Non-UIL players who can start on a UIL Team?

As a coach, I always love to see these posts. Fact is, a good player is a good player. It doesn't matter what team or division they play for. Waco Live Oak was one of the best teams in the state in 2011. Bulverde Bracken Christian is amazing this year. Eli Achilles from Bracken could probably play for any team in the state...I know I would take him on my team. Let us not compare teams and divisions, but remember that they are all kids who are out there fighting hard to represent their school and community. All kids need to be commended on their effort and dedication to playing the game of football.
 
I agree with Coach Miller...if any of us 6-man coaches are lucky to get "the" amazing football player, we all know that we are in heaven. However, it is up to us to teach and prepare the young men that come into our schools to be the best. Yes, some schools have a handful of good/great players. Speaking on behalf of my school (Weatherford Christian), we had one such young man come through the ranks (played for us in 7th, 8th, and 9th) until he moved to Abilene. In fact, as a freshman, he started for me full time (QB/SB) when my JR QB got hurt in the second game of the season. But, when the school year ended, his father got a teaching/coaching job at Abilene Cooper. The said student is a JR now, and the #2 QB for Cooper (and no, it's not because his dad is an assistant coach...he's that good!)
 
agree with Eli Achilles being able to play on pretty much any UIL team. Have not seen Stephenville play so wont even go there, but will say, if you want to be considered as good as you may or may not be, go out there and schedule some high profile opponents and prove it. That being said, I imagine Dallas Covenant must have a at least a stud or two that could start anywhere, seeing as they've beaten Throck and Valley.
 
aweaver":2wzdkq6y said:
I agree with Coach Miller...if any of us 6-man coaches are lucky to get "the" amazing football player, we all know that we are in heaven. However, it is up to us to teach and prepare the young men that come into our schools to be the best. Yes, some schools have a handful of good/great players. Speaking on behalf of my school (Weatherford Christian), we had one such young man come through the ranks (played for us in 7th, 8th, and 9th) until he moved to Abilene. In fact, as a freshman, he started for me full time (QB/SB) when my JR QB got hurt in the second game of the season. But, when the school year ended, his father got a teaching/coaching job at Abilene Cooper. The said student is a JR now, and the #2 QB for Cooper (and no, it's not because his dad is an assistant coach...he's that good!)
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I wish he'd come to Abilene Christian! His little brother did last year, but he's a freshman at Cooper this year.

Coach Miller is correct. A great player is a great player, no matter where he plays. We had a few kids last year that would have started on at least one side of the ball at Abilene High or anywhere else they'd been if they'd not been at ACHS. One of them is a redshirt freshman on ACU's football team this year. We have some of them back this year too - probably three, actually. I don't know that all three could move to a new school (same school) and take 3 starting positions from the current squad anywhere you'd put them. But any one of them could go anywhere else (6man to 5A) and start on at least one side of the ball.
 
being a starter on a UIL sixman team is one thing, saying three players start on either side of the ball 6man to 5A is another thing. if a team had 3 kids who could start at a 5A Texas highschool they would 45 every team they play i'd wager
 
cowboy - just trying to be honest - Far too may on these boards throw out "so called facts" when they have not seen either all the players or all the teams - I have always liked the kids with the mental toughness because as coaches we can teach the moves but the internal mental toughness is a gift
 
burnerman":1rwqfvov said:
cowboy - just trying to be honest - Far too may on these boards throw out "so called facts" when they have not seen either all the players or all the teams - I have always liked the kids with the mental toughness because as coaches we can teach the moves but the internal mental toughness is a gift
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What are the "so called facts" of which you refer sir ??? Need a direct answer here ….

I really beg to differ on "we can teach the moves". I really don't know what "moves" you can teach a kid. The moves and athletic ability is what is the gift along with the ability to persevere. I think you can teach technique but that is a whole different ball of wax than the God given talent to make the moves.
 
WWW32":39soqo40 said:
being a starter on a UIL sixman team is one thing, saying three players start on either side of the ball 6man to 5A is another thing. if a team had 3 kids who could start at a 5A Texas highschool they would 45 every team they play i'd wager
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It depends on the positions that the 3 kids play. If you run a passing offense and one of the 3 is the QB, then I'd agree with you.
 
