bluehokie08

Didn't give Richlands enough points... But I was close! 56-21 Richlands with the JV boys finishing the 4th quarter. Props to Abingdon, the Sturgill kid is really good, just hasn't seen that kind of pressure this year...

Why not let my first post set the pace for how accurate and informative I am... But please, don't take my opinion any more serious than anyone elses! ;) Because it's High School football, its hard to "compare" teams based on the opponents they have faced, but if we were to compare.... Richlands would definitely win the comparison. Also keep in mind, teams have a tendency to get better as the season progresses, which makes it even harder to compare. But let's do a real comparison based on facts... Defensive battle? Abingdon's defense allowed a Graham offense to score 47 points, Richlands allowed 7. Abingdon's defense allowed a Gate City offense to score 26 points, Richlands allowed 7. *Note - some of those scores might have came late in the game, but ultimately they are still points... Strength of schedule? From a season as a whole, both teams struggle to find opponents that can "keep up" so to speak... But if we were to look at the top 2 teams that each have played... Abingdon 49 Christiansburg 12 -- Christiansburg is a 3A school, so they have to be considered a top team when comparing to a 2A school(Especially with the other opponents that Abingdon has faced). FALCONMAN mentioned Christiansburg's speed... Is this the same speed that has led this Christiansburg team to 1 win this season? I'm not buying it... Go play Bluefield and come talk to me about "speed". Abingdon 28 Blacksburg 27(OT) -- Now Blacksburg can be considered a top team on the schedule. This team has potential but unfortunately has only won 3 games this season... Granted they have a new head coach in Thad Wells which has an offensive mind like no other(A Blue Tornado might I add). And one of those loses is to a very good Salem team. Props Abingdon for winning the nail-biter. Richlands 41 Union 42 -- Arguably the best team in 2A West, Union is undefeated for the season and sits at #1 for 2A West. Is there a need to mention anything else? Richlands 45 Bluefield 30 -- Currently ranked #4 in 2A in West Virginia(#2 before losing to Richlands). Here's the speed you speak of, FALCONMAN. In closing... I think both teams are going to come ready to play, the coaches are going to make sure they are prepared as they have the entire season. Both teams are going to score points and show some parts of the offense that they probably haven't seen much on film. Ultimately, I think this game is won on defense. I don't think Abingdon has seen a defense like this all season. Abingdon needs to find a way to pick apart this defense to have a chance. Dave Thorson said it best when it said "Offense sells the tickets, but defense wins championships." Props to Abingdon for a great season, but unfortunately I don't think they win this one at Ernie Hicks... Richlands 42 Abingdon 21