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Just a quick update on things. A few months ago Gman decided to step away from the day to day operations of this website and we no longer have McDonald’s as a sponsor anymore. I decided to pick back up and keep it alive. I guess almost 25 years ago I approached GMan with a plan to build this place as an all inclusive local sports website that would grow from the old yahoo based football page he had started. The idea was to build a bigger and better page with SWVASPORTS.COM as a one stop location for all things local sports. We never did anything for money, it was as free as you can get, we tried to have a fair place to discuss it all without censorship, although at times it was necessary to wield the banhammer, for the most part we let people sort things out instead of cutting it off. I feel like it’s been a great success story. When I took things over though a few months ago I put a “donate” button on the front page and figured if anyone wanted to help out keeping the doors open here it would be cool, if not I’m still going to do it, either way. Several people have kicked in some cash though and helped out. I don’t always know who sends it, it’s somewhat anonymous as most user names don’t correlate to real names here, unless someone specifically contacts me here so if you don’t get a personal ”Thank You!” from me, that’s why. I decided to make this post so I could thank you all for being here and supporting the effort! So…Thanks to everyone who donated a few bucks to the site. I’ve used it to pay for the hosting, the forum software license, tech support etc etc etc. basically you guys have helped keep the lights on. Appreciate you all for continuing to hang out and enjoy the site. In the days of social media places like this are a dying breed….but we are hanging on.

Like most pro sports, SWVA teams of future might need an official sponsor on their uniform. Matching a school with the right business, corporation or organization is vital for success, and we can help. Here are a few suggestions to get us started. Virginia High Bearcats Sponsors: City of Bristol, VA and the Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality Slogan: Our landfill stinks way worse than our football team Graham G-Men Sponsor: U-Haul Truck Rentals Slogan: Moving Made Easier Hurley Rebels Sponsor: Hurley Meat Market Slogan: Nobody Beats Hurley’s Meat. (Thanks, ATW) John Battle Trojans Sponsor: Trojan™ Slogan: Trojan Condoms and JSB Football: It Almost Feels Like The Real Thing. Richlands Blue Tornado Sponsor: Claypool Hill Mall Slogan: Just like Blues Football, our best years are likely behind us. Marion Scarlet Hurricanes Sponsor: Hi-Way Drive In and PepsiCo Slogan: *Nothing goes together like Dip Dogs, Mt Dew, and Canes Football! * Warning: Consumption of Dip Dogs, Mt. Dew, and Canes Football may cause severe gastric distress.

So are Ridgeview fans... 2 Guerrant's took out half of Dickenson county in Appalachia. Can you imagine what 1 will do on the field against only 11?

Phield of Dreams

Phil Robbins is such a humble and modest man. I just hope this doesn't go to his head

I'm now an administrator at one of the middle schools in Charlotte and one of our kids did that this week at our game. The young man had to write one apology letter to the principal of that school and another letter to the team that our school played. He is also suspended for the next game.

Northwood Pros: 1. Seating on top of field 2. XP/FGs kicked into the street 3. Likely win for visitors Cons: Remote possibility players get swallowed up by a sudden sinkhole

Show me a LL program that is locked in with the varsity HC and I'll show you a successful high school team. The more active the varsity HC is with the LL program, the more success. The more daddy ball can be eliminated or reduced the more long term success.

The problem with a few local Little League systems is that they cut teams and stack talent to win championships. It is sad that a few people value a title at the Pee Wee level like it actually means something. For example, when the Richlands program was in the middle of their most successful run, the league that fed into the HS program had 5-6 teams, spread fairly evenly with talent and 20-25 kids, allowing all kids to play and learn the game. Now, there are two teams, with 35-45 kids each, and many just watching from the sidelines. Not to mention that some of the poorer kids are not able to play because of the travel demands the current system has in place. Furthermore, I've seen firsthand some kids who may have hit a growth spurt early and dominate the lower levels only to find themselves peaking too early and leaving the game altogether once their dominating play has disappeared. As long as Pee Wee trophies are the goal, that's all you'll see on the shelves in the future.

People don't coach to win the approval of the fans, they coach to make a difference in kids lives. The hell with what anybody thinks of them ...They should all be commended, if you like them or not .

Truth is, no one wants to be head football coach at Tazewell, they'll have too many bosses to answer to.

