Well, the Trojans welcome the Big Red to town this Saturday. I don't know much about them, but I did see my Trojans make some strides last week. It didn't seem like any timeouts were wasted just for the sake of chewing butt and the Robinson kid actually carried the ball on something other than dive. It was nice to see because the kid is a heck of an athlete and is definitely smart enough to succeed at the next level, even if some don't think it is true.
So will Coach Sparks get his 6th win as Trojan or will the Big Red take the victory?
I am with coach...Why not us?
BTW, my boy loves the new Madden game and thought it was awesome that they used part of the video as their weekly theme vs Jackson. How cool is that?
Week 10 - Portsmouth (2-7) vs Cincinnati Hughes (4-5)
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Oaks_Fan_06
- Waterboy
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Sat Nov 14, 2009 4:10 pm
Re: Week 10 - Portsmouth (2-7) vs Cincinnati Hughes (4-5)
The people of Portsmouth need to rally around Coach Sparks and the Trojans. In his short tenure he has made great strides in bringing this program back to its former glory. It may not show in the number of wins and losses but this program is moving in the right direction. Coach Sparks is on the verge of building a dynasty in P-Town. Lets get behind him and this team and show some Trojan Pride.
Re: Week 10 - Portsmouth (2-7) vs Cincinnati Hughes (4-5)
God Bless America!
God Bless Coach Sparks!
God Bless the Portsmouth Trojans.
May God have mercy on our opponents, because we won't!
Trojan Pride!
God Bless Coach Sparks!
God Bless the Portsmouth Trojans.
May God have mercy on our opponents, because we won't!
Trojan Pride!
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Oaks_Fan_06
- Waterboy
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Sat Nov 14, 2009 4:10 pm
Re: Week 10 - Portsmouth (2-7) vs Cincinnati Hughes (4-5)
Amen brother!
You know, until last Friday night, I had my doubts about the direction of the program. It's nice to see that there are others out there that feel the way I do. I was sitting in the stands the other night watching the game and my friends were telling me about some of the new team building activities that they do now at Portsmouth such as putt-putt golf on the new field and XBox in locker room. I think it is great to see a team bonding in non-traditional ways and I hear the kids love it too. In fact, I heard some kids got so excited that they started wrestling in the locker room. Unfortunately, this excitement led to three kids getting suspended! They just aren't used to the club med atmosphere I guess.
Anyway, I can't wait until kickoff Saturday night.
You know, until last Friday night, I had my doubts about the direction of the program. It's nice to see that there are others out there that feel the way I do. I was sitting in the stands the other night watching the game and my friends were telling me about some of the new team building activities that they do now at Portsmouth such as putt-putt golf on the new field and XBox in locker room. I think it is great to see a team bonding in non-traditional ways and I hear the kids love it too. In fact, I heard some kids got so excited that they started wrestling in the locker room. Unfortunately, this excitement led to three kids getting suspended! They just aren't used to the club med atmosphere I guess.
Anyway, I can't wait until kickoff Saturday night.
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YOU'RE TIGER BAIT
- SEOPS Hippo
- Posts: 25617
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2005 10:23 pm
- Location: WAVERLY, OHIO
Re: Week 10 - Portsmouth (2-7) vs Cincinnati Hughes (4-5)
baby steps, I like the Trojans to take a 2 game winning streak into 2015, played Hughes back in the 80,s we knocked em off 42-6, they were not a very good team, but that was 35 years ago so........Go Trojans
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YOU'RE TIGER BAIT
- SEOPS Hippo
- Posts: 25617
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2005 10:23 pm
- Location: WAVERLY, OHIO
Re: Week 10 - Portsmouth (2-7) vs Cincinnati Hughes (4-5)
They are D3. Looks like they beat the teams they should beat (with losing records) and lose to the teams with winning records. I would love to see Portsmouth get the W, but I see Hughes winning by 3 scores.You're Tiger Bait wrote:what division is hughes.
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Trojan_Pride
- All Conference
- Posts: 931
- Joined: Tue Mar 28, 2006 3:33 pm
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coachhickman
- Waterboy
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 10:11 am
Re: Week 10 - Portsmouth (2-7) vs Cincinnati Hughes (4-5)
This is the first time I have been on in along time and a good friend of mine called told me about some of the stuff that has been said said on here and talked about other things he had heard has been going on and I gotta say something. I put my heart and soul into that program and sacrificed hours upon hours of my life there is not to many people who care/cared more about that school and that program than I and then to read and hear about coaches acting like mad men on the sidelines, literally getting their playbooks off the internet ( That's a fact an assistant told me that himself) X-Box games, Putt Putt tournaments,team building exercises. SAD I guess that pretty well explains 5 wins in two years and giving up over 40 points a week.If you get a chance ask some of my former players how many X-Box games we played.How about driving that sled hour after hour ,Chute Drills,Running trapping lines hundreds of times,practicing tackling you know all those old school things that oh by the way only wins you games. Listen just a piece of advice from someone who will care about this program long after some of you are gone IT STILL COMES DOWN TO BLOCKING AND TACKLING. SUPER ELF I know you care as much as I do...On a Positive not Maybe the Trojans will kick butt at the next X-Box tournament.
