TTownTigers

Gate City.  First time in school history starting 0-7, at least it is as far as I can remember.

Beavers ain't sceeeered of no Mothman!

I agree with you on the power schools coming from the East in 1A, but am not sure on 2A.  I think 2A may be a bit closer.  What would help the West in 1A is....
Galax and George Wythe need to be Galax and George Wythe again.  Both appear a bit down this year.  More important, one of the schools in my area really needs to rise up.  Perhaps Appalachia?  LOL, well, that's not going to happen anymore, but some 1A school in this corner needs to become like Galax or George Wythe and supplement the West with another very tough 1A program in far SWVA.  Additionally, something between Wytheville, Bristol, and the Kentucky border becoming a solid program would also benefit (Chilhowie).  Chilhowie is better this year, but it ain't there yet.  In the East, Essex and Sussex are much like George Wythe and Galax.  Both are good programs and they range from outstanding (state title challenging years) to 2nd round of the playoffs and out years, but Riverheads is a beast.  They supposedly lost a ton of seniors and talent last year and just didn't miss a beat.  The team they have this year is supposed to be one year away from next year according to the Richmond Newspaper. 

Didn't know about Battle and Ridgeview, but no......the same applies.  The chances of any other team in Class 1A winning a state title this year are similar, even with Battle and Ridgeview being 2A.  That leaves Chilhowie and George Wythe as the only other 2 in the West than can play with Galax.  Again, Riverheads is 25-30 points at LEAST better than all 3 of them.  Even though Battle and Ridgeview are 2A, go ahead and add them in there also.  Riverheads beats both of them by at least 25-30 also.

John Battle and Ridgeview and Chilhowie and George Wythe can play with Galax.  All 5 are very close.  By season's end, it doesn't matter because neither of the 5 are getting close to a Class 1A state title this year.  The East had 3 teams (Riverheads, Essex, Sussex)  that are at LEAST 15 points better and 2 of those 3 teams in the East are 20+ points better, and 1 of those teams (Riverheads) is 25-30 points better. Union, Graham, and Giles have a better chance of winning the whole thing in Class 2A even with Appo in the picture compared to a SWVA team winning a title in 1A this year.  Next year is different and things change, but for this year, it's not happening for SWVA in 1A.   As a matter of fact, if Appo wins the state title against a team from the West or East (however the playoffs work out), I bet the score of that game is closer than the score of the 1A team in the East in their state title game, IF....again...IF that state title game is against someone in the West.  I don't know how the playoffs workout, but if their is crossbracketing or whatever, then two teams from the East will be playing in the Class 1A state title game, again, if the playoff brackets allow it.   I don't want to get into the playoff system and cross bracketing, etc.  The point I'm making is, the gap between Riverheads and the rest of the 1A West is greater this year, 2017, than the gap between Appo and the rest of 2A Virginia (Union, Graham, Giles, RE Lee, Goochland, Poquoson, etc).

You lost me again, respectfully I do write, but you lost me with the hyperbole used yet again with "parting the Red Sea."<--------hyperbole usually means "emotion" before rational thought, and I don't debate or argue with these types as it's often pointless.  As for us not being good this year......... "ya don't say?"  Of course we aren't good, but your argument is one with the premise of being not good is strictly talent based with very few other factors.  That premise is false.  The talent is there at GC.  It's in the hallways.  That talent is in the hallways BECAUSE of the AD and Head Coach.  Because of these factors described which are root causes, you can then get to your point about us "not being good this year."  Your statement is true, but it's only half true.  There's a reason why we aren't good, and if you think it's lack of talent, then well, I disagree and gave reasons why.

