Their name used to be thrown around alot and they seemed to be in the hunt every season. Now it's like they don't even exist anymore. They still have a football team?
Brevard
- Thread starter Chopper747
- Start date
Very true. Never thought once. Where are they?
(L) Brevard vs Andrews 20-6
(L) Brevard vs Rosman 42-7
(L) Brevard vs Andrews 20-6
(L) Brevard vs Rosman 42-7
Very few people born in the mountain areas come back after school to these areas. Asheville is the only place with infrastructure and jobs in the Blue Ridge. It will get worse.
Brevard is turning into a tourist town with rich retirees moving in all the time,build their fancy homes but they have no school age kids.
What used to be a blue collar town centered on plant jobs now feels more like a suburban college town with a tourist economy. You still see people moving into town that do have kids, but those kids seem to be more into country club sports than football. They've been state runner-up in tennis the last 2 years, though.
Their current HC has stated he wants them to be more physical, and that takes time (heck, getting used to any system by a new coach takes time). Will Big Blue ever again be one of WNC's premier football teams? No one really knows, but they don't need me trying to cover them with dirt.
(That said, it has been great fun watching Rosman win 3 in a row against them.)
(That said, it has been great fun watching Rosman win 3 in a row against them.)
Sad but True!
There was an article in the Transylvania Times yesterday where a developer said he was basically lied too by the City of Brevard, and could not get the Brevard City leaders to communicate with him.....This is not the first time this has happened, and it probably won't be the last because the City and County Goverment to a large degree have been asleep at the wheel since Ecusta and Dupont closed, and there really aren't any chance IMO that this County will ever reverse their Tourist agenda to try and lure Blue Collar jobs back to the County because a lot of the people that are in these County positions also own their own business, so you know that they are going to do whatever it takes to keep the Tourist dollars flowing toward those businesses....
Sad state of affairs for natives in Transylvania County who at one time had the lowest employment rate in the state, but now has one of the highest....
If you don't work for the school system, the hospital, County Government, the Sheriffs office or own your own trade business, you really have NO other options, and none coming!
I hope Brevard can turn it around, but it's hard at the moment for me to see that happening with the current County trend....
Yeah, I used the drench method with some Merit last fall, and the Hemlock looked great this year....There of course are the Sassy Beatles that cost about 3 or 4 dollars each, but once the adelgid is gone, they starve too death, so haven't used any of those yet, but they are a good option if you have some Hemlocks that are close to a creek, river or lake....
Pesky little critters, those adelgids!
Don't mean to turn this into a thread about Hemlocks, but the Adelgids produce twice a year, so the drench method needs to be done in either early May or mid to late October, and the ground needs to be wet when you drench the soil around the tree with the Merit...Of course, that's been a problem this year with the drought, so a person may have to use a soaker-hose to get the ground good and wet before aerating the area, and soaking it with chemicals ..The chemicals(Merit) that I used are very concentrated, and are measured, put in a 5 Gallon bucket of water, and stirred with a stick....Got to first start by measuring the diameter of the tree to know how much Chemical to use per tree...It generally takes several 5 Gallon Buckets of Water with Chemicals per tree in order to saturate the entire area around the Hemlock...
Back to the subject!
Back to the subject!
Hope Coach Pritchett can make some changes as new coach
2000 Defensive Freshman of the year
2001 National Football Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete
2002-2003 All Conference and Academic All District
2003 All Region
2003 All-American
2002-2003 SAC Scholar Athlete
2003 AFCA Good Work's Team
2003 President's Award
In 2014 Tusculum College inducted Craig Pritchett into their Hall of Fame.
2000 Defensive Freshman of the year
2001 National Football Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete
2002-2003 All Conference and Academic All District
2003 All Region
2003 All-American
2002-2003 SAC Scholar Athlete
2003 AFCA Good Work's Team
2003 President's Award
In 2014 Tusculum College inducted Craig Pritchett into their Hall of Fame.
