northside
ECS over St. Benedict
White Station over Fairley



COLLEGE
South Carolina over Mississippi St.
Georgia over Mississippi
Clemson over Georgia Tech
Alabama over Florida St.
Chattanooga over The Citadel
Florida over Auburn
Michigan over Northwestern
Southern Cal over Washington

PRO

Atlanta over Houston
Oakland over Miami
Dallas over St. Louis
Pittsburgh over Arizona
New England over Cincinnati
Green Bay over Minnesota
Philadelphia over New York

Vols picked to get back on track

Ahhhh finally, The Great Stumpola is in tune and ready to sing out the truth in the weekly Pea-Pickin'-Picks in memory of Tennessee Ernie Ford. You remember Tennessee Ernie Ford, "bless your little pea-pickin' heart"? He was as popular in Tennessee as Minnie Pearl and Johnny Majors. Oh well, that has been a day or two and some of you don;t know about the Grand Ole Opry. But how about a week of 31 wins and only seven losses? That's what we're talking about. Stumpola is on, just throw me the darn picks. The response has been so good that it is time to step out and pick college and professional games each week. It's more work, but it's what the readers, Craig, Leon and my mother want. Then let's just do it.The winning percentage jumped out of site this past week with the 31-7 record for a total of 100-44 for the season.

HIGH SCHOOL

Austin-East over Scott County

Bearden over Karns

Alcoa over Booker T. Washington

Brainerd over Rhea County

CAK over Wartburg Central

Chattanooga Grace over Temple

Dobyns Bennett over Jefferson County

Farragut over McMinn County

Gatlinburg-Pittman over Happy Valley

Polk County over Grundy County

Chattanooga Central over Hixson

Sullivan South over Johnson County

Knoxville West over Knoxville Halls

Knoxville Catholic over Livingston Academy

Lookout Valley over Whitwell

Tyner over Marion County

Meigs County over East Ridge

Notre Dame over Sequoyah

Oak Ridge over Heritage

William Blount over Ooltewah

Maryville over Powell

Red Bank over Walker Valley

Silverdale over Copper Basin

Bradley Central over Soddy-Daisy

South Pittsburg over David Brainerd

Howard over Tellico Plains

Cleveland over White County

Brentwood Academy over Baylor

Ravenwood over Brentwood

David Lipscomb over Cheatham County

Cookeville over Cumberland County

Franklin County over Lincoln County

Goodpasture over Ezell-Harding

Hillsboro over Maplewood

Jo Byrns over Middle TN Chr.

Lebanon over LaVergne

White House over Macon County

MBA over Pope John Paul

McCallie over Father Ryan

Trousdale County over Monterey

Mt. Pleasant over Perry County

Pearl Cohn over Sycamore

Riverdale over Siegel

Bolton at Craigmont

ECS over Carver

CBHS over MUS

Whitehaven over Collierville

Hollow Rock-Bruceton at South Fulton

Houston at Wooddale

Jackson Central-Merry over Liberty Magnet

Jackson Christian over Gibson County

Melrose over Kingsbury

Raleigh Egypt over Fairley

White Station over Germantown

COLLEGE
Louisville over Syracuse
Navy Over Duke
Boston College over Army
Georgia over Alabama
Tennessee over Arkansas St.
Florida over Ole Miss
Ohio St. over Northwestern
Penn St. over Michigan
Oklahoma St. over Texas Tech
Central Florida over Memphis
Georgia Tech over Virginia
California over Arizona
West Virginia over East Carolina
South Florida over North Carolina
Clemson over North Carolina St
Auburn over New Mexico St.
Texas over Rice
USC over Washington St.
TCU over SMU

PRO
Colts over Texans
Packers over Chargers
Eagles over Lions
Patriots over Bills
Steelers over 49ers
Ravens over Cardinals
Broncos over Jaguars
Browns over Raiders
Panthers over Falcons
Redskins over Giants
Cowboys over Bears

