Eagles Wrap Up Season In Clarksville
Once again, it was a night where NCS out gained the opponent on the ground won the time of possession but came out of the game with a loss.  The Eagles used to their advantage a running attack with 4 different ball carriers tallying over 200 yards.  But what bit NCS in the game with Clarksville Academy was the penalties and two costly turnovers. "Several crucial times we shot ourselves in the foot with either a penalty called or a turnover.  I think we had 12 flags thrown against us for nearly 100 yards....100 yards!" stated Coach Lansdell.  "I believe every penalty in the book was called tonight between us and CA.  Our team and staff are hurting a bit right now knowing we had much higher expectations and knew that we were capable of playing much better this season.  I am proud of this team despite our final record.  They worked hard this year and finished each game and could walk off the field each week with their heads up.  Despite some of the scores, we were in each game this season.  We went into each game with a firm belief that we could have won each game this season.  In reality, we learned that our margin for error was very slim.  I am confident that we will take some lessons from this season and build on them for next season when we get it going once again.  Many thanks to our Eagle fans who supported our team all season and made Game Day special at Nashville Christian!" added Lansdell.

Next Up:  Awaiting the 2009 TSSAA Reclassification and Alignment


                   Turnovers Costly in Eagle Loss  
In recent Games, NCS was able to take care of the ball, however in Friday Night's loss to McEwen, the turnover bug reared its head once again.  The Eagles lost three fumbles for the game.  McEwen with its powerful running game pounded out 331 yards while The Eagles with the turnovers could only manage 174 yards total combined offense.  Cooper Torrez, Dallas Slater and Michael Gray all had scores for the Eagles.  "You know we went into the game knowing that McEwen was going to run right at us and they did, but we thought that we had a good solid plan to counteract their running ability.  For the second week in a row, the 2nd quarter has provided us with troubles and we couldn't shake it off for awhile," stated Coach Lansdell.  This game showed what little margin of error that we have in such as tough region as we play in.  The team did not pack it in and played until the final whistle.  I am confident that we will have a good week of practice and that our seniors will work hard and get this team ready for our last game of the season at Clarksville Academy."

Next Up:  At  Clarksville Academy 


    Eagles Show Offensive Improvement, Despite Loss
The Eagles had to travel all the way to War Trace/Bell Buckle last Friday Night to find their offense.  They also found an undefeated Cascade team who was celebrating their Homecoming as well.  The Eagles got out the gate early with two scores on 2 different big plays.  Jeffrey Patton opened the NCS scoring with a 86 yard kickoff return for a touchdown which later followed by a 57 yard TD pass from Max McWright to Cooper Torrez.  However, The NCS Eagle defense yielded 35 2nd quarter points to the Champions.  " I thought we had a great game plan in place.  We had a very good week of practice and felt we were ready to compete against Cascade," stated NCS Coach Charlie Lansdell.  "We knew that we had to play a complete game and keep their talented QB in check, we just couldn't get that part done.  Hopefully this week, we can tweak our defense a bit and get ready for our last home game of the season," Lansdell added.

Next Up:  McEwen

        Eagles Win the Clock, Lose the Scoreboard
Despite with nearly a 10 minute edge on offense, NCS could not punch the ball into the endzone.  The Red Devils showed up in West Nashville looking to get their ship righted by rolling up 28 first half points.  It was a night with no answers for the Eagles on both sides of the ball.  The NCS defense yielded 386 yards in total offense to Jo Byrns while the home team only managed 100 yards.  "We missed Michael Gray on the offensive side and our defense just gave up too many big plays.  Getting behind early in the game by 21, we were already shorthanded and we just couldn't get into rhythm all night," stated Eagle Head Coach Charlie Lansdell.  "Jo Byrns showed that they are a well coached and strong team.  They played the near perfected game, no turnovers.  There was little margin for us.  However, I am confident that we will have a good week of practice and get prepared to play another tough Region opponent, " Lansdell added.