For the unlearned Union fans that are posting on social media that people are attacking the players on this forum. First, please read the posts. You will not find anyone attacking players. Secondly, learn about football. Don't have to be an expert. Just enough to understand the basic concepts. Then, you will understand that Union has a COACHING problem. NOT a player problem. Lastly, stop twisting calls for new play calling and/or a new head coach into attacks on players. That is simply not happening. For all the players...past, current and future...the Union community couldn't be prouder of your work, dedication and effort you display,not only in games, but all year around. Anyone saying otherwise really needs to keep their mouth shut. Anyone with a basic understanding of the game of football and half a brain can see what the issue is. And we KNOW it isn't the players.

Ewing. Where men are men and sheep are scared.

I think Marion's problem is similar to Giles. It's defensive related.......and offense and special teams related. If they can turn these 3 areas around, improvement will occur.

A survey to determine if your school has a proper high school stadium? -Are there features built by non-skilled labor such as students, coaches, or parents? -Are there any parts of the stadium that were donated used? -Is the field a good soaking rain away from becoming a mosh pit? -Are bleachers, buildings, or fencing mismatched by type, style, or era? -Are doors now secured with padlocks because keys were lost years ago? -Does the field serve double-duty for another activity, such as baseball or a county fair? -Is the stadium close enough to a public road that a vehicle could careen into the stands from above? -Do you pee in a trough? If you answered YES to four or more questions, Congratulations!, your school has a proper high school stadium.

One answer.....VHSL

This year 2025 has already started with a tragedy. Lives lost, the storm coming suddenly on the horizon. When we see these events, hear of them, our hearts become heavy, tears fall. The happiness we wanted to wish for the new year, is shaken by these events. Vision become blurred and we say when will we see clearly. Is hope lost? Evil has taken what God called good and put a heavy drape of sadness on his creation. If our anchor isn't rooted in our Creator and his promises, we become a pale and weakened version of what he created and his purpose for our lives. The day that started in darkness for our nation, can't end in darkness. Our hearts must be fixed on our Creator, our eyes looking upward, our feet shod with rhema words of hope, our hands extended, our words given in season to those we love, we cherish. My Bible is over 40 years old, the pages are loose from the spine. It holds many cherished possessions in its cover, cards of loves, obits of my love ones, thank you cards sent by family graduates. These things are in the covering of my Bible, but the tattered pages of this eternal word stand strong because they were given from heaven to earth to let us know "we walk by faith and not by sight."

I just wanted to tell everyone on the Board, Merry Christmas! I hope the peace of Christ find you all well this year and wish you all the Happiest New Year! 2024 has been good to me, we had a new granddaughter in July, Started my dream job in September and my life is good. My New Years Resolution is the become a person who "lifts people up" to quote Kent Sterling. I love hanging out here and enjoy the banter, I hope it never goes away!

In a perfect world, parents wouldn't be coaches. Does that mean coaches shouldn't have kids or that they should forbid their kids to play the sport they coach? Face it, if parents didn't coach, there would be a huge shortage of quality coaches in the area throughout all levels. Every parent will show some level of bias toward their kid, sometimes good/sometimes bad. The issue in this matter as I was told is that one parent was upset because Rasnake's daughter was in the school gym every day shooting and working out when others were not. Who's fault is that? Everyone in southwest VA knows that Neil would allow anyone gym access at any reasonable time and he would definitely work with anyone individually. I know that he offered various offseason training and camps but nobody would show up. Those families chose not to work as hard then couldn't accept that their kid never improved. It was obvious that she was the best player on the team by far. In games that I watched against quality competition, there wasn't another girl on the team capable of handling the ball or scoring for that matter. This is varsity level basketball not rec league. The game is played to compete and win (hopefully more than you lose). I have witnessed jealously ruin more teams than I could list on here. This time it caused a school to lose the whole program. Well done!

There will be no more talk concerning the Graham-Tazewell game last Friday, good or bad, about players, refs, coaches, fans, announcers or anyone/anything. Period. This is everyone's first and only warning. Any posts about the game or anyone related to the game will be banned permanently. I don't care who you are. We all said things that were not appropriate and this is the end of it. Carry on...

This guy is snitching on underage drinking at Pocahontas 16 years later 🤦‍♂️

3 givens in life: 1. We will die 2. If we work for a living, Uncle Sam is going to fleece us in taxes 3. Betty Sue is gonna be screaming " HE'S HOLDING REF!!!" at all RV games.