Farragut Dances To Winning Beat

Before the school year began, the 2007-2008 Farragut High School Varsity Dance Team, coached by Lauren Marino and Romni Perrine, took home a first-place trophy.
The 11-girl squad attended the Universal Dance Association Camp at the University of Tennessee July 17-20. The girls learned new choreography, improved their individual technique, and showcased their talents as a team at the camp.
The dancers performed in the Home Routine competition.
With six new members and five returning from the 2006-2007 squad, Farragut surprised the audience and staff with a high level of synchronization and chemistry in their performances.
The routine, choreographed by Kelley Eidenmuller and Valerie Baxter, was to an intense and emotional tune forcing the dancers to convey those expressions through their movements and their facial expressions.
This dramatic performance impressed the judges and set them apart from the other competitors.
Not only did the team place first in Home Routine, Farragut also took home the Leadership Award. This award was voted on by all the attending teams and is defined as the “team that inspires others”.
The squad has put together routines to perform at the high school football games and will attend the TSSAA State Competition in November.
The team has consistently placed in the top 3 each year, including a first place award in 2005.
The High School National Dance Team Competition will take place in February at the Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida. In 2007, Farragut advanced to finals before placing sixth out of more than 60 teams throughout the nation.

Investigation on assaults after Georgia game crosses the state line

ROSSVILLE, Ga. _ Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson said Monday his office made progress in the investigation of an alleged assault and battery of two teens following the Ridgeland and Ringgold football game in Rossville, Ga. on Friday.
Sheriff Wilson said his investigators met with school officials and coaches from both Ooltewah and Ridgeland Monday and reviewed video tape of the incident.
He said that 10 to 12 males, believed to be from the Ooltewah area, approached two Ridgeland players on the field following the Ringgold and Ridgeland game. Investigators confirmed Monday that at least seven Ooltewah football players were present at the game, according to Ridgeland officials.
The sheriff said members of the Ooltewah contingent "were challenging" the Ridgeland players verbally and that one of the Owls players dates a Ridgeland girl.
Sheriff Wilson said his Ridgeland School Resource Officer helped prevent any type of encounter between the Ooltewah contingent and two Panthers players who were targeted on the field following the game.
He said the players went on to the locker room and an incident broke out between two Ridgeland students that was unrelated. He said after the SRO broke that incident up he heard screaming coming from near the rear entrance to the high school.
The sheriff said that a 19-year-old male and a 15-year-old female were "random victims" assaulted in the parking lot near the school. Sheriff Wilson said the 15-year-old girl suffered a broken jaw and a broken nose, and her 19-year-old brother received broken teeth and facial damage.
The sheriff said the attackers then fled the scene through the school.
Felony charges are pending, including aggravated battery, according to the sheriff.
On Monday, Walker County investigators met with school officials, coaches and law enforcement representatives of Ridgeland and Ooltewah at Ridgeland where they reviewed video tape in an effort to identify those involved.
"This was a productive meeting," the sheriff said.
Both victims were also interviewed by investigators on Monday.
Ooltewah football coach Benny Monroe said Sunday morning that he had gone to watch Farragot and Bearden play in Knoxville Friday. He said his wife called him while he was on the way back to tell him somebody called into a local radio show and said Ooltewah players were involved in a fight at Ridgeland.
Monroe said he has talked to five of his players personally who said they were at the Ridgeland football game, but he was told that none was involved in a fight. He said these five players "would probably tell the truth."
"They said there may have been Ooltewah people involved, but not players," Monroe said. "I do have two players who I had suspended from the team (in the past) that might have been involved."
However, Monroe said he was not been told the two former players were involved in the alleged attack.
"We did have players go to the game and one said they were down there goofing off," he said. "If I find out I had a player who knocked somebody's teeth out they will be off the team."
However, Monroe said he would not suspend players for "being rowdy," referring to the reported verbal exchange between Ooltewah players and Ridgeland players following the game. Ooltewah has only nine football games this season and it was the Owls second bye week in the season.
Ridgeland coach Mark Mariakis said the incident Friday was unfortunate and should not have happened.
His team had just defeated 7-AAAA foe Ringgold 30-10 before an overflow crowd estimated at more than 5,000 people.
"Our football team, community and our fans were enjoying one of our greatest wins on a Friday night filled with atmosphere," Mariakis said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who were injured and hopefully law enforcement will get to the bottom of the situation soon."
Mariakis said he was proud of his players, coaches and parents and the way they handled this incident.
The veteran coach said a group of youngsters came on the field following the game and began yelling at some of his players.
"Some of our coaches saw the group on the field while we were enjoying a big win," Mariakis said. "I'm proud our players didn’t respond to the jeers and threats made towards them."
He said his team was fortunate that his coaches saw what was happening and escorted the players to the locker room.
A friend of the two injured in the alleged attack said the teens did not have any medical insurance.
Ridgeland (3-0) travels to Northwest Whitfield (3-0) for a key 7-AAAA game on Friday. Ooltewah (2-0) visits William Blount (3-0) on Friday.