Next Up:  Cascade

      Heritage Comes From Behind to Edge Eagles
This week it was a different song for the NCS Eagles as they hit the scoreboard in the first quarter with a Dallas Slater run for a TD.  Flannagan added the extra point.  The second quarter was filled with 3 scores, 2 for Heritage and 1 for the Eagles.  The halftime scoreboard showed NCS up by 2.  The Eagles came out in the third quarter with a 58 McWright pass to Michael Gray which increased the lead to 21-12.  The second half found the Eagle defense on the field for most of the time.  The Eagle defense which hadn't given up a 4th quarter score all season gave up two final TD's on the ground.  The NCS defense yielded over 100 yards during the 4th quarter primarily on 2 Heritage drives.

Next Up:  Jo Byrns.

               Eagles Can't Shake Giving Up Big Plays    
                         Fall to Eagleville 28-14   

The good news, the Eagles still has not allow an opponent to score in the 4th quarter so far this season.  However, the bad news is the Eagles continue to shoot themselves in the foot with giving up the big play and committing untimely turnovers.  NCS out gained EHS on the ground and controlled the clock.  This is one game that to get a feel of what happened that you will want to look over the stats.  NCS Game Stats are available on this site.  Click Here.
This year's tag line for the team  is to FINISH.  They are finishing the games very well.  They just need to eliminate those key turnovers which has led to big plays.

Next Up:  White House Heritage

      Eagles Give Up Big Plays and Fall to Forrest
  One might say, "if we hadn't done that or if we could have converted on 4th down, or if we could have punched it in, we'd won that game."    I know that many Eagle Fans, players, and coaches have shared this thought many times over the weekend.  Special team plays haunted the Eagles Friday night.  Offense moved the ball well all night but......The Defense gave a brilliant effort   However, NCS came up on the short end by a score of 23-0 to Forrest High School.  The night got off to a bad start as the Eagles kicked off to the Rockets.  The Rockets returned that opening kickoff for a TD.  Later on 4th down an errant snap to the Eagle punter found itself in the NCS endzone for a safety.  Upon the free kick from the 20 yard line, the Rockets return it for another TD.  The Rockets were later held on a series and were forced to punt.   A penalty of roughing the kicker gave Forrest new life and went on to score another TD.  The Eagle offense looked strong at times and moved the ball well, but an untimely fumble and an interception ended two drives.  However the Eagles had other chances to score or continue drives but failed to pick up and convert 4th and shorts and were held 4 times at the Forrest goal line.  "We are still playing hard on both sides of the line.  Defense played very well  for most of the evening and the offense had their opportunities as well," Coach Lansdell shared.  "We still have some work to do on special teams and will continue to work on that element until we get it fixed. 

Next Up:  At Eagleville 

            Eagles Slow out of the Gate-Fall to MTCHS
This year's tag line to the Season is to "Finish".  Something that the 2007 Team  had trouble  doing  late into the season.  However the 2008 squad is finishing but what they are lacking is the ability to get on track early in the game.  This past Friday's game at Middle Tennessee Christian  and the week before hosting Community, The Eagles were either giving up big plays or failing to execute the game plan.  However, their improvement  is still showing that they are playing until the end of the game.  However falling behind 21-0 at the half, The Eagles came roaring back and were trying to make a game of it while finally falling 28-14.  "I'm very proud of the way the team continues to battle until the very end, we just need to put 4 quarters together," stated head coach Charlie Lansdell. "Due to some recent injuries, we expected some early jitters and some unknowns.  Our Region is very competitive this year with all the teams showing improvement.  We will have to play to our full potential for four full quarters..and this team can do it," added Lansdell.

Next up:  Eagles host Forrest High School.  We are expecting a large crowd from Chapel Hill, so get there early and secure your parking spot and your seat. 
            

