I admire a good wordsmith: 'Sistine Sentinels'.....
ALCO Football
- Thread starter ALCOLIFER
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I admire a good wordsmith: 'Sistine Sentinels'.....
Lag Robinette was arguably the best player in the state. That’s why Alco beat Dunbar. Yes they were decent, but let’s not miss the obvious, Mt Ridge May have beaten Dunbar if Robinette was a Miner
Alco still has talent. They beat fort hill as sophomores by 2 touchdowns. It takes more than talent to win most of the time.
In the last decade FH vs Alco in JV and Freshmen is like 29-25-1. But in varsity it's 13 straight wins for FH, many of them blow outs.
So how is 2019 any different?
After last year, they realize they cannot beat them at varsity. So, they disappear. You post an endless stream of crap negating FH's overwhelming depth and talent. Alco has no talent to sub its offense and defense like FH does. Talent is virtually 100% of any sports outcome.
Allegany passed for significant yardage. Remember Bratton. I believe 2 or 3 touchdowns were passes. Alco also had significant outside speed. Llewellyn piled up 235 yards( of which he caught four passes for 86 yards) and Robinette ran for 232.
It’s more than not having the players a week ago the team came together after 2 starters quit and came one play from beating Boonsboro. There’s a lot going on internally, from the start of the game last night it was obvious they were beat. It starts with the coaches not sure how to lead the team. Coaches can’t be hard and that’s how Hansel coaches. In this day and time coaches need to balance their coaching style to the players needs. Right now he doesn’t know how to find that balance and he can’t.
I played under the worst head coach in Fort Hill football history...Jim Chaney. Went 3-7 my junior year and I'm still embarrased by that (not really). Luckily my senior year we got a new head coach in Dick Bittner, who wasn't a great coach by any stretch. But just a quick coaching change had us winning Homecoming and being only a couple of semifinal plays removed from playing for the state title. The class before me never saw a Homecoming victory - 4 in a row. And that was unheard of back then. With FH being so down, those were the years Alco made a living as king. Even worse, so many kids at FH never even tried out for football and some of the better ones transfered to play for either Alco or BW. So many good players quit playing football.
The difference is that we had so many more students in the school. If FH only had 800 students like exists today, then the program would have been in big trouble. And this is where I see Allegany today.
My take is that Allegany football is struggling for a handful of reasons with the top reasons being the difficulty to pull out of a tailspin due to a huge lag in numbers. Combine that with the fact that this day in age students across the state/country don't participate in sports as much. Even if FH wasn't rolling I don't think the Alco roster numbers would be significantly better. Allegany is a prime example of Cumberland not being what it was once upon a time. The fact Allegany is struggling to stay in business and unable to pull out of the hole is pretty much how you describe this whole county. Probably just being Captain Obvious here but the simplest explanation is probably the best.
I'm not one of those Cumberland downers. I love it here but I don't hide reality in terms of being small as opposed to so many who still expect things to be done they way they were when way more people lived here. The next 3-4 years is really going to be a hard road for Allegany football. I hope they pull through but at this point in time, it will take much, much more than just changing a coach. 35 years ago just changing a coach could make a difference, not so much now if there are not enough players to go around.
The difference is that we had so many more students in the school. If FH only had 800 students like exists today, then the program would have been in big trouble. And this is where I see Allegany today.
My take is that Allegany football is struggling for a handful of reasons with the top reasons being the difficulty to pull out of a tailspin due to a huge lag in numbers. Combine that with the fact that this day in age students across the state/country don't participate in sports as much. Even if FH wasn't rolling I don't think the Alco roster numbers would be significantly better. Allegany is a prime example of Cumberland not being what it was once upon a time. The fact Allegany is struggling to stay in business and unable to pull out of the hole is pretty much how you describe this whole county. Probably just being Captain Obvious here but the simplest explanation is probably the best.
I'm not one of those Cumberland downers. I love it here but I don't hide reality in terms of being small as opposed to so many who still expect things to be done they way they were when way more people lived here. The next 3-4 years is really going to be a hard road for Allegany football. I hope they pull through but at this point in time, it will take much, much more than just changing a coach. 35 years ago just changing a coach could make a difference, not so much now if there are not enough players to go around.
