EHC87

BigRHS Fan, I am sorry for your loss.

RichlandsAlum, I like your comment about the possibility of blackballing a district team because it has happened before. In fact, I was thinking about starting a thread concerning this very topic. In 1978 and 1979, Martinsville was essentially blackballed from the Piedmont District. There was an old provision in the VHSL stipulations that allowed teams to compete for a district championship if they played all but one of their district opponents. Guess which opponent was omitted from EVERY Piedmont District school during those years? The theory behind the antiquated rule is that is was done in the segregation area in an attempt to not segregate athletics. Whatever the reason, it certainly did happen. The schedule was brutal for Martinsville. As a true AA school, they had to fill out their schedule with very strong AAA teams such as GW-Danville, Patrick Henry-Roanoke and Pulaski. Some of the strong AA teams that they were able to play included William Byrd and Southampton High. Martinsville's JV and 8th grade teams followed a similar schedule as the varsity (not the exact same teams). As an 8th grade player on one of those teams, it was both fun and very, very challenging. We got to miss a little bit of school as we were going to Roanoke or Lynchburg to play but the opponents were very good. Anyway, the old bylaw/stipulation was abolished but not before a travesty had already taken place. In 1979, Martinsville did not make the playoffs.....however, their resume included wins against Southampton (the AA State Champ in 1979) and PH-Roanoke who was AAA runner up that year. I still try to remember that high school athletics are supposed to be for the kids and to benefit of the players....I think sometimes, we adults get too carried away about sports. In 20 years, our kids aren't going to remember the score of every single game. They will however, remember working together and sacrificing for a common cause. If they are lucky, they will have a chance to play on a good team at some point. I just hope that we adults provide an environment that our children will look at fondly years after school is over.

There are some long games in multiple districts under the new scenario. Grundy to Carroll, Martinsville to Giles and Radford/Narrows to Parry McCluer are all long road trips. I'm not saying all change is bad but some of the older districts (before our current situation) provided much more favorable travel to most teams. At least football is played primarily on Friday nights. In sports other than football, there may be some really tired kids in class on some of these proposed district games.

Not seniors but the best that I've seen this year are 1. Jake Sturgill and 2. Asbury from Richlands. Any team would be lucky to have either one of those guys taking the snap.

Even with district and region play coming back, post season is still going to be within the same classification isn't it?

I will also give credit to Asbury and Holmes. Those two are excellent football players. Like Mountain Man, the thought of losing a potential home playoff game because of the 1 loss to Richlands would not sit well with me either. The Blue Tornados have an excellent football team and those few transfer players (Blankenship, Atkinson and Howie) make a very good team even better.

Not trying to stir the pot but the Abingdon kid who played in Florida, started off in Abingdon, went to Florida and back to Abingdon. At least one poster on this forum went above and beyond normal call of duty to try to help this kid.....and not in ways that pertained to football....rather in a way to try to help someone who really needed a break in the game of life.

Yes, but Abingdon would still be 3A. Maybe I'm wrong, and goodness knows there have been plenty of times, but wouldn't a move to regional play still incorporate teams within the same classifications? I know the football formulas have a district play component in it and that might affect seeding. My response is more question than statement.

Union_Fan, I am impressed! All I have been able to do is narrow done the most likely 1 or 2 opponents for Abingdon.....and that took some time. I follow the Piedmont District pretty closely as I am originally from that area...I also follow much of the Western part of the state. Martinsville will probably beat Patrick County and have a chance against Bassett this week. Amherst could knock off Appomattox this weekend....they are a solid 4A team. Heritage might well lose to Liberty but E.C. Glass isn't very good so they should win that one. There are just so many moving parts...who knows how the seedings will play out??? It was entertaining to see all your scenarios.....Good Job!!

No offense to the Rebels but they really don't want to play Richlands. I've seen PH play and they are a solid 1A team but they do not have the personnel to compete with Richlands.

thevols, Please don't post that.......I am trying to go low carb and your pancake post is about to sidetrack me :) Trying doesn't mean I have been successful....fell off the wagon last night at Taco Bell. Sounds awfully good though.

