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Coaching matters. A lot! But having really good players matters more. It's been proven over and over again.

I've enjoyed reading this thread...there's so many factors involved....another common example pointed out is Todd Dodge...he won a ton at Southlake and Westlake...not so much at his other stops...its definitely a combination of many factors and I think "fit" as well

And that concludes the 2025-26 high school basketball season. Congrats to all the state champions and to all our coverage area teams that had fantastic seasons. Time for me to get some rest and relaxation. Probably won't see much of me around here after college basketball is over. Like the great Forest Gump said "I'm pretty tired, think I'll go home now".

My thoughts on this game. Summit just played an overall better game than BU. They played defense light years better than any other team I’ve seen BU play this year. To say that they’re undersized, they played defense light great in your face defense, their hands are active, they are always in great positions to grab rebounds. Also, on offense, they run plays for their best players. United was a stark contrast. We run NO plays except out of bounds plays. We seem to be out of position on defense a lot. We had size advantage but we never take advantage of it. Instead, we want to jack 3’s up. Tonight, they were not falling at all. I would have liked for our star players to get great looks just like that freshman from Summit. Overall, we return a lot next year. I expect ‘a certain player’ to get a LOT better so we can try to get back to the championship. Been a great ride. Look forward to another fun season next year. Again, congrats to Summit on the win!

That matters for sure.. but I think the way it matters is by way of households that are able to provide the tax revenue that contributes to those means of advertising (facilities, salaries, stipends, etc.). Here's a great article outlining the obvious differences in the financial situations of Austin High School and Austin Lake Travis High School: [Hidden Content] Two high schools not very far apart with similar(ish) enrollments. Austin High has roughly 2400 students.. which is much less than LT, but 2400 is plenty to field a decent football team in almost all cases. Vastly different average household incomes, though. You have kids from LT driving BMW's to planet fitness during the summers to meet an ex pro-athlete for a workout.. while Austin High kids might be sitting at home or working a summer job to help put food on the table. This applies at every classification across the state (country). There are always exceptions, but more times than not: High household income, 2 working parents, spending summers at strength/speed camps, not having to work summer jobs, having a reliable vehicle to make it to weight room/school, running with kids in similar situation, access to best facilities money can buy, personal trainer, personal tutor, etc. etc. etc.... A kid with access to the list I just gave will ALWAYS have a leg up on a kid that doesn't. Now multiply that by entire teams/programs. Start looking at the average household income of the schools that are habitually making deep runs. The income translates to living situation.. which translates to property taxes.. which is a huge contributor to how public schools pay for facilities and teachers/coaches/stipends.

I've asked you this before and you have never given an explanation.. Why are there so many coaches that have won multiple state championships and then never got close again? How many players did SS have that went on to play major D1 football? How many did Phil D. have? Is coaching responsible for that? How many super bowls did Bill Belichick win without Tom Brady? How many state championships did Tom Westerberg win without Kyler Murray? How many NBA championships did Phil Jackson win without MJ or Kobe in the lineup? You're pro "coaching matters".. and I agree, it does. But you will never convince me that coaching matters more than the players on the team. Never. And I know that it could never be proven, but I'd bet that several coaches could reach your definition of elite if they'd had the right players.

[Hidden Content] Coverage area players 6A Adam Boyd Atascocita Jachai Cantave Atascocita 5A Josua Coleman Beaumont United Elijah Garrett Beaumont West Brook Christian Haskett Beaumont West Brook 'Payton Jones Beaumont United 4A Aaden Bush Bridge City 3A Patrick Roth Onalaska Jaden Scales Orangefield Devon Vienneau Onalaska Carson Willis Orangefield 2A Jamesly Flowers Big Sandy Michael Renfro San Augustine Joshua Roland San Augustine Garrett Sanford Chireno 1A Landon Smith Brookeland

Trump has been played by Putin. Iran has destroyed military bases because of intel from Russia and Japan. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel. The is a Epstein war.

