GamedayinMountainDistrict

As a Union fan I am curious about one aspect of the possible Sullivan North and Sullivan South consolidation. Would some of their athletes look to cross the border and go to Gate City? And if so would that push their enrollment up enough to where they would be Class AAA? A few friends of mine in GC say that is a big topic of discussion because if that happens then Scott County should go ahead and consolidate anyway. These are a few remarks I have heard from our next door neighbors down the road in Scott County. And my prediction for the Mountain District: 1. Gate City 2. Union 3. Wise Central 4. Ridgeview 5. Lee 6. John Battle I feel from what I am hearing that GC is another year older and better. We lost too many athletes to win the MD this year. I did predict an undefeated season last year. I am thinking maybe two losses this year to GC and Richlands.

Ridgeview will not be the power to be for the future in SW Virginia. I agree great facilities. But Union is where it's at in football and even basketball too. Ridgeview may win a title every ten years or so after Union has a down year for once which will be awhile. Basketball will not win anything. We have shooters like Wes who will destroy that weak zone for years to come so no fear there either. But this is football. So let's recap. They are fighting over the greatness of themselves in their own mind at Lee, Ridgeview will have Clintwood and Haysi greatness fighting each other, John Battle will be John Battle, Wise Central will not be very Warrior like at all, and Gate City has a new coach and new system. And Union? I will be surprised if we don't win 8 or more games for the next 5-10 years. SW Virginia just needs to face it. The road to any state title now goes through the Bears. 5 Star Stadium needs to be renamed 2 Star Stadium, Central will not be in the central but near the bottom of the league. Battle never battles. Gate City well the gates are going to open up and nothing but Bears will be marching to victory! Hail Union! The merging of two timeless traditions that is still going strong and showing no signs of letting up. Gate City and Legion Field USED to be the class of SW Virginia and the place people feared. Welcome to the new face of tradition. Welcome to the face of football in SW Virginia. Welcome to BSG and Appalachia Welcome to Union!

Everyone over here in the BSG doesn't fear a Lee General at all. Their school board always puts in who they want because you know they are smart enough to win the district every year no matter if it's football or whatever. And Janesville and Penningtown are always fighting because everyone knows their kids are the saviors for Lee High and they are going to have the college scholarship and go play in the NFL. Everyone here knows Janesville and Penningtown are like the most fearsome towns in SW Virginia when you put their kids on the field. Ok. You can now laugh. Since that's what everyone has been doing at Lee since 1994. You know. 25 years or a quarter of a century of thinking you are God's gift to sports in SW Virginia is sure to get you places. Like 4th place, 5th place and even 6th place. When you get a police escort for making it out of the region then I believe you may just have a really bad problem. Here at Union we have police escorts for state teams. The only escort you are going to find in Janesville or Penningtown is a policeman escorting someone to jail because someone from Janesville was fighting someone from Penningtown because you know these towns produce the best athletes in the state. When will Lee High have another team like they did when they first formed? Uhhh never. Us Bears don't even respect the Generals anymore. Well maybe if their school board suited up we would. They do all the fighting and have run that county in the ground anyway as far as coaching and athletics. Rest in peace Janesville and Penningtown. Rest in peace. And if any of you people ever want to have your kids be apart of a true program where the TEAM comes first and we have REAL goals not delusional ones come to Union HS. We are the future of the Mountain District, the class of SW Virginia and the Group AA.

Doesn't really matter to me if they both go or stay. Union is going to feast on the Devils this year. My source told me McClung could be on his way to Oak Hill if he keeps getting D-1 looks in basketball. Source in Scott Co. said Miami already wanted him in basketball as a rising junior. If ACC is calling then he won't be at GC long. That means our BEARS will feast on the Devils in basketball as well. The Collier qb couldn't make it at DB if he wanted to either. Small fish in a huge aquarium of water over there in Kingsport. Source tells me new football coach going to have more problem with egos than talent. More wins for the BEARS!!!

My Scott County source says lot of changes taking place in the county as far as coaches and teachers. My source also all but confirmed for me that Chris Akers is the next head football coach at Gate City. Source said he comes from Graham and worked as an assistant at William Fleming and George Washington. Also had a 2-3 record and finished fourth behind Wythe, Galax and Bland in the Hogoheegee District and 8-4 overall. If that confirmation is true it's a weird hire for me. The football gurus of Scott County know way more than I ever could know if this hire pans out. If I'm Coach Turner I am getting all the film I can on Rural Retreat. Union may have a possible four year sweep of Gate City ahead if we get the jump on them. I'm sure all our Bear fans hate that thought.

