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Rams and Back

The critics most likely have never been to a FH event such as a rally, ring ceremony or other banquet

Why would all those who have heard Appel in public media be expected to understand the man as he displays himself in selective events. Besides, if Appel holds his players accountable publicly for grades and football why can't he be held to the same standard on media and events.

One should not pull 2 to 3 sound bites over a 11 year period of overall work, to repeatedly condemn someone, when you do not have the full picture. Have you ever talked to any of his players personally?
 
One should not pull 2 to 3 sound bites over a 11 year period of overall work, to repeatedly condemn someone, when you do not have the full picture. Have you ever talked to any of his players personally?

It is Appel's responsibility, and his alone, to represent himself, the team and the school to the media, not mine to research him.

I worked for a top 'Fortune' company for 34 years. Every time I made contact outside the company I was the face of the company. There were instances where the media was involved. If I had discussed internal issues or had a meltdown I would have been gone in 24 hours.

There were several times that local media contacted me during my volunteer period. It was high profile and I have commendations from the county. Despite my success, I can safely say that If I had had a media meltdown or discussed athlete issues with the media I would have suddenly disappeared from public view.

In Appel's case he is beloved by Cumberland and I can say it is no doubt warranted. Cumberland is a unique situation. But please do not tell me I have to look at it the same way. My life experience is different.
 
Without a doubt, hyping it up as much as you can for what reason I cannot fathom, a personal agenda, envy, to make oneself feel important by pointing a few “mistakes?” Hope you can overcome it, Lags.
 
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Without a doubt, hyping it up as much as you can for what reason I cannot fathom, a personal agenda, envy, to make oneself feel important by pointing a few “mistakes?” Hope you can overcome it, Lags.

To avoid this exact discussion in the future, the next time a red-jacket wants to make oneself feel important by trashing an Allegany coach, one would hope you can overcome it - after all, there is nothing to envy about FH or Cumberland for that matter as it exists now.
 
To avoid this exact discussion in the future, the next time a red-jacket wants to make oneself feel important by trashing an Allegany coach, one would hope you can overcome it - after all, there is nothing to envy about FH or Cumberland for that matter as it exists now.
Then why do you bother
 
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He absolutely has been a hell of a coach and has run a very good program from top to bottom. Also, I think that Cumberland overall is very proud of what he's done. Anyone from Cumberland who who doesn't give him and the FH program's accomplishments their due credit, no matter who you pull for, is just an idiot. And we've proven that on this board, you can't help people who are just flat out dumb and/or angry.

Todd is 1000% dedicated too, so I don't want it to seem like he's not. You drive by FH, very good chance you see his truck parked there. I'd just like to see him be more open to helping the kids who've helped him. My personal opinion: Shakur Trimble should be playing D1 ball somewhere. I could be wrong, but the right high school head coach could sell him to a program and give him an opportunity at a bright future.
There's something to be said about some of these guys' "want to" when it comes to playing at the college level. Some of these guys just dont really want to keep playing even though they have the ability
 
Be very clear, I'm not pointing the finger at you, Appel or FH, because this should be addressed before the kids even get to high school. We pretty much know what players are going to be good in youth league and definitely by middle school. The academic reinforcement should have started back then. I actually talked to a couple of people about starting a tutoring program in the Cumberland area specifically aimed at young athletes but of course open to all students. I think there are state and possibly local funds/grants available if someone wanted to do something like this.

Absolutely. My biggest disappointment and grudge work while running the Queen City Football Foundation was the academic side. I found myself looking over kids shoulders constantly..."Did you sign up for the SAT yet?", "Did you take a practice SAT yet?", "What classes did you sign up for?". That is the job of the parents with some guidance but it never worked.

Alco had a great RB and point guard back in 2012 named Christian Thompson. I worked with him but didn't start to try and help him until late in the process. Here it was January of his senior year, tons of coaches were all over him, and he had not taken the SAT yet. His GPA was OK. He didn't even end up taking it until like late that spring and bombed on the first exam as does everyone. If this kid had just taken it 3 or 4 times like everyone should, he had college paid for. I don't know where he is but was a great person to know. Very soft spoken and humble.
 
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Absolutely. My biggest disappointment and grudge work while running the Queen City Football Foundation was the academic side. I found myself looking over kids shoulders constantly..."Did you sign up for the SAT yet?", "Did you take a practice SAT yet?", "What classes did you sign up for?". That is the job of the parents with some guidance but it never worked.