[Hidden Content] Coverage Area 6A Adam Boyd Atascocita Jachai Cantave Atascocita Christian Gibson North Shore Jaequrian Lincoln Humble Reggie Rideau Summer Creek Zayson Salanoa Atascocita Da'Marcus Sloan North Shore 5A Gabe Childress Barbers Hill Josua Coleman Beaumont United Evan Egans Crosby Elijah Garrett Beaumont West Brook Christian Haskett Beaumont West Brook Payton Jones Beaumont United Koltan Lopez Kingwood Park Ephriam Moore Beaumont United Javen Nededog West Fork Dallas Rosette Nederland Austin Stewart Beaumont West Brook Kambrell Williams Dayton 4A Drake Barrett Huffman Aaden Bush Bridge City Calvin Ellington Tarkington Ziekus Garner Livingston Jacaleb Johnson Silsbee Cordell Lowe Hardin-Jefferson Kobe Prejean Hamshire-Fannett 3A Jason Anderson Huntington Gunner Carnes Pineywoods CA Ayden Debose Trinity Cam Dillard East Chambers AJ Emmons Diboll Grayson Johnson Huntington Jahkkeim McKnight Crosby Patrick Roth Onalaska Jaden Scales Orangefield Devon Vienneau Onalaska Dayvon Wallace East Chambers Carson Willis Orangefield 2A Destin Brittain Chireno Michael Renfro San Augustine Joshua Roland San Augustine Garrett Sanford Chireno Shudey Beene Big Sandy Brett Buckner Evadale Jamesly Flowers Big Sandy Devin Roberts Sabine Pass 1A Canyon Baker Spurger Zach Beatty Brookeland Kasen Citrano Chester Sam Ross Brookeland Landon Smith Brookeland

Bryan Whitmire is top notch! He took a team with a first round playoff exit last year all the way to the State Championship Game this year. On top of that he is a great Christian Man that all of our boys can look up to. Excellent mentor and basketball coach that really cares about the kids and it shows. You couldn't ask for a better coach and family to be part of your community.

I spoke with family member (mom) of a candidate for Texas House Rep in ‘24. This was during early voting, and they were really, really hoping for a Trump endorsement. They’d reached out and been given the price, but just didn’t have the campaign funds to make it happen. Their opponent got the Trump endorsement during early voting and won the race, unseating an incumbent. Did the challenger pay the $400k? I don’t know. But I BELIEVE that Trump’s people asked the incumbent for that sum, based on my conversation with the incumbent’s family member. They also confirmed the story about the Rep receiving a handwritten letter from Gregg Abbott advising that if he, (incumbent, whose wife is a school teacher) voted against giving handouts to rich people who send their kids to private schools, aka “school choice,” they’d make sure that he wasn’t re-elected. Hence the well-funded challenger who could afford Trump’s endorsement. Fun fact… the challenger (now state Rep) that supported stripping money from public schools to subsidize wealthy kids going to private schools? She’s was the president of her local school board at the time, voting against the interest of the school of which she was the board trustee. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do if you want to make it to the top, I guess.

President Trump has not ensured that Iran cannot rebuild its facilities—potentially even deeper underground. He often makes statements that sound definitive but are not supported by subsequent facts. In June 2025, following Operation Midnight Hammer, President Trump stated that B-2 stealth bombers and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from Navy submarines had destroyed Iran’s nuclear program. Eight months later, we have Operation Epic Fury, and we are again told that Iran’s capabilities have been eliminated. All that bluster, yet current events suggest otherwise. Iran continues launching drones and missiles at Israel and at American assets in the Middle East. This raises a fundamental question: was Iran’s nucler program truly neutralized, or are we once again facing a situation where Iran is rebuilding its nuclear capabilities? We hear on the news that Iran still has uranium and no one can find it. Sounds like George W. Bush and Dick Cheney looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Absent regime change in Iran, the underlying dynamics will not change. At the same time, the United States is unlikely to commit ground forces, as doing so would likely entail another prolonged conflict with years of uncertainty, solider deaths, and significant cost. If you don't care about that, then go sign up your children and grandchildren first...right after Barron Trump grabs a gun and a uniform. It's easy to support President Trump when its not your child or grandchild serving. Send me photos when your child or grandchild enlists. So, after all of President Trumps marketing bluster and salesmanship, the question remains: what has materially changed in Iran? What has been accomplished? Iran is unlikely to capitulate simply because the United States takes a confrontational posture. President Trump is a bully salesman. Iran is not dropping to its knees because President Trumps says so and continues to throw a fit. Meanwhile, the United States faces significant domestic challenges. The national debt continues to rise, the cost of groceries and fuel has increased, the American education system is in shambles, infrastructure requires substantial investment, no one can afford health insurance, and the country remains polarized along political, racial, religious, and socioeconomic lines. Remember when Republicans cared about those things? Me either. Instead, let's bomb other countries, assassinate others we don't like, spend until the printing press breaks, don't worry about the sh-tshow inside our own borders, and let's tell everyone that we are producing the Epstien files, but while you're at it, fire off another bomb in Iran. One more thing, keep all of those brown people in Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, or wherever the hell they're from. Let the good looking women in, grab'em in the p--y, and Make America Great Again.

