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I was at the Richlands/Appo game last year and I made the statement "that's the fastest team I've ever seen in high school." I call games for Blacksburg now. I have no affiliation with them. Believe me, I was pulling for Richlands to beat them on the inside, while still maintaining professionalism and an unbiased approach on the outside. I say that to say this: Blacksburg's team speed would KILL what Appomattox had last year. It's crazy how fast they are. Their "slow" players are faster than most high school players. They lost because they played in very sloppy conditions against a very good Class 3 squad that came in and controlled the ball for 36 of the 48 minutes in the game. When you can have multiple 8 minute drives, you keep the ball away and then the rain limited the passing game for Blacksburg. Union would be able to keep Blacksburg running game "in check". However, Beck is the fastest player in the state and one of the fastest in the country. If he finds a hole, he's gone. And no one, even Mitchell, can catch him. If Union were to stop the run, Blacksburg is 5-6 deep at the WR position, with several burners and the best player on the team, Terry. If he was 4 inches taller, he's a big-time recruit right now, and he may still be before it's all said and done. He's a junior. It's no slight to Union. I respect the hell out of that program and what y'all have accomplished in the last 7 years. But Blacksburg would beat Union and every other team in Class 2.

I was stunned when they hired him. He struggled at Rural Retreat and I know Gate City has more talent than Rural Retreat yearly but if he didn't win at Rural Retreat with the powderpuffs on that schedule he's definitely not gonna win at Gate City with the teams they play.

This from the guy who threw a hysterical crap fit when I poked a little fun for saying "alot".

He has 25+ Division 1 offers. He's the 10th ranked player in Virginia and the 10th ranked all-purpose back in the country. Also he isn't Jamaican, so he couldn't take Bolt's place on the Jamaican Olympic team.

They can throw, and do it well. You don't think they could have more speed than Appomattox? You know the fastest kid in the state plays for Blacksburg right?

That inside info spot on....especially about Roberts being incompetent and fired by both coaches

How did you ever get out of high school is the bigger question? Did the HS you went to not teach spelling? Stupid autocorrect lol...I sound as bad as him haha

If you shut beck down then they will light you up through the air. Everyone thinks Beck is their best player but it's actually Tiquest Terry. And they have about 4 other talented receivers.

They aren't good. Marion rolls.

Because the offense isn't bad. It's one dimensonal but far from bad. When you're rushing for 350+ yards per game on more than 5ypc, that's not bad offense in any shape or form. Union is incredibly one dimensonal right now and against better teams it's very tough to win being so one dimensonal but the offense is not bad.

I think it's inappropriate to call a coach a country club bum. It is irrelevant as to whether he was a kicker or all American or never played. Ask Mike Leach. He's been successful and never played. I don't know about what kind of "work" he's put in or done or not done. I think it's fair to judge acoach on his outcomes, actions, technique, etc. But, theres a huge leap in that and literally calling a coach names. That's uncalled for. A coach could have been raised in lower Manhattan in a 67 story Penthouse, the son of a multi millionaire, and only been a manager on a football team, but be effective. Vice versa...one could have been a superstar in High School and bench press 400 lbs, and be ineffective. Those things are irrelevant.

This is a FACT. I'm all about building mental toughness through conditioning, but there is a right and wrong way to do it. The health of your players has to be a consideration. It currently isn't, and that's why GC's injured list is so long. It's not like the bum was a former college player, ex military, or some other hard boiled background. Dude was a kicker in high school, period. Never caught a pass, never threw a block, never made a tackle IN HIS LIFE. This bum had never once himself attempted what he asks his players to do. Dude thinks he's Glenn Carlock when the toughest work he's ever put in was on some country club tennis court. To compete offensively, teams must have a spread component. Turner will throw it all over the field and then jump in the T to bleed the clock. Collier and Gose at GC were racking up yards by alternating between spread and power formations. Apparently, in 1A, D lines just blow up the field without reading the blocks because the bum is teaching his lineman - who have plenty of talent - to not block the down lineman. No respectable coach is going to let the o line have a free shot at their backers; D lineman are taught to squeeze and read from the time they're babies. When the o line try to release to backer they get jammed, LBs go unblocked, and the play is DOA. It would take about one Monday practice to switch to a base blocking scheme and correct the problem. It's true that the W/L record since 2010 isn't great, but the offense was lit with 2 all state QBs vs the most brutal schedule in the state.

