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.

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.

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.

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......

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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!

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.

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.