With a couple of new faces joining the MAC how does everyone see this panning out? I know the Usual suspects will be at the top but what are everyone's thoughts? How has all the teams looked thus far and going into summer?
MAC 2017
- Thread starter WNCfballFan
- Start date
I dont even know who is goin to be in our conference next year, but we return as little talent as I have seen in decades at AHS
ACR should win it. Dinwiddie is doing a good job bringing TCR back. Not sure about Asheville or Erwin. Enka and N. Buncombe fight for the bottom. West wasn't very good last year after two solid years before, North Hend. lost their QB/best athlete to Hendo. Tuscola loses 4 out of 5 starters on the o-line, their entire starting RB corps and all 3 starting receivers to graduation. However watch for rising juniors Brandon Cullins, Brayden Monday, and Will Smathers. Cullins, whose dad and uncles all played in the 70's and early 80's, is probably the best athlete on campus in some time. Monday's dad is also a former Mountaineer and has done a solid job at LB. Smathers came on strong late in the season on the d-line when some starters went down with illness/injury.
If St. Onge continues to develop as a passer ACR's offense will be scary. Then you have Robinson who is the best WR in WNC as far as I'm concerned. Obviously running the ball won't ever be an issue no matter who ends up getting the bulk of the carries. The defense will be solid with the big Torres kid creating chaos. Not sure about the measurables but that kid loves to hit and he's got heart. Defense seemed to be well coached (though sometimes unfocused) for the most part last year so I don't expect that to change.
The biggest question mark will be whether the offense evolves after that Weddington debacle and utilizes the middle of the field in the passing game. Weddington did their homework and played their safeties outside the numbers to take away the screen and the deep shot on the boundary, knowing that we wouldn't throw over the middle. St. Onge has a decent arm and if he can stay in the pocket a bit more ACR could easily hang 70 on every MAC team they face this year. The Shelby game will be a good test. I don't expect a win but I do expect them to be competitive.
The biggest question mark will be whether the offense evolves after that Weddington debacle and utilizes the middle of the field in the passing game. Weddington did their homework and played their safeties outside the numbers to take away the screen and the deep shot on the boundary, knowing that we wouldn't throw over the middle. St. Onge has a decent arm and if he can stay in the pocket a bit more ACR could easily hang 70 on every MAC team they face this year. The Shelby game will be a good test. I don't expect a win but I do expect them to be competitive.
Western Mountain Athletic
A.C. Reynolds
Asheville
Enka
Erwin
North Buncombe
North Henderson
T.C. Roberson
Tuscola
West Henderson
Last edited by a moderator:
acr will be loaded and it's hard to see anyone that will challenge them in a conference game this year
tcr i think will be the second best team but they will be a long ways from acr. not enough defense for them
i think erwin takes a step back . i wonder how long it will take for the sexton tattoo to wear off.
asheville just didn't look very athletic last year and i think they will struggle again this year
tuscola. pursley is a very good coach and will probably be around a .500 team. lost too much to be a big winner this year but imo they could finish anywhere from 5th to 2cd
west henderson i just don't see them challenging for the top of the league.
enka, nothing to see here
north buncombe see enka
north henderson see enka and north buncombe. looks like a dogfight for then cellar
all in all a terrible year for the mac.the bottom is so far from the top it's just awful and this year the middle will be a long ways from the top too.
1 acr
2 tcr
3 tuscola
4 erwin
5 asheville
6 west henderson
7 i'll go enka here, at least they have some coaching stability
8 north henderson somebody has to be her
9 north buncombe other than owen they be the worst team in wnc this year
Last edited:
The Mac has been absolutely pathetic the last several years. We have all massively underachieved in the playoffs the last few years and most of us consider this the best conference in the mountains.
the mac is a terrible conference year in year out. too many just flat out terrible teams that are not remotely competitive.doubt it will ever change
i couldnt disagree any stronger with saying the mac is terrible or underacheiving year after year.i havent researched it but id bet if u look around the state the mac probably has as decent a record as most do.world beaters or state champions every year? nope.but we do have hard working coaches and sum of the best and hardest working kids in the state.every school in the state is a championship contender in august.but as we all know only 8 get the trophy in december.lets hope for a great year in the mac and for all the mountain teams in 2017. go green
Every team, everywhere is working hard, coaches working hard, etc. Reynolds is elite for the area. They tend to be the only school that can advance regularly in the playoffs. Both Erwin and Asheville exhibited signs the bloom may be off the rose but have been strong. Nobody else in the MAC tends to do much so that is why it is perceived as not being very good. The same teams keep winning the title.
I agree with you bluevols. I dont understand why there is some notion that the guys in the MAC or WNC work any harder than anybody else in the state. Our players and coaches are working just as hard as the guys in Greenville or Fayetteville or Charlotte etc.
Asheville and Reynolds have been the best teams in the MAC, which has widely been considered the best conference in WNC the last 10+ years. Some years Asheville has dominated the league, now Reynolds is doing it. Some years Asheville has the most talent, some years Reynolds has the most talent. These waves come and go for each school, but it has been Asheville and Reynolds that typically carried the torch for best team in WNC for years. If it isnt Asheville its reynolds, if it isnt reynolds, its asheville. There have been years where Reynolds wasnt very good and Asheville was dominating, now it has flipped, where Asheville isnt doing squat and Reynolds has picked it up.
However, having said all that, its quite clear that we have both massively underachieved the last several years in the playoffs. In the last 5 seasons, Asheville and Reynolds have a COMBINED 10 playoff wins. THAT IS PATHETIC. Its pretty clear that if Asheville or Reynolds dont advance in the playoffs, nobody else is going to do it in the mac.
Yeah and 7 of those come from ACR!
