BandanaVTDavis4321

What's the deal with Graham? Is it simply "a field?" Or.....are they building a new football stadium where Graham will play home football games there? Huge difference in a "new field" or "new track" and a new stadium which means...parking, seats, bleachers, lots of concrete for bleachers and concessions, etc. Anyone know if Graham is building a home football stadium or simply putting down turf for a practice field? Thanks in advance. By reading this thread, I think it's a new stadium, but I'm not all the way sure. Somebody wrote that Graham would be complete with their project by August? If it's August, that sounds to me like a new "field" and only that, not a new "stadium." It seems a new stadium wouldn't be anywhere close to being done by August.....if it's a new stadium.

You never know about kids. Some surprise in other ways. Keep your eyes on the former Graham player at ODU named Gage Sawyers. He was kind of an under the radar player in the region even though he was first team All State. I've heard good things about him at ODU. You may see a situation kind of opposite of Adkins where this kid takes off. He was highly underestimated in my opinion coming out of High School. Mike Compton out of High School was good and an All State type, but few thought he would become a first team All American and 11 year NFL starter and a near miss for All Pro (next guy up that got outvoted) 5 times. Sometimes, they go the other way. Heck, Bill Dudley if we go back to the 1940s is an example. A scrawny little kid UVA just took a chance on and a "good" High School player but nothing special or elite, and of course....NFL Hall of Famer. Unfortunately, more times than not, it goes the other way and the above are exceptions to the rule. Jury is out on Sawyers. He's one to keep an eye on.

Congrats are in order Sir. I'm sure you are excited and proud just like your son is, and both of you certainly should be.

This is true and it's not just true for SWVA, it's that way all across the country. The kid at the JUCO in central Kansas is generally not from the local area. Exceptions to this rule for rural areas are urban areas where you are more likely to see this compared to rural areas.

Very impressive win as the Bears beat the breaks off the Devils. Three really good wins stick out for me in Region D, Class 2 this season. Union beating GC like this. Virginia High beating Graham the first time like they did in the blowout. Graham beating Bluefield the first time in a thriller.

Said it earlier, its a giant pool of mediocrity with no team that stands out because no team should be considered very good. The mediocrity is so great Graham can lose to Marion and get blown out by VH, then win at VH, and VH playing within 4 of Richlands and GC thumped by Union, but Union struggling against Lebanon/Honaker. On and on it goes. These teams are all dead even because their isn't one team that I would consider a "very good" basketball team. I'm still going with Graham because of the athleticism and youth at seasons start that I figured to mature just enough to get them over the hump.

Marion 3? No way. One could make a reasonable or at least have some kind of argument for your top 8. I don't think Union is 8th or Central 4th, but again one could make an argument within the bounds of reason for this, but.......not Marion at 3rd. That's out of bounds.

See my post above on why I kind of have another take. If he could go to Tech, walk on, be with the football team and the coaches will know his background. They see the kid come in at 160 and he just relentlessly works day after day and in 24 months, he's now 184. Coaches love this and he may see himself getting on the football field at some point and getting a scolly. At 160, he's not going to get on the field much, if at all, at UVA Wise or Concord. He may play, but he won't get over 4 to 5 touches a game. I think it would be wasting his time. Go straight to Blacksburg and do that 2 year wait right there with the coaches seeing you everyday in the weightroom and busting your butt. I think the odds in the long run are better that way than going to a UVA Wise or Concord, etc. You can be a superstar at a UVA Wise and still, trying to go to a major D1 program your junior year brings incredibly low odds. Even if that program gives you a scholly, you have 3, 4, 5 other running backs who have been in the program for 2 to 3 year already and making in roads just brings incredibly low odds of getting on the field.

Clements is too small Right Now to play Div 1 football. You ain't playing running back under 180 in 2024 and that's even pushing it. The exceptions are only a few that are insanely elite. What is Clements true weight? 160ish? I said this on here 2 years ago, he's fantastic, but he will need to be a buck 80 to play 1AA (FCS) ball. Key words in the above paragraph. Right Now. If I could walk on at Tech and had the money or school paid for, I would go to VT as a walk on over UVA Wise because the strength and conditioning program at Tech just has so many more resources for him to get his weight up. Additionally, I think he is a very high GPA type kid, approaching 3.8 or more, so he could possibly get an academic scholly to Blacksburg and get his school paid for that way if he were to walk on, and this might be why he is taking the visit to VT.

I agree but it wouldn't have mattered. Narrows could have played the toughest schedule in Class 1 Virginia up until this point and the results of tonight would still not have been much closer in my opinion. That's not a discredit to Narrows either. It's a credit to just how tough GW is.

