F@lcon

I am sure LB is very physical and I truly believe abingdon is an obvious underdog. One can argue the whole 2a/3a thing forever and neither side will change their minds. One advantage I see is that LB can’t really gauge what abingdon can/can’t do. They see the early season losses including the hidden valley game so they think it’s a cakewalk. Then they see the later season quality wins against union and Ridgeview and a little uncertainty has to creep in. Abingdon will need to be playing at the top of their game and get some big plays early to have a shot. As Rick Moranis told his team on Little Giants, you can beat anyone “one time”.

Lol, I am as bad as anyone for keeping things going but you guys keep saying let it die while your posts ironically keep pushing it to the top of the board.

If GC wants a run only guy then reed is the answer. The problem is that he builds no relationship with players. He is a jerk (can’t use the proper wording) and within 2 years the whole team will hate going to practice. Good luck.

I agree, there are many great multiple sport stars. The only point I was trying to make regarding specialization is that you become better at the individual sport because of it. I would rather see a well rounded athlete any day.

I am not a fan of specialization. Most kids aren’t gifted like the boys that we have mentioned. Not saying that talent doesn’t get you noticed. But the average player will remain average if they only get in season work. It is a known fact that more practice will make you better (except to Allen Iverson). Sport seasons carry over into other seasons more now than in the past and coaches get into pissing matches because kids aren’t fully devoted to their sport at the time. Football runs into basketball if the team makes the postseason so that would always hurt teams like gate city in years past. GC was always perceived as a football team playing basketball. Now with the Mcclung era, they are a basketball school who happens to have a football team. Many baseball and basketball teams try to compete in the offseason at camps or travel tournaments and players have to decide in which one to participate. It’s much tougher today than it was in the 80’s and 90’s.

I am not counting track. I am talking football, baseball, basketball. Sports that require offseason work. Not sure I have seen anyone doing triple jump or shot put outside season. They will run and lift but that is the same for all sports. If you give ample time to each sport, your best sport will suffer somewhat. I watched every one of these kids in various sports over their careers. Heath was a star in all football, basketball, and baseball but gave up basketball to focus on football. Had he focused on baseball instead you may have been watching him in the previous World Series. Thomas and Julius were mediocre at basketball but great athletes, Thomas is by far the best running back I have ever watched live. Julius was quick as lightening and still holds state records in hurdles I think. Justin could score in basketball but half a$$ed it on defense. I only saw shoe in basketball but take away the 6’10” and he plays local college at best. Even according to mcclungs dad, had he not given up football to do the travel ball and offseason camps, there would be no Georgetown offers. He would have possibly followed in Talfords footsteps and played small D1. Calvin still is the best natural athlete I have ever watched. Drafted by Phillies, D1 in basketball with multiple ncaa tournament runs, ncaa dunk champion, D1 track star, and a heck of a football player as well. IMO, talford is the exception. Mcclung would have still probably been able to dunk and encite crowds but the ball handling, jump shot, and overall game knowledge would have never made it to the level he was able to showcase. It would have been interesting for GC to have had Mac at power back, Ervin at TE or even QB, and Dean at receiver.

GC was predominantly a one man show. Not because the others weren’t talented but because mac controlled the games when needed. Ervin is a great player and Dean isn’t bad but their season will depend on their defense and the kids coming up from JV.

Gate city will be solid. Maybe not state champions but top 3 in their class. Wise lost their best player to ACL so they won’t be a factor.

Just to clarify, I am not advocating specializing in high school. I actually am not a fan. But, you have to acknowledge how normal that is in today’s travel ball society. Kids grow up in sports watching older players and trying to follow in their footsteps. Right now, basketball is king at GC. if you have a stud team come through in football that will change the dynamic back.

You can play multiple sports and be really good. But you won’t get to the mcclung level at one sport by just playing during the season. You could possibly play 2 and excel but if you try 3 you will probably not reach a D1 level in any of those unless you are just born that gifted. You could ask Mcclung, Thomas jones, Julius Jones, Heath Miller, shoemaker, Justin Hamilton, etc.

I think one of the biggest issues with the downturn of football at GC is the sensation of McClung and the rise in popularity of basketball in the youth. At the small school level you have a limited number of top athletes. When your better athletes focus on one sport then the other sports suffer. McClung, Ervin, etc decided to focus on basketball and it brought great support to that program. All the younger kids then start trying to be the next McClung instead of the next Houseright. If they try to do all sports they run the risk of major injury like McCamis at Wise. Plus, to perform at a level like McClung you have to devote to that sport year round. Nothing wrong with that, just an issue that most small schools face. That is why choosing the next coach is so important. Their biggest obstacle isn't going to be just getting what you have in the weight room. Success begins at the youth level. You have to create interest to get as many kids playing as possible so you can optimize your talent when they reach high school.

You can argue logistics about the enrollment forever and not change each other's minds. I will say that the biggest advantage of Abingdon playing in the local 2A district is $$$ for all the schools programs. Abingdon travels as well as any other team in southwest Virginia. The football programs are the cash cow for each schools booster's and athletic funds. In the past, the main rivalries for Abingdon were with Richlands, Battle and VA High. Now, in only a couple seasons, we have seen new rivalries come out. The Ridgeview home game had the biggest overall attendance of the season at Abingdon. The Union game at Big Stone had a very sizable crowd on both sides even though it was nasty and being televised which would tempt many to stay home and watch. When 3A schools come to Abingdon, they seldom bring any fans with them. That is one of the great things about small town football, when you have a rivalry game that is where everyone wants to be.

The thing with Reed is that the original group he inherited had some great talent (many playing college ball with most of them currently playing for Emory and Henry). That is why the previous coach was ran out of town. Abingdon is heavily influenced by Emory alumni so they wanted Reed (an Emory alum) to come in and lead the team. This came back to bite them in the end. The strength of the group lied in the explosive passing game with Sturgill, Yates brothers, Wallace, and others who could put up big numbers. They had a good size line and athletes in the backfield. The perfect mix for the spread offense. Reed followed this plan early. Sturgill as a junior led the team fairly deep in the 3A playoffs and had some big college interest. in the offseason, Reed proceeds to convert the team into a primarily running team and only throwing in desperate situations. Numbers go down, Sturgill's stock dropped and the Falcons did not have the season everyone hoped for. During the change in game plan instilled by Reed, he instructed the JV and 8th grade coaches to scrap any passing game and focus on the run game so that he could change the entire program leading up to him. That caused much disruption with the coaching staff causing many to leave. It ticked off influential parents and ran off a lot of kids in the program because everything they had been accustomed to and succeeded at had been yanked out from under them. This is not uncommon for a new coach to change things to their style but this was too drastic of a change and, in my opinion, this doesn't work at the 3A level. The reason 1A and 2A schools from this area are successful in the post season is because of the power game and smash mouth football. Our kids are typically big and strong and work hard to succeed. At the 3A level, once you get away from southwest VA you find teams with a better crop of athletes and the speed of the secondary shut you down. That made the spread, high flying offense effective for Abingdon. You can see similar comparisons in the 2A with Graham's speed in the secondary. Reed may be a good coach at Gate City because their program was built on the power run game but I don't think he is equipped to coach different styles.

There was no schedule conflict. Schedule was set with Abingdon hosting. Last night at Wise would have finished everyone up. Wise beat Union so the Abingdon/Wise game that was rained out made no difference in seeding.

You are hearing the PC excuses for how they are spinning it. The reason behind this is because Abingdon already has an automatic berth to regionals in 3A and none of the 2A teams want to play them in the first round with chance of either being eliminated or using up pitching.