A few of my observations from last night: Richlands is a very, very good football team. Size, strength and quickness was superior for Richlands. Abingdon has a relatively young team and an additional year in the weight room will definitely help the Falcons compete better next year. I think the pass interference call against Abingdon late in the 2nd quarter changed the momentum. It didn't affect the final outcome, but I do think the margin wouldn't have been as large if not for the call that kept that drive alive. I had an excellent view of the play and don't think it was a penalty but I am biased as well. I think (hope) that the atmosphere last night will help prepare both AHS and Richlands for the playoffs in a few weeks. I doubt that our first round game, wherever it may be played, will be as electric as last night....fans from both sides were loud and passionate. I do wish Richlands well in their playoff run....you all have an outstanding team. I will be supporting the Falcons wherever we play....still proud of our players. Mountain Man......you seem very interested in the paddle issue from Animal House.....maybe you should "think about it" :) Finally, I think I jinxed the Falcons last night. I ate at Taco Bell across the street before the game. Failed to consider that it might have been the preferred establishment of Falconman and Southy......bad karma to begin the night. Should have gone to Long John Silvers but was outvoted. I may well become the inadvertent target of Falconman by upsetting the apple cart for having tacos before the game....LOL. I guess I can handle the heat.

My prediction???? A huge crowd and great environment for the players and the fans. Folks on both sides are passionate about their team and this thread has been very entertaining. Hope no one gets injured and that both teams have good playoff runs. With that being said......GO FALCONS!

Wave316, My wife and I watched the movie this evening and thought it was very well done. Wide range of emotions and very uplifting as you stated earlier. I would recommend this movie to anyone.

I am aware that one local team is going to watch this movie.....very soon.

Thanks for the review. It is playing at the Abingdon Cinemall and I might just check it out tonight.....definitely plan on seeing it soon if tonight doesn't work.

Even though I think GW will win, you just never know how each team will respond. PH has enough talent to win, especially if GW turns the ball over, commits penalties of passion (personal fouls) or just comes out flat. Not saying that they are going to do that but any team has potential to do those things. I am neutral on this game and hope that both teams play to their potential and no injuries occur. Weather should be great this Friday.

No doubt this is going to be a great atmosphere. Looking forward to seeing a great game.......and we aren't going to have to watch it in the rain like we did a few weeks ago. Excellent weather, huge crowd and 2 good teams......fun for fans and fun for the players......coaches???? Not sure how much fun it will be for either staff :) Win or lose, this game should be excellent preparation for the playoff games that start soon. Hoping that Falcons can at least host a first round game. Richlands has home field covered for their first game and might get 2...who knows what everyone else will do.

PH is having a solid year but I have to go with GW on this one as well. It will be interesting to see if the Rebels can win at least one playoff game this year......I hope they can.

Sleepin nuts, No offense taken. Scheduling for any team is not easy and the power point system is as good as any (actually better) in determining playoff seeding. As I stated earlier, the opportunity for AHS or any other team is available once you make the field of 16. From that point on, it is about execution and playing smart. As much as it pains me to say this, Richlands is about as close as AHS is going to get in terms of scheduling a program that is very solid on a consistent basis. Richlands and Union are the Salem caliber teams for far Southwest Virginia. Lower division yes but very, very solid almost every year. I would love nothing more than have AHS thrown into the same category as the 2 above mentioned schools. To do so, it will require SEVERAL years of very good football.

Prayers for him and his family.

If Southbound and Falcon Man start posting, I'll take the over on 17 pages.....LOL.

Sleepin nuts, You are correct in saying that Abingdon will have a chance to prove itself come playoff time. At home or on the road, execution is what matters come playoff time. However, I am not convinced that Blacksburg would be undefeated going into Richlands if they played the same schedule as AHS. Yes, Abingdon was VERY fortunate to win against Blacksburg. Not making excuses but Abingdon fumbled 3 times while driving against Blacksburg and lost all 3....these fumbles were from being careless more than strips. Furthermore, poor special teams play led to 3 scores for the Bruins. I understand that taking care of the ball and special teams play ARE part of being a good football team. In other words, this was definitely the most poorly played game by Abingdon. Please don't think I'm trying to diminish Blacksburg because they did have some good players and were well coached. I believe that Gate City and Graham would be able to compete against Blacksburg...would they win??? Who knows...the ball is oblong and takes funny bounces. As I stated in one of my earlier posts, there is only a limited opportunity for Abingdon (heck most other teams for that matter) to schedule in a manner to guarantee that strength of schedule is strong every year. Everyone has district games that are required and others that are financially required. Talent levels fluctuate from year to year and sometimes solid programs have an "off year". How your opponents perform is the wild card in scheduling. AHS made an attempt to get a stronger schedule and get players noticed for honors by playing 2 Conference 32 teams. Blacksburg was the best conference 32 team that could have been picked this year as Hidden Valley, Cave Spring and Patrick County are all having really bad seasons. Now the ability to beat Salem comment.......well, there just aren't many teams West of Richmond that could beat Salem. Jefferson Forest is one of those teams but there are only a select few who could pull off this feat, even with Salem not being as good as the past few years. I do enjoy the debate and input by everyone who has offered opinions, even if it differs from mine. On a side note about Salem......I attended last year's 4A state championship between Salem and Lake Taylor. Salem had an excellent team and their star running back had a sprained ankle and only played on defense. The Spartans were a very big team. Lake Taylor on the other hand, did not have an abundance of big players. Salem's offensive line was much bigger than Lake Taylor. The old saying that "speed kills" was on full display that night. Lake Taylor had little trouble with an excellent Salem team. In fact, Lake Taylor had beaten L.C. Bird during the regular season. All L.C. Bird did was win the 5A championship last year. Not only did Lake Taylor have great talent, they were very well coached. During the recent re-classification, Lake Taylor dropped a division from their previous level as did other strong Tidewater teams. For all the new issues created by the new alignment, I don't think any road to a state title was made more difficult than the "new" 4A classification. Have a great evening everyone.