Whoa, no it's not. Brevard has a big economy, just not the type of economy that brings child bearing families to the area. 20 years ago, Brevard had the Ecusta paper mill and DuPont industries to feed the program, and now they boast tourism and retirees once those mills left town. Trading manufacturing for tourism and retirement never hurt the economy per say, it just changed the dynamic that fed the football program.
I've known more that have come back, than haven't and no, Henderson County has a huge manufacturing infrastructure as well. GE, Kimberly Clark, Meritor, Kyocera, Clement Pappas, Borg Warner, Continental Teves, etc. The Mountain Home, Fletcher, Mills River districts, where most of the industry in Henderson County is becoming centered, is all part of the West Henderson High School district which could explain their resurgence.
Met the new coach at a wing t clinic this past spring. Seems like a good coach. His system will take time. If the fans will give him time it is a great system for the type of kids they have. But, his playing experience has nothing to do with being a good coach. I've worked with former NFL players who couldn't coach a HS kid to save their life.
so because the jobs left the kids did. Well you still have 2a size kids that go to school there. They cant beat a school with 275 kids and another with 300. give me a break dont blame it on that. seems the kids don't care.
Yes, talent is an issue. Before Ecusta left, Brevard had a 1000 kids. They're pushing 700 these days. Second, when Essenberg retired, so did the culture. It's the same conflict McDowell has had for nearly a decade despite having 1800 kids. I don't care if you have 3,000 to pick from, if you change coaches 4 times in 8 years, and are hemorrhaging in numbers coming out for football, you won't be any good. That I promise you.
very true now the coaching situation is a good argument but just cause some people moved away and your numbers are still 2a. The plant moving and retirees are not killing brevard. Looks like even if brevard was 1a they would struggle to win any
Nope. And I bet you don't either. I've coached with a few guys who played in the NFL. Some were good HS coaches others weren't. Get it?!
I don't think anyone is arguing whether they are 2A or not. We are discussing the changes in what has led Brevard from being one of the traditional powers in WNC, to the laughingstock of WNC in just a short amount of time. It wasn't but 10 years ago that Brevard knocked off Shelby to take the #1 ranking in 2A football. The days of Manny and Pierre Deshauteurs, Frankie Waters, the Harris Brothers, etc, are long gone.
but you blaming parents leaving. I'm saying they still have plenty of kids in the school to compete. no reason they aren't better.
I think the argument is that the demographics of the town have changed due to a shift in the focus in the economy. Kids of mill workers tend to play more football than kids of real estate agents and glassblowers.
Oh! Brett Farve was suppose to have a team i Alabama or somewhere. Wonder how that turned out
How about a rebrand to reflect the new economy? Maybe the Brevard Brewers?
There are lots of cities/towns that dont have a factory based economy but alot of kids still play football.
Debate until you're blue in the face. I was here, I saw it. Everyone in this town knows that when Ecusta and DuPont left, the football program suffered. It's still suffering. 300 kids lost and it's still in decline. There is simply no talent in Brevard anymore, at least on the level it once was. I agree that they should be better than Andrews, but they aren't. Kids just don't care about football in Brevard anymore.
I'm not sure some of you realize how big Ecusta was and how much it sustained Brevard. Just imagine what would happen to Pisgah if Champion left Canton, and you'd then know what happened to Brevard.
No, having factories isn't a prerequisite for good high school football. However, having an economy that mainly draws tourists and artists doesn't draw many football players to your town. Replacing blue collar folks that observe a tradition of football with families more interested in the arts and non-contact sports is what killed Brevard football.
No the problem is,many Plants have had interest in moving to Brevard,but the city and county goverment has turned them away.if you want proof just how much they care about Tourism,just look at where Ecusta used to be,just a big open field and I'm surprised they haven't turned it into another resort for migrates.
The end result is, there is just not enough players that satisfies the need. This conversation is just going back and forth. I'm dizzy
First off, I would like to congratulate Coach Pritchett and the Bluedevils on ending the 15 game losing-streak at Madison County, and wish the Bluedevils luck for the rest of the season in the WNCAC...