Extremely well written. I drove through Cumberland the other day coming back from the mountains and the picture I saw of the town aligns perfectly with your post.
Yea, it is what it is. I will repeat again though...it's OK to be a small town. The problem lies in the fact so many locals still want to pretend and operate like it once was. They cannot accept the fact it isn't. So when you see empty houses run down, when you see roads and bridges not getting repaired, when you have to reduce police and fire options (which many just cannot accept), when you see some businesses closing, etc...well that's what going from a larger population to a drastically smaller population will do. Some things have to and will die. That doesn't mean the quality of life has to, just means it will be different.
I am happy with some of our current political decision makers in place. Trying to bring in new business and jobs is absolutely necessary and they are trying very hard despite the fact so many living here fight everything. Just to reiterate, accepting we are small now is difficult for so many who lived here when we had more.
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So how does Allegany beat Dunbar 2 years ago and fall to the level they are now?. This is the same coaching staff, correct?
If Coach Hansel quits tomorrow, who takes over? Remember, there was very limited interest in the job when Hansel took over. Maybe Larry Jackson (and his award winning band) or maybe Rick Twigg (and his fantastic girls softball team). Holy crap, did I just put Allegany football below Allegany' girls softball team and the band?
If Coach Hansel quits tomorrow, who takes over? Remember, there was very limited interest in the job when Hansel took over. Maybe Larry Jackson (and his award winning band) or maybe Rick Twigg (and his fantastic girls softball team). Holy crap, did I just put Allegany football below Allegany' girls softball team and the band?
Very easy. As has been posted, few numbers and the junior class already has 6 guys quit the team. Hell, one key player for Alco gets injured and their talent level plummets.
this argument is ridiculous. How much talent and depth does fort hill have in basketball, soccer and baseball. They have a football program with exceptional coaching. If the coaching disappears they will be back to having a good program like they had with lattimore and Calhoun
If they can no longer deliver the 'gimme ring' in 1A, then yes, the talent will stop being shoveled to FH.
I'll never understand why folks want to minimize the accomplishments of kids with comments like 'gimme ring'. You're better than that
Dunbar and Douglass were battles. Nothing gimme about those games.
First of all i know in your day FH and alco didn't compete for state titles. They do now and there are no gimme rings you still have to play and win the games. And i really don't know were you get the shoveling of talent when I look at a FH roster i dont see many names that don't live in FH district.
I am absolutely certain that nothing was ever diminished in any player's mind by what I post. Positive or negative, I am sure Cumberland's young athletes couldn't give a shit-for-distance contest win over what I am thinking on any given subject.
I have already posted that I think Alco players have been quitting their team because they cannot win.... the obvious flip-side is that players join FH because they virtually do not lose... and these players join FH whether they play or not.
My opinion: competition is no longer a focus - simply being on the right team is. FH is the right team for a 'gimme ring' in 1A. So, as you can see, I am not better than what I post.
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This has been covered quite extensively by me in other threads. And yes, FH in 1A is a 'gimme' to run the table in little 1A.
Get on FH's varsity and you will get a ring before you graduate... it's a gimme now in 1A (ugh, unless you run into Dunbar every year). Some championship games look like real battles because one usually sees nothing but blowouts.
To my knowledge only one lived in the district and commuted but three or four moved over to Cumberland during their middle school years. Three played together on one team and one is currently playing now. I in no way implicate that FH recruited these kids. It was a decision made by the players and their families.
All they can do is play who is in front of them. 1A classification is the state of Maryland’s. FH has nothing to do with it. All FH does is win. 82-3 since 2013
IOW, aside from 1 kid, these were kids living in FH district playing for FH. Makes sense.
You can obviously tell that Fort Hill is recruiting kids from not just Allegany territory but all over the country. They have a couple kids playing significant time that weigh 140 pounds. Rumor has it that the New England patriots are in the process of trying to sign both of them right now!
I agree with you about the last two years, but 2013-2016 Lag has a legitimate point. After Dunbar went to 2A the talent level during those years in 1A wasn't even challenging for FH.
Yet another Alco post where people can't resist talking about FH, lol
We've been through this so many fuggin' times you would think that even the class of imbecile around here would get the word. What I probably should do is save a copy and just re-paste it because the same ignorant, red-jacket, circle-jerk shit comes up at least once a month.