As simple as it may sound. This country was a better place when each family had a dinner table and they ate at it everyday.

Youth football should focus on fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. What you put into a kid at that age will more than likely stick with them for their career. Good or bad. The youth football model that Jeff Gee and Danny Mullins had going in Tazewell several years back has helped not just Tazewell but Graham, Montcalm, and Mt. View. It focused on fundamentals and playing time for all kids.

The main problem with the Richlands football program at the moment is that there are no longer 5 to 6 pee wee and midget teams in town. The high school program did well when Richlands had a solid pee wee program. A few folks thought it was beneficial for kids to win instead of develop, so the program was diminished to two teams. With more kids on the sidelines and not getting the reps, it's fairly easy to see why kids on Friday nights have no real feel for the game. Anyone who has ever been around sports knows that sometimes, the 'studs' at age ten don't pan out to be that type of dominating player at the varsity level. Likewise, kids who may be undersized or underdeveloped in their early years grow into their bodies by high school and become D1-type players (i.e., Austin Fuller) Until the powers that be in Richlands realize that more teams allow more kids to participate, learn, and grow in football, the Blue Tornado program will continue the trend that no one really thought we would see.

With the game in Abingdon it'll more than likely be 'Disney on Grass' or something of that nature. Or, better yet, they may just parade the Trivett girl around the track during halftime just to shove that in our face again.

When I worked at the Shell station off exit 19 once upon a time, a customer from New York came in and asked me once... "Is this town's name really A BIG DONG?"

"Richlands offense will take shape when Hell freezes over..." I like our chances!

As soon as I read the first post, I went straight to the kitchen and started popping the corn.

51 sounds about right. How many players?? 😂

I’m really not sure if I should agree or disagree with that statement as I cannot comprehend. I’ll just say thank you for your input.

Probably not a popular opinion but if my team wins the game to get to state I just behave as if we won state and let the vhsl cry over losing money with a no show championship game.

So she is an 18-year-old YOUNG adult right? Are we talking about the age group that is committing suicide at an alarming rate? We are seeing our future snuffed out by that plague. I respect everyone's right to say what they please, but rest assured I will exercise the same right. There's never been a tougher time to be a young person. We talk about how tough we had it and call them soft, but the matter of fact is that we didn't have social media and technology telling the world everything that's said about us. If we did something unless we ran our mouth, nobody knew. These young folks are constantly under a magnifying glass, and the pressure is cracking them and pushing them over the edge:(. I would hate to have a daughter and see this on this site this morning.

He's available and already has his Wolfpack gear

I have seen fellow posters getting all over folks for bashing kids in the past. I have also seen G-man lay the ban hammer to folks for that.in years past, If I see it, you can best believe that I am going to call you out on it. The vast majority on here are good folks who do not bash kids (usually when that happens, it's another kid trolling). There's a difference in saying something like "I'd rather see him at another position where his skill could be better utilized" as opposed to saying something classless like "So and so sucks".

The kids would rather play in the snow anyways!!! It’s us old farts who hate the cold and rain

Things I remember most about that trip and game... * Northampton had maybe 200 or so fans show up in the tiny visitor side stands, while PV filled up the home side and lined the fence. * Stork Maddux "borrowing" a NHS flag/sign, and the Accomack Co sheriff's department is still looking for him to this day. * Keith Estep (IIRC) buried the big fullback for a 3 yard loss on the first play from scrimmage. After that first offensive series, those dudes knew this wasn't going to end well for them. * A PV assistant (maybe Jimmy Mitchell) losing his shoes in the mud. * I was taking a nap in my truck in the parking lot while waiting for the game to start, and some NHS fans shouted at me while shaking a 3 ft tall homemade Thomas Jones doll that was lynched. I waved and laughed at them. I'm pretty sure those dudes left at halftime. * On the way back to Kingsport the next day, I stopped to eat at a Bob Evans in Wytheville. The restroom had a sensor activated faucet, but I had never seen one before and couldn't figure out how to turn it on. Maybe three minutes went by and I was about to give up when someone else stepped up to another sink and washed their hands, giving me a valuable lesson.

Marion's opponents almost never punt, so I think it's working.

Graham finally just tackled Steven Peoples 10 years later. It's official, Peoples has hit the turf.

Rumor is Daniel Jennings led all of the West Virginia kids home like Moses leading the Israelites out of the wilderness 😂