I've been here 23 years and McIntosh has hardly ever had a decent football team. Why is that?
I have a relative in north Gwinnett County who says that to even go out for football there you have to contribute $3,000 to cover outstanding costs for uniforms, several more coaches than usual, recruiters who bring in better players from other school districts, training camps, conditioning camps, etc.
I'm not suggesting McIntosh do that for a high school football team, but there must be a middle-ground somewhere.
The soccer teams have been very good, and so is the program by the city, but that is European stuff!

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I played football at McIntosh for 3 years a few years back. Mixer is right about the draining of talent and the continuity of the programs from Booth to McIntosh. Another point is the level of competition. When I played there the competition was very high. My junior year, we played the defending national champions as our homecoming "patsy"!

The major difference between the guys on my team and the guys across the field (for the most part, anyway) is that we knew that we did not have to rely on sports to improve ourselves or have a chance to succeed. However, some of my opponets had no chance if you took sports out of the equation. As we all know fear is a huge motivator.

Our record was terrible, quite frankly. But I would not trade those days for anything. The lessons I learned getting hit and kicked and bleeding while no one was watching have stuck with me for a long time. The friends that I made playing football may not have been the types of friends that I would have known had I not played but are friends nonetheless.

To my old friends who drove the sleds, scalded-the-dog, bear crawled until you puked and put up with the only legal form of teacher-led abuse in our schools, thanks. I miss y'all.

The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.

First I want to salute the kids at McIntosh that stayed last year and played football (after so many quit) and toughed it out. I salute them and their spirit. I have no doubt that they will succeed in life (and that is why we teach and play sports anyway isn't it).

They made me every bit as proud as the Starr's Mill kids that made it to the third round of state or the Sandy Creek, Whitewater, and Fayette County kids. The band was bigger than the football team at McIntosh last year.

Regardless, here is your answer.

1.) Local Recreation League Program Strength of Soccer Vs. Football

2.) Population Make Up - Fewer Skill Players than schools of comparable size

3.) 'Raiding' the school. Opening Sandy Creek and Starr's Mill took away from the student population/athlete base (Look what happened to Fayette County when Starr's Mill opened too and look what is happening to Starr's Mill with Whitewater being opened.)

4.) Continuity in coaching philosophy and system - is Booth teaching the same system, the same way as McIntosh?

5.) Football is hard work, uncomfortable, very time consuming, and usually painful. We are not known for our ‘tough’ kids. We are known for our smart kids.

6.) Priority - Parent support and time allotment - McIntosh leads the county (back and forth with Starr's Mill) in test scores - isn't that a higher priority in PTC anyway?

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Congratulations to McIntosh on the State Championship! I tried to say this back during the football season, but we are all neighbors, and we Wildcats wish you all the best. I think it's GREAT to have such good teams here in Fayette county. Especially since these athletes are also good students as well. It speaks well of our schools AND our families.

Note to "Woody"--you may have a beef with the board of education, but Fayette county is blessed with one of the best public-education systems in the state. Not perfect, but darn good. Our kids' success at these "minor" sports is one indication of that. Our test scores are another. Just look at the number of National Merit Scholars that were announced last week.