it's nothing to do with Surratt and everything to do with Warren. In the 30 years before Surratt took over Carthage had 23 winning seasons, three .500 seasons and four losing seasons. They made it to at least the second round of the playoffs 13 times in those 30 years and even played for a state championship. It feels like you're under the illusion that Surratt took over a bad football program and turned them almost instantly into a winner. That couldn't be further from the truth. He took over a pretty good program with some really good talent and turned them into a great program that attracted even better talent. Now they're an elite program that attracts elite talent (which he certainly deserves credit for). On the flipside of that, Warren opened 75 years ago and has 4 playoff appearances in those 75 years. They had 1 playoff "win" in 1958 where they tied and advanced on penetrations. In the last 50 years they have 8 winning seasons, but only made the playoffs twice because they get most of their wins by finding even worse teams to schedule before district. Would Warren improve dramatically if Surratt came to town? Obviously. But they aren't winning district in 7 years, much less a state championship.

15-1 in my big money brackets.

I'm no expert in Warren , but there are factors at Warren that currently would prevent Surratt from winning a state title in 7 years. Now if He could have well paid assistant coaches in abundance, lavish facilities , unlimited funding, full Admin support, on everything he does, yes he might have a shot in 7 years. But those are big asks. In my opinion ,he is an Elite coach for sure, but being an Elite coach does not guarantee a State championship in 7 years. I think there are several Elite coaches around the state that never win a title or even play for one.

I think vastly the entire free world believes that Iran is either directly or indirectly a global threat. You already know this, but I'll continue because I like to "hear" myself talk. Iran poses a multifaceted threat to global stability, primarily through its sponsorship of terrorist proxies, expanding missile programs and advancements in nuclear technology. It threatens U.S. and allied interests in the Middle East via groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. One guy, however qualified he may be, ain't gonna change my mind on that one...

Didn't the great Cornel Thompson say something along the lines of "You can't win the kentucky derby with mules" ?

He said primaries, not midterms. Party heads historically don’t get in between their own members in primary contests. Don’t project disunity among the brethren. I think The Band took that round.

You are still wrong…. Research Bush’s endorsement of Arlen Specter. Trump did not invent this, he just does it better. If you are endorsed by Trump history has it you have a 94 - 96% of winning……

hi 5 to both BMT schools, proud of yall, outcome didn't go our way but thanks for a good season

Great season by Orangefield. One of the best coaches in the area, it’s nice to see success for him. Also great career by Scales. Dude came in to high school with tons of hype and most kids would crumble under that pressure. He flourished and improved every year.

I thought Santa Clara HC got the timeout called in time. But......they should've fouled him before the shot.

I think he'd pull some, but Kountze isn't known for much football talent, and Woodville has been successful enough on it's own to keep a lot of the players. Fred and Spurger aren't spitting out football players. Carthage is within 30 minutes of Tatum, Beckville, Joaquin, Marshall, Tenaha, Timpson, Center, and Mt. Enterprise. Oh, and 40 minutes from Longview and Kilgore. And without a doubt they're pulling talent from most if not all of those towns. We're talking about a talent-rich environment. Lots of state championship wins and appearances between those towns in the last 20 years.

