That statement really suprises me! Mayfield kids have always taken a lot of pride and played really hard in the past. Why do you think its taken that kind of turn?

 

I"ll weigh in on this, the school system, the community and the program have all changed from even a few years ago. Once upon a time there was no football in Graves County and a kid who wanted to play went to Mayfield. This was a logical move for academics as well as athletics. Back in the 80's Graves County consolidated and a football program was started. It took years for the program to get rolling and at the same time the Graves County School System began improving in other areas including academics and eventually got on par with the Mayfield system and today can even offer kids academic opportunites that Mayfield cant. A good example are the courses that can be taken to get college credit hours. A few years ago Graves really took off academically and today has the highest test scores in the region and some of the highest in the state. At the same time the the school boundaries are locked and as growth occurs one sees most of the new housing going up in areas controled by the Graves County School District. These factors have all contributed to fewer kids from good familes remaining in the school districts boundaries and a larger number of kids in the district that are from familes that are not as involved in their childs lives. Some have decided to go to Graves with their current successes academically (and a decent athletic program) and often times the familes that can afford to pay the tutition send their kids to Graves even if they live in the Mayfield School District. I think the result is more kids from familes that do not teach their kids right from wrong and all that goes along with this. This appears to me to then have a direct impact on the football program. I also do not think this problem is just at Mayfield, PT has a dramatically different student profile than it once had and I also think it has resulted in PT not being as dominent in athletics as it once was. Danville may also feel some of these same effects though I'm no where near an expert on that situation. Murray is also showing some signs of this effect though they still have a excellent academic reputation. This is my take on it and I maybe way off base but these factors seem to me to be taking a toll on the entire school system and one area that it is showing seems to be in the football at Mayfield. One other note, it's actually remarkable to me that Mayfield has remained as good as it has been for as long as it has and that is a accomblishment that few can compare to. Today I am not sure what percentage of the school population is Hispanic but it is a fairly high number and almost none of the Hispanic kids play football, if you look at the numbers in the system that are nonHispanic Mayfield is dong well to field a competitive football team. Nevertheless, it is the coaches who have this mess to straighten out and a job that is formidable both now and in the future and expectations at Mayfield are different than at all but a few other places and that is that. No matter what Joe has to work with the Mayfield fans expect greatness and if it is not delivered then the natives become restless and that just comes with the program from the tradition the progam has established. This team certainly has the talent but does this teams talent come from home lives that do not provide these kids with the respect and disapline to utilize their great potential and can Morris and the new staff with new system figure out how to captue these kids potential. I dont know but I sure do expect greatness even though I see that the job is monumental.

 

Graves has looked way ahead of schedule so far, a credit to Coach Rodgers and Mayfield has been disappointing so far but this is a rival game. Mayfield can win this game but the defensive breakdowns that look like a result of disapline issues have to get fixed and on offense the turnover have got to stop. Mayfield has shown signs in the early going against FC and in the furious 4th quarter comeback at Ballard. If we get this kind of effort Mayfield will look like the team all expected and if not it will get ugly. Graves pass defense has been questionable which is good for Mayfield. I wonder though if this Cardinal defense will be disaplined enough to stop the Graves ground game and Rodgers is a good coach and has noticed that Mayfield can be vunerable by air so I expect Graves to also have some passing plans for the Cards.

TP, I agree about the effect Graves school system has had on the football program, but, at the same time, that's why they have classifications, so, it's not like they're playing for a championship against teams with a superior size advantage...What I totally disagree with is the comment about kids home lives and parents not providing these kids with the neccessary repect/discipline...Where someone lives has little bearing on parenting, imo...Mayfield parents living within the city limits are no different than anywhere else..I know what you meant by the comment, but, this isn't an issue with just Mayfield and other towns with similar circumstances don't seem to have the issues they do at Mayfield...Again, that's why I think it's in the coaching, moreso than anything else...

Discipline starts at home ... period.

Agreed Westsider, but, it's no different in Mayfield than it is anywhere else...That was my point...

Agreed Westsider, but, it's no different in Mayfield than it is anywhere else...That was my point...

Mayfield's environment isn't always the same as everybody else's.

