Region 2D Championship: Graham @ Union

[BearDawg 105]

18 minutes ago, Unionguy_2017 said:

Agreed. Hope for some good weather and a fun time pregame. Of course a Union W will would top it off. 

 

It's only Wednesday morning. ?

At least Thanksgiving will help put us in a coma for a day lol.

[GMan 3,569]

22 hours ago, BearDawg said:

Someone miss their nap?  If they play twice and have issues twice, then that constitutes a history in my book.

Both games were at Union, must be something down there that causes that...just sayin'...

[GMan 3,569]

22 hours ago, BearDawg said:

Now changing gears. I don’t know anything of graham or it’s history. What is the story behind the g-man mascot name. Clintwood greeen wave came to be from a student winning a drawing contest (something like that). What is a g-man. Play on the letter G in graham?  Is it a consolidated school from smaller schools years and years ago like Wise county schools were?  Honest question. I love the history of football and the schools in Southwest Virginia. 

From http://www.bluefieldva.org/history/

Quote

The Town dates back to the early 1860’s when a small post office, bearing the name ‘Pin Hook’ was built.  Although not a town at the time, this post office was the beginning of what is now Bluefield, Virginia.

This area became significantly important upon construction of the Norfolk and Western Railway.  It was during this period shortly before 1883 that the post office was renamed ‘Harman’ to honor a confederate war hero Colonel E. H. Harman.

In 1884, Thomas Graham arrived from Philadelphia to survey for the N&W Railway.  He purchased a tract of land and laid out the streets of an embryo town.  The post office was renamed ‘Graham’. It was also in the year 1884 that the fledgling town of ‘Graham’ elected its first mayor, one John T. Linkous.

In 1924, a general election was held to change the name to Bluefield due to its close proximity to Bluefield, West Virginia.  Five hundred-eighteen (518) votes were cast and it was decided by only sixty-four votes to change the name.

The name Bluefield, Virginia became official July 12, 1924.  It was a memorable event celebrated by a day-long spectrum of activities.  An actual wedding ceremony between Ms. Emma Smith and Mr. L. Wingo Yost, occurred to symbolize the “marriage” of the two towns.

The ceremony was attended by over 15,000 people including the governors of both Virginia and West Virginia. It received national news coverage and congratulatory messages were sent by then President Coolidge to the mayors of both Bluefields.

 

And from http://ghs.tazewell.k12.va.us/?PageName='AboutTheSchool'

 

Quote

GRAHAM HIGH SCHOOL:  A STORIED HISTORY

 

Graham High School, Bluefield, Virginia serves grades nine through twelve and is a part of the Tazewell County School District. The school has a storied history which began on what many refer to as the “Hill of Learning” located on the eventual Greever Avenue in Graham, Virginia.  A school known as Wartburg Lutheran Seminary was established by Joseph B. Greever in 1887, and often  remembered as Greever Academy. The school was sold several times and later renamed Graham College after the Town of Graham which was named in honor of Thomas Graham from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mr. Graham was a surveyor and engineer for the Norfolk and Western Railway Company and laid out the streets of the new town, Graham.

 

Established as a secondary school, the cornerstone for the first Graham High School building was laid on May 26, 1914 on “The Hill.”  The first principal was J.O. Faulkner, and the finished school had an enrollment of 611 students from the primary grades through high school and could accommodate 750 students. The high school department enrolled 107. According to newspaper accounts of the dedication, the building at the time was the largest building of any kind in the county and was constructed at the then-extravagant cost of $45,000. A new gymnasium was added in 1934. The first Graham Annual or Yearbook called the Graham Cracker was published by the Senior Class of 1940 and reflected the spirit of the school and its anticipated success. 

 

While the Town of Graham was renamed Bluefield in a ceremony with its “sister-city” Bluefield, West Virginia, the school retained its name and adopted the moniker of “Graham Men” or “G-Men.”  The origin of the moniker dates back to ca. 1936 and Bluefield Daily Telegraph reporter Stubby Currence.  He often said in reference to the football team, “just as the FBI ‘G’overnment Men always get their man,” so do the “Graham Men” or “G-Men” get their man.  Athletes were also referred to as “G-Men” when they received a letter in sports. 

 

The original school colors were maroon and orange.  Later the colors for both academics and athletics were changed to maroon and gray.  Along with the school colors came the school Fight Song borrowing its tune from the University of Illinois’s  “Illinois Loyalty” and the Alma Mater which is set to Cornell University’s “Cayuga’s Waters.” A school seal, designed by Elmer J. Burton, Jr., Class of 1953, was adopted in 1952, with the motto, “The future belongs to those prepared for it.”  Thus, a tradition of excellence was reflected.

