chipinbogey

Friday Football Extra on WDBJ7 is always superior to anything we get down our way. I loved watching that when I was up that way. 

3 hours ago, Bluefield researcher said:

Here's my thoughts on officials. It is a hard job. The officials are trying to do a good job when they call penalties or not. They make some good judgement calls. They make some bad judgement calls. It is not easy. HOWEVER. Way too many officials are not in good enough shape to move in such a way that an official needs to be able to move. Many are just too fat so they are often out of position (especially in WV). The real problem I see is game administration. It is as if it requires a team meeting on every other penalty. Penalty yards are sometimes not marked correctly. Rules are not enforced correctly. Way too much dead time. Lazy officiating. They almost always mark the spot on a hash so they don't ever have to measure. If it is third down and 10 on the  20 and the runner gains 9.5 yards almost every time they are going to mark it on the 30 and give the team a first down. Or if the runner gains 10.5 they are going to mark it exactly on the 30 or 31 instead of the 30.5. Many crews are now saying the runner went down in bounds so they can roll the clock even when the runner's progress was not stopped in bounds. The head referee will start the clock after a first down long before the chain crew is set except at the end of the game.

Great observations but, I will respectfully pull the curtain back for you some. I won’t comment on the appearance issues you speak of because that is like reminding water that it is wet. 
 

When we have a foul, we try to get together to double and sometimes triple check we have the correct enforcement before marking it off. It’s very simple to do that in the stands but on the field, you have to slow down to get it right. The use of radios helps but, sometimes it’s best to come together to get it right. 
 

You mention way too much dead time. Spotting on the tick between the 10’s (the hashes are in the middle of the field and align with the uprights of the goal post) is a very common practice all the way up through FBS. It’s very easy to say to the crew, this series starts on the 31 so we need to get to the 41 for a first down. If we start that on the 31 1/2 YL, now we’ve opened ourselves up to plenty of measurement opportunities, especially on grass fields which leads to….dead time.

Ruling the runner inbounds or out of bounds is based on the axiom of where the forward progress is stopped, not necessarily where the player winds up at when a whistle blows. 
 

Finally, ONLY the box and ball need to be set before we wind the clock. If we waited on chain crews to get fully set, and god bless them for being there because we can’t do it without them, we’d have far more dead time. 

On 10/5/2024 at 2:11 PM, bulldog05-CO2017 said:

I get that, but if he can’t do any better he needs to find a new profession. Cause he made a terrible call, and could have got a kid seriously hurt. 

Terrible take here. I feel like it needs to be said that every official you see on Friday night does something else as a profession. This is no one’s primary source of income or their defining contribution to society.

I haven’t seen the play in question, but have seen a lot of things to affect games. Guess what? It happens. Every Friday night, from sea to shining sea.  Every official prepares to NOT affect the game when we step on the field. I have NEVER had or been part of a conversation that would put one team at an advantage over another. Bad calls happen and here’s why. It happens because there is a human element involved and humans by nature, make mistakes. It sounds like they found the only remedy provided to them for the situation they found themselves in. I’m sorry that did not let your team win by the score you feel they were entitled to win by. 
 

To circle back to your original comment, suppose the official you think you find a “new profession”, does in fact do that? Where do you reckon we should find his or her replacement? 

Random, but why hasn’t Richlands ever considered “Stormfront” by Billy Joel as a pregame warmup song? I understand the “Thunderstruck” tradition but, I have always thought that’d be a banger to warm up to if my team was named after a weather phenomenon. 

Agree with 1instripes here. The AFOA’s numbers are stronger than in the past few years. I’ve heard Roanoke’s numbers are about 30-40 off for this season. As of now, the only game I know of on Thursday will be Lebanon at Honaker which is traditionally on Thursday. I have not heard of any situations where we will have to move to Thursday or Saturday this season yet, which is great news for our area. 

30 minutes ago, 1inStripes said:

Been waayyy too long since I have been there.  Good stuff.

In my opinion, I feel like their quality has went downhill. The blue cheese dressing is the only thing we order anymore. 

If you come this way and want BBQ, go to Project BBQ in JC. Sonnnnnnnnnn......

1 hour ago, stu_bean said:

From that logic JI Burton should be right there with them as well.  They use to be tough but I'm not sure what happened with them in the past 5-10 years give or take.

JIB's drop off hasn't been going on that long relatively speaking. However, they are not immune to the cyclical talent cycles that plague Class 1 athletics. 

