HM3-8404

Looks great. Can't wait til Richlands plays them.

5) anywhere high school football is being played

1) Ernie Hicks 2) Bullett Park 3) Legion Field 4) Mitchell Stadium All are great for different reasons. One thing that helps with this is they all are homes to storied programs. Really hope all of these are playoff venues this year.

Richlands RB- Brandon Breeding Caleb Jennings Sandy Rogers WR- Austin Fuller Bradley Strong Travis Tatum QB- Justin McCracken Timmy Brown Joel Elswick Line- Mike Compton Josh Hess Garrett Arms TE- Will Lowe Garnett Lester Landon Lowe CB- Pete Ball Timmy Brown Zeke Vance S- Austin Fuller Travis Tatum LB- Shane Wicks Cody Thomas Brett Clayborne

I had a family member who went to Tazewell a few years ago and he said you guys had lots of big strong farm boys and some really fast guys just couldnt get them to come out to play. When I was in school Tazewell had beat us like 9 out of 10 years. Now its the other way around, I believe we have similar talent not counting transfers. I for one hope you guys get lined out I miss those close games.

While I think the head coach is responsible for every thing their team does on the field in the locker room and so on. There is a huge difference between one or two late hits during a game and a pattern of late hits on the star running back. One odd play like the fake punt and keeping your starters in all game up huge. To me it all boils down to what the coach tries to do. You will always have a player of two that dont listen well or are hot tempered. When we play Gate City or Union and there is a late hit or a personal foul I know for sure that a player got a little carried away which happens no harm intended and I also know the coach didnt put them up to it. You class acts 99.9% of the time. Which brings me to the next question what is worse letting the 3rd string score or taking 3 knees and punting. I myself dont know the answer. If I'm the team getting killed I think I would put in my 2nd or 3rd string and let them all play.

The fake punt play is almost always a read by the up man. Im almost positive the state game was not called by Mance. Even though RHS and THS games have not been close lately they really dont like each other some dont even say Tazewell just that school down the road so I can see how a kid would call their own number against a hated rival.

First off UVA I can remember that because the fans got so upset, but I honestly thought the score was worse than that 22-0 don't sound that bad after all these years. Second G-MAN you correct the only Graham games I've watched are the games against Richlands and most likely the games were close enough to leave the starters in. Third I have great respect for Carlock as a coach, and I never met a person who played for him that didn't love him which says it all. I didn't like him only because we had to play against him and he was hard to beat, I'm sure you Graham fans feel the same about Mance. No offense to you guys was intended.

I heard someone tell a story once second hand from coach Mance. It goes something like this. They were playing an away game around 1997-1999 and after a losing effort for RHS, the other coach said your guys played good you should be proud but I have to tell you we will drop you before long. The coaching staff was watching your ball boys/ towel boys before the game and at half time and were amazed, it was like watching a circus performance. Those kids on the field that day ended up playing in 3-state championship games as it was Austin Fuller and that age group. I thought some of you guys would enjoy this story.

Does anyone remember Travis Tatum for Richlands? I think BHC named him the most intimidating player in swva that year. He was about 5'9" 160 lbs. He would stroke WR's coming across the middle. In a Carroll Co. game it looked like he killed a guy. He played like he was 6'6" 270lbs. About that time is when the attitude of the Richlands program changed for the better around 2001-2003.

The only team I can really remember running up the score like that on Richlands was Graham. Carlock was a GREAT coach but I can honestly never remember seeing him put in the second string unless someone was shaken up. If Caleb Jennings played as many plays as Bradshaw he would have had to had 4 oil changes 1 after every 3,000 yards. lol.

The Liberty-Bedford playoff game. The crowd was quite the team looked nervous. Then right before the game started the big D1 lineman from LB came out and ripped the pad off the goal post. The crowd went off and the Richlands players started going crazy. The rest is history, but I have to say that the longer the game went on the better LB played. I think they were surprised by how aggressive we were playing. I know I was.

BHC is much better than BDT. WVVA was okay a few years ago, but they have really fell off.

I also think that just about every team has at least 1 player that could make it to the next level with a little work and some help from a good coaching staff

Next level period. I think Richlands has 1-3 players that "could be D-1", or maybe zero. Even going D-3 or NAIA is great, even better if you can some college money for your hard work.

I think Richlands is loaded with "possible" next level players. Lowe, Mance, The kid from west virginia, may all be D1 level. Asbury Blankenship, and the kid from florida are next level maybe not D1. We may have 2 or 3 more players to make it to the next level. This is a best case guess because kids are always doing stupid things like not wanting to leave a girlfriend. Richlands fans let me know if you think i'm close. 6- min 9- max

Union is one of the few teams in the area that never gets nervous. When most other teams would fold it up and go home they buckle down and keep playing. Their bus driver never starts the bus early lol.