Scary, scary world we live in when we are missing the forest and only seeing trees. Meaning, who gives a giant Cleveland Steamer if Akers "cusses the kids." Dear God people, what is wrong with you? I hope he cusses more at the "kids." Did you ever notice how when a 16-17-18 year old makes a great play and boom, he is called a "young man?" When its something possibly negative on that young persons part, we immediately call them a "kid." Harry Fry never cussed, but would talk to you like you were a third rate South Philly pimp when you messed up. Literally, screaming. I have no problem whatsoever if Akers "cusses at kids." My concern is...the xs and os, the chessgaming of football which is where he's lightyears behind a Houseright, or Mance, or Turner.

Who is "we"? I am not sure who " we" is. You can measure a coach how you wish and "only two or three good coaches in SWVA" are your words, not mine. What I wrote was.....coaches are compared to one another, not measured against message board posters. With that written, most would agree its not just about overall record (as your post implied) but its about the talent you have to work with and the record. GC has a touch more talent than Rye Cove or Bland or Hurley or Central, etc. Do you really think Bland County is ever going to win in football or be a powerhouse? No offense Bland fans, but the talent isn't there regardless of who coaches. I repeat, running a wishbone offense or formation in 2017 suggests how little a coach knows about offense. If you could poll 1000 coaches on offense and defense across the country, I feel an overwhelming majority would agree the old wishbone is a joke in today's time (only my opinion, no way to tell). I can tell you this, its a bad sign. Now.....triple option like GT, that's different, but complex. It's almost as complex or requires as much attention to detail as the single wing in that you need to get that started in the little leagues, or in junior high. What GC has ran this year is nothing resembling a triple option. The wishbone formation only allows the defense to place another corner or safety in the box against an already slow-run oriented team. It's absolutely comical for the year 2017 to have a team like GC in a wishbone formation. it requires very little defensive preparation for the opponent and again, it shows how little Akers knows about offensive coaching. He's relying on what he learned in the 90s in which the wishbone was already outdated then. It suggests very little learning offensively after his entry into the Coaching profession. Like playing, coaching is also a lifelong or career long learning process like most professions. This post is only one old dudes opinion. As Billy Joel said, "you may be right, you may be wrong."

" I have personally asked kids on the team if Akers cusses them and they said no!" Do you really think they would tell you when asked about their coach???? If you were investigating the allegations then I surely hope you did more than just asked a kid or two? SMH Maybe you think calling kids "FAT ASS" is okay and not really cussing them.

Wishbone offense is a direct reflection of what he doesn't know about football compared not to me, or other message board posters, but compared to his coaching peers. He played at Graham and Graham (kind of) ran a wishbone offense. At least the formation was wishbone, but very little optioning out of it. The wishbone has been studied and dissected by defensive coaches more than ANY offense in history. It's defense 101, which is why the old wishbone is a thing of the past because teams can stop it. The triple option (GaTech) is a bit different. Every time I see GC in a wishbone formation, it tells me or reminds me of one thing. Akers hasn't travelled outside of SWVA much and needs much more education on offensive football. He should travel to a coaching camp this summer to Oregon, or California, or South Carolina, Texas, etc and learn more about offense than relying on what he knows. The 80s and 90s have came and gone. If he wants to stay with an option offense or formation, then travel this summer to Atlanta and GT and attend one of P. Johnson's camps. The point is.....he does not have the offensive coaching knowledge to be effective at GC. He could gain it, but it requires traveling in the summer and not watching Graham football tapes from the 90s. That's only my take and spare me the "you think you could coach better" robotic response. The standard by which a High School coach is measured and evaluated is a comparison to his fellow High School Coaching peers across SWVA, and the rest of the country, not to a message board poster.