I may live in Big Stone, well not exactly in Big Stone more closer to Norton in a split foyer inside the BSG city limits. I realize people may not like what I post on here but I calls it as I sees it and I also hears it. Wow! And has I been hearing it! I happen to be a person in Wise County who knows a few people who are friends "on the inside" of the inner circle of some of the Gate City "elite" as he calls them. I think these people must be like what the shadow government is like to our own political system? That's another story though. (Go Trump!!) The big news I am hearing from the Elitist be that GC didn't have any person man or woman good enough experienced enough or that they trust enough to coach the Devil program from the inside. Now the plan is to try and bring in a certain DB coach over to the real football state out of retirement and put him in the same position he held with DB in Kingsport. Maybe he can bring over some of those Kingsport recruits as well and help GC become good enough to actually try and beat us for a change. Seems like those GC people can finally see the writing on the wall. We, Union, are going to be around for a while and they want someone who has the capability to beat us. I know other people from Big Stone who have close dealings and work in Scott County and have friends there. Not "elitist" friends though. Common peasants friends is all. They had not heard anything as of yet so I know this person knows whats up. Whoever your applicants are I think GC has this job in GC. If it is for sure, then welcome Coach C to SWVa football and the Union BEARS. We welcome the uh.... Challenge. We hope you do because you are in for one. As a spectator I think the GC coach has some major obstacles and here is what I see that has to happen: 1) Play people you can beat. Union does and it doesn't hurt us one beat. Gate City isn't the Dallas Cowboys. Wait bad example. They do not beat anyone either. You get my picture though. 2) Energize your fan base. BEST FANS in SWVA A. Tie Union and Richlands B. Gate City fans have about as much energy at a football game as Powell Valley Memorial Gardens does at midnight. Idk. That place may actually have more. Whoever gets your program good luck to them. Beware though new HC at GC. The fans are only great when when you win a state championship. They are not even close to happy when you just win a region championship. They are very upset when you just win a conference championship. Very angry if you just win 6 games. Ready to tar and feather you if.you win 5 or less. Points wise: They yell and scream when you are winning by 40. They sit on their hands win you are winning by 20. They criticize you if you are winning by 10 or less. They start cussing you if it's a tie game. They look to slash your tires and buat out your windshields if you lose. Then they go to church on Sunday and praise Jesus! Yes! See?? I DO know people who know the ELITIST in GC. Good luck coach! You are going to need it!

First off congratulations to Ridgeview and our Union Lady Bears on representing Conference 40 yet again with two finalists for the state championship in girls basketball. A big congratulations to all of our Bear athletic programs on a very successful year thus far. So the question is what will Conference 40 look like next year for girls and boys basketball? While we lose Jake and Jay we do have Mitchell and Slagle back. Our ladies may suffer some also. Anyone have any predictions on the standings for next year come February? While every team will endure some losses I believe teams like Ridgeview and Central for the girls and Union and Ridgeview for the boys will stay competitive while the Blue Devils will drop in both boys and girls with so many seniors graduating. That was one thing that gave me hope for Union for next year was when I read the board with the players names on it at a game in the gym at Gate City and counted like 12 or 13 of them boys and girls combined? That's a lot for a team to lose and still be good. So here is how I think it will go next year. As always I welcome comments and your own predictions to this. My standings are: Girls: Central Union Ridgeview Lebanon Gate City Lee John Battle Boys: Union Ridgeview Gate City Lebanon Lee John Battle Central This is my opinion. Congratulations to our Conference 40 teams on your successes.

As for the Battle game, we had some neighbors go watch that game. They sat next to this one couple from Bristol who said had Battle not lost one of their main scorers with a shoulder injury Battle would have won. Losing that kid was a big blow so yes all the GC fans are making a lot out of nothing. If GC plays without the Barndoor kid or the McStung kid or the fluke freshman, they would be hurting too. They would probably be beat by Union 100-69. Talk all you want. If talk were championships you would be state champs 50 years running. You see where the talk has you though. Still going to be sitting home waiting for the sun to rise on your broken hearts for the losses you are about to endure. #GoBears #RiseUp&BearDown #ItsOurTime #UnitedWeStand

I believe Union never got a fair shake when they went to Gate City and played in both the JV Boys and Varsity Boys games. I saw both coaches for both GC teams talking to the referees like they had them in their hip pockets and we never got a break. The JV Boys coach also always seems to be on the floor as much as his players and nothing is ever said about it. Dude needs a Xanax or some major sedative of some sort. No one coaches like that. The JV Girls game was the only fair game I watched in GC and it took 3 overtimes to decide it. The JV girls coach for GC tried talking to the refs but seemed to make them mad in the process. Luckily our Union Lady Bears won. In the JV game the boys had it won and then the refs swallowed their whistles and let them play and GC somehow got lucky and pulled it out. The Varsity Boys game was much more of the same. Coach Moore tried to get explanations for a number of calls and got nothing. Outside the conference, Union will fair much better than GC and I predict will have the team to upset Martinsville.

Yes SWVa_havok_fan. What kind of a name is that anyway. It will be difficult for our LADY BEARS to win the regular season. They are playing strong enough to win the tourney though. It would be a waste for us not to be in the region tourney. Neither Central or GC deserve to be there and Ridgeview doesn't have a clue what awaits them out there in the postseason. You aren't in Group A Kansas anymore havok. Our LADY BEARS and BEARS teams are ready to continue the postseason success here at THE U!!

