2023 LUFKIN PANTHER FOOTBALL TOPIC DISCUSSIONS

[Pack13]

On property tax while it has been increasing the last couple years school funding actually hasn’t increased with it. The state has just used it to cut their funding. So more money from property tax less from the state. I don’t mind my property tax funding schools. I mind the state using it as a reason to give less to schools. The teacher shortage in this area is alarming. 

[PackAttack]

6 hours ago, Pack13 said:

On property tax while it has been increasing the last couple years school funding actually hasn’t increased with it. The state has just used it to cut their funding. So more money from property tax less from the state. I don’t mind my property tax funding schools. I mind the state using it as a reason to give less to schools. The teacher shortage in this area is alarming. 

I was part of a Lufkin ISD  Community Commitee 10 years or more ago, looking at bond possibilities when Roy Knight was Superintendent.  I found out then that of all Lufkin ISD property tax collected is sent to Austin, all of it. At that time LISD was only receiving back 70% of that money from the State, the other 30% was part of the Robin Hood Plan to help the poorer school districts.  Also back then, the State used a formula that paid $5190 per student in Longview and only $4490 per student in Lufkin. That's been 15 years ago. I believe the going rate today is $6160 per student.

I learned a lot serving on that committee.

[Pack13]

3 minutes ago, PackAttack said:

I was part of a Lufkin ISD  ommunity Commitee 10 years or more ago, looking at bond possibilities when Roy Knight was Superintendent.  I found out then that of all Lufkin ISD property tax collected is sent to Austin, all of it. At that time LISD was only receiving back 70% of that money from the State, the other 30% was part of the Robin Hood Plan to help the poorer school districts.  Also back then, the State used a formula that paid $92 per student in Longview and only $76 per student in Lufkin. 

I learned a lot serving on that committee.

I’m all for helping out the smaller schools but the money doesn’t add up. Katy ISD sent out the info about property tax increasing but school funding remaining the same. Plus how do they decide which schools kids are worth more. With the log jam school funding seem to be getting this session I’m sure districts are starting to panic a bit. Every job at schools has a shortage and the people controlling the money don’t seem to see it. 

[PackAttack]

28 minutes ago, Pack13 said:

I’m all for helping out the smaller schools but the money doesn’t add up. Katy ISD sent out the info about property tax increasing but school funding remaining the same. Plus how do they decide which schools kids are worth more. With the log jam school funding seem to be getting this session I’m sure districts are starting to panic a bit. Every job at schools has a shortage and the people controlling the money don’t seem to see it. 

I honestly am not sure how the State entirely handles funding for schools. Just read in the Austin Statesman about the State using $12.6 Billion surplus to offset personal property tax, providing relief for the taxpayers, and in return totally funding the ISDs and provide teacher raises for the upcoming year. The article seem to emphasis all schools will have their budgets totally funded. No school would be left short of what they would have received if the tax formula was left as it has been for years. Guess we will wait for the vote in November. The timing of this is kind of late in the yearly process, it should really kick next school year instead of 2023.

[Chadalac05]

On 7/16/2023 at 9:24 AM, PackAttack said:

We are always concerned about the OL. Can anyone name the three best overall Panther OLs since 1995?

I'm picking 1998, 2004 and 2001 in no particular order.  Tommy Early could coach an OL.

The 06-07 line was really good too. 

[Chadalac05]

On 7/16/2023 at 7:28 PM, Pack13 said:

I’m not speaking on this years either. Just what I’ve observed since watching Lufkin football. I’ve been told the OL has been at workouts everyday and putting in extra work after. So I think that’s a great sign they are taking pride in what they do. 

One thing that has plagued lufkin at the OL position is sloppy footwork and poor technique. I used to do a break down of the OL just about every season. I started to realize. that it would be the same issues every season. I hope im wrong but i expect to see the same this season. 

[LufkinPack]

7 hours ago, Chadalac05 said:

I hope im wrong but i expect to see the same this season

1,000%

[Pack05]

On 7/16/2023 at 7:28 PM, Pack13 said:

I’m not speaking on this years either. Just what I’ve observed since watching Lufkin football. I’ve been told the OL has been at workouts everyday and putting in extra work after. So I think that’s a great sign they are taking pride in what they do. 

It’s all has to translate to the field though 

[Pack05]

10 hours ago, Chadalac05 said:

One thing that has plagued lufkin at the OL position is sloppy footwork and poor technique. I used to do a break down of the OL just about every season. I started to realize. that it would be the same issues every season. I hope im wrong but i expect to see the same this season. 

I see the same! That’s not going to improve all of a sudden . 

[timeout!]

I know we have discussed this before. I really wish Lufkin would look into doing something like this. I would not have a problem with changing the name. If that means huge renovations or new stadium. 