Colobro would have won 5 games this year.  Why?  Because he would have had about 30 more kids out on the field to choose from.  Colobro 0-10 and never had an issue in the past at GC, and all of a sudden, what are the law of averages?  LOL, not likely.  Your talent level is often a product of how many kids you have to choose from.  How many kids you have to choose from is often a product of your AD and Head Coach.  Your coaching certainly effects how talent looks to the common eye.  As for Akers, I have always said this and still do.  3 years minimum is a must.  I think that should be a given for any coach, even if 0-10 this year.   Like I wrote, GC will be fine.  Talent is down compared to where it has been, but not by much.  What's down is.......the overall numbers coming out for football which is what makes up the talent pool to choose from.  
I don't buy the talent issue like many of you, and no, Akers doesn't "have the entire town up against him."  That's a big load of horse manure.  As for the talent issue, I have heard that before with a team like VT.  They were on the ropes in Beamer's last years and their recruiting and wins/lossed had plummeted compared to where they used to be, and Fuente took over a team that had the lowest recruiting averages for 85 total players that VT had on its roster since pre-1999, and in 18 months, nearly a top 10 team with gameday coming.  Did the talent magically get better in 18 months?  LOL.  Of course it didn't.  It's called, coaching.  What is different? The pool of talent to choose from is getting better meaning..........at the college level, VT's recruiting is taking an upward flight compared to where Beamer had it when he left, and the process is circular with good coaching, good recruiting, etc.  At GC and the High School level, the kids in the hallway and not out for football go hand in hand (opposite) of the process described above with VT.  It actually can get better, and it can get better quickly.  Graham is an example.  It takes the right AD and the right coach for that given program.

That, I agree with you 100%

You are right about 1 part of your post and incorrect on the rest in my opinion.  GC fans aren't waiting half of a decade to lose.  We have won before and perhaps not as patient, but I like to put it this way......we are smart fans and know football and understand quickly when we have a bad situation and don't wait 1/2 of a decade.  You call that generous.  I call that...not very smart.  As for Gate Revenues, I am not interested, and this has nothing to do with Gate City's plight.  Because you tolerated a man to do what he did for 5 years doesn't make GC's complaints "wining."  If anything, one could argue or have the opinion that it makes your fans "not very smart."  You don't know the issues that have gone on with our AD.  You have no clue about the subject.  One is obvious and in front of you though, and that is.....we have hired a guy who is not qualified (yet) to be the Coach at Great City. 

With all due respect to your opinion of which I respect, we disagree. The coach is a very large problem at GC.  Is he the sole problem?  No.  Is he the main and primary problem?  Nope, he's not, but is he part of the problem?  Yes, he is.  The AD is the biggest problem and the root cause who has to go.

You lost me again, respectfully I do write, but you lost me with the hyperbole used yet again with "parting the Red Sea."<--------hyperbole usually means "emotion" before rational thought, and I don't debate or argue with these types as it's often pointless.  As for us not being good this year......... "ya don't say?"  Of course we aren't good, but your argument is one with the premise of being not good is strictly talent based with very few other factors.  That premise is false.  The talent is there at GC.  It's in the hallways.  That talent is in the hallways BECAUSE of the AD and Head Coach.  Because of these factors described which are root causes, you can then get to your point about us "not being good this year."  Your statement is true, but it's only half true.  There's a reason why we aren't good, and if you think it's lack of talent, then well, I disagree and gave reasons why.

That, I agree with you 100%

You are right about 1 part of your post and incorrect on the rest in my opinion.  GC fans aren't waiting half of a decade to lose.  We have won before and perhaps not as patient, but I like to put it this way......we are smart fans and know football and understand quickly when we have a bad situation and don't wait 1/2 of a decade.  You call that generous.  I call that...not very smart.  As for Gate Revenues, I am not interested, and this has nothing to do with Gate City's plight.  Because you tolerated a man to do what he did for 5 years doesn't make GC's complaints "wining."  If anything, one could argue or have the opinion that it makes your fans "not very smart."  You don't know the issues that have gone on with our AD.  You have no clue about the subject.  One is obvious and in front of you though, and that is.....we have hired a guy who is not qualified (yet) to be the Coach at Great City. 

With all due respect to your opinion of which I respect, we disagree. The coach is a very large problem at GC.  Is he the sole problem?  No.  Is he the main and primary problem?  Nope, he's not, but is he part of the problem?  Yes, he is.  The AD is the biggest problem and the root cause who has to go.

That, I agree with you 100%

Can't wait to be there.  I am getting there early so I can get on the list to speak.  
 

Can't wait to be there.  I am getting there early so I can get on the list to speak.  
 