BC HC Josh Smally fits this. But I dont consider him in the top 1% yet. @Reagan's 3% was generous. Doesn't mean he's not a great coach. Just not Elite. Still some years left to make the jump. If they continue the recent success it will snowball into more and more. Look for them to compete with WOS very well next season

Surratt went to a school with good athletes already in place and got the most out of them. Won a couple of championships, got the backing of the community, got great facilities, and now many of the best players from all the surrounding communities find ways to play there. He's as elite as it gets, but now that the talent is funneling in and the community has the reputation as title town, another solid coach could step in there and keep winning. On the flipside, Surratt is not going to a place with no talent and no support and have them winning championships quickly without players moving in and better facilities. and he's not moving down to the valley and taking over a team and winning state championships in 7 or 70 years. He could dominate that area, but he's still going to lose with his teams when they face dallas and houston late in the playoffs.

Well i truly believe, the word elite can be used in several ways. Elite coaching can be a coach that takes average kids at an average program and has them buy in and over achieves with them. This will require the coach to adjust his coaching styles almost every year based on the talent that he has from yr to yr. I also believe elite can be defined as a coach that has a program that is winning several games each year in the playoffs and making deep runs, and can keep that program on top year in and year out. I believe it is easier to win at those programs because you do have kids coming into the program that typically wouldnt be there if the program wasnt as successful.

One of my favorites: "The flu gets a Chuck Norris shot every year."

And by his handling, do you mean Trump being involved in human trafficking and raping underage girls, or him allowing too much information to be released about him being involved in human trafficking and raping underage girls? JK, jk…. I think that his handling gives the appearance of a coverup, when there’s obviously a lot of false allegations in there that hurt a lot of people. I can get why he’d want to move on, even if he’s done nothing wrong… but the country just wasn’t having it. Good answer.

Glad I am subsidizing my income with poker and sports gambling.

From Kogt.com Orangefield Bobcats have made a slight change to their 2026 football schedule. Their game against Woodville is now going to be played at Umphrey Stadium at Lamar University.

A million great coaches in the area, and I think everyone is really good and most guys are good friends so I admit my biases. But if this was like the stock market and I am betting on guys futures (limiting to this to guys who haven't been HC's for long). Give me Keithan Hancock (HJ) and KJ Johnson (HF) over the next 15 or 20 years, those guys check every single box.

If you need to hear a little TXHSFB talk check out this month's TepAndStepp now FREE on YouTube!!

I would wager that a higher percentage of coaches know what they're dealing with in that regard.. than the percentage of parents that know that their kid is in this situation. Please note: I'm not being judgmental nor am I saying that those kind of obstacles are impossible to overcome.. just stating that statistically it can make quite a difference. Anyone that argues it doesn't is just ignorant on the subject.. or naive.

I believe there are numerous reasons for this threat being eliminated but a big one no one has mentioned or maybe they have cause I didn’t go back and read every post…..by eliminating Iran now then our forces won’t be spread out plus no distraction when China tries to take Taiwan or basically deter China from the thought….With Iran eliminated all focus on China. But I will say this. The gas pumps are hurting the pocket books. Stop dilly dallying and Let’s wrap this up quickly please.

Illegal immigrants from Africa, India and China are voting in US elections — here’s how they’re doing it Maybe a birth certificate isn't the worst idea?

BH pays extremely well and Pennington has been there a while. I think Pennington was there ten plus years. But when he got it he was the third coach in maybe three years? He also came from Hooks which is a 3a and the previous guy was from Canadian ( I think) which is 2 or 3a. My prediction is this time around expect a highly successful coach from a 5a/6a. I think it’ll be someone with a ring or someone who got real close.

Higher gas prices are not a problem for those that can afford it.

Personally I don't think you need to speak for women. I work at a bank where names on DL's have to match account name. In my 23 years of banking, I have never had a woman complain they needed their divorce decree to change their name.....either to their married name or back to their maiden name. Why do you think poor people are dumb?