 

As enrollment increased, the projection was made ca. 1952 that a new facility for grades eight through eleven would be built across the railroad from the ”Hill” school. The “Hill” school was to become Graham intermediate School. However in 1955, rather than building across the railroad, the decision was made to build the new high school in the Double Gates area of Bluefield, Virginia, and the cornerstone was laid.  Louis N. Dalton was the principal when the new school was completed in 1956.  Sadly, the original Graham High School on the hill, excepting the gymnasium, was destroyed by fire on New Year’s Eve 1957.  Then GIS principal M.L. Louthan climbed through a window to remove vital records.

 

Ensuing years saw many physical changes. A greenhouse and a shop were added in 1968 and 1971, later to be removed and replaced with a new business department and classrooms to accommodate the expanding computer technology of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. An expanded band room and music suite was completed in 1974.  In 1989, the library and science department were completely renovated and expanded.  Graham has witnessed several structural additions to accommodate and enhance academics, the arts, and technology. Graham has also expanded its athletic and recreational facilities with new additions in 2010.

 

As a rural, small-town public high school, Graham High reflects cultural diversity. The Graham High School student body and faculty grew when it merged in the 1960s with what was originally Graham Colored High School and later renamed Tazewell County High School. Expanded cultural diversity remains a characteristic of the school in contemporary society as well.

 

 

[trumpet1988 289]

54 minutes ago, GMan said:

Both games were at Union, must be something down there that causes that...just sayin'...

Actually one game was at Mitchell. 

[FBDevotee 34]

This is only the 7th edition of Union High School football but I think the 2017 Team is the most fundamentally sound group of Bears so far. James Mitchell deserves the accolades he receives but I think excellent blocking and tackling has propelled Union to a 12-0 record. The 2015 team had a little more flash & style but this year’s team is just plain solid. A friend’s son who plays for a rival school summed up the distinction. After the game against Union in 2015 we were tired. After the game this year we were sore. I’ve been saying that the 2015 Bears reminded me more of the great PV teams and 2017 reminds me more of the great Appalachia teams. No matter the outcome Saturday - it has been a good season for football fans in Big Stone & Appy!

[Bluefield researcher 1,195]

In 1929 Graham was referred to as the "Panthers". In 1931 through 1934 they were the "Bears". The first reference to G-Men is in 1935.

[BearDawg 105]

Thanks for the info @GMan and @bluefield researcher. That’s cool how it happened. Wish wise county hadn’t lost coal and our numbers dropped. The old LPD was fun and the history behind those schools were priceless to us. Thanks again for sharing. 

[Vol Hater 276]

3 hours ago, GMan said:

Both games were at Union, must be something down there that causes that...just sayin'...

We came to Bluefield in 2012 and then you all came to the park in 2015. So maybe its just 2 teams that don't care for each other. Are you planning on making the trip GMan if so I can show you a true HAMMER. Can't miss it.

[GMan 3,569]

2 hours ago, Union's hammer said:

 Are you planning on making the trip GMan if so I can show you a true HAMMER. Can't miss it.

[jarhead24219 440]

whoooeee, thereis so much chest thumping on that other "YANKEE BOARD", you know the other guys....to hear them talk APPOMATTOX has already won the STATE and the rest of us are playing for second.I will tell you this, last year I thought UNION could play with APPO....wrong. I may be wrong but I think whomever wins region D will also win state, both GRAHAM and UNION have good TEAMS and sometime a TEAM is better than the sum of its players. I know the GRAHAM people want to win , but damn it I want APPOMATTOX TO HAVE TO RIDE  AND RIDE AND RIDE to the real southwest va to the mnts and meet us HILLBILLIES at the PARK , where champions are crowned and the magic of BULLITT  helps the home team win

[Union_Fan 2,155]

http://www.wvva.com/story/36900559/2017/11/21/graham-football-with-another-mountain-to-climb

http://www.heraldcourier.com/sports/hamilton-a-big-hitter-at--foot--for-union/article_bb60945a-cf46-11e7-adc3-cf0f7036150e.html

[WAVE 316 16]

Saw Union totally dismantle Marion last week. Haven't seen Graham this year. Turnovers will play a major role here! Going to go with Union 28-22. 