Pea-Pickin' Picks Sept. 14

OK, this week was much better. The Great Stumpola is starting to get into midseason picking form early in the season. The 15-9 struggle of the week before has been forgotten. That was replaced by a good week of picking for the weekly Pea-Pickin'-Picks in memory of Tennessee Ernie Ford.

With 26 wins and 8 losses last week the overall percentage moves up to 69-37. Just look at the picture above, the McCallie boys are happy with my picks.

Pea-Pickin' Picks
Baylor over Fort Walton Beach High, FL
Boyd Buchanan over Chattanooga Grace
Bradley Central over Chattanooga Central
Red Bank over Brantford, Canada
McMinn County over Cleveland
Howard over East Ridge
Farragut over Bearden
Loudon over Greenback
Grundy County over Marion Co.
McCallie over Hardeeville S.C.
Maryville over Heritage
Kingston over Rockwood
Austin-East over Knoxville Carter
Knoxville Catholic over Knoxville Webb
Fulton over Tyner
S. Pittsburg over Lookout Valley
Meigs County over Notre Dame
Morristown East over Jefferson Co
Oak Ridge over Dobyns Bennett
Polk County over Tellico Plains
Rhea County over Soddy-Daisy
McMinn Central over Sequoyah
Knoxville West over Sevier County
Brentwood Academy over Smyrna
Jo Byrns over Community
Lebanon over Cookeville
Mt. Pleasant over Cornersville
David Lipscomb over Stratford
Father Ryan over Nashville Overton
Franklin over McGavock
Tullahoma over Coffee Co.
Pearl Cohn over Whites Creek
Cordova over Bolton
MUS over Carver
CBHS over Wooddale
ECS over CPA
Melrose over Whitehaven
White Station over Memphis East

Top player suspended

The fall of a high school athlete is always tough for me to handle. I still remember my days as a player and the upcoming senior center who was suspended from the team for smoking cigarettes during the summer after being caught by our coach. I moved up on the depth chart, but to this day almost 40 years later it still bothers me that he didn't get to play. News out of Alcoa today was sad for me. Stefan Cooper of The Blount Today reports that one of the top players in the state, Brian Sommer, has been suspended from the top-ranked 2A Alcoa football team. The Blount Today report quotes Alcoa coach Gary Rankin as saying, “He’s dismissed from the team. He'll never play another down for Alcoa High School. Never.” Sommer had been suspended earlier this season for being late for school and missed the first game of the season, according to Maryville Daily Times sports editor John Brice. The Blount Today reports that Sommer, 18, of 3562 Wexgate Road, Knoxville, was arrested Tuesday at the school. The report says he was charged with simple possession of Schedule VI controlled substance. He was held in lieu of $750 bond pending a 9 a.m. Sept. 13 Blount County General Sessions Court hearing.