 

https://www.12newsnow.com/article/news/local/beaumont-isd-board-approves-proposal-annual-student-teacher-awards-naming-rights-memorial-stadium/502-14f30dc4-d922-4b48-8507-c9de31bfceb6

[PackAttack]

1 hour ago, timeout! said:

I know we have discussed this before. I really wish Lufkin would look into doing something like this. I would not have a problem with changing the name. If that means huge renovations or new stadium. 

 

https://www.12newsnow.com/article/news/local/beaumont-isd-board-approves-proposal-annual-student-teacher-awards-naming-rights-memorial-stadium/502-14f30dc4-d922-4b48-8507-c9de31bfceb6

I actually think the district have been working in this area. Something worth considering.

[timeout!]

I went back and watched the fish game vs Longview last week. And you can tell the difference between how their line played vs how ours played. I know they run a different scheme than Lufkin,  but you can tell. That their kids just play with more aggression on the O-line than ours. I could be wrong, but you hardly ever hear them complaining about offensive line play. 

[PackAttack]

4 hours ago, timeout! said:

I went back and watched the fish game vs Longview last week. And you can tell the difference between how their line played vs how ours played. I know they run a different scheme than Lufkin,  but you can tell. That their kids just play with more aggression on the O-line than ours. I could be wrong, but you hardly ever hear them complaining about offensive line play. 

Your eyes do not decieve you. The running game and OL has always been where they put their emphasis. Over the  last several years they have added a lot more to what they do.

[wolfpack4life]

5 hours ago, timeout! said:

I went back and watched the fish game vs Longview last week. And you can tell the difference between how their line played vs how ours played. I know they run a different scheme than Lufkin,  but you can tell. That their kids just play with more aggression on the O-line than ours. I could be wrong, but you hardly ever hear them complaining about offensive line play. 

Yeah...we don't complain much about trench play.

We've had years that were better than others for sure but I can't say that we've put a trash product on the field in the King era. 2016 DL may be an exception...but that wasn't a Berry DL.

You have two OL and DL gurus on staff in Coach King and Coach Berry. Both coaches are very hard on both units. I tell people all the time, one of the hardest things to do in TXHSFB is play OL for Coach King. He is going to push you to the limits mentally and physically...you'd definitely better have thick skin. If youve ever seen a Longview practice, you know King has a mouth on him lol

Iron also sharpens iron. You can't have a good OL without a good DL and vice versa. King and Berry are also very similar in the sense of what they're looking for in a kid. They don't simply want the biggest. They want the best. They want dogs.

[timeout!]

11 hours ago, wolfpack4life said:

Yeah...we don't complain much about trench play.

We've had years that were better than others for sure but I can't say that we've put a trash product on the field in the King era. 2016 DL may be an exception...but that wasn't a Berry DL.

You have two OL and DL gurus on staff in Coach King and Coach Berry. Both coaches are very hard on both units. I tell people all the time, one of the hardest things to do in TXHSFB is play OL for Coach King. He is going to push you to the limits mentally and physically...you'd definitely better have thick skin. If youve ever seen a Longview practice, you know King has a mouth on him lol

Iron also sharpens iron. You can't have a good OL without a good DL and vice versa. King and Berry are also very similar in the sense of what they're looking for in a kid. They don't simply want the biggest. They want the best. They want dogs.

I just watched the Longview Game Day stream for Tatum commitment announcement. Seem like a great kid and has his head on straight. You have to be with offers from schools like Duke. I'm all about seeing young men taking care of their business on and off the field. No matter what school they come from. I felt the same way about the RB from CS last year that's going to Duke. And I'm just as proud for our very own Kedren Young. You need young men like that in the locker room to set positive examples for others. OU has a heck of player coming. Looking forward to seeing him and Young square again this year. 

 King mentioned being an old O-line coach before taking over. And I thought to myself, thats why you hardly see a bad O-line in Longview. You can tell he still takes pride in how those guys play. He comes off as someone that takes it personally. You not gonna embarrass him every week with poor play.

[wolfpack4life]

3 hours ago, timeout! said:

I just watched the Longview Game Day stream for Tatum commitment announcement. Seem like a great kid and has his head on straight. You have to be with offers from schools like Duke. I'm all about seeing young men taking care of their business on and off the field. No matter what school they come from. I felt the same way about the RB from CS last year that's going to Duke. And I'm just as proud for our very own Kedren Young. You need young men like that in the locker room to set positive examples for others. OU has a heck of player coming. Looking forward to seeing him and Young square again this year. 

 King mentioned being an old O-line coach before taking over. And I thought to myself, thats why you hardly see a bad O-line in Longview. You can tell he still takes pride in how those guys play. He comes off as someone that takes it personally. You not gonna embarrass him every week with poor play.

OL is King's bread and butter. An OL guru. I've seen him coach up 5'11 200 pound tackles to all state teams.

What people have to understand is he was a state championship winning OL in HS. Then played OL on the D1 level at Northwestern St, where he played all 5 positions at some point. He's considered one of the top 100 players to play for the school.

https://nsudemons.com/honors/n-club-hall-of-fame/john-king/228

Then as coach, learning from the great Pat Collins while coaching OL and being OC under him certainly had its perks. 