JOB wrote

"What are the "so called facts" of which you refer sir ??? Need a direct answer here ….

I really beg to differ on "we can teach the moves". I really don't know what "moves" you can teach a kid. The moves and athletic ability is what is the gift along with the ability to persevere. I think you can teach technique but that is a whole different ball of wax than the God given talent to make the moves."

JOB -

I was not referring to you in this text. Just a general observation based on a previous exchange of texts 2 years back with someone who was more that willing to disparage a kids talent quite viscerally I must state without ever having seen the kid or his team. And I do believe what I said was true but maybe I should have been more specific as to where my thoughts came from.

As far as the "gift", I agree with the second part of your text. Again, possibly I should have been more precise but I was thinking as you wrote.
 
It's perfectly fine and fun to debate which team can do what, and which kids can really bring it on the field. What's frustrating for a homeschool team like Faith is that TCAL is the only league that will let them play. And a UIL team whose coach's livelihood is on the line can't risk scheduling and losing to a really good homeschool or private school team. So of course they are stuck playing a weak schedule, and their fantasy football ranking can only rise so high. Then they get denigrated by someone who won't even consider that they might actually be pretty good because of what an artificial computer ranking says about them. No need to go watch them play or even watch their film! The computer says so! Oh well ... the only thing Faith can do is keep playing and keep beating people week in and week out like they have for the past two years. At least a few of us have noticed.
 
ol coyote":yi2smuhw said:
It's perfectly fine and fun to debate which team can do what, and which kids can really bring it on the field. What's frustrating for a homeschool team like Faith is that TCAL is the only league that will let them play. And a UIL team whose coach's livelihood is on the line can't risk scheduling and losing to a really good homeschool or private school team. So of course they are stuck playing a weak schedule, and their fantasy football ranking can only rise so high. Then they get denigrated by someone who won't even consider that they might actually be pretty good because of what an artificial computer ranking says about them. No need to go watch them play or even watch their film! The computer says so! Oh well ... the only thing Faith can do is keep playing and keep beating people week in and week out like they have for the past two years. At least a few of us have noticed.
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No one has denigrated anyone sir. The Private school athletes work and perform to the best of their ability week in and week out just as the UIL athletes do. I simply have issue with the statement on the 8 kids theory. I have watched this game for many years. Have seen some elite six man football players. Have seen some elite six man players who would have trouble stepping into the 11 man game at any level.

Emotion and loyalty to ones team, town or league leads to unsubstantiated and unsupported conclusions by people that can distort their ability to be objective. This applies especially people who have a limited knowledge and experience base to draw and judge from.

No one has said SF doesn't have a good team. A 32nd ranked team but a good team in their league. They are not stuck playing a weak schedule. They could venture out. With a little perseverance and time a tougher schedule could be had if wanted.

I really can't imagine a UIL coach running scared from scheduling a Private School for fear of putting his job in jeopardy, that statement is almost ludicrous. Valley put their record on the line by these standards and lost to Dallas. Don't believe the Valley coach will be fired at the end of the season. I know the Abilene Christian has scheduled many UIL schools over the years and won ball games without the UIL coach being fired. So don't go there. I believe that most UIL coaches with weak teams or wanting to boost their records would seek out playing Private Schools - it would surely increase their percentage of winning the game.

You keep referring to the "Toy" as fantasy football. The "Toy" is pretty accurate year in and year out at doing it's job. Strength of schedule - win•loss records and overall differences in point differentiation are just facts and data. They don't lie either.

You need to put away wearing your emotion on your sleeve and accept facts.
 
I've played againts S'ville quite a few times in my HS career (on the 4A side of the ball not private) and I can tell you there's not many, if any, teams that can fill three or four starting spots on that team. If they could they would 45 ever six man team before half. Would be a scary sight. However, I do agree that if you want to prove something improve that schedule. At my current school we have found many quality UIL schools willing to play us. Some we have lost, some we have won.
 
Just because someone is in TCAL, doesn't mean they must play a week schedule. SF can schedule whoever they want outside of their district schedule, that's why they scheduled Gordon. Gordon is a top ranked team that SF new they could compete against...and that they did.

