Franklin
Pisgah
Smoky Mtn
Enka
NB
Tuscola
Dang I hate to pick against the whole SMC like this but I guess it's just one of them years.
Football SMC 2026
- Thread starter SwainCountysFinest
- Start date
Pisgah
Smoky Mtn
Enka
NB
Tuscola
Dang I hate to pick against the whole SMC like this but I guess it's just one of them years.
Yeah, it just feels wrong! Lol. But, I agree with you...
Franklin by 24
Pisgah by 42
Smoky by 28
Enka by 21
North Buncombe by 21
Tuscola by 21
SMC 1-12 through 2 weeks and every team lost by double digits this week. It’s a tough time to be a Swain fan. It’s sounds like we might have to forfeit Friday because of player health.
Reminds me of that Covid bunch in 2020, thinnest squad I’d ever seen at Swain.
What injury did the kid have at the end of the game Friday? That was a terrible way for both teams to have to end that game and just watch the clock tick by.
I am not sure, but I think he’s going to be okay. Not season ending.
I work with some folks from Swain and one of them said that a bunch of kids quit after the Smoky game and that they were down to just 14 players. It looked like more than that to me Friday night, so I thought I'd ask about it here. Has the new guy already lost the team? The kids I saw on the field looked like they were playing hard to me so its kind of hard to believe.
I’ve heard some similar sentiments before the season started. Apparently some Kids were being held accountable for things that the previous regime would let slide. Idk any specifics and it is hearsay, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some people got too comfortable and we are seeing the result of an internal power struggle take place in front of us.
Through the first two games, the kids that are out there have played hard, played tough, and never given up. I hope we can focus on that and build from that.
The rumors of kids quitting needs to be dispelled. It's not true. Count the numbers, look at the roster on maxpreps. Not one kid quit after the Smoky game, not one kid has quit since the start of fall practice - the only exception was a soccer player who came out for a couple of days to kick and never suited up. In fact, two kids have joined in the last week. There were a few kids that did a day or two of spring ball and never came back in the summer, there were a couple of kids that did most of the summer workouts and chose to not play once fall practices started. We went into Smoky thin, came out thinner. I think we dressed 16 or so Friday night, and a couple of those were coming back or supposed to be limited. Fortunately, from what I understand, most of the injuries are 1-3 weeks in nature and not season ending. That could change with follow-up appointments, etc.
The accountability expected with the new coach, from my understanding, is high. I do think that impacted a few kids. However, if you look at last years roster and this years, you largely have the kids that play. This group has always been small in numbers.
From my perspective, and I keep a close eye on it, it's a perfect storm. It's a small roster from low turnout, injuries have popped up fast, and playing larger teams that are more talented. Typically the SMC holds its own in the preseason, that's not the case this year. I'm not sure I've seen where the scores have been this rough. Most of the SMC teams are seeing lower turnout, except maybe Cherokee...almost all of them are dealing with some type of injuries too.
Frustrating, yes. Things to fix and improve, absolutely. The boys on the field, they're playing hard, not giving up, staying together, and developing toughness. The season is far from over, but we have to get healthy while continuing to grow and improve.
The same thing is happening in Burnsville with Heritage. Kids just aren’t coming out to play anymore. I suspect this happens when you’re pumping millions of dollars into facilities that cater to trades. The reality is, kids can work, make decent money, have nice vehicles and wheels and they prefer that over the commitments football takes.
it’s definitely a paradigm shift that’s happening and parents aren’t helping either. They don’t want their kids being held accountable. They want instant gratification because this is what platforms like Facebook and Instagram have given people.
football participation is at an all time low and we are seeing it impact small communities that never really faced this before.
Then you throw losing ball games on top of it and support and enthusiasm is gone. These are just kids. Trying their best. And we are letting adults and communities take their joy.
keep your heads up and keep being there for these kids that continue to show up. Trust me, as a parent for a player at Heritage I understand how difficult it really is. Even after two tough games.
it’s definitely a paradigm shift that’s happening and parents aren’t helping either. They don’t want their kids being held accountable. They want instant gratification because this is what platforms like Facebook and Instagram have given people.
football participation is at an all time low and we are seeing it impact small communities that never really faced this before.
Then you throw losing ball games on top of it and support and enthusiasm is gone. These are just kids. Trying their best. And we are letting adults and communities take their joy.
keep your heads up and keep being there for these kids that continue to show up. Trust me, as a parent for a player at Heritage I understand how difficult it really is. Even after two tough games.
With some of the new graduation requirements at 22 Credits. Some kids can have them all done end of 11th grade and graduate early. Move onto college, trade school or work. It is hurting high school sports.
That and general declines in our rural areas of families and school-age kids. I know of some kids opting to graduate in 3 years, not football players, but they have started on varsity sports since they were freshmen.
