Tuscola lost @ 20 seniors last year, including: 1) The school's all-time career leading rusher who was also a helluva safety and punter, 2) An all WNC DE who was also a tremendous TE, 3) An all WNC o-lineman who wasn't too shabby on defense either, 4) the other two starting RB's, 5) both starting WR's.
Two of the three starting RB's are undersized but have decent speed but there is not one player on this roster that has the 40 times of any of last year's three running backs or one of the WR's. Three of those four starters set the school 4x100 record last spring that had stood for 31 years.
We do not currently have the WR or QB personnel to run the current flavor of the month offense. For those longing for the "good old smash-mouth days" under Coach Brooks, do you understand that this is basically the same offense (Wishbone), just with the backs inverted and spread into the slot?
For those clamoring for a QB change, the one everyone wants tends to sit out plays recovering from nicks and bruises and sometimes takes plays off or holds back when he's out there. He's probably the best athlete on campus but has a long way to go in the heart department. His throwing motion may be the worst I've ever seen on a HS QB.
Defensively, Tuscola has historically not had a good pass defense. A WTHS grad of the early 60's once told me Waynesville/Tuscola has never had a pass D, even when he played. I do get frustrated watching the soft cushion we give on the corners.
Brookshire got passed over. Brow got passed over. Hell, Ollis got passed over. This isn't college where you get to bring in your own staff. Go see some of those schools that are having to bring in volunteers/dads to round out a staff.
The 2016 team finished with a 11 wins and a shared conference championship. This tied for second all-time in season victories ('09 and '95: 12 wins) ('72: 11 wins and a state co-championship). Times have changed since the 1970's. This team wouldn't have qualified for the playoffs in that era.
All of the "just another game" hoopla is just that. Was it the best idea to go public with that statement? In retrospect, no. Pisgah essentially uses it to make themselves feel better. You can go back to 1980 and see where then Bear's HC John Barker basically said the same thing. Big Joe Caldwell once made the statement we'd just as soon beat Erwin. Coach Caldwell loved playing around with the media.
Pisgah is an important game to the county but as a conference game, it was just as important as Brevard, which Pisgah found out later in the season, or Franklin, or North Henderson, which tripped us up in 2015. Now, as non-conference game, other than bragging rights, it has no bearing on standings. That doesn't mean I don't want to win it and don't feel like crap when we lose it.