             NCS Falls At Home 27-26 to Community
                                 
            

Community's Perfect Storm hit West Nashville and the NCS Campus just in time for the night's match up with the Eagles.  Despite out gaining the Vikings by nearly 100 yards on the ground, the Eagles could not take care of the ball. The Perfect storm had nothing to do with the weather.   
Five fumbles with four of them recovered by the Vikings halted several NCS drives.  The Perfect Storm also included:  an errant Eagle pass returned for a TD.  The Viking Punter returned a bad snap out of his end zone for  a 102 yd TD run.  Missed tackles along with 3 failed extra point attempts proved to be too tornadic for the Eagles.  The Vikings only had 1 turnover for the night.  The Good thing that comes out of a loss like this is that the Eagles realized despite all of the bad stuff that happened all night...they were still playing to win.  Also, despite of who your competition is, you still have to play your game free of miscues, turnovers and be fundamentally sound in order to win.  Despite the turnovers and fluke plays, NCS did not quit. It was also obvious that Community did what they had to do in order to win.
Next Up:  At Middle Tennessee Christian


                               
                           EAGLES TAKE WEEK 1
           Nashville Christian 47  Scottsboro  Christian 6
Despite no Hawaiian ribeye sandwiches,  the NCS Eagles still took care of the Crusaders from Scottsboro, Alabama in easy fashion.  Nashville Christian scored all of their points in the first half and then called off the dogs.  We are hopeful to get a more detailed write up of the game to post here on the EFP (Eagle Football Fanpage).  However, we did see that the Tennessean reported in its Saturday morning edition, that Nashville Christian has either bought out Metro Christian School or has decided to change its name.  ( For all of you Hawaiian Ribeye tailgaters-don't take this seriously)  We hope to have the stats and game pictures posted on the website soon.  Thanks for all of you new EFP Staff members for providing game coverage for the site.

Next Up:  NCS hosts Community High School


           Assistant Coach Focus-Coach Don Stewart  
For nearly every season since 1977, Don Stewart has coached a high school football team  He was Red Boiling Springs' Head Coach while they were winning football games.  In 1982  his Houston County squad made it to the playoffs, something which hasn't happened in Erin that many times since.  In 1984, Coach Stewart moved close to Chattanooga to become a part of the staff at Marion County High School.  He was an integral member of a staff that guided the Warriors to elite status in both AA and AAA football.  From 1992-1995 Marion County won 3 state titles and the 1995 seniors compiled a 56-1 record.  During that era, The Warriors could lay claim that they defeated Brentwood Academy for a State Title as well.  During Coach Stewart's 17 years at Marion County, the team won 11 Region Titles and including 8 in a row.  In addition to his coaching resume', Coach Stewart is truly an educator.  He has both taught and has served as an administrator as Principal at two Elementary Schools. Before coming to Nashville Christian in 2004, Coach Stewart helped with the football program at Davidson Academy.
Coach Lansdell said, "We are very lucky and grateful to have a man like Coach Stewart on our staff.  He has a complete understanding of the offensive line position and knows how to share his vast knowledge with our players.  He is a proven winner."

             Week One Looms Large for the Eagles
The preseason is over!  No more scrimmages or jamborees.  Its now time to get ready for Week One's opponent, Scottsboro Christian Academy of Scottsboro, Alabama.  This week, Coach Lansdell and the staff will put together their game plan in preparation for the Crusaders' visit to the west side of town.  Little is known today about their team.  We are hoping to update our Scouting Report page with any information that we can get on Scottsboro.  The only thing we know is only a bit about the school itself.  The High School is perhaps one of the smallest schools anywhere.  The mission of the school allows home school students in the area to play on their football team.  The Website staff has left messages for the Crusader Head Coach but hasn't return them as of yet.  Be sure and make your plans to attend the home opener for the Eagles on Friday Night.  Kick off is at 7:30.  Get there early to tailgate and enjoy the NCS Game Day Experience.  Box Office is expected to open early as well.
              
      Chapel Hill Jamboree Allows Eagles to Warm Up
NCS had to travel to Chapel Hill to face Mt. Juliet Christian.  After two quarters of play, The Eagles ended their visit with dominate 20-7 victory.  The Coaches were overall pleased with the effort of the team.  Only a couple of breakdowns on both sides of the ball prevented a perfect night for the Eagles.  It was just another warm up before the team gets ready to face Scottsboro Christian Academy in week one at home.  Kick off is slated for 7:30. 

The Website staff is still looking for help, especially reporting on the games for the Gridiron News Section.  If you are interested please contact the staff.