Speaking for a TCAL DII team that wants to see the post season; scheduling several UIL top ranked teams wouldn't (in my opinion) be very smart. With a roster limit of 15 and coaching boys in HS that's never played football; there must be a balance if you want to have 6 players come the post season.

Again, just my opinion! Good luck to SF and all TCAL teams; hope to see you in Waco!
 
SavannahSixManFan":1bkcm2c5 said:
This talking about kickers reminds me of an exchange on this site (paraphrased) went something like this. Father took his son to six-man football game, team lines up to punt, boy looks up at pa and says, "Dad their punting, what a bunch of sissies".
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Maybe I'm not the brightest bulb in the box, but one thing I would be doing if I was a coach was find some kid in 7th or 8th grade and be sure he learns to be a kicker ... encourage him to go to a kicking camp and maybe repeat this every other year or so.

Even beyond the ability to kick extra points (especially challenging in sixman because it's the kicking team's four trying to stop the defense's six), the opportunity to boom the kickoff out of the endzone -- eliminating the risk of a KO return for six points -- and put the opponents at the 20 isn't a bad option.

Ask our old friend Kevin Harris about the value of a kicker. When his FW Glenview team played Freddy Heritage a few years back for the TAPPS D2 state title, the score was Heritage 36-30 in OT. Both teams scored five TD's. You do the math.

As for private school kids being able to play in UIL, well, there's loads of them. Now, if you're talking about starting for Richland Springs, Throckmorton, Valley, Water Valley, etc., well, there are few of those even in UIL. But there are a lot of private schools (and there's one that has done a lot of talking on the field but their yaps have been silent on this board -- wonder why -- and that's Dallas Covenant) that have players that are solid at any level of sixman football.

But here's a sobering thought. There are hundreds of kids playing at the 11 man level at public and private schools that would also excel at this game. Good athletes are everywhere; it's that sweet spot of talent, motivation and coaching, and effort that are successful at any level of this sport.
 
lifegatesports":3j1kfe4u said:
But here's a sobering thought. There are hundreds of kids playing at the 11 man level at public and private schools that would also excel at this game. Good athletes are everywhere; it's that sweet spot of talent, motivation and coaching, and effort that are successful at any level of this sport.
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Very good observations Mr. lifegate.

I shudder to think about some of the 11 man kids playing the six man game with the size and abilities of the pulling guards, athletic Tackles and tight ends playing the game now. Can you imagine some of these 6'3" 265 lb. or larger kids that can run being on a six man field ? Let's not even go on to the 6'1" 215-230 lb or larger running backs who will motor at legit 4.6 40 times or better.

Can you picture a Johnathon Gray on a 6 man team ? Another would be Jarek Black from Shallowater. I saw Josh Colunga from Garden City run wild for 2 years and gain hundreds of yards - the Ethridge kid from Richland had an amazing career but very few of the excellent six man players move on to the College ranks. 6 man players live and perform in a different world. A different level of skill and physical ability applies. Thankfully the 6 man game allows great, average and less than average athletes to have a stage where they can perform and be successful.

I have not seen Lance Morris from Ira perform. I am gonna make sure I do before the year is out. Without seeing him I would say he could play for anyone in 6 man for sure and would most likely have success at some levels of 11 man.

To me, you just have to keep it in perspective.
 
Having seen SF play, I would say they are a really good team. They are better than any div II TCAL should be, anyway. They have several players that could start or contribute on most UIL teams, I wouldn't go as far as 8, and I wouldn't go as far as all UIL teams. The 3 that stand out to me are the Winkler kid, Cole, and whoever #18 is. #18 - fast, athletic, big. Were he to move on over to ole SHS in jr high, he could have very well been a starter at this point. Hard to say cause the games are so different, mighjt have made a good reciever or db. Cole is, I believe, a Sophomore. Also very athletic and could have been a contributor too, had he been playing crowded field all along. Winkler, he just likes to hit people, and the water boy reference is about right. That's useful at any level. This is kind of a dumb debate cause it didn't happen that way, so who really knows. I agree and disagree with everyone on this topic.
 
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