I am now going to state the most redundant reason we see talent pools rise and fall. It is the effort and approach of the feeder systems (Little League, Middle School, even JV) that is the biggest gauge of future success on Fridays.

Norton's program, along with others, has fallen behind at the fundamental level. It has not always been that way. If you go back and look at truly successful programs in our area, you will find that an overwhelming majority of those had very successful feeder programs supporting their growth and development. I.E. Galax and Rye Cove

45 minutes ago, Ryan4VT said:

500 replies on this topic... wow. The infamous Akers post only hit 438. So this thread has now surpassed it. 

We did it folks! 

Now is the official presser going to be at Emory or.....

The title games are generally on one of the local stations out of the Tri-Cities and you get the whole series both days, or it may be 3 days. I want to say it is on the CW usually but do not hold me to that.

45 minutes ago, 1inStripes said:

My guess is they are putting it where land is accessible and where its convenient to as much of the county population as possible.  Thats just a guess as I dont know Buchanon County that well.  That being said there are kids who ride the bus for an hour and a half going to Rye Cove and its 68 years old for the current school building.  Why is it where its at?  Its where the land was already owned by the school system and the largest part of the population was at the time.  In hindsight moving it to Duffield would have been much better for drive time for what became the school enrollment.

This is exactly the reason. Buchanan County has spent millions developing flat land (nonexistent outside of surface mine reclamation sites, like the one that has been developed) to create more modern facilities and drive the county into a more modern era.

God forbid they used some foresight and selected this to be built close to the CFX connectors, not in a flood plain(also tough to do in Buchanan County) and what is developing as the "new" town.

I remember when Whitewood and Garden consolidated and at the time, you would have thought we were on the verge of war. Turns out the kids adjusted just fine, and the throngs of petty adults eventually accepted the fact that Buchanan County's population continues to dwindle, coal isn't making a comeback, and while community schools are a sense of pride, they must concede to the fact that one newer and full school is better than 2 or 3 half full schools that bleed the county year in and year out. 

I normally stay out of these types of talks. I am hopeful they find someone who can turn such a tradition-rich program back into a winner. A formidable Richlands team is better for the health of SWVA football as a whole. The talent cycles and swings of area are now commonplace at almost every school except a handful. Richlands was one of those handful, and I think it still is even today. There's not many places that compare to a rocking Ernie Hicks on a Friday in the fall. They have facilities, community support, and some hard-nosed kids. Those are what SWVA football is all about.

They have faced the perfect storm to bring the program to where it is now, and it will be fun to watch the resurgence. 

12 minutes ago, 1inStripes said:

Considering what Grundy once held in school enrollment Im not sure they they couldnt just move all of them to Grundy until the new facility is built.

 

-Well other than people being hardheaded.

It would make entirely too much sense to do that. The consolidation talk has been going on there for as long as I can remember, and they still insist on operating 3 older school buildings in need of replacement. 

8 minutes ago, cityofRaven said:

Many would argue that they did indeed punch it in.

Who knows though, because as stated, the field was a mud bog, and the "lines" were moving during warmups. One of the biggest "what if's" I still wonder about regularly. 

Alvin Mack is getting that Adidas NIL deal I hear too.....might get Lattimer to come along too. 

1 hour ago, cityofRaven said:

A few contextual things here that may be absent.

The picture above is from a Division 2 game in 1993. The seating specifications for D2 and D4, the division Grundy and Salem we're in, we're a little more, plus Grundy only had seating on one side.

Also, the matchup between Grundy/Salem came a few years after the infamous game in Richlands so I'm sure Salem were going to make a fuss about anything down this way given the chance.

IIRC, Richlands was proposed but, I think the bleachers at Ernie Hicks on the visitor's side were not considered up to par either. I don't think you could have found a field that wasn't muddy that week. I still wonder what truly went down on the landlines between Grundy, Salem, and Charlottesville in the week leading up to that and I am positive it would be great fodder for these conversations. 

Ironically enough, since the bleachers were installed on the visitor's side at Grundy, they have not hosted a state semifinal game while appearing in two on the road.

15 hours ago, Real Sasquatch said:

Pulaski vs Salem 1993

 

 

I'm just going to state the obvious here. Those 90's SWVA Friday night atmospheres were built DIFFERENT. 

