TSSAA Re- Alignment: Final Thoughts

For the last couple of days we have examined the recent TSSAA re-alignment. We reached out to area coaches and booster clubs for their comments in our final piece, followed by final thoughts on what we feel we have learned. To Dr. WebbAD Jeremy Qualls and the TSSAA we thank you for helping us with this series.

Being in 6A, our alignment was not going to be affected, so we weren’t too hung up on alignment changes as much as we were about keeping our rivalry games with the Williamson teams. The Franklin Rebels will continue to prepare for football season the same way it always has – with dedication, commitment, and hard work. Coach Webb has been working hard with the 5A WC teams to keep as many rivalries between us as possible, as well as balance the schedule with the teams in our region. As it stands right now, we are still going to be able to play Centennial and Brentwood, but it’s looking like we are not going to get Indy due to conflicts in both teams scheduling. FHS is blessed to have a very supportive and loyal fan base, and we totally anticipate the same support next season. It is likely that overall attendance will be affected at certain games, at least by our out of county opponents who have to travel from further away, but we still expect attendance by our Rebel faithful to be as strong as ever.

Toby Ruth, AD Franklin High School

From Russell Palk, President of the Rebel QB Club :

It’s imperative that the rivals remain intact, I hope the coaches will attempt to keep those going when the schedule allows. I know we all grew up with those inter county rivalries  and I hate to see those go completely away.
We will have to wait and see if our fans will take the time to travel outside the district for this new schedule but I have confidence that our fans will follow our team wherever they go.”
From Red Zone President Ryan Boyd,
We’re excited about the realignment to the new 6A classification and the opportunity to play at the highest level in the post season starting next year. We’ve already been traveling for our open dates, so some of the locations in our district will actually be closer and would alternate year after year, so it shouldn’t be have a huge impact on our student athletes or families who go to the games. While we will be losing the opportunity to play many of the other schools in the old district, having open dates to continue playing Brentwood and Centennial, and having Franklin in our new district, will help maintain the strong sense of community and rivalry that makes our county a great place for football.
I am sure the TSSAA had a lot of hard decisions to make. But, the dismantling of the current 6A Region 11 makes me scratch my head. I have no doubt that the schools here will continue to try and keep rivalries going. That our team’s fans will travel great. That everyone will adjust. But, that’s just because we live in a great county steeped in high school football tradition. It’s just a shame the TSSAA didn’t see it the same way.
What’s your thoughts on this? Feel free to leave your comments in the comment box below or on our Facebook Page.