 

I don't think there is any one person or entity that deserves the blame, but coaches can spend all the time they want with kids. It's still awfully hard to erase the attitudes that come in 14-15-16-17 years of upbringing.

I think it's stereotyping the whole city when comments like that are made...Sure, there's a degree of truth to it, but, it's being made out like it's so much worse in Mayfield then other places and thats far from the truth...Not every kid that plays at Mayfield is suffering from parenting problems, simply not true, and some of the attitudes on the team aren't always coming from these few kids that do have home issues...When you go to a Mfd game since Joes been the head coach, you see shirts not tucked in, showboating, unsportsmanlike penalties, etc, etc...Now, some blame may or may not come from home, but, many of these kids brothers, cousins, sons, also played at Mayfield and this wasn't an issue under previous regimes..So, did these guys families all of sudden take a turn for the worse...Not likely...

I will go with Graves in a close one.

I"ll weigh in on this, the school system, the community and the program have all changed from even a few years ago. Once upon a time there was no football in Graves County and a kid who wanted to play went to Mayfield. This was a logical move for academics as well as athletics. Back in the 80's Graves County consolidated and a football program was started. It took years for the program to get rolling and at the same time the Graves County School System began improving in other areas including academics and eventually got on par with the Mayfield system and today can even offer kids academic opportunites that Mayfield cant. A good example are the courses that can be taken to get college credit hours. A few years ago Graves really took off academically and today has the highest test scores in the region and some of the highest in the state. At the same time the the school boundaries are locked and as growth occurs one sees most of the new housing going up in areas controled by the Graves County School District. These factors have all contributed to fewer kids from good familes remaining in the school districts boundaries and a larger number of kids in the district that are from familes that are not as involved in their childs lives. Some have decided to go to Graves with their current successes academically (and a decent athletic program) and often times the familes that can afford to pay the tutition send their kids to Graves even if they live in the Mayfield School District. I think the result is more kids from familes that do not teach their kids right from wrong and all that goes along with this. This appears to me to then have a direct impact on the football program. I also do not think this problem is just at Mayfield, PT has a dramatically different student profile than it once had and I also think it has resulted in PT not being as dominent in athletics as it once was. Danville may also feel some of these same effects though I'm no where near an expert on that situation. Murray is also showing some signs of this effect though they still have a excellent academic reputation. This is my take on it and I maybe way off base but these factors seem to me to be taking a toll on the entire school system and one area that it is showing seems to be in the football at Mayfield. One other note, it's actually remarkable to me that Mayfield has remained as good as it has been for as long as it has and that is a accomblishment that few can compare to. Today I am not sure what percentage of the school population is Hispanic but it is a fairly high number and almost none of the Hispanic kids play football, if you look at the numbers in the system that are nonHispanic Mayfield is dong well to field a competitive football team. Nevertheless, it is the coaches who have this mess to straighten out and a job that is formidable both now and in the future and expectations at Mayfield are different than at all but a few other places and that is that. No matter what Joe has to work with the Mayfield fans expect greatness and if it is not delivered then the natives become restless and that just comes with the program from the tradition the progam has established. This team certainly has the talent but does this teams talent come from home lives that do not provide these kids with the respect and disapline to utilize their great potential and can Morris and the new staff with new system figure out how to captue these kids potential. I dont know but I sure do expect greatness even though I see that the job is monumental.

 

Graves has looked way ahead of schedule so far, a credit to Coach Rodgers and Mayfield has been disappointing so far but this is a rival game. Mayfield can win this game but the defensive breakdowns that look like a result of disapline issues have to get fixed and on offense the turnover have got to stop. Mayfield has shown signs in the early going against FC and in the furious 4th quarter comeback at Ballard. If we get this kind of effort Mayfield will look like the team all expected and if not it will get ugly. Graves pass defense has been questionable which is good for Mayfield. I wonder though if this Cardinal defense will be disaplined enough to stop the Graves ground game and Rodgers is a good coach and has noticed that Mayfield can be vunerable by air so I expect Graves to also have some passing plans for the Cards.

 

Good post 'pick, but I will have to disagree with you on the Hispanics, if you notice, we have a few that are starting to play in the elementary levels and are quite good athletes and they come from very good homes from what I am seeing.

