Bearcat Dad

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.

Honest question or slight to Graham? hmmmmmm.
This. 
VA High looked to me like they are a good team. I don't believe they were overrated, I just think this one got away from them and they aren't built to come back from 2 touchdowns down.

From what I have seen Virginia High looks like they have a good team, but you can't let graham score quick and try to pace them in a track meet. After that 95 yard KO return by Cooke VA High started pressing 

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.

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.

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. 

"Hapless but Hopeful Missouri HS Football Team Presses On After 102-0 Loss"
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2738364-hapless-but-hopeful-missouri-hs-football-team-presses-on-after-102-0-loss?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial
Given some of the recent threads on the board, imagine what it takes to be these guys.

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.

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.

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

I was at the travel football game Saturday at Gene Malcolm. I talked to some of the VA High coaches and was told their travel teams paid $400 a game to play there. Said Bristol first wanted $1100 but they were able to get it dropped to $400. My question is how much does the High School team have to pay to play there. Only curious. 

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.

The biggest difference for graham now compared to the Bluefield game (other than Reed being out) is Graham is making it a focal point to get the ball to Taymon Cooke. In the Bluefield game they would split him wide and Bluefield was able to (mostly) take him out of the game by bringing a safety over to his side. He may have touched the ball 6 or 7 times that game. I think after that They realized when you have the best player on the field he has to get the ball in the open field.  He isn't showing in the box score as getting 25 touches a game but a big part of that is he and other Graham players have been scoring quick on big plays. 
 
If if I were game planning against graham I would try play keep away, especially if you have a good sized strong line. Graham doesn't have a ton of depth on defense so if you keep it on the ground with long drives, along with how they normally score quick on offense, could have a tendency to tire out. That's what Giles did in the second half and it almost won them the game after being down 21-0 in the first. This is also why I think looking forward to next week that Richlands will match up well with graham again. 
If you don't play keep away they are capable of putting up 42 in the first quarter as they did last Friday. You don't want to get into a track meet with them. 

Also keep in mind that Bluefield is undefeated, ranked #1 in WV AA, and has put a beat-down on every team they've face other than Graham...
Date H/A W/L Team Score Opponent Score   2017-08-25 H W Bluefield 17 Graham (VA) (5) 14   2017-09-01 A W Bluefield 62 Princeton (0) 0   2017-09-08 A W Bluefield 45 Woodrow Wilson (1) 13   2017-09-15 A W Bluefield 54 Greenbrier East (1) 7   2017-09-21 H W Bluefield 62 Tazewell (VA) (1) 27   2017-09-29 H W Bluefield 28 Richlands (VA) (2) 14   2017-10-06 H W Bluefield 42 Pt. Pleasant (4) 13   2017-10-13 H   Bluefield   Man (1)     2017-10-20 A   Bluefield   Oak Hill (3)     2017-10-27 H   Bluefield   James Monroe (6)  

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.

If I'm Virginia High I run the ball until Graham stops me. I think Graham is better in the back half of their defense than the front 7. I don't think they're weak in the front 7.. but I think their secondary is really talented. Vineyard is a great LB but overall I think the secondary is their strength. Plus up front Virginia High is just BIG. I think their best chance to win this game is to keep the ball out of Allen, Lester, and Cooke's hands. I was impressed with Virginia High's depth at RB and their QB actually reminds me of Ben Meade, Grahams qb last year. Should be a good one Thursday. 

If you do watch this game, keep in mind #3 is out for the season now.
 
this graham team is good, but no where near the level of Appo last year. I think the beat down of Lebanon was due to Coach Palmer being publically unhappy about the way that graham played against Princeton, as well as Lebanon not having anyone close to matching the athleticism of Cooke/Allen/Lester. 

You can watch the Beaver - Graham game here:
http://greatamericanrivalry.com/on-demand-broadcast-graham-va-vs-bluefield-wv-aug-25-2017/

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!

I believe that Union may be more "complete" due to their mental toughness and execution.  I would watch different film of both teams for an accurate gauge on their abilities.  For Graham: Giles would be the first tape I watch.  Giles is a quality 2C team whose style is not well suited for Graham, and is a good contrast.

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

Have you saw VHS play? They're a very good team. I don't see any team beating them by 35 points unless they totally implode. I think you're severely underestimating VHS. I think Graham is probably best team in Region D right now, but VHS is top 4 as well.

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. 

Yes, they would. It is also possible that a 9-1 Va High could outpoint a 10-0 Union as well. Letcher is really dragging Union down.

I know, I was just busting your chops, all in good fun. But it all honesty, I have no idea how it would work out, I'm not at all real smart with this whole points system myself