1 Honaker 2 Radford 3 Chilhowie 4 George whyte 5 Eastside 6 Castlewood 7 Aubrun 8 Fort Chiswell 9 Northwood 10 J I burton 11 Narrows 12 Twin Valley Here is my opinion. The best three schools in SWVa are Union, Radford and George Wythe. If Union were to be a Group A school now, they would own Eastside and Cusano. They would be looking to own the Group A crown with Radford every year. Sorry Honaker. You really aren't that good. All you have are four very very average guys around a 6'9 kid who just has to bullies himself inside to score. That's why he is at Honaker anyway. If he were still at Lebanon he would have to face the athletic BEARS and realize there are other people just as big as him. If you put Barnette and Mitchell and Noaks on any Group A team around here, they win the state championship. That's just truth. How good is Honaker really when a very average Gate City team barely beat them at home. A bunch of us from The 'Gap watched that game. That's when we knew we could win the conference this year. Even now Gate City struggles to beat Abingdon a team we defeated easily. If we had all those superior teams to play like Twin Valley, Grundy, Council, Hurley, Patrick Henry, Northwood. I think I state my case. Honaker #1 in Group A but probably #23 in SWVa. Just the cold hard facts.

"Graham will also lose Miller and Clarke.... all good players, but the bench players coming up are just as good. Add in a few more quality players coming up from JV, next year's Graham team should be tough....but year after next should be Graham's year, when Dalton is a senior and Allen, Cooper, Baker and the rest of the crew are juniors... Couple of really good looking sophomores on the JV squad as well that will be seniors... a couple of kids with good size, the Workman kid and the Fields kid come to mind. Lots of athleticism on the JV as well. They are fun to watch. Richlands JV is 11-1. That one loss is to Graham. These two teams will be fine in the future." Richlands and Graham won't have anything to match Union next year. Gate City graduates a whole bunch of seniors and doesn't have anything coming on their JV. They were lucky to beat our JV when they played us here last time. Put our JV players with Slagle who is a freshman and a few other returning players and we will own the Mountain District next year. We killed Abingdon by the way RiverRat24. If Abingdon had any chance to beat you at all then I'm predicting a home blowout of our BEARS over your Devils in a bad way in Gate City. I will even predict a sweep of our girls and boys winning both of the JV and the Varsity games. I will then predict our LADY BEARS and BEARS JV and Varsity team to win the regular season and the tournament championships on OUR home floor. Other than the Varsity girls team beating Abingdon I heard all the other teams were very unimpressive the other night. The run of years of the title going through Gate City is about to close. The new road to future championships runs through Union HS! Go Bears!!

Union coaches to players... "Since we have a bunch of multisport athletes on this football team....many more than Gate City has, I believe we are the better team. Let's admit it. We came back and went ahead and they won on a lucky shot and then they went and proved who they really were getting beat the next night by 40, 50 or 100 to a Tennessee High team that we beat right out of football. We haven't been out of football that long and by the time February rolls around we will be winning on THEIR floor. Our better multisport athletes will show their one sport athletes how multisport athletes win every major sport in every major conference." Yes Gate City. If a tree falls in the forest it does make a sound. The tree that falls in February will be you. Lucky for you the blind squirrel found a nut before the almighty tree fell. I saw a girl wearing a shirt for Gate City that said Tradition Starts Here. Union will be selling t-shirts in February after we beat the almighty GC that says TheU GC Tradition Ends Here. After March, Tradition will be All About The U! #RiseUp&BearDown #TheU #UnionBears

What I saw playing last night GC's JV probably played their middle schoolers. Union JV played the real deal. We weren't our best last night and GC got lucky. No luck will be had next time. Just like no luck will be had tonight. All skill being shown by the U at the U tonight. Hope we pack the gym so early nobody from GC gets in. You think it was hostile at Bullitt Park when we got the W. You haven't seen anything yet.

GC JV has 6 eighth graders, two freshman and three sophomores? We should defeat them next time. Watched my nephew play last night. It's my guess their record isn't very good. They couldn't hardly score except for some baskets the ref let go. Our JV players have a pretty good future ahead..especially with Mitchell and Slagle and Gibson on our JV this year. That was the only time I had seen GC's JV but if that's what GC has coming up Union should have a shot at the conference for years to come. I would dare say they have played the schedule Unions JV has. We played DB, Daniel Boone and Elizabethton in a tournament in Kingsport. We didn't win any but was in every game. I've seen that GC has played some of those same teams and probably got killed. Especially with that many eighth graders. So yes I look forward to playing them again at Gate City. It should be a win for the BEARS. Tonight's prediction: Girls Game: Union 62 GC 41 McKinney - 24 points Boys Game: Union 76 GC 61 Mitchell - 32 points Go BEARS! ITS ALL ABOUT THE U!