[Liam McPoyle 1,863]

21 hours ago, jarhead24219 said:

whoooeee, thereis so much chest thumping on that other "YANKEE BOARD", you know the other guys....to hear them talk APPOMATTOX has already won the STATE and the rest of us are playing for second....

There are a few good Appo fans out there, but I've found the vast majority to be arrogant and insufferable.  Five minutes on that other board always makes me extremely thankful for this site.  

[Plywood_King 518]

1 hour ago, Liam McPoyle said:

There are a few good Appo fans out there, but I've found the vast majority to be arrogant and insufferable.  Five minutes on that other board always makes me extremely thankful for this site.  

When Appomattox came to Marion a couple of years back I had the pleasure of running into some Appomattox fans in the Dollar General by the high school. They weren't dressed in Appy material but, and this is going to sound awful in the modern PC society, they were black, and considering that less than 2% of Smyth County is African American, seeing a couple of African American folks that you don't already know personally is usually a tell-tale sign that they aren't from here. We had a chat and they were super nice, some of the most courteous visiting fans I've ever experienced.

Fast forward an hour and a half, it's pouring rain, and the visitor stands are booing injured Marion players while they're being attended to by trainers on the field.

All it takes are a few bad apples...

[futbolking 766]

2 hours ago, Liam McPoyle said:

There are a few good Appo fans out there, but I've found the vast majority to be arrogant and insufferable.  Five minutes on that other board always makes me extremely thankful for this site.  

Try living in that area for the 3 most miserable years of my life. 

[EH31 2,518]

Somebody tell BlackWolf5 that there's gonna be some scouts at Bullit Saturday. VT, UT, UGA from what I heard. 

[futbolking 766]

7 minutes ago, EH31 said:

Somebody tell BlackWolf5 that there's gonna be some scouts at Bullit Saturday. VT, UT, UGA from what I heard. 

This would be a great opportunity for Dante Vineyard and Cam Allen to get noticed.  Lots of eyes on the field.  I'm sure there will be others there also.

[UniON_FoOtBaLL 68]

There is always scouts at union games. On the side lines you'll see alot of VT some UGA.  Before he brought list to just 5 they were all kinds of D1 scouts from diff teams. Now since he has is list at just 3 mostly Tech duke UGA.  Good opportunity for other kids to get seen when playing Union. 

[EH31 2,518]

26 minutes ago, UniON_FoOtBaLL said:

There is always scouts at union games. On the side lines you'll see alot of VT some UGA.  Before he brought list to just 5 they were all kinds of D1 scouts from diff teams. Now since he has is list at just 3 mostly Tech duke UGA.  Good opportunity for other kids to get seen when playing Union. 

VT has had Taymon Cooke on the sidelines a few times between the last 2 seasons. They've showed interest but I know he'd love to get an offer from them. 

[Ryan4VT 4,553]

16 minutes ago, EH31 said:

VT has had Taymon Cooke on the sidelines a few times between the last 2 seasons. They've showed interest but I know he'd love to get an offer from them. 

Would he be happy playing DB at Tech? Cause he likely doesn’t play WR there. 

[Unionguy_2017 288]

3 minutes ago, Ryan4VT said:

Would he be happy playing DB at Tech? Cause he likely doesn’t play WR there. 

Not taking shots, but is he big enough to play DB?

[EH31 2,518]

7 minutes ago, Ryan4VT said:

Would he be happy playing DB at Tech? Cause he likely doesn’t play WR there. 

WVU seems to be the front runner for him right now and he's projecting as a CB there. From what I've been told VT has always been his favorite team and preferred spot to land so I'd imagine he wouldn't have a problem with it.

In my opinion he's going to be a DB no matter where he ends up. 

[EH31 2,518]

5 minutes ago, Unionguy_2017 said:

Not taking shots, but is he big enough to play DB?

He's around 6'1" & somewhere in the 170 lbs. range. A redshirt year could put 10-15 pounds of muscle on him and that'd be plenty big enough for a db. 

[Unionguy_2017 288]

1 minute ago, EH31 said:

He's around 6'1" & somewhere in the 170 lbs. range. A redshirt year could put 10-15 pounds of muscle on him and that'd be plenty big enough for a db. 

Gotcha. He's definetly quick enough. I couldn't remember how he was built. I wish him the best wherever he goes/whatever he plays. 

[Hokiebird7 1,416]

15 minutes ago, Ryan4VT said:

Would he be happy playing DB at Tech? Cause he likely doesn’t play WR there. 

Can he play OL? Cause that's where they need help BADLY

I'm just kidding hahaha