As a Tornado fan The 3 for me are Gate City, Union and Abingdon. I feel like the vibe at Graham this year is like the vibe at Tazewell was last year. Graham is either going to have a good year or a very disappointing 2015 season. Last year Tazewell started off as world beaters and then dropped off the map.

If your team gets to the playoffs this year who do you hope you get a shot at. I hope Richlands gets a shot at Wilson and they have to come to Ernie. I liked it last year when Gate City got Buckingham. I like when our local boys take it to those "eastern teams" you know because we didn't have any athletes. Lol

It's so easy to make the playoffs now. In the past it was hard and alot got left out. I guess I like it better the way it is now. If you get left out now then you really shouldn't be in the playoffs, and if you go make it and your not good then you will have a tough first game.

If you had to give the chances of each team in the area making the playoffs and the state top ten by the end of the season, and knowing nothing at all about this years team only the resent past " 10-years" what would it be? 1) Gate City 100% playoffs 50% top ten 2) Richlands 100 50 3) Union 90 40 4) Giles 100 50 5) Graham 75 15 6) Tazewell 50 5 7) Grundy 30 0 8) Honaker 100 40 9) Ridgeview 90 35 10) Marion 85 30 11) Abingdon 70 15 12) Lebanon 70 5 Those are just a few. I didn't go back and research any history just off the top of my head the chances I would give these teams on a year to year basis.

The 1992 team was great I graduated in 1992 so most of those guys were friends as they were a year behind me. 2005 team was as good as the 2006 state champ team, but I think the 2010 team was maybe the best.This years team is at the same level as all of these teams I think. We will see as the season goes on I really have my hopes up.

About transfers my son was a player from 2009-2012. I have to say that every transfer and his family that I have talked to and we are friends with pretty much all through that time period thought it was a great choice. The players and their families and fans have taken them in just the same as the boys born and raised here. That includes 2-Tazewell, 2-Graham, 3-Bigcreek and maybe a Grundy and Twin Valley transfer. Most players transfer because of political reasons or to maybe get a better chance of making it to the next level. The coaches really go out of their way to help the players get better and send tape out to colleges. I think that playing at Richlands bumps a player up at least 2 points on the scale of 1-10 maybe every year they spend in the program may bump them up 1 point. Just my take on it.

I can handle when a team that is better than you or even close to you talent wise beats you. I can also handle if you lose on some lucky bounce or fluke play beats you. I really hate it when the refs beat you or when your team just comes out flat and gets beat. As a Richlands fan I can remember some loses that i can live with and some I will never get over. Live with list first 1) The last time Graham beat us. At home ended our streak lost it on a fluke fumble by them that they picked up in the endzone after being stopped near the end of the game. I think we had the better team 2) State game against Monticello the team that year played much better than they were. 3) Bluefield game at Ernie they beat us by a field goal late in the game one of the most evenly matched games i've watched.Maybe 2007 Games that kill me 1) Bluefield game at Mitchell in the early 2000's when Timmy Brown was our QB. the worst officiated game in history more police at that game the refs ran off the field under an armed escort never play the Beavers late in the season at home if they need a win to make playoffs 2) State game in 2010 against the Bulls second worst officiated game ever have a DVD of that game with a play by play from the Bulls radio station even they couldn't believe what was going on we had a much better team 3) State game against Turner Ashby we came out flat in that one the only bad game we had that year 4) Gate City game away in I think 2008 one of the few times in the last 15 years that we got beat down in every aspect of the game we looked like a peewee team in that game 5) Union the last two years total break downs 6) Cave Spring every time they have beat us we had the better team every time. Got out coached. One of the few teams that have out coached us on a regular basis in the last 20 years

Who are some of the best coaches from our area. Do you have to win a state championship to get in or not. Carlock- yep Robbins- yep Colabro- not sure about the spelling Yep Ragsdale- yep Hicks or Mance- Maybe and yep As a Richlands fan I would say Hicks because of his impact on so many people in the Richlands area, even though he didn't win the state. Mance has won the state, and his recruiting ability, lol. Carlock was special and he was a recruiting expert also, maybe the original. Gate City you can pull a name out of a hat. Robbins had some great talent which is still there. Clintwood had a hard nose tradition. Haysi had a crazy don't knoe where its coming from tradition. Giles has the single wing over achievement style. J. I. Burton had some good years. Tazewell in the 80's was mean.