Prep Zone

By T.J.

May 1, 2008 11:30 AM | Link to this

I guess I have got to keep in perspective that these are outlooks. Every team seems to be rebuilding and there is no one team that seems to be outright favorite besides Lowndes. So how does AJC pick that they are in top 25 to be considered for discussion? History, popularity, or last seasons accomplishments? What is criteria to list teams as top 25 in spring? Where is list for top 25? Interested to see the 4th and final week of outlook of top 25. Here is a Poll question. What teams should be in week four’s top 25 spring football fling outlook? So we are looking at 4 teams. My vote is Tift, North Gwinnett, Grayson, North Cobb. What say you?

By Dan

May 1, 2008 1:40 PM | Link to this

The thing that I really don’t like about running teams like Marist, is that it’s hard for them to come back in a game where they are behind by 14 points and win b/c their whole indentity is running the ball and controlling the line of scrimmage. You take that away from them and you basically have them beat. With that being said, only a few teams( Northside Warner Robins and Tucker) have proven to be able to do that consistently. As long as they have a good offense line and running backs that can hold onto the ball they are going to be fine, b/c the wishbone is more about linemen and blocking schemes as oppossed to talent at the RB or WR position. Marist probably isn’t going to be Tucker, but I think they will be better than last season. So I’ll say they will be about 11-2 or 10-2.

By jimmy

May 2, 2008 12:08 AM | Link to this

Cherokee better team than Mairst. just ask Habersham ,and In the 2nd-3rd round play offs last 7 years. Wheres our sping cover Get real AJC.

By jimmy

May 2, 2008 12:24 AM | Link to this

Look at Cherokee, played Brookwood.Valdosta.Camedon.South West Dekab.Collins Hill.Dalton. Habersham.Westside Macon.SCREAMAGE.AT WEST GA.Peachtree Rige.Tucker BEAT85% OF them Marist cant beat there way out of a wet paper bag

By Pam

May 2, 2008 10:51 AM | Link to this

Kyle Farmer will be vying for the quarterback position next fall. This spring he is the outstanding short stop on the Marist Varsity Baseball team that won the 6-AAAA title yesterday. The pitcher is senior Kyle Betz, who was the starting left tackle on the War Eagle Offensive Line in 2006 and 2007.

By Nate

May 2, 2008 11:01 AM | Link to this

If all these kids went to public school, the Fulton Couty School System and DeKalb county School System could win a state championship. Nice to see private schools recruiting well.

By butch

May 2, 2008 5:13 PM | Link to this

I would love to think that Marist recruits, but I have had children at the school for 10 years. 3 have been on State championship teams, and none of the members of their teams were ever recruited. I wish we could get some great athletes to come to our school. But sadly, you must pass the admissions team. Not an easy feat. So why does Marist churn out such good teams? Lots of dedication and hard work. Also the reputation of good coaches and sports teams attracts athletes and parents to the school.But as I said before, the student/athlete must pass the admission qualifications. Cooper Taylor for example is a 3.5+ student and is going on to play at Ga Tech. See you on the field in August.

By Steve

May 5, 2008 12:45 PM | Link to this

I am a father of 2 boys who have attended Marist and I feel compelled to add to Butches reply regarding Marist recruiting.

Let’s look further at the Marist Program and at some of Marist’s key players from last year. In my opinion, with all of these student-athletes it is about education first and oh, by the way, they happen to be pretty good athletes that play foootball and other sports. Most of these kids started at Marist in Grade 7 and many of them had never played football prior to coming to Marist. This is hardly a situation that would lend itself to football recuiting. As far as recruiting and accepting a certain kind of student who is competitive and wants to win I would agree that Marist in this situation may be guilty of recruiting above average students.

In addition to Cooper Taylor who is an excellent student and happens to be an outstanding athlete, let’s take a look at a few of the other 2007 football players:

Joe Bailey (Tackle)- 3.5+ GPA, National Honor Society, Eagle Scout, Accomplished Musician (piano), Varsity Letter in Football, Wrestling, Track, Attending US Military Academy in the fall;

Neil Schuster (Halfback/Cornerback)- 3.5+ GPA, National Honor Society, Jazz Band (drums), Letters in Football, Basketball, Lacrosse, Golf, Columbia University, NYC;

Jay Mathes (Linebacker)- 3.5+ GPA, National Honor Society, Marist Boys Choir, Letters in Football, Baseball, Univ. of Notre Dame;

Chris Gleason (Tight End)- 3.5+ GPA, National Honor Society, Theater, Letters in Football, Lacrosse, Undecided Univ. Michigan or Georgia;

Jordan Phillips (Def. End)- 3.5+ GPA Eagle Scout, Letters in Football, Amherst College;

Kyle Betz (Guard)- Letters in Football, Baseball, undecided between Furman, Miami(OH), Georgia;

Kevin Lanier (Halfback, Linebacker)- Letters in Football, Baseball, Univ. of Georgia;

Derrick Heyden (Halfback/Safety) - Letters in Football, Basketball, Track, Athletic Scholarship Georgia Southern;

The list could go on and it could be applied to prior years’ seniors and future years’ seniors. In fact out of 34 Seniors on the 2007 Marist Football Team 13 (38%) are members of the National Honor Society and none were recruited to go to Marist to play football. As a matter of fact, over 70% of them have been active in at least 2 sports and/or other activities throughout their time at Marist.

