I had no idea they had grown that much. My class had 92. I’m now curious where the growth came from as the area lost a LOT of jobs from Alcoa modernizing before it was sold.
I do think they would still be competitive in 4A. I think they have only lost to Maryville for like the last 5 years or so. Maybe another team in there I don’t remember.
I agree. They'd be in the championship game more often than not in 4A. And that's where they should be. Last year they mercy-ruled Milan in the championship game. The year before that they beat Pearl Cohn 27-0. Unless you're an Alcoa fan, those games aren't much fun for anyone.
Consider Alcoa's region schedule this year: 64-0 win, 56-7 win, 63-0 win, 63-8 win, and 52-0 win. That's just ridiculous. If they moved up, they'd be in a region with Anderson County, Fulton and South-Doyle. They'd still win it, of course, but at least the games would be more competitive. And they'd face teams like Elizabethton and Greeneville in the playoffs. Obviously TSSAA can't force them to move up, but I'm not sure what they're gaining by staying in 3A at this point. I'm not even faulting Alcoa. If you're close enough to drive to school there, and if you're good enough, why wouldn't you want to play for Gary Rankin? But considering the fact that so many of these kids who suit up for Alcoa aren't actually native to Alcoa, voluntarily moving up is the only fair thing to do.