We've seen this more and more over the past decade or so. Athletic departments have realized that you cannot add another way to deter the already shrinking crowds in the area. Interest is already down, our populations in the area are shrinking and, there are so many more ways to consume the game than showing up to the stadium on Friday. Remember that most athletic departments' "break-even" point heavily depends on the gate success of 2 sports. By changing a date due to weather, they are protecting their interests, the local businesses who sponsor the advertisements you see around stadiums and in programs(do they still sell programs?), and most importantly the safety of the student-athletes that this silly board and passionate fanbases rally around.   When one of those sports takes place in extremely variable conditions, those 4 or 5 home dates become even more valuable in creating the most ideal environment to get Joe Townsperson's $7 at the gate and $5 to support the band for popcorn and a pop, Tommy Insurance Agent's ad seen, or keeping Jimmy Football healthy for a deep playoff run. 

14 hours ago, Gridiron60 said:

Maybe Tazewell needs to start a petition to fix the offensive issues 😂

https://www.change.org/p/hold-rrhs-football-offensive-coordinator-accountable-for-mismanagement-and-lack-of-respect?recruiter=91632040&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=psf_combo_share_initial&recruited_by_id=dd3bc790-d3e9-11e3-9b4e-47bb9cd5c2f8&share_bandit_exp=initial-37512649-en-US&utm_content=fht-37512649-en-us:8&mibextid=9R9pXO

The great thing about the internet is it gives everyone in the world a way to connect. The bad thing about the internet is it gives everyone in the world a way to connect. 

This is top-tier SWVA Sports content. More of this!

Will this game be on the radio anywhere? I am traveling tonight and will need some entertainment to stream.

1 hour ago, Union_Fan said:

What we see tomorrow night will probably mirror next week as far as offensive formation. So, I want to see our front 4 contain the run while getting pressure on the QB. And for our DBs to play tight on the pass and get some picks.

On offense, I hope we actually run the T some because I think it will come in handy against SH. It seems like TN teams run some variation of a spread offense even if they are run heavy. I don't think SH will initially be prepared for the T. Might give us an advantage early. Also, if we can get 3 yards a carry, we can wear them down and shorten the game. Keep their athletes off the field.

Do not think a Stacy Carter coached team will  be unprepared for anything that can occur. The man routinely reviews defending the Emory and Henry spread during walk through's. If you know about the E&H spread, what Hardee's do you go to every morning for biscuits with the boys?

On 8/19/2023 at 5:48 PM, breckt said:

 Did @chipinbogey get a different crew this year?  I saw that crew twice last year and I thought they did a great job. However, new blood is always a good thing. I'm sure they can always use more officials. 

We had 3 of that crew not return this season. It's a rebuilding year😆 

Ahhh, temps and humidity are high, pads are popping after school, and ADM is being discussed ad nauseum. I guess I better go start packing my gear and testing radios because football time in SWVA is here. LET'S GO!

On 5/4/2023 at 10:20 PM, TwhscoachT said:

Middlesboro is the 5th on the all time wins list for all Kentucky teams. Late 90s they had teams as good and several better than the 98 pv vikings. Their coach died and then they took a page out of lee highs playbook with coachevery 4 years before settling on coach French who is 2nd or 3rd on the all time wins as a coach.

As far as reffing goes they do the exact same thing the AoA does in VA. They send their more experienced refs to other match ups and use their inexperienced refs for their out of state match ups.

The last part of the statement is inaccurate. Crews are assigned two weeks out, and sure, you have your best crews on your highest profile games or games with biggest playoff implications. There is a thought process on who goes where each week(we have approximately 10-12 days of notice). I can recall at least 2 games I worked last season featuring an out of state opponent and no less than 60 years of (combined)experience was on each of those fields. Games featuring an out of state opponent do not automatically get the inexperienced crews. Where you really see the experienced guys is past round 2 of the playoffs. With the numbers the way they are, we are just happy to get the games covered every week, putting newer guys with veterans to gain them valuable experience in a big game environment is not uncommon. Contrary to popular belief, we are ALWAYS trying to improve and elevate the level of officiating in our part of the state for the student-athletes and member schools we serve. 

14 hours ago, sixcat said:

With all these Thursday games, is the AOA going to have enough referees?

We're good. If anything, you may see some crews more than once this weekend or some pretty stout pieced together crews with solid experience across the field if they normally do not work together. When I came in, no first or second year officials got playoff games, now it is necessary by the numbers to put them there. That being said, with how lopsided some of these first round matchups should be, not only is it great that we have enough to cover, but we are getting those newer guys some real playoff experience and learning from some of the veterans.