Bearcat Dad

I agree. This is a huge game for both teams. Marion needs this one to setup a district championship showdown with Graham the following week and the Bearcats need to win the final 2 and a little help to get a first round game at home. Not sure on a prediction yet, until I watch some film, but I imagine it will be a slugfest. Hopefully the Bearcats laid their only egg of the season in Bluefield last week, and they show up ready for this one. It's gonna be tough. Good luck to Marion!

Grayson Co. Radford JSB Lee Graham VHS GW Galax Rural Retreat Narrows Pikeville PH Tug Valley JI Burton Chilhowie North Greene Boston College VT Alabama WV Penn State Notre Dame Buffalo New Orleans Minnesota Pittsburgh Denver New England Glenvar - 49 Abingdon - 52

1. Bluefield 2. Graham 3. Union 4. Giles 5. Marion 6. Ridgeview 7. Pulaski 8. VHS 9. Abingdon 10. Lee

I'm sure the Bearcats will be looking forward to the opportunity. Not worried about the Blues right now, though. Still have Lebanon and Marion before then. See ya in a few weeks! Good luck with Graham, you're gonna need it. ?

VHS has until next Friday to find their way out from behind the woodshed that the G-Men took them to on Thursday night. Ive already seen a few posts on here that have written the Bearcats off as a contender in the region and that's ok. The Bearcats heard all week long about being ranked #1, from most everyone in the community, and it got to their head. Hopefully they learned that they are not good enough to just simply show up to a game and their opponent will just roll over. No doubt that they were out coached and out played, but they started pressing too early and tried to challenge Graham to a track meet when it was still a game after the blocked FG. There's no team in Region D that has a chance in hell in trying to keep up with Graham in that way. Their speed is unrivaled around here. Anyways, the Bearcats get back home for 2 straight, and look to rebound against Lebanon. I know the Pioneers are not very good this season, but even with the tough season VHS had last year, most figured that Lebanon would be an easy win. They were wrong. For everyone who has seen Lebanon, what are your thoughts on this game?

I tip my hat to Graham! Great game, guys. Most of the Bearcats did not get off of the bus. Their offense was worse than bad and the defense just could not stop the G-Men when given that many opportunities. I will say though, I am a proud dad. Bluefield College's DC approached my son and commended him on his play tonight and gave him his card. He has a few schools showing interest now. I hate the turnout of the game for the Cats but I am a proud dad tonight. Good luck the rest of the way, G-Men! I may have to rearrange a little a the top of my top 10 list lol.

Well, today is the big day. My last trip to Graham for football was in 1994 as a Sophomore for the Bearcats. It was the first round of the playoffs, we were locked in a defensive battle with the G-Men, down 7-0 in the 4th, when we finally get on the board with a touchdown. My beloved(and very successful) teammate, Alex Walls, was our superstar Freshman kicker. Alex went on after high school to become one of the all-time leading scorers for the University of Tennessee. That Saturday afternoon in November of 94 was not his day, though. After we finally get on the board, Alex hooks the EP and we lose 7-6. That was coach Mike Locke's (current HC at Sullivan East) debut season, and the only time we made it to the playoffs while I was in school. I'm looking forward to tonight's game very much. I wish the G-Men luck and I pray for a hard fought, competitive, and injury-free game.

These guys are college students at E&H and ETSU who also do the radio broadcast for the Bristol Pirates. They're good kids. They are Sullivan Central and Patrick Henry (GS) alumni.

http://www.heraldcourier.com/sports/prep-football-crockett-coach-placed-on-leave/article_7106ebe2-ae09-11e7-a680-f336471fa90e.html

That's my guess too.

http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Football/2017/10/09/Crockett-football-team-not-allowed-to-practice.html

That is actually a great question. I've been around here a long time, and I've never once heard this discussed by anyone. I'll dig a little bit to see what I can find out, because now I'm curious lol