                          EAGLES AND TOPPERS
Two West Nashville teams scrimmaged last night at NCS.  After starting the scrimmage with a few jitters, The NCS Eagles settled down and competed well against its neighborhood bully rival, Hillwood.  NCS gave up a early TD run but then decided it could compete against a much larger squad and went on to get some very good work in and performed very well.

If one was keeping score in the first 3 scrimmages of the preseason, The Eagles would have a 3-0 mark.  However, these games do not count in the regular season.  NCS has scrimmaged Harpeth High School, Ezell Harding and Hillwood.  Despite its success in the preseason, The Tennessean came out this morning with their pre-season look at Region 5-1A.  The Tennessean Staff showed no love for the Eagles...a fact that Coach Lansdell, his staff and the team will sure to take notice to prove the paper's prognostication as a poor one.
               

                THE PRESEASON CONTINUES
A Back to School Bash and a scrimmage against old rival Ezell Harding made this past Friday a good way to start a beautiful weekend.  Food, Fun, and Games were enjoyed by the Eagle Fans and students and the Eagle Football team was able to get some good work in as well.  A good crowd turned out and watch the NCS Eagles continue their preparation for the upcoming season against a sister institution from Antioch.  Mose Philips and his Hillwood Toppers travel to NCS on Tuesday for a controlled scrimmage with the Eagles.


                              SCRIMMAGE NEWS

This past Friday, The Eagles made the trip to Kingston Springs to scrimmage Harpeth High School.   The Coaching staff seemed overall pleased with the effort on both sides of the ball.  Despite the heat, The Indians and the Eagles scrimmaged for over 3 hours.  If one was keeping score, the word on the street was that NCS had one more score than Harpeth.  The staff indicated that they needed some players to step up and show what they could do.  There were some players who met that expectation.  Perhaps someone in attendance could share some more actual scrimmage facts on the Message Board.  The Eagles will host Ezell Harding this Friday Night.  Hope we have a good crowd  to support the team.


                EAGLES ENJOYING 2 A DAYS

Coach Charlie Lansdell and his football team are in the midst of 2 a day practices at the football practice facility on the school's campus.  Morning sessions start at 7am and conclude at 10.  The evening sessions begin at 6 and wraps up around 9 pm.  Approximately 30 players have been working hard during the preseason and will knock heads against Harpeth in Kingston Springs this Friday around 6 PM.  This will be your official first chance to see the Eagles in person.  Scrimmages allow Coaches to work on things on both sides of the ball and to see how their player(s) and team respond against a real opponent.  Another advantage of scrimmaging against another school is to allow the coaches to evaluate current players and to look for depth in key positions.
 

Eagle Head Coach Lansdell has hired one of his former position players from David Lipscomb High School to the Nashville Christian Staff.  Dale Binkley comes to NCS this year after assisting one of the Lipscomb Youth teams last year, which they won the City Championship in an undefeated season.  Binkley is a sophomore at Lipscomb University.  In his 4 years with David Lipscomb, the Mustangs made it to the playoffs every year.  His freshman season they lost to the eventual state champion, Alcoa in the semi-final game.  3 times into the State Championship Game.  Dale started as junior as an outside linebacker and his senior season he was moved to middle linebacker.  His stat highlites during his two starting years included:  6 interceptions, 4 defensive touchdowns, with over 150 tackles.  Dale is really excited working with this exceptional staff that Coach Lansdell has assembled and is most appreciative of this opportunity of working with this group of young men on the field.  As an added bonus to the website, we have included the link to Dale's Junior Season Highlites hosted on YouTube (He may ask to take this down) Click Here.

In later Additions of the Gridiron news, we'll spot different members of the staff.

We are looking for those who would be interested in being involved with the website.  Techno experience not really necessary.  Positions that we could use some help with:  1) Student Reporter(s) , 2) Adult Reporter(s), 3) Photographers, 4) Researchers, 5) General Staff, 6) anyone who is looking to get involved.  Spread the word as the regular season is rapidly approaching.  EMAIL ME if you have some interest.