The story goes on to add that according to a warrant Alcoa police were requested by Alcoa High School personnel to do a K-9 “sniff” of vehicles in the parking lot. A K-9 drug dog was brought in and marijuana was found "all over the front and rear seats," according to The Blount Today report. Here's an athlete with the best part of his life in front of him. The senior is one of the top prospects in the state. Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina are just a few of the colleges who have already offered Sommer a scholarship. He was a member of our Varsity Sports Media's Tennessee Football magazine Phenoms and we featured him with a story in the magazine. I truly hope that this young man gets through this part of his life and gets back on the right path. The Blount Today reported that Coach Rankin said: “A lot of programs, and (Maryville coach) George (Quarles) and I talked about this the other night, if Maryville football or Alcoa football is not strong enough to hold you, I don't want you anyway.” The Atlanta Falcons will go on without Michael Vick and the Tennessee Titans will go without Adam "Pacman" Jones, who both have been suspended from the NFL for conduct off of the field. And I'm sure that Alcoa will go on without Brian Sommer. But, I do pray for Sommer's recovery and for him to return to the classrooms and to one day to utilize his talents again on the gridiron.

Heading into the third week of the Tennessee prep football season the teams begin to gain some momentum and should be cutting back on mistakes and cramps.

I know, it's Week 2 on the TSSAA schedule because we all know about Week 0. Don't get me started on that.

It's time for the weekly Pea-Pickin'-Picks in memory of Tennessee Ernie Ford.

Last week was a tough one. The Great Stumpola looked deep into the crystal ball and found nothing. That accounts for a 15-9 record that brings the season total to 43-29.

But this week there's a promise to do better.

September 7
Alcoa over White House
Maryville over Clinton

Sweetwater over Rockwood
Baylor over MBA
Smyrna over Lebannon
Ooltewah over McMinn County
Brentwood Academy over McCallie
Loudon over CAK
White Station over Whitehaven
Jo Byrns over Clarksville Academy
Silverdale over Grace
Rhea County over Hixson
Father Ryan over BGA
Trousdale over Watertown
Sullivan South over Unicoi County
Houston over Hamilton
McKenzie over Hollow Rock-Bruceton
Morristown East over David Crockett
York Institute over Cannon County
Oak Ridge over Bradley Central
William Blount over Soddy-Daisy
Lookout Valley over David Brainerd
Polk County over East Ridge
Tyner over Bledsoe County
Cleveland over Brainerd
Meigs County over McMinn Central
Red Bank over Central
Melrose over Raleigh Egypt
Cordova over Memphis Central