What you have at Marist is a great learning environment coupled with an outstanding coaching staff, that year after year takes a group of relatively high achievers and teaches them how to work together as a team, with discipline and high levels of commitement, in a system that consistently wins against much larger schools, who in many cases have teams with much more talented individual athletes.

Most people don’t realize that Marist is a school that should be playing at a AA level based on the number of the students in the high school (~840 combined boys and girls). I could imagine what would happen if Marist played at the AAA level, much less at the AA level where they should be according to their enrollment size (watch out Buford).

I know it may be hard for some to see Marist recognized in the press year after year, but it is only because they win year after year. If it makes some feel better to say that Marist recruits for football so be it, but what many do not realize is that at Marist it is about education first and preparing kids for the future challenges of life; of which for most of the kids does not include football after they graduate from Marist.

To paraphrase from a recent NCAA ad, most Marist student-athletes go on to become students and sometimes student-athletes in areas other than football.

By Another Marist Dad

May 5, 2008 5:16 PM | Link to this

I get a kick out of the fact that every year people complain that Marist recruits all of these wonderful athletes. Oh how I wish it were true. The two previous Marist dads did a great job articulating how the school attracts great students, some of which grow into good athletes during their 4 or 6 years at the school (kids can enter Marist in either the 7th or 9th grades).

If you read Chris Whitfield’s blog closely, you may have noticed some of the “stats” on next season’s returning starters…

Key starters returning: Jeff Ervin (6-2, 210) DE; Spencer Mitchell (5-10, 175) LB; Matt Connors (5-10, 185) FB; Joe Pfeffer (6-1, 210) C; Jeff Ducote (5-10, 190) DL; Philip Wood (5-10, 200) DL; Brady Herman (6-1, 210) LB; Kevin Allman (6-2, 180) DB.

I offer this as evidence. If Marist were recruiting football players, don’t you think they would look for a few that had some meat on their bones? The team is always grossly undersized compared to the rest of the competition in 4A. I would suggest that if they were truly recruiting and this was the best they could do, then the coaching staff should be let go.

Marist is successful because their football teams run the same offensive plays and defenses from the time they are in the 7th grade, until they graduate. In addition, they are very well coached and extremely disciplined. In a team sport like football where execution is critical to success, these factors result in “W’s” in the win column.

By Gman

May 31, 2008 3:09 PM | Link to this

I KNOW Marist recruits and does it like crazy. My son played football with two boys in middle school who were headed for public school, until a “wonderful oppurtunity” opened up for them at Marist thru an alumni and the coaching department. I PERSONALLY talked to the parents of both kids, and they told me all about the financial aid being offered.

Just look at one thing, how many of your “stars” suddenly show up in the 9th grade? After your recruiters have a chance to see them play middle school ball somewhere else for a couple of years?

You people get a grip. You’re not nearly as special as you think. Just well funded.

By DecaturNative

June 30, 2008 10:23 PM | Link to this

Gman:

Ain’t third party, she said’s/he said’s great?

‘course, it’s hard to let facts get in the way of “knowledge.”

Obviously a product of Government Schools.

/s

By Marist football player

August 25, 2008 1:01 AM | Link to this

Gman,Nate,and Jimmy….yall are a bunch of losers who are jelous of something that is great. Get a life.. seriously. hahahaha you mind as well lock yousrself in dark room and never come out… why wake up in the mornings? your so bitter, angry, and extremely jelous. I assume you are not very well liked and live a life full of denial. Have a nice life… but we all know you are living one that is fake and is not a very good one.

By Average Joe

November 14, 2008 1:03 PM | Link to this

Obviously Marist IS recruiting football players as evidenced by the wordsmith and diction in “Marist football player“‘s comments. Either HE is the “fake” or the education at Marist is second to athletics. Hmmmm………

By Someone else

November 23, 2008 9:07 PM | Link to this

Average Joe- You probably have a crappy job and can hardly produce enough money for your family. You have no room to determine who is smart or is a “wordsmith” or “diction”.