Mkay.... Here goes for the umpteenth time: partly from redistricting, partly demographics, and partly from families moving into the FH district, most of those inclined to play football are going to FH.
Part of the demographic issue is well stated by Helmick in this thread (which some of you obviously haven't read).
My take is that Allegany football is struggling for a handful of reasons with the top reasons being the difficulty to pull out of a tailspin due to a huge lag in numbers. Combine that with the fact that this day in age students across the state/country don't participate in sports as much. Even if FH wasn't rolling I don't think the Alco roster numbers would be significantly better.
Now, if you don't like my term shoveling that's also too frickin' bad. I have never posted that out-of-district athletes make up the significant FH roster. What I have posted is that with teams 3 deep from varsity, junior varsity and freshman, that FH has proven to have more than enough athletes to successfully fill their other programs.
Give your own reason for FH's failure in other programs from the following: piss poor coaching, can't hit the curve, aren't really 'ballers' of any kind or they just want a 'gimme ring' so they join the football team to ride the bench.
Alco is competitive in sports other than football because those kids who can.... do play. With football, Alco had its complete complement last year and could not win... as in, couldn't compete as historic Alco and got smashed again by FH. The junior class of that team has headed for the exits. I have pronounced Allegany football dead. Hell, at the beginning of the year I posted that maybe they could beat Northern... now...maybe not even that. After emptying their bench, FH should drop 80 points on Allegany at homecoming unless its a forfeit. Make you shits happy?
When you guys are done jerkin' off in a circle don't forget to head over and kiss some Appel ass.
Mkay.... Here goes for the umpteenth time: partly from redistricting, partly demographics, and partly from families moving into the FH district, most of those inclined to play football are going to FH.
Part of the demographic issue is well stated by Helmick in this thread (which some of you obviously haven't read).
My take is that Allegany football is struggling for a handful of reasons with the top reasons being the difficulty to pull out of a tailspin due to a huge lag in numbers. Combine that with the fact that this day in age students across the state/country don't participate in sports as much. Even if FH wasn't rolling I don't think the Alco roster numbers would be significantly better.
Now, if you don't like my term shoveling that's also too frickin' bad. I have never posted that out-of-district athletes make up the significant FH roster. What I have posted is that with teams 3 deep from varsity, junior varsity and freshman, that FH has proven to have more than enough athletes to successfully fill their other programs.
Give your own reason for FH's failure in other programs from the following: piss poor coaching, can't hit the curve, aren't really 'ballers' of any kind or they just want a 'gimme ring' so they join the football team to ride the bench.
Alco is competitive in sports other than football because those kids who can.... do play. With football, Alco had its complete complement last year and could not win... as in, couldn't compete as historic Alco and got smashed again by FH. The junior class of that team has headed for the exits. I have pronounced Allegany football dead. Hell, at the beginning of the year I posted that maybe they could beat Northern... now...maybe not even that. After emptying their bench, FH should drop 80 points on Allegany at homecoming unless its a forfeit. Make you shits happy?
When you guys are done jerkin' off in a circle don't forget to head over and kiss some Appel ass.
three or four moved over to Cumberland during their middle school years.
It was a decision made by the players and their families.
People move. How many Frankfort folks moved to WV from Cumberland? Who cares? MD is like 5 miles wide at Cumberland. Allegany hasn't had players, really good players, that lived in a different school district? It happens, not sure it's worth this much attention.
I've made this point countless times. How can a school with this over abundance of depth and talent suck at every other sport? The only common denominator is the coach. If Appel went to Allegany would there be an instant turnaround?
FH wouldn't need Appel to continue with the 'gimme ring' for the foreseeable future - so, I would not expect some immediate, massive transfers or houses going up for sale . FH sucks in other sports because today's kids don't play or quit playing if they don't win.... proof is the willingness to sit to get a ring. Playing for the sake of competition is so over.
Besides.....
Here goes for the umpteenth time: partly from redistricting, partly demographics, and partly from families moving into the FH district, most of those inclined to play football are going to FH.
Is this to me? Why in the hell would I think that? Was Allegany getting most of the talent in town for the last decade as FH is now? And who the hell claimed that any ring was a 'gimme ring' for the last decade as it is now.
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