Alco had a great RB and point guard back in 2012 named Christian Thompson. I worked with him but didn't start to try and help him until late in the process. Here it was January of his senior year, tons of coaches were all over him, and he had not taken the SAT yet. His GPA was OK. He didn't even end up taking it until like late that spring and bombed on the first exam as does everyone. If this kid had just taken it 3 or 4 times like everyone should, he had college paid for. I don't know where he is but was a great person to know.

That is the job of the parents with some guidance but it never worked.

Exactly. Cannot save others from themselves. Nice post.
 
To avoid this exact discussion in the future, the next time a red-jacket wants to make oneself feel important by trashing an Allegany coach, one would hope you can overcome it - after all, there is nothing to envy about FH or Cumberland for that matter as it exists now.

Sorry bud. Check the posts. I did not state one negative thing about the Alco coach in this thread. I said I don’t know him. Therefore, I am not going to bash him as you do said FH coach.
 
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As I read through this thread I can’t help but say many high school student-athletes simply choose not to play sports post high school, and that is okay.

If you have played a specific sport for 10-12 years prior to graduation it is understandable why many don’t want to play anymore.

I have coached outstanding high school student-athletes who ultimately competed at the D-1, D-2, and D-3 levels. Others who were just as talented chose to attend college but not participate in sports at the collegiate level. Yet, others competed at the collegiate level for a year and chose not to compete after that. Others simply chose not to attend college. A few went into the military. All are successful people today.

Regardless of the level of college play, college sports require a tremendous time commitment. In the end, if a person wants to attend college, there are ways to make it happen, and it doesn’t have to be via a sports scholarship.

I have a very close relative who several years ago was recognized as an all-area first team player on offense and defense. He was recruited by multiple D-2 and D-3 teams. He had the skill and size to play at the next level. He had the grades and SAT scores to get into almost any college he desired. He simply made the decision not to play post high school. He went to a major university and graduated in four years with a degree in engineering. He did not need to play sports to have a collegiate experience. In his words at the time - “I just don’t want to play anymore.”

One recent student-athlete mentioned earlier in this thread is very skilled at what he does. He does not need a D-1 scholarship to play football to be successful. Furthermore, it was a benefit to his team that he played his senior year; he strongly considered not playing. Again, he doesn’t need football to be successful in life.

Assumptions can’t be made that every D1, D2, or D3 eligible high school player wants to play at the next level. It appears that many posters responding to this thread are making such assumptions in the effort to blame the coach for someone not playing at the next level.

Sure, it is easy to blame coaches for not promoting student-athletes to colleges, but ultimately it is the student-athlete’s choice.
 
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For those that do not know: It is NOT the responsibility of the high school coach to promote and get scholarships for their players. Just google and read about recruiting and every resource will say the same. He can't even if he wants to because he doesn't have any contacts other then the select few within a short driving distance that come to him. The head coach is there to win football games and coach 25-60 kids, which should take every minute of his free time. If the coach is smart, he will assign another person on his staff to become a recruiting coordinator. But that is tough because even assistants are limited with their contacts and time and few want to put in more hours for free.

It is without question, the responsibility of the actual player and his parents/guardians to get scholarships. That means having the grades and visiting camps and being in contact with college coaches.

So when I hear people say the head coach should be doing more to get his kids scholarships all I can do is laugh my rear end off.
 
Good post MC. I think FH does a fair job at best getting their kids looks to further their football careers. Not as bad as it has been presented in this thread, but not as good as they should. Appel is all about the program and I give him credit for that but when Ty Johnson’s only D1 interest before his Maryland offer was the U of Albany, something is wrong. Ty is a D1 athlete and should have had multiple offers. The Clays should have had some mid major offers as well. These days though the responsibility rests with the parents and the athlete first and foremost. The reason why that is, is the blueprint is to get the athlete on campus and compete with the other campers. Run 40’s etc. that’s what Ty did at MD and he impressed Edsall, hence the offer. He would have been offered by many D1 schools had he went to their camps. In the 80’s that wasn’t the design. Back then film was the key measurable followed by the eye test for position you play and your head coaches endorsement. I know this because I came up in the 80’s and went thru this process. So did a couple teammates of mine and other local kids that went on to play major college football. So while Appel does not do a great job getting his kids recruited, it’s not the design these days so the responsibility doesn’t really fall in his lap.
 
