Bring up the WCHS football team around town and undoubtedly the conversation centers on the new region. Specifically, the talk turns to how the TSSAA doomed the Pioneers to (at least) two seasons of misery.
After three consecutive region games where Warren County lost by a combined score of 130-17, the point is valid. Even worse, most realize the best two teams in the region - Oakland and Blackman - are still looming. Before the Pioneers could even play their second home game, fans have largely jumped ship or focused more on how miserable the Vols can make them on a weekly basis.
Let's change the narrative. Talking football in Warren County is depressing, so I decided I'd make a couple calls to lift my spirits. Taking a stroll down memory lane, Bobby Newby and Franklin Fisher talked to me about knowing a thing or two about beating Oakland.
"Oakland was a tough team. We prepared our boys for a physical game," said Newby, who had a 5-3 record in his career against the Patriots. "We had to bloody their nose like they'd bloody ours. When the last round was over, we  were going to be the last team standing."
The key to victory, according to Newby, was avoiding turnovers and making the most of any miscue they caused.
"Don't make errors. And when they make one, you make them pay," said Newby.
Newby also preached the value of having a winning mindset.
"If you want to win, you go out there and play as hard as you can. You never take a backward step," said Newby.
This year's team will be a colossal underdog against Oakland, which enters Friday's contest at Nunley Stadium as the No. 2 team in 6A. Fisher knows about being counted out, but a bet turned the fortunes of his team in 1993 in Oakland.
Just two years removed from an 0-10 season - the first in program history - Fisher took his 3-5 Pioneers to Oakland for what was supposed to be the Patriots ninth straight victory in the series.
In the week leading up, Fisher told his team he'd shave his head if they won. Not satisfied with the odds, Fisher upped the ante and said he'd pierce his ear.  A shining stud showed up Monday morning after the Pioneers won 7-0.
"I told them I'd shave my head, but that didn't impress them. I didn't have much hair anyway," Fisher said with a laugh. "They knew I hated ear rings on guys, so I told them I'd get one if they shut them out.
"What really won that game was a bunch of good players deciding to play with high energy from start to finish. They played as a team, not individuals."
From now on, when I think Warren County and Oakland, I'll always remember ear rings and bloody noses.