Last edited by coachhickman on Wed Oct 29, 2014 2:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Week 10 - Portsmouth (2-7) vs Cincinnati Hughes (4-5)
Well said there is a lot of work that needs to be done.
Re: Week 10 - Portsmouth (2-7) vs Cincinnati Hughes (4-5)
Portsmouth football is in chaos. Had the quarterback not got hurt, they may have won a couple more games. But as talented as they are they should have won several more games. Just the two games I saw them play (West and Valley), they should have won. They lost because they have no discipline and the play is as you said, more like a video game.
They may win more games now because of the move to the OVC and the 2 to 4 gimmy games that will come from it. But they are fast loosing ground to the other schools in the county.
They may win more games now because of the move to the OVC and the 2 to 4 gimmy games that will come from it. But they are fast loosing ground to the other schools in the county.
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Oaks_Fan_06
- Waterboy
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Sat Nov 14, 2009 4:10 pm
Re: Week 10 - Portsmouth (2-7) vs Cincinnati Hughes (4-5)
Sled, shmed. That's for dinosaurs. Discipline? I hear those kids say yes sir, no sir all the time when he is talking to them. That's discipline. Who cares if they don't know where to line up or make a proper pitch on the option.
I think some just don't respect the genius of this guy's approach. You've got to get kids fired up. You've got to teach them football. What a better way to do it than coaching with passion on the sidelines and letting them learn from one of the best, John Madden. Fake punts, muddle huddles, crazy two point plays. Now that's football!
I think some just don't respect the genius of this guy's approach. You've got to get kids fired up. You've got to teach them football. What a better way to do it than coaching with passion on the sidelines and letting them learn from one of the best, John Madden. Fake punts, muddle huddles, crazy two point plays. Now that's football!
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doubleplay643
- S
- Posts: 1776
- Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2012 8:40 pm
Re: Week 10 - Portsmouth (2-7) vs Cincinnati Hughes (4-5)
Portsmouth in my opinion as a DV Region 17 school should be making the same amount of noise on a consistent basis as Burg seems to.
I can never put my finger on what is missing, but it seems that they have trouble crossing the line between being athletic on one hand and having good fundamentals and football technique on the other hand.
Every year it seems like they are poised to close the gap, but it just hasn't happened yet. Not sure what it will take for it to happen but good luck with finding the recipe.
I can never put my finger on what is missing, but it seems that they have trouble crossing the line between being athletic on one hand and having good fundamentals and football technique on the other hand.
Every year it seems like they are poised to close the gap, but it just hasn't happened yet. Not sure what it will take for it to happen but good luck with finding the recipe.
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trojandave
- SEOP
- Posts: 4842
- Joined: Wed Nov 24, 2004 11:41 pm
- Location: Portsmouth HS--15 State Appearances in Boys Basketball--4th All Time in Ohio
Re: Week 10 - Portsmouth (2-7) vs Cincinnati Hughes (4-5)
Since the Trojans last made the playoffs in 2007, the football program has recorded a mark of 20-49. There are a number of reasons why that the program has fallen this hard, and it is not any one individual's fault. Just from looking at on the field results, the lack of defense year after year is the major reason that the Trojans have struggled to post more wins. The 2 seasons prior to this one the Trojans gave up 34 PPG, way too many to beat any quality teams. This year, they are giving up about 38 PPG, and as a result have only 2 wins to show for it. In addition, Portsmouth has a combined record of 3-25 vs. Ironton and Wheelersburg in the last 28 games against them. Those are the Trojans two biggest football rivals and are schools smaller than PHS. We have more wins against the larger SEOAL schools since 2007, when we joined the league, than we do vs. Ironton and Wheelersburg during this time frame.
Losing Sky Oliver did indeed hurt the Trojans this year, but they were 0-2 in the games he played........a 41-40 loss to Valley and a 42-39 loss to West (both losses because of defense). Despite the loss of Oliver, the Trojans offense has still looked respectable, but the defense continues to struggle. In fact, Portsmouth has given up less than 30 points only twice this season.......27 to Waverly and 24 to Gallia Academy.