 

On the academics note, Graves may score higher on the standardized tests, but year after year Mayfield gets more scholarships percentage-wise. I've always appreciated the smaller class size that is offered at Mayfield.

 

Some other interesting things I have been told, the size of the high school has actually increased past 400 kids, which it hasn't been in quite a while, this could be due to the influx of Hispanics in the area.

 

Also, I am told that there are around 80 kids in the 4th, 5th and 6th grade levels playing right now and the coaching staff cannot get any of em to quit, which says really good things about the future of the football program.

 

We all have been hearing about the 8th grade class and I have seen them play with my own eyes and their defense is on par with the high school teams'. Those boys seem very disciplined.

 

Just some interesting things I have learned over the summer.

Edited September 18, 200818 yr by GoBigRed

Good post 'pick, but I will have to disagree with you on the Hispanics, if you notice, we have a few that are starting to play in the elementary levels and are quite good athletes and they come from very good homes from what I am seeing.

 

On the academics note, Graves may score higher on the standardized tests, but year after year Mayfield gets more scholarships percentage-wise. I've always appreciated the smaller class size that is offered at Mayfield.

 

Your right a few are starting to play, a FEW is my point, percentage wise it is miles below that of white or black kids. So we agree on this point.

 

No argument about the academics, my point is that a kid is no longer better off academically at Mayfield or in my opinion worse off but there are advantages like AP classes that offer college credits for kids at Graves and that is a huge advantage. Graves publicicity off their test scores has also made many feel that they are superior. I have had children at both and find no real academic advantage learning wise but the public view is in Graves favor.

Edited September 18, 200818 yr by STRIKE3
fixed quote

I think it's stereotyping the whole city when comments like that are made...Sure, there's a degree of truth to it, but, it's being made out like it's so much worse in Mayfield then other places and thats far from the truth...

 

I agree and that is why I pointed out that it is a problem in alot of city schools across the state, it is not just Mayfield. Sorry if I conveyed my point poorly. The problem is caused in my opinion by alot of factors comming together. I do not just blame coaching or any other factor but alot of things combined. The coaches will feel the heat soon if the ship is not righted

I can not speak about Mayfield specifically, but I agree with toothpick that on a broad scale: behavior, upbringing, parent influence, peer influence, etc… is more of a problem today then in the past. Although I don’t want to spur a Public v Private debate, I also believe that these factors contribute to why many of the private schools are more successful. Teenagers have always had a certain level of rebellion, but in today’s society it seems more like the norm then the exception. What is sad is how many kids today that have natural ability don’t participate because of grades, behavior, home life, etc…?

I can not speak about Mayfield specifically, but I agree with toothpick that on a broad scale: behavior, upbringing, parent influence, peer influence, etc… is more of a problem today then in the past. Although I don’t want to spur a Public v Private debate, I also believe that these factors contribute to why many of the private schools are more successful. Teenagers have always had a certain level of rebellion, but in today’s society it seems more like the norm then the exception. What is sad is how many kids today that have natural ability don’t participate because of grades, behavior, home life, etc…?

 

 

Is behavior a problem at FC with all of the kids coming from a military family?

Is behavior a problem at FC with all of the kids coming from a military family?

 

Not really. Fort Campbell is unique for a lot of reasons; one of them being that the Army holds the Soldier responsible for their children’s actions/behavior. Therefore if a child gets too far out of hand or is unruly, the Army can go as far as make them move off post. There is also the coaching staff, which would not put up with it. Don’t get me wrong, there are students who get into trouble or have behavior problems, but for the most part it is far better then many other schools in the area. Another unique issue to FC is that fact that most families have one parent gone for 12 – 15 months at a time which can cause changes in behavior and attitude of students, but the teachers understand this and work very hard to help the students deal with the stress of long deployments.

Someone can confirm, but I believe this game will be shown on wpsdtv.com this evening.

Someone can confirm, but I believe this game will be shown on wpsdtv.com this evening.

 

You're correct...Broadcast airs at 7:28 cst...I really look for Mayfield to play well tonight...I imagine practices weren't much fun this week...Not sure they have enough to pull off a W against a solid Graves team, but, I do think it'll be a tough game either way...