"gotta have the players is what it's all about". LMAO A freakin little league coach can get more out of these players than Akers/staff is right now. Maybe because you practice in full pads on Thursday or you let a starter miss two practices each week and he still starts. Cuss your players and allow kids to cuss you back until you get your feelings hurt so you kick one off. This season is over for these poor kids who have busted their butts. Sad situation. Thank you Roberts school board and "committee". What a joke

He's on the staff at Tennessee High I think. I remember reading that somewhere.

Why is it game between Union and Blacksburg being discussed? The two don't even play nor will they ever play in the foreseeable future. Unless I have missed something.

Reed was contacted to gauge interest in the job after Houseright retired. He gave a firm no. The only way he would consider it is if Roberts was gone, and then it would still be a long shot. It's pathetic that he (Roberts) has a job in a school. Totally incompetent teacher and fired by both head coaches that he worked for as a coach. He has open contempt for students at his school. The fact that such an imbecile has a say so in any type of administration or decision making would be comical were it not so detrimental to the students.

Why would Reed come back to Gate City?! WHY WOULD ANYBODY COME BACK?!

One thing is for sure, they'll get a completely clean slate and get to start from the bottom.

Simple fix...Get rid of Roberts bring back Reed...Get some GC tradition back. Ferguson and Smith going to have earn their money and make some big boy decisions. Oh yeah, it be a lot better when Quillen not on school board too. "Rat and Bubba" the root of it all.

This bum's ONLY qualification was that his last name wasn't Houseright. Pitiful.

GC upset Union? NEVER! We can't even get plays ran in and snapped in :25. Akers flirts with the playclock literally every play. We can't line up right, and etc, etc, etc! James Mitchell scores more points than GC accumulates in total yards. Gonna take years for someone to rebuild this program after we are done letting Akers ruin it. Bears 55-0 It sucks...and yes I'm sour!

Another big factor in scheduling is gate receipts. In a school system that isn't going to provide a lot of money for athletics, every ticket counts, and for Marion, OOD games against Chilhowie, Northwood, GW, and Gate City are going to sell a lot more tickets at home than Blacksburg, Pulaski, Bluefield, Christiansburg, etc. because those games mean something to the folks who are of age to come watch the games. Although, I'm going to go ahead and counter my previous statement by saying that I always wanted to see Marion set up a series with Johnson County, TN. They're surprising close geographically (closer than a few SWD games), of comparable enrollment, and have had comparable success historically.

Marion has a good team I don't think we are at the level of Union Graham and Richlands but we can play. The thing about the schedule is no big schools is going to wanna play Marion cause it doesn't benefit them due to the power point system. Why play Marion when you can play bigger schools and get more points off them if you beat them. I'd rather play teams like Pulaski Blacksburg Pulaski and Bluefield but it's just not gonna happen.

I appreciate your optimism, but I don't see GC being successful in many one on one matchups against Union. Not sure the talent is there now.

They are good. But they've also played 3 class 1 teams and Tazewell, so not the worlds best competition. I think they are a top 4 team in D, but there's a gap from Union to the pack.

Marion is much improved, but they aren't near the level that Union is.

Players are already quitting. Had one who has played since he was 9 years old quit this past week.

Yup. You lose, you get your butt back to locker room, shut up, take shower, and go home pissed. There's a couple of players who understand that, and I mean just a couple. Losing has become acceptable by the program. It disgusts me.

Has their defense improved since last year when Abingdon dropped 48 on them?

Actually Giles shut out Narrows 35-0 and gave them their first loss. And I would sure hope that players aren't on these forums ?

I heard it was even crazier than that. Something like the initial PAT was blocked but a penalty gave them another try. On 2nd attempt it was a botched snap that was then run in for 2. I have no idea how accurate that is, but pretty sure there were 2 attempts at the PAT.

Appomattox or Goochland are the only 2A teams that I can see taking Blacksburg to the wire. If Graham knew how to use their speed and hold on to the ball they would be on the list of possibly knocking B-burg off.