redtiger, you must have had one of my conversations with school officials bugged :) I was told there are 2 factors making NET difficult (not impossible) to schedule. One issue is that TN schools scheduling contract year(s) are not on the same cycle as Virginia Schools. The second issue presented was TN re-classifying on a regular basis. Because of the uncertainty of their (NET) required district and/or conference requirements, they are limited in the amount of out of conference games and have to wait later to determine how many and who they can schedule. I still believe where there is a will, there is a way. Either way, this is the system in which we operate. As I said earlier, there are only a few schools in the state that are faced with the geographical issues that AHS has relating to location of same classification opponents. It is unlikely that the issues of a few schools will cause the VHSL to change whatever direction they choose to go in determining formats, etc. In a way, the power rating format and challenges might be good for AHS players down the road. Sometimes in life, situations aren't always equitable and out of our control to change. In those situations, you just have to do the best you can within the parameters of the system and know that you've put forth your best effort. Hope all players across SWVA play to their ability on Friday night and avoid injury. Have a great day everyone!

Abingdon attempted to beef up its' schedule this year by dropping Volunteer, Happy Valley and Chilhowie. The Falcons picked up B'Burg, C'Burg and Graham. Normally those 3 new teams are at least somewhat respectable as is Gate City who has been on the schedule this year. Despite the efforts to improve the schedule, those teams along with others on the schedule just aren't having good years in the win column. There is no doubt that geography hurts Abingdon in scheduling equal to or higher enrollment schools. John Battle does not help Abingdon from a ratings standpoint but the gate for this game and Marion is usually good to very good. The school administrators don't have the luxury of dropping schools who bring many fans to the game. Almost every other 3A West school has the opportunity to play most of their games against 3A or higher opponents. All things equal, the close proximity of higher enrollment schools can be a definite advantage in power rankings. The re-classification probably worked out pretty well for the majority of schools across the state. Abingdon just happened to be one of the few schools who are truly hampered by geography as it pertains to finding quality opponents of similar enrollment. However, as it is often said, there is usually someone in worse shape than you if you just take the time to look around. That school is undoubtedly Franklin County High School who is a 6A school without any comparable schools remotely close to them. As a Falcon fan, I would love the opportunity to host a home playoff game. However, there really doesn't appear to be a viable way to produce a schedule that would produce the same power points as almost all of our 3A opponents with similar records. I suppose Graham could be dropped and Pulaski could potentially be added. Pulaski would have to agree to play Abingdon (and vice versa) and the dates would have to match up on the calendar. Scheduling can be a very difficult task. Big O, I am with you on the way you feel about AHS not being able to have much control over their seeding based on the formula.....our school size and distance from other 3, 4 and 5A schools can make our seeding situation difficult and it might be a situation that we have to accept. As I see it, AHS really only has 2 games a year that could be used to improve our strength. We have 4 required district games, Battle, Marion and 2 Conference 32 teams that we are going to play. That leaves 2 games that could be changed. Gate City has been on our schedule for several years now and they are usually a high quality opponent. 2A or not, scheduling them makes sense because they have a long history of success. Though I don't like our situation, the formula is fair. I certainly don't want our players, or fans, to think that the power ranking situation is something that is holding us back. At the end of the day, AHS still has an opportunity to take care of things on the field of play....home or away. Didn't mean to ramble on about the situation but we just need to focus on the things that we can control which is our play on the field. Thanks to all who have taken the time to read my post. First post for me but I've been reading this forum for several years and have gotten lots of entertainment from it. Hope all out there in SWVA football land have a great evening. Go Falcons and Go EHC!