Looks like I'm late to the party. As some of you know, I used to be a regular contributor. And I've always been pretty quick to let my feelings be known when I agree/disagree with a comment. Years ago, I would often give little personal attacks - especially on the football forum (ironic, huh); however, I quit doing that quite a while back. Should've never done it in the first place. It was all in fun for me, but not everyone takes it that way. I quit posting as much because it doesn't feel like discussion or even a spirited argument anymore. It's continual bashing from both sides, and I don't think either side is changing any of the other side's minds. Kinda the way this entire country is going these days, really. I still like to get on and look and read from time to time. I may even comment. But it's lost some of the glow for me. And if I'm being honest AAW, for a while you really made me question whether or not I would ever login again. That was quite a few year's ago, but it's always stuck with me. I realize and understand that this is a privately held site that can do as they please and run it however they want, but I didn't feel right about commenting on this topic without saying this. No hard feelings and it's all good, but it was definitely a bothersome issue for me. All that being said, I'll end this post with this: "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" -Proverbs 15:1 "My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry..." -James 1:19

I really had a hard time with her doing that. Caused me to vote against her and she is my neighbor and goes to our church. Friends with my wife. I thought that was very telling like you have stated.

I expect my bracket to be properly burnt by Thursday afternoon. 🤷🏾‍♂️

All Tournament Teams [Hidden Content] Coverage Area players 6A D1 Anthony Key Soph. Atascocita 5A D1 Elijah Garrett Senior Beaumont West Brook Christian Haskett Senior Beaumont West Brook 5A D2 Payton Jones Junior Beaumont United Ephriam Moore Soph. Beaumont United 3A D1 Jaden Scales Senior Orangefield Carson Willis Senior Orangefield 2A D1 Max Renfro Junior San Augustine D'adrian Renfro Junior San Augustine

Other countries already have nuclear weapons capable of reaching the United States, including Russia, China, and North Korea. What is the cost of the defense systems designed to address those threats? Do we not already have and maintain defense systems such as the North American Aerospace Defense Command, along with missile defense networks, early-warning systems, and strategically deployed defense assets around the world? The United States spends billions of dollars each year on the military, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the United States Department of Homeland Security, and defense contractors. The country has also monitored Iran for more than four decades. Yet the argument now being made is that the United States must assassinate Iranian leaders and seize Iranian oil because, if Iran obtains a nuclear weapon, it could not be stopped—despite the fact that the United States has long deterred nuclear-armed adversaries such as Russia, China, and North Korea. If our systems are good enough to monitor Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong Un, aren't they good enough to monitor the mullahs in Iran?

Going next week for a few days but have to come back for my wife's surgery. Having rotator cuff surgery. So we will be in Silsbee for a couple of months, then the beach.

You bring great wisdom to this forum.

Not the same event obviously but we played at TABC showcase this past summer. It was similar we led most of early game and then they made a run late and won a close game. They are very good. Honestly when you are talking about most of 3A top 10 anyone can beat anyone on anyday as just kind of depends on lots of matchup factors and shooting. Paradise is great at what they do, I wasn’t good enough of a coach to find out this year. Well earned championship for them.

I don’t hate Trump , I’ve just grown weary of his bad hires, not enough firings and zero accountability from our corrupt government and his narcissistic attitude. One thing I do know is Trump Loves Trump!

Proud of how hard the Bobcats have continued to compete. Lot of heart on the floor and on the bench.

Everyone competes to win championships and the best team at the end of the season is declared the "champion". That means that if you want to declare someone to be the best coach you would start with championships and then go to "wins". SS can be declared the greatest high school coach of all-time without qualification. However, that does not mean that he has not been in "the right place at the right time" and also been the beneficiary of outside factors such as the fact that there are many more championships available on a yearly basis than what was available before all of the division splits. There are many GREAT coaches in schools that never have the talent level that SS walked into in Carthage and deal with community dynamics that hinder maximum optimization of the talent available. Those coaches may appear mediocre to those not "in the know". It was mentioned previously that a good coach "gets the most out of what he has available" and this is a likely good way to view caliber of coaching. However, the only folks who know what the "most out of what is available" is typically the coaches on the staff. Those who do not spend the hours with the kids when they are out of their comfort zones can only speculate as to what they believe to be "real".