Now as far as the current topic, I spoke with Dan Essenburg last friday in Rosman, and he is NOT of the same opinion as many that losing Ecusta and Dupont is the reason for the dramatic competitive dropoff in Brevard, and said it made him mad to read such garbage on Preps because it's nothing but an excuse for failure....He said the biggest problem is that the mindset of the kids and the parents is different now than it was, and that Brevard can turn things around, but the kids have got to be willing, and dedicated to work in the offseason to get stronger and more aggressive for that to happen....As most know, Dan coached the last great Brevard team in 2007 that narrowly missed playing for a state title that year, losing to Lincolnton on the road in the final 2 minutes on a C.J.Wilson 50+yd TD run when Brevard had him pended to the sideline....As Dan mentioned, Brevard's tradition of football is much like Rosman in that they need to be able to run the ball, and defend the run, and that comes with a lot of work in the offseason in the weightroom...
It's hard to deny that Brevard's numbers are down but as Coach Essenburg pointed out to me....Those plants were already shut down for nearly 10 years before that 2007 team hit the field, so he's naturally NOT convinced that is the problem now....He also mentioned that his last team in 2007 didn't have any stars, but did have a lot of kids who liked each other, worked their tails off, and played for each other, and felt that was the reason that the 2007 team was so successful...
Hard to argue with a Coach who has been there, has coached on both ends of the County, and knows what kind of commitment from the kids that it takes to turn things around....
Asked him what he thought of Coach Pritchett, and he said he thought that he could turn things around if the Kids buy in, and do the work....
Just thought I would relay the words and feelings of a former Coach who has been an Assistant and a Head Coach for the Bluedevils....
Roar Tigers Roar!
Now as far as the current topic, I spoke with Dan Essenburg last friday in Rosman, and he is NOT of the same opinion as many that losing Ecusta and Dupont is the reason for the dramatic competitive dropoff in Brevard, and said it made him mad to read such garbage on Preps because it's nothing but an excuse for failure....He said the biggest problem is that the mindset of the kids and the parents is different now than it was, and that Brevard can turn things around, but the kids have got to be willing, and dedicated to work in the offseason to get stronger and more aggressive for that to happen....As most know, Dan coached the last great Brevard team in 2007 that narrowly missed playing for a state title that year, losing to Lincolnton on the road in the final 2 minutes on a C.J.Wilson 50+yd TD run when Brevard had him pended to the sideline....As Dan mentioned, Brevard's tradition of football is much like Rosman in that they need to be able to run the ball, and defend the run, and that comes with a lot of work in the offseason in the weightroom...
It's hard to deny that Brevard's numbers are down but as Coach Essenburg pointed out to me....Those plants were already shut down for nearly 10 years before that 2007 team hit the field, so he's naturally NOT convinced that is the problem now....He also mentioned that his last team in 2007 didn't have any stars, but did have a lot of kids who liked each other, worked their tails off, and played for each other, and felt that was the reason that the 2007 team was so successful...
Hard to argue with a Coach who has been there, has coached on both ends of the County, and knows what kind of commitment from the kids that it takes to turn things around....
Asked him what he thought of Coach Pritchett, and he said he thought that he could turn things around if the Kids buy in, and do the work....
Just thought I would relay the words and feelings of a former Coach who has been an Assistant and a Head Coach for the Bluedevils....
Roar Tigers Roar!
I had a teacher in high school who played football in Brevard in the 70's and he would share stories with the class about how much of a football town it was. One my favorite was a Barber denying a kid a haircut because he had quit the football team. He would go on to say that you were on outcast if you didn't play football. Seems Brevard is far from that culture as is most places now. I saw Brevards basketball team at Polk last year and they had plenty of athletes so seems to me it is more of a culture thing.
It followed the town, I'm telling you. When Brevard lost it's blue collar mentality, so did the school and thus the football program. Brevard used to be a helluva football program. Very tough. Heck, they have one of the largest capacity stadiums in the state, and they're only 2A. That town lived and died for Blue Devil football.
Seems like there is a thread like this every year. From talking with coaches and volunteers more involved in the program than I am nowadays, it seems to be all on the kids attitudes and work ethic.
Glad they got their first "W"
Glad they got their first "W"