All kidding aside, I understand your point however what is considered successful? ACR has been to the third round 4 out of the last 8 years which is equivalent to the elite 8, and one of those years we won it all. I think all in all in a sport where your talent turns over so much every year, that is a fairly successful 8 years.Reynolds has certainly been the best in wnc the last few years, I'm not denying that, but is that what Asheville and Reynolds are now? "Well we got to the third round"? Asheville went to the 4th round or deeper in 02,03,04,05 and 07 and we haven't been back since. That's not good. We have had teams that were as talented as those teams and didn't get back (2014). Hence my "underachievement" label.
Reynolds has had teams that were state championship level (2015) and didn't even make it to the semifinals.
I think Reynolds and Asheville fans alike would agree we are both the top 2 dogs historically in what is considered the best conference in the mountains.... But the last couple years nobody has even threatened a run to the championship game.
Reynolds has had teams that were state championship level (2015) and didn't even make it to the semifinals.
I think Reynolds and Asheville fans alike would agree we are both the top 2 dogs historically in what is considered the best conference in the mountains.... But the last couple years nobody has even threatened a run to the championship game.
I don't know, losing to the eventual State Champ last year in the third round by a TD, and in 2015 we lost in OT to a team that Crest (the eventual State Champ) had to go to 2OT's to beat the very next week. We ran into good teams, no shame in losing to teams that are winning or competing for the State Championship. Weddington has won or finished runner up in the State 2 of the last 3 years, and the 1 year they didn't Crest beat them in double OT and went on to win the title. ACR lost to Weddington ALL three of those years, I don't think that's underachieving at all. Sometimes teams are just as good and get the break needed to win and sometimes teams are just better, either way I don't see ACR underachieving the past 3 years.
I thought Asheville was better than weddington in 14 and I definitely thought Reynolds was better than weddington in 15. I see your point though. Weddington was very good, but they had to come to us and still upset us in those games
Can one of your ACR guys tell me how many return on O and D for the rockets, and at what position?
I believe ACR returns 7 on offense and 7 on defense. Now this could have changed since the last I heard, but I believe this is correct. Offense lost 2 receivers, 1 OL, and our TB from last year. Defense I believe we lost 2 DB's, 1 LB, and 1 DL.
I would guess St Onge, but I'm not totally in the loop living here in Charlotte so I guess Flinn is a possibility.
I am of the opinion based on many conversations that the MAC is the last conference Tuscola, WEST, and North coaches and admin wanted to be placed for a lot of reasons. Not just for one sport but for ALL sports, These schools are often ill equipped athletically across the board to deal with the top tier MAC teams, and are likely to take their share of beatings, both on the field and at the ticket outlets. There are no natural rivalries, and MAC teams do not travel well (with the possible exception of Enka if you get them early in the season and Erwin) One of the few bright sides: The required travel is a bit reduced for THS at least, but requires navigating I26 (and the perpetual construction that likely will never be finished,) several times a year. JMO..
Tuscola may return more than you think. I've heard they have a great QB coming up from the JVs to run that triple option.
With an admittedly terrible grasp of the MAC, I'll put them at third.
With an admittedly terrible grasp of the MAC, I'll put them at third.
acr travels very well imo. i'd say acr will have a minimum of 300 to 500 at road games and at owen asheville and erwin double or triple that. even games that are expected to be blowouts (enka.north buncombe and mcdowell)acr often has more fans than the home team. that said i agree that there are terrible rivalries here but back in the mid 80's acr and west had some great playoff games and acr-tuscola is usually a great game.
No. His services will be much better utilized at another position I suspect, plus Tuscola already has a very good tough smart QB. But I am certain THS coaches will find a way to get that athlete the ball on several occasions per game.
What happened to Tuscola's wrestling team? It used to be very good, lots of state champs and high team finishes at state.
Honestly, I couldn't tell you as I'm just not tapped in to the wrestling scene. There has been some coaching turnover the last few years. We got a new, young coach last year who seems to be working towards an attempt to restore the program. We had at least two wrestlers last season from our district going to the Outhouse on the Pigeon.
I can tell you for fact this is a lie for West and North. If you wanted to say football, I might understand but athletically across the board, West will compete. They beat MAC teams regularly in nearly every sport and finished atop the WNCAC Wachovia Standings. To say there are no natural rivalries is also ridiculous. North and West were traveling to Franklin and Smoky Mountain for conference games the last 10 or so years. Playing Buncombe County schools is much more natural than Macon, Jackson and Haywood, for those in Henderson.
Playing in the MAC I think is much more natural for nearly all sports for both North and West. It will take a few years to adjust to the grind in football, but in Volleyball, Soccer, Basketball and Baseball, it is a huge upgrade.
Are we talking about the same West and North.? I am trying to think of a single sport either school would be competitive in the MAC on a regular basis, OTHER than volleyball. North had a good couple years in basketball but that run has ended As for "natural rivalries," Name one single "rival" that will fill your stadium or gym on either side on a yearly basis now? None? Right! You think Mac teams are somehow going to be an improvement? Hardly.
West used to be strong in baseball but seems to have fallen off. No matter as TCR and ACR will dominate there.
North has a decent track squad the last two years but vs. Reynolds and Asheville??? Soccer- boys and girls- Asheville, TCR and ACR will lead the pack.
Its going to be a long 4 years. Revenue will suffer. Meanwhile, over in the old AAC nee' WNCAC, they may have to resort to the old SMC method of playing some schools twice and calling it a non-conference game.
North has a decent track squad the last two years but vs. Reynolds and Asheville??? Soccer- boys and girls- Asheville, TCR and ACR will lead the pack.
Its going to be a long 4 years. Revenue will suffer. Meanwhile, over in the old AAC nee' WNCAC, they may have to resort to the old SMC method of playing some schools twice and calling it a non-conference game.