Even though he's HC, he still coaches OL directly. Matter of fact, Longview has 3 coaches dedicated to coaching the OL.

Coach King, Coach Borens (former OL for the Lobos that played in two state championship games and a semifinal, most starts in Lobo history), and Coach Hancock (former coordinator in ETX). I also saw Coach CJ Lottinger in Taylor Tatum's commitment announcement yesterday. If hes back at Longview, wow. He coached some good offensive lines around ETX over the years...including Marshall's state finalist line in 2005 and Longview's state championship line in 2018.

[PackAttack]

Though Matt Stepp predicts a 4th place finish for Lufkin in District 7-5A DI this season, DCTF as a whole still predicts Lufkin to miss the playoffs for the 3rd year in a row.  

Dave Campbell’s Texas Football is proud to unveil its preseason projected playoff brackets for the 2023 Class 5A Texas high school football season. The projected brackets are based off of the DCTF computer rankings, compiled by Jerry Forrest of PigskinPrep.com CLASS 5A DIVISION I Projected Bi-District Matchups

 

Mansfield Timberview vs. Frisco Heritage
Barbers Hill vs. McKinney North
Frisco Lone Star vs. Carrollton Smith
Lancaster vs. Crosby
Longview vs. New Caney Porter
Frisco Reedy vs. N. Richland Hills Birdville
Port Arthur Memorial vs. Forney
Fort Worth Richland vs. Frisco Wakeland
 

[PackAttack]

Congrats to Taylor Tatum headed to Oklahoma probably a better fit than USC.   

Still believe Kedren Young has a prestigious opportunity to do great things at Notre Dame. With a better OL the last two years, Young would be ranked right up there with Tatum.  Longview folks may disagree, they have every right, but I've seen both kids run, there is not much difference between the two IMO.

[timeout!]

15 minutes ago, PackAttack said:

Congrats to Taylor Tatum headed to Oklahoma probably a better fit than USC.   

Still believe Kedren Young has a prestigious opportunity to do great things at Notre Dame. With a better OL the last two years, Young would be ranked right up there with Tatum.  Longview folks may disagree, they have every right, but I've seen both kids run, there is not much difference between the two IMO.

I have to agree. Young would be ranked much higher if not for questionable coaching and inconsistent line play. But then again..how much more would a higher ranking be worth? He pretty much had his pick of top schools. Notre Dame is a great institution for academics and sports. 

[PackAttack]

6 minutes ago, timeout! said:

I have to agree. Young would be ranked much higher if not for questionable coaching and inconsistent line play. But then again..how much more would a higher ranking be worth? He pretty much had his pick of top schools. Notre Dame is a great institution for academics and sports. 

As good or better than Oklahoma.  Even Texas and Texas A&M are better academically than OU.

[timeout!]

Do you guys feel there is much brotherhood among former Lufkin players? I follow a few other HS sports pages. And I notice how much more involved some former players are with each other and their programs. It's not every program, but enough to take notice. I've seen former players from certain schools, never miss a chance to comment or show some appreciation for the school and current players.

Theres a certain pride and camaraderie they have about coming from those programs. Maybe some former Lufkin players can chime in.

[timeout!]

2 minutes ago, PackAttack said:

As good or better than Oklahoma.  Even Texas and Texas A&M are better academically than OU.

It wasn't a knock on Tatum or OU. He had other choices on the table. OU was one of the few schools that would allow him to play baseball too. He said that was a big part of his decision going there. 

[PackAttack]

21 minutes ago, timeout! said:

Do you guys feel there is much brotherhood among former Lufkin players? I follow a few other HS sports pages. And I notice how much more involved some former players are with each other and their programs. It's not every program, but enough to take notice. I've seen former players from certain schools, never miss a chance to comment or show some appreciation for the school and current players.

Theres a certain pride and camaraderie they have about coming from those programs. Maybe some former Lufkin players can chime in.

I'm too old to comment on the current group of Panthers the past 20 years, however I do believe there is much association between former Lufkin plyers, if there is anything that may negate some of that is their dissatisfaction with how far the program has fell from when they played as Panthers, even though some of the same guys are here that coached them. Still believe there is a ton of respect from many former players toward Coach Todd Quick today.  

[PackAttack]

15 minutes ago, timeout! said:

It wasn't a knock on Tatum or OU. He had other choices on the table. OU was one of the few schools that would allow him to play baseball too. He said that was a big part of his decision going there. 

No disrespect for Taylor at all. Makes perfect sense. There was some talk that he might or may at some point go straight baseball in college.  He is quite the athlete, and as good as he is as a RB, many say he is better at baseball.

[Pack13]

I think Tatum made a good choice for everything he wants to do. They pulled off Kyler Murray playing both sports and OU is one of the few schools to do that well recently. I think him and Young switch places so do their rankings but that’s not saying much. Young is bigger and faster and I look forward to watching both develop in college.