1. Union 2. Bluefield 3. Graham 4. Giles 5. Marion 6. VHS 7. Abingdon 8. Ridgeview 9. JSB 10. Richlands

I was wondering why Cooke didn't get more touches. I wasn't sure if he had a minor injury that was nagging him, or if it was just a decision of the coaches to spread it around. I definitely agree that our best shot is to ground and pound and use play action to go up top. Our O-Line is one of the best, and definitely the biggest that I can remember in my near 30 relationship with the program. With that said, we are a base single-back, 4 wide, spread offense that will try to throw it around some. We do have some depth at the Skills, and some pretty good speed ourselves. Nobody has Cooke type speed, but there are a number of kids with good speed. The speed has actually surprised some teams this year, but I'm with you. I would still prefer to see a more "3 yards and a cloud of dust" type game plan vs. a track meet. Between the O and D lines, we have about 7 or 8 guys that rotate in one, the other, or both. Our guys on the O-Line that play the most, have measurables of; 6'6 - 300 6'4 - 245 6'2 - 265 6'2 - 230 6'2 - 220 6'1 - 320 6'1 - 215 They are all athletic, strong, and have mean streaks. The lightest on the line, may be the strongest. An absolute workout warrior who rotates in some at OLB. This is so uncommon for the VHS football program, it feels weird lol, but they are a good group of boys who put in a lot of extra work. They will no doubt have a huge test Thursday, with Graham's D.

I just finished watching the game. Those are 2 very good teams. I knew what I had heard and read about them, but to see them really puts it into perspective. It's gonna take the Bearcats' best effort of the year to win this one. Our best shot is to take advantage of our size and athleticism upfront and play Keep-away with Graham's offense. I'm looking forward to this matchup....thanks for the insight!

That's actually the game plan that I'm hoping VHS goes with as well. Their RB depth has been key this year. Against the tougher opponents so far this year in THS and Abingdon, their power back has been the most effective. He has about 150 yds and 4 scores at around 7 YPC in those 2 games. Fans are clamoring for him to get a few more touches per game, but he is to the VHS defense, what Vineyard is to Graham's. Never comes off the field on D with around 70 tackles in 6 games. With the depth on the offensive side of the ball, he gets his breathers when they are on O.

Will do...I will definitely watch it, I'm sort of a film junkie! Lol I didn't truly figure that Graham(or anyone else in our region) would be on par with Appo from last year, that's just what the Lebanon film reminded me of. Thanks for some clarification on that game. What you described, makes sense. I'm hoping, for the Bearcats' sake, that they are competitive throughout this game. I'm definitely sticking with my prediction of an upset, but it will take their best effort of the season so far. Both Abingdon and Tn High have good speed and athleticism, but this one looks to be our toughest test to date.

Thanks!

I got to see Union at full strength, and if not for Turner's injury, I would be in complete agreement. They still haven't lost, so I still consider them the #1 ranked team in the region. I just said Graham "may" be the most complete team, because it seems like they have playmakers everywhere, in all 3 phases. To me, Union relies HEAVILY on Mitchell and that very, very stout front 7 on D. Not that Union doesn't have other good players, I've sang that team's praises since the benefit game. But, I see your point too. As far as film goes, I figured watching the Giles or Bluefield film would give a better indication, but I was just curious if Lebanon is just that bad. Watching that film, Graham looks like they could do anything they wanted, at anytime they wanted. Our opponent after Graham is Lebanon and I was hoping to get an honest assessment of both Graham and Lebanon, from a Graham fan. I do appreciate your input though. I like to hear different takes from fans of different teams. Thanks!

Serious questions for all of the Graham fans on here; I know you guys may have the most complete team in our region. I knew about Cooke and Vineyard being studs before the season started. But, I've been watching film of the Lebanon game today, and I can see SOME comparisons to Appo last year, as I got to see them live in the 1st round of the playoffs. Do you guys seriously have that many studs(O-Line, skills, entire D)? Or, should I watch some different film from Lebanon because of their lack of talent, to get a better feel for where you guys stand? I know what Lebanon's record is, but I have not seen a single play of theirs this season, because we do not play them until after we play you guys. Thanks!

Thanks! I've never taken the time to fully understand the point system. I need to. I was just curious how a best case scenario for VHS would work out. They've had the best start to one of their seasons in 15 years but 9-1 would be a monumental task for them with still having to play @ Graham, Marion, and @ Richlands, who could be fighting for their playoff lives in week 11

Lol. Glad to be able to talk to someone with a good sense of humor. It's kinda hard to tell on here sometimes lol....I understand, man. I rely on others to help keep me in the know with the point system.

Of course not. Read my opening post in the VHS @ Graham thread. This is all hypothetical.

For those more in the know than I am, does a 9-1 VHS team out point a 9-1 Union team if that loss for Union were to come against Abingdon? Just curious if they were to not get the 3A win points, if that would be enough, if VHS wins out. Edit; Another scenario out of my own curiosity. With the same 9-1 records, what if Union's hypothetical loss were to come to (IMO) the most underrated team in the region JSB, a team VHS has already beaten?