To fix Portsmouth's football problems was not going to be an easy task for Coach Sparks. He inherited a program that was in disarray, and there's no way in two years that he would be able to turn it around. He has shown a ton of energy and passion, as well as his coaching staff. But remember that the varsity level is the last stop in a high school football program, and unfortunately the bad habits and lack of fundamentals that have accumulated over several years are very hard for a varsity coaching staff to correct in a short period of time.
I have been to every game, and have missed only a couple in the last decade. So I have been an eyewitness to what has transpired on the field. But I haven't been privy to what goes on at the lower levels all the way down to the pee wee program. Perhaps a serious evaluation at those levels and making the necessary corrections to what is obviously a failed system needs to be done. To do nothing, however, will just perpetuate the dismal results that we see at the varsity level. Maybe being in the OVC will produce more wins, but what about beating Ironton, Wheelersburg, and West in future years?
As a footnote, look at the attendance at the last home game vs. Warren. It was maybe the smallest crowd I have ever seen at Trojan Coliseum. The community made its statement with that showing........but as in the cliché, "If you build it, they will come". We need to build it back........and it can be done.........but a solid plan has to be put in place!!
Losing Sky Oliver did indeed hurt the Trojans this year, but they were 0-2 in the games he played........a 41-40 loss to Valley and a 42-39 loss to West (both losses because of defense). Despite the loss of Oliver, the Trojans offense has still looked respectable, but the defense continues to struggle. In fact, Portsmouth has given up less than 30 points only twice this season.......27 to Waverly and 24 to Gallia Academy.
To fix Portsmouth's football problems was not going to be an easy task for Coach Sparks. He inherited a program that was in disarray, and there's no way in two years that he would be able to turn it around. He has shown a ton of energy and passion, as well as his coaching staff. But remember that the varsity level is the last stop in a high school football program, and unfortunately the bad habits and lack of fundamentals that have accumulated over several years are very hard for a varsity coaching staff to correct in a short period of time.
I have been to every game, and have missed only a couple in the last decade. So I have been an eyewitness to what has transpired on the field. But I haven't been privy to what goes on at the lower levels all the way down to the pee wee program. Perhaps a serious evaluation at those levels and making the necessary corrections to what is obviously a failed system needs to be done. To do nothing, however, will just perpetuate the dismal results that we see at the varsity level. Maybe being in the OVC will produce more wins, but what about beating Ironton, Wheelersburg, and West in future years?
As a footnote, look at the attendance at the last home game vs. Warren. It was maybe the smallest crowd I have ever seen at Trojan Coliseum. The community made its statement with that showing........but as in the cliché, "If you build it, they will come". We need to build it back........and it can be done.........but a solid plan has to be put in place!!
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Trojan_FB_Alum
- All State
- Posts: 1430
- Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2005 7:52 pm
Re: Week 10 - Portsmouth (2-7) vs Cincinnati Hughes (4-5)
I don't normally get into it on here, but after two years of this I have to say something.
Sparks was the wrong hire plain and simple. The administration dropped the ball. Admit the mistake and cut ties now!!!!!!!!
Why in the world are there video games in the locker room? Why aren't the boys concentrating on the game in front of them? They should be doing nothing but getting ready reading scouting reports, and watching film. Wait are there scouting reports? Sparks rarely ever changes his video game play book.
Sparks commands no respect from the boys, I have spoken to them and the the vast majority think he is a joke.
This season I have seen this "defensive mastermind" lol line up in his 3-3 defense against obvious runs when ppl have been in double tight full house backfields. It's simple math with 7 guys on the line of scrimmage there are 8 gaps to fill already before we even consider the backfield yet sparks stayed in the 3-3 on more then one occasion. This means we have to rely on a safety or corner blitz to try to stop a more then likely bigger back . 6 guys can't cover 8 gaps so we are left guessing. His defensive alignments have changed some but his defense is always guessing and hoping he gets lucky because of basic numbers. Do we have a problem with tackling? Yes I have seen a lot of missed tackles, but the main reason I have seen them this year is because boys are playing out of position and can barely get a hand on a guy and even more times then that I see an undersized defensive back trying to bring down a larger running back in open field. These are scheme problems, and a reflection on Sparks NOT THE BOYS!!!!!!
PHS will go to the OVC next year, and it will probably result in a few more wins, but that doesn't mean we are better. It just means they have weakened the schedule. Please don't be fooled by more wins against a weaker schedule, it will not be because of coaching but because of the weaker schedule. No disrespect to the OVC but they are historically not the football conference that the SEOAL or SOC are.