My personal opinion: Shakur Trimble should be playing D1 ball somewhere. I could be wrong, but the right high school head coach could sell him to a program and give him an opportunity at a bright future.

Shakur almost didn't even play his senior year as he wanted to work. I believe he and coach talked and he decided to play. It is absolutely no surprise that Shakur decided NOT to play football at the next level. Physically and talent-wise I think he could've done well at the next level. But I'm pretty sure he specifically chose not to continue his football playing in lieu of working and making money. That's admirable. As another poster said, its OK for kids to want to be done with football after high school.
 
Sorry bud. Check the posts. I did not state one negative thing about the Alco coach in this thread. I said I don’t know him. Therefore, I am not going to bash him as you do said FH coach.

Check the posts.

You check the posts. My reference was plural "next time a red-jacket wants" - that's any of you; so, you wanted a piece of the red-jacket, pile-on action but none of the responsibility.... how FH of you.

Hey.... and when you weren't landing a punch you posted:

Above is a symptom of ADS = Appel Derangement Syndrome. ADS can lead to wild conspiracy theories. Be careful, if one does not seek help it can lead to mania, depression, and excessive hatred towards the sweet juicy fruit itself; that would be a shame.

Now, if you actually checked posts in this thread you would see my other comments about juicy-fruit Appel:


"I assume, coach Appel is like a George Patton. He is very good at what he does. What he is not good at is schmoozing up to college coaches or getting his players to accept a tutoring program. Besides, he already puts in a zillion hours. I don't think he is short-sighted or even self-serving. He is just what he is."

"In Appel's case he is beloved by Cumberland and I can say it is no doubt warranted. Cumberland is a unique situation. But please do not tell me I have to look at it the same way. My life experience is different."

Not exactly a "Derangement Syndrome" is it? But that's fine. You want to join in on the fun... You become part of the fun.
 
Bother yourself with what goes on in Cumberland.

My words:

"...there is nothing to envy about FH or Cumberland for that matter as it exists now."


I guess the reason I did not understand your question is because I cannot connect envy as an integral part of posting in this forum... for anyone.
 
Absolutely. My biggest disappointment and grudge work while running the Queen City Football Foundation was the academic side. I found myself looking over kids shoulders constantly..."Did you sign up for the SAT yet?", "Did you take a practice SAT yet?", "What classes did you sign up for?". That is the job of the parents with some guidance but it never worked.

Alco had a great RB and point guard back in 2012 named Christian Thompson. I worked with him but didn't start to try and help him until late in the process. Here it was January of his senior year, tons of coaches were all over him, and he had not taken the SAT yet. His GPA was OK. He didn't even end up taking it until like late that spring and bombed on the first exam as does everyone. If this kid had just taken it 3 or 4 times like everyone should, he had college paid for. I don't know where he is but was a great person to know. Very soft spoken and humble.

Sadly, this is very true, Todd. Great example of this is when Wes Ours was offered a full ride to WVU, the guidance counselor at Westmar at the time was so inept that he/she didn't even know what to do to get Wes prepared. The paperwork, NCAA clearance stuff, academics and testing, none of it.

Wes had to go to Allegany and have their guidance counselor help him with the paper work. That level of incompetence is actually amazing.
 
Lag, it is fun, I must admit. Prayers in seeking treatment for your condition.

Prayers in seeking treatment for your condition

And finally, we have the unbiblical and totally cringe-worthy Appel holier-than-thou card. Personally, I stick to "Thy will be done."
 
No one said Appel is holier than thou. Like all people he has good qualities and bad. There is no doubt that he is a great motivator and coach. The players also love playing for him. When you have 42 to 50 kids each year playing 1a football that’s amazing.
 
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No one said Appel is holier than thou. Like all people he has good qualities and bad. There is no doubt that he is a great motivator and coach. The players also love playing for him. When you have 42 to 50 kids each year playing 1a football that’s amazing.

The holier-than-thou card, not being holier than thou. As in, mentioning God in a public moment or whenever a mic appears in front of you. That is, when you win.

When you are the only real attraction in an entire town - as in a season walkover to a championship game and an almost certitude ring - that number showing up is not amazing at all. And the love playing for him stuff is pitched around here so much that it is as though folks were trying to convince themselves.

Remember, all this started with Foley going back to Allegany. If you all don't like where the conversations go, then don't begin by trashing others. I know, red-jackets can't help themselves. I was content to praise FH's new schedule.
 