GW and Auburn is going to be exactly like last year. Going to play at least 4 times (I think they played 5 last year, but not sure) and all 4 games with either team having a chance to win like the first 2 already this year. They are neck and neck with each other. It's the final game they play that will decide who gets Lancaster or Brunswick for the state title and that final game they play will be in the state semifinals in my opinion.

Good Lord. GW is tough, and so is their counterpart Auburn. Narrows ain't bad by any means. Narrows has a pretty good club over there this year, but GW and Auburn in 1C are simply on another level and I think even Narrows fans would agree with that. GW and Auburn in 1C are better than any other team in 2C, 1D or 2D in my opinion. The 6 teams that are all neck and neck in 2D would all lose to GW and Auburn 8 out of 10 times or 4 out of 5.

Good start for Narrows, but will be 17-2 after tonight. If Narrows can play within 10 pts of GW, that would be very impressive.

If VA High has the big man out for the entire season, it will make it tough. That loss brings them down a notch and I think they fall into the same category as the other 5 teams in 2D. Gate City looks to be the favorites at this point, or at least the team that has separated itself from the pack. Va High having a game against Tazewell within 4 points shows the difference of Carpenter not being healthy. I think it's Gate City, then everyone else, but Gate City's margin or gap between the other 5 teams isn't huge either. Just my opinions

Correct from what I recall unless it has changed

Bonanza and Ponderosa had same ownership. Had massive amount of steakhouses across the country in 70s and 80s. This was the Tx Roadhouse, Golden Corral, Applebee's, Chile's, Ryan's before all of these came onto the scene. I don't know about 2024 in Lebanon, but they we're outstanding in the 80s. By 1993ish, a major drop-off as all of the above and more came on the scene. Only 14 left in America. I'm surprised you don't remember these sixcat. Ponderosa and Bonaza were basically the same, but Bonaza back in the day was slightly more upscale. I'm still kind of shocked there is one still around. Did a second take when I read the first post in this thread about Bonanza in Lebanon.

It's why I picked Graham to be the last team standing in the region by a very very very narrow thin margin at seasons end. Their youth which is very talented would mature just enough by later in the year along with their athleticism to barely get them over the hump. I will stay with this pock since I made it earlier, but it looks more and more like GC is a real problem for any 2D team. Carpenter being out for VH effectively ends their chance of a Region title. It's that big of a loss for VH. 6 teams WERE very very close. With VH and Lebanons injuries, that is huge. I don't think Central is quite as good as I thought and we are seeing separation. I think we have a 3 horse race with Gate City, Gmen, and da Bears at this point. 2 of these 3 will go to state in my opinion and I would be really really shocked if Central, VH, or Lebanon beat 1 of these 3 in the regionals at this point.

I've noticed that. A royal"ish" blue colored turf and navy blue school colors. Not the same

That hurts bring banged up, especially with their best athlete out against a very athletic team like Graham. That could create even more of an athletic gap when the two play tomorrow

Is Lebanons 2nd beat player iut for the season or not? I thought I read something on here about that.

The VHSL did screw it up and the rule is a POS. As for Richlands, they lost to a powerhouse Poqouson who has something like 14 or 15 state titles. Poquoson will finish second this year as a team as Strasburg in Class 2 is loaded again and will repeat for the team title. Strasburg ain't losing. Poquoson has 2 seniors on its roster and will win the title easily in 2025 and 2026.

Not many like Yew left. Power run, play defense, run some more, play great defense. I love old school coaches like that. Like most things, they are also a dying breed with the way the game has changed offensively. I wonder if guys like Carlock or Fry would be shocked if they could come back to life and see what football has become? I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It's just totally different. I just hope before I leave this world, I get to see the Bandana Bunch run the ball down somebody's damn throat for 15 games and win another state title. I just want one more man, one more. Greedy? Yep. My guess is that won't happen because if it does, it won't be Giles High anymore.

My bad. I messed it up as usual. As for Tazewell playing VH within 4 I didnt see the score but if that did happen.....well....it's the wonderful story of 2D spin the wheel. Remember about 15 years ago where the ACC had parity in football because it sucked and Clemson wasn't back yet. Miami and FSU were decent then but not great and VT was good. Remember Reece Davis and Fowler and Herby having that wheel of destiny for the ACC basically joking about how nobody stood out and anything could happen and they would spin the wheel every week. Well, thats 2D this year in Hoops.

Nice win for the Bears.

Going to be tough to win at VH. VH had a pretty good club and the big one underneath creates real problems for other 2D teams who have limited size underneath the basket.