This was the most athletic team we have had since probably 07, things will get worse before they get better unless a change is made. With the athletes out there this would have been a 7-3 season at worst with some of the other candidates that were passed over for this position or Clifford. We would have a shot at the playoffs and not be the laughing stock of southern ohio like we currently are. To much talent of too many good young men is being wasted. The hard work of many has been sacrificed by the poor decisions of a few.
Sparks was the wrong hire plain and simple. The administration dropped the ball. Admit the mistake and cut ties now!!!!!!!!
Why in the world are there video games in the locker room? Why aren't the boys concentrating on the game in front of them? They should be doing nothing but getting ready reading scouting reports, and watching film. Wait are there scouting reports? Sparks rarely ever changes his video game play book.
Sparks commands no respect from the boys, I have spoken to them and the the vast majority think he is a joke.
This season I have seen this "defensive mastermind" lol line up in his 3-3 defense against obvious runs when ppl have been in double tight full house backfields. It's simple math with 7 guys on the line of scrimmage there are 8 gaps to fill already before we even consider the backfield yet sparks stayed in the 3-3 on more then one occasion. This means we have to rely on a safety or corner blitz to try to stop a more then likely bigger back . 6 guys can't cover 8 gaps so we are left guessing. His defensive alignments have changed some but his defense is always guessing and hoping he gets lucky because of basic numbers. Do we have a problem with tackling? Yes I have seen a lot of missed tackles, but the main reason I have seen them this year is because boys are playing out of position and can barely get a hand on a guy and even more times then that I see an undersized defensive back trying to bring down a larger running back in open field. These are scheme problems, and a reflection on Sparks NOT THE BOYS!!!!!!
PHS will go to the OVC next year, and it will probably result in a few more wins, but that doesn't mean we are better. It just means they have weakened the schedule. Please don't be fooled by more wins against a weaker schedule, it will not be because of coaching but because of the weaker schedule. No disrespect to the OVC but they are historically not the football conference that the SEOAL or SOC are.
This was the most athletic team we have had since probably 07, things will get worse before they get better unless a change is made. With the athletes out there this would have been a 7-3 season at worst with some of the other candidates that were passed over for this position or Clifford. We would have a shot at the playoffs and not be the laughing stock of southern ohio like we currently are. To much talent of too many good young men is being wasted. The hard work of many has been sacrificed by the poor decisions of a few.
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Oaks_Fan_06
- Waterboy
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Sat Nov 14, 2009 4:10 pm
Re: Week 10 - Portsmouth (2-7) vs Cincinnati Hughes (4-5)
Haters are this guys motivators! When they take the OVC by storm next year, I hope Coach can turn down the offers that will pour in from the next level. We need to follow HBK's lead and rally around this guy so we can keep him.
Re: Week 10 - Portsmouth (2-7) vs Cincinnati Hughes (4-5)
When you commit to a coach from the college ranks to coach your high school team you have to give him at least three years to implement his system. We aren't talking about the typical stuff most coaches around here run. You can go to any game in Southern Ohio and see the same old recycled stuff. Sparks system is both dazzling and complicated. Once the kids have time to buy in and comprehend you will see a program that will go down as one of the best every in Portsmouth history. Coach Sparks is the answer, if you can't see it then you are stuck in the past. Sparks is the future, time to get on board for a wild ride!
I will continue to wear my New Spark, New Season shirt with pride when I head to the Ribber on Friday nights after the game!
Haters are his motivators. The more pressure you put on him the more he will perform.
What does it take to light this fire in P-Town - that's right a single Spark!
Go Trojans.
I will continue to wear my New Spark, New Season shirt with pride when I head to the Ribber on Friday nights after the game!
Haters are his motivators. The more pressure you put on him the more he will perform.
What does it take to light this fire in P-Town - that's right a single Spark!
Go Trojans.
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Oaks_Fan_06
- Waterboy
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Sat Nov 14, 2009 4:10 pm
Re: Week 10 - Portsmouth (2-7) vs Cincinnati Hughes (4-5)
I hear an old Scorpions song in the distance...
http://youtu.be/n4RjJKxsamQ
I prefer these lyrics instead sung in the same thick, German accent:
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a Friday night
Where the Trojans of tomorrow realize their dreams
under Sparky...
Take me to the magic of the moment
on that Friday night
Where the losses of tomorrow drift away
in the wind of change...
http://youtu.be/n4RjJKxsamQ
I prefer these lyrics instead sung in the same thick, German accent:
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a Friday night
Where the Trojans of tomorrow realize their dreams
under Sparky...
Take me to the magic of the moment
on that Friday night
Where the losses of tomorrow drift away
in the wind of change...