CBHS over Craigmont
Knoxville Catholic over Austin-East

Knoxville Fulton over Anderson County
David Lipscomb over Page

Pearl Cohn over Macon County

An Orange-tainted Recruiting trip

To Georgia football fans the color orange signifies all but one of the school’s enemies. To Georgia fans their most hated rival Georgia Tech is known as the yellow bellies and wear gold.
But the Florida Gators, Auburn Tigers and Tennessee Vols all wear the orange color fans are taught from a young age to scowl at.
Old Georgia fans still have Clemson on the hate list from a long rivalry of the two schools about an hour apart.
So when a 2009 Georgia recruit’s family, who just happen to be the parents of Oklahoma State standout receiver Adarius Bowman, show up decked out in orange at the Cowboys and Bulldogs game last week the trip soon went in the wrong direction.
Tara Bowman has a houseful of football talent in her home in the Chattanooga area. There’s Adarius, one of the top college receivers in the nation. There’s his brother Michael Bowman, an outstanding junior receiver from Ridgeland High School, with many of the same physical and athletic abilities as big brother.
Then there’s Devan, a freshman defensive back/tailback, who starts at Chattanooga Notre Dame, and might be the best football player in the family one day.
Michael’s talents got Tara, her husband Terrance and the family an unofficial recruiting visit to the Georgia and Oklahoma State game on Saturday.
The family arrived at Sanford Stadium decked out in the Oklahoma State orange. Reports are that when the family turned up in the recruiting room they drew some attention. Of course they did. They were wearing the color Georgia fans are taught to detest.
Tara Bowman said she was told by the Georgia folks that the family couldn’t wear the orange attire and sit in the recruits section and they offered them Georgia shirts to wear.
She told the Athens Daily-Banner that she told the Georgia folks to talk to the Bulldogs coaching staff because they knew her other son played for Oklahoma State.Tara Bowman said she was frustrated and wanted to support both of her sons.
She said she later talked with Georgia coach Mark Richt, who understood. The recruiting staff gave the Bowman’s tickets elsewhere in the stadium.
But that is where the story really goes south.
Bowman said the tops of the tickets were torn off before she received them. So when they were taken to another gate where they could re-enter the stadium they were not allowed to enter because the tops had been torn off.
They were then taken back to their original location where they wore their orange attire surrounded by those wearing red-and-black.
That had to be a bad situation.
Undoubtedly, the Georgia fans were not very hospitable to those dressed in orange.
Adarius Bowman was recruited by Georgia before selecting North Carolina out of high school. He later transferred to Oklahoma State. Don’t expect to see Michael Bowman in Bulldog Land either.
Although, Michael is a star at Ridgeland in Georgia and his little brother went through spring practice at Ridgeland and ended up at Chattanooga Notre Dame in Tennessee.

Prankster suspended after duping foes

High School pranks can be funny, but often times somebody has to pay the price if they get caught.
I remember when the seniors at one Chattanooga area school decided to cut the goal posts off at the ground.
Ouch.
If one of the kids who was involved hadn't been the son of a machine shop owner that would have really cost somebody.
I know somebody who once took a reef and placed it at the front door of a local high school with a note about how the opposition was going to bury them.
Sadly the opposition did.
A Soddy-Daisy wrestler suprised the crowd at the Red Bank/Soddy-Daisy football game a couple of years ago. He dashed out of the crowd and through the band on the field at Red Bank wearing nothing but shoes and a smile. He ran across the field and climbed the fence and through the woods he ran where he was picked up by his friend.
But the best one I have heard recently happened last week in Hilliard, Ohio.
A high school student was suspended for tricking football fans from a crosstown rival into holding up signs that together spelled out, ``We Suck.''
The Hilliard Davidson High School student from suburban Columbus said he spent more than 20 hours over three days plotting the trick.
He even captured the prank on video and posted on the video-sharing Web site YouTube. He said he was inspired by a similar prank pulled by Yale students in 2004, when Harvard fans were duped into holding up cards with the same message. At the end of the video he thanks the 800 Hilliard Darby High School supporters who raised the cards at the start of the third quarter during last Friday's football game.
``It couldn't have been done without you,'' reads the closing frame of the video.
The prankster created a grid to plan how the message would be spelled out once fans in three sections held up either a black or white piece of construction paper. Directions left on stadium seats instructed fans to check that the number listed on their papers matched their seat numbers. Darby supporters were told the message would read ``Go Darby.''
The Davidson principal gave the culprit and two students who helped him three days of in-school suspension and banned them from extracurricular activities for a semester, the students said.
The Associated Press contributed to this post

Tennessee-Kentucky All-star game ends

The Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association made a wise choice to end the Tennessee-Kentucky All-Star high school football game.

The 24-year-old game played annually on a rotating basis in each state has been on the decline in the past few years.

TACA has replaced the Tennessee-Kentucky game with an East-West All-star game that will be played on December 15 of this year at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee.

Selected seniors who have completed their eligibility will practice Dec. 12-14.

This clears the way for the annual Stump On Sports Tennessee-Georgia All-Star Classic in June at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga to be the only summer game.

The Tennessee-Georgia Classic had been played a week before the Tennessee-Kentucky game each year with some of the Tennessee players participating in both.