The only criticism I gave Foley is that he would only take an opportunity if the team was a winner, he would never go to Northern. I believe I called him a cherry picker. Lol. Also, his role in helmet gate was an embarrassment as it was for Hansel and what ever other goofball that tried to make that an issue.But I will say people make mistakes as I have and anyone else has. They deserve the same forgiveness I want when I screw up. The difference is they haven’t taken responsibility for the BS ploy to take FH out of the playoff picture.
 
The only criticism I gave Foley is that he would only take an opportunity if the team was a winner, he would never go to Northern. I believe I called him a cherry picker. Lol. Also, his role in helmet gate was an embarrassment as it was for Hansel and what ever other goofball that tried to make that an issue.But I will say people make mistakes as I have and anyone else has. They deserve the same forgiveness I want when I screw up. The difference is they haven’t taken responsibility for the BS ploy to take FH out of the playoff picture.

he would only take an opportunity if the team was a winner

Ugh, he is going back to Allegany.


his role in helmet gate was an embarrassment as it was for Hansel

I don't think that made the major broadcast media. A real yawner from start to finish. As far as I know, Hansel made a silly-ass online post - the most big-frickin'-deal-not I can think of. As far as Foley is concerned, whose fingerprints (if any) were on a formal complaint to the state about FH? Sounds to me like someone turned the 'booth' relationship (as in chatter in the stands) into a funky - not too believable - rumor and it was easily shot down. Doesn't sound like it was pushed as much as it was investigated by the state.

But why should anybody apologize at all? Did Helmick get one? Did the student get one? Did the kids who needed a ride get one? Did Metz get one for only playing a little special teams last year? Again.... why should anybody apologize at all?
 
I never bash Foley for going back to Allegany at all. I just ask if he was back...if that’s bashing him you have a screw loose. I also ask if Hansel would ever apologize for trying to get in on the helmet gate scandal which was ABSOLUTELY nothing. As for Appel maybe he will pray for you to get some help.
The holier-than-thou card, not being holier than thou. As in, mentioning God in a public moment or whenever a mic appears in front of you. That is, when you win.

When you are the only real attraction in an entire town - as in a season walkover to a championship game and an almost certitude ring - that number showing up is not amazing at all. And the love playing for him stuff is pitched around here so much that it is as though folks were trying to convince themselves.

Remember, all this started with Foley going back to Allegany. If you all don't like where the conversations go, then don't begin by trashing others. I know, red-jackets can't help themselves. I was content to praise FH's new schedule.
 
I’ll apologize for even bringing this up. I’m sorry!
he would only take an opportunity if the team was a winner

Ugh, he is going back to Allegany.


his role in helmet gate was an embarrassment as it was for Hansel

I don't think that made the major broadcast media. A real yawner from start to finish. As far as I know, Hansel made a silly-ass online post - the most big-frickin'-deal-not I can think of. As far as Foley is concerned, whose fingerprints (if any) were on a formal complaint to the state about FH? Sounds to me like someone turned the 'booth' relationship (as in chatter in the stands) into a funky - not too believable - rumor and it was easily shot down. Doesn't sound like it was pushed as much as it was investigated by the state.

But why should anybody apologize at all? Did Helmick get one? Did the student get one? Did the kids who needed a ride get one? Did Metz get one for only playing a little special teams last year? Again.... why should anybody apologize at all?
 
I’ll apologize for even bringing this up. I’m sorry!

This isn't your fault. I liked reading that Foley is going back to Alco. As is too often the case folks seize upon any opportunity to talk shit. My first post about Foley was a reasonable and rationale opinion about his year away from Allegany. Others, not you, started the trash talk. It always happens. And in that case.... I'm your huckleberry.
 
With a new principal coming in to FH.. any idea if the dynamic between head coach and boss will be any different than it's been in the past?

Hopefully no major issues, but a) she isn't necessarily athletics focused and b) she's from Hampshire county, no ties or allegiance or any predispositions to any local sports or traditions etc. She's fair, but she is about as no bullshit as they come.
 
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Hopefully no major issues, but a) she isn't necessarily athletics focused and b) she's from Hampshire county, no ties or allegiance or any predispositions to any local sports or traditions etc. She's fair, but she is about as no bullshit as they come.

Agreed.. that's why I brought it up. Some of my Hampshire County friends know her fairly well, and they're interested in the dynamic because they know how big football is in Cumberland. It's always a different dynamic when an outsider is brought in to run an organization vs. going with an in-house hire... or at least someone with an allegiance, like you said.
 
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