I wrote this 2 weeks ago. Byrd is the best team Richlands plays in games 1 to 10. Byrd lost twice last year. Once to Salem by 3 in regular season, and then again in the playoffs to Salem, and Byrd is better this year. This will be Richlands worse loss of the season which includes regular season and the playoffs. Byrd is better than Blacksburg, and the best team Richlands plays is certainly not Union, or even Bluefield, not Graham, and not even defending state champions Blacksburg, it is William Byrd.
W.Byrd 45, Richlands 14, and a game never it doubt. WB is the real deal.

You can call that arrogance if you wish, but you and I both know very well what I meant and what I meant was.....pride in our program, love for our program, etc.  But, if you wish to cheerypick and take it out of context, then that is fine also.  Like one poster wrote in the thread, "we aren't used to losing." I think a few folks, (not all or not even most) but a few have realized with this thread that folks at GC are serious about their program and dedicated to it. This is what the thread tells me. I don't see a pile of crap or garbage or much in-fighting. I see a bunch of people that love GC football and you know what, a neutral non-biased person who could or would read the entire thread would likely reach the same conclusion.

This thread turned into a discussion about the status and future of Gate City football with some agreements and some disagreements. The discussion has been largely civil in nature.It's largely been non-GC folks in this thread acting as talking heads in some posts or attempting to stoke the flames or make something worse than what it is.
With the amount of input from the GC fans in this thread, it would be difficult to have a more civil discussion on a message board in my opinion. This again shows that GC is class. Comparing GC to Hurley and Tazewell is comical. "We ain't the same." We've actually won forever and ever until just a few years ago. GC will be back. There's no denying that, and for all GC fans who have posted in this thread, I thank you for your thoughts and honest opinions and the discussions which were heated at times, but overall, the discourse was pretty solid and done with class.  Regarding one poster's comments about "removing coaches" sheds little light on the issue.  Removing is an afterthought of the root. The root is.......the hiring decisions.  This is where Tazewell has struggled over the years.  It's not who they have removed.  It's who they have hired, yet that is a much more difficult discussion and problem with large sets of variables.  Additionally, a hiring is more private and hidden more behind the public eye compared to a firing or removal.  My point is, careful who you hire.  Additionally, when Colobro was hired back at Tazewell (finally a good decision on their part in many years) there were already concerns about the offense he ran and questions within days about the subject.<-----strictly hearsay and opinion, but what I was told by two folks that live in Tazewell.  Immediately, Colobro came to his senses and realized, this isn't the old Tazewell he was accustomed to.  Regardless of these matters, Gate City could hire, fire or remove 5 coaches in the next 5 years and GC and Tazewell are still......not the same.  Rings get a little old, but you can polish them up.  State Title Banners can be reprinted.  In summary, state titles, regional titles, district titles, and the rest don't go away.  That's the difference and the two are not the same, whether a non-GC fan "wants" those two to be the same or not.  Wishing something, and something being a certain way aren't the same.
So, for the rest of the fans not from GC who have tried to make mountains from anthills, you have lost. Chalk that up in your history as yet, another loss to the Big Blue. I want to be clear that I am talking only about some fans who have attempted to make this thread seem more negative than it is. I am certainly not implying that all or even most non GC fans did that in this thread. There were only a few, but that few had a loud voice.  GC fans, I thank you for the discussion and thoughts and whether we agree or disagree, we all want GC to win again, and that internal desire and fandom is what has made GC so great for a long time.  That internal desire and fandom is what separates us from the rest.  It's exactly why a team like GC can never truly "stay down."  It's just not possible.   Its a blimp in the radar screen in a short moment in time.  I will not be here in 2050, but by 2050, the Gate will have added more state titles to the collection than the overwhelming majority of the rest of the teams/schools in SWVA from now until 2050.  Why?  History is a good teacher, but tradition and a desire to win is an even greater teacher and predictor, those things haven't changed at GC, no matter how down we seem to be or what the record is, or what the situation looks like at this moment in time, the underlying things that have made us "different" from the rest haven't changed.  They are still in GC (and somewhat across the border in TN of course, lol).
Go Big Blue 
 
 

Scary, scary world we live in when we are missing the forest and only seeing trees. Meaning, who gives a giant Cleveland Steamer if Akers "cusses the kids." Dear God people, what is wrong with you? I hope he cusses more at the "kids." Did you ever notice how when a 16-17-18 year old makes a great play and boom, he is called a "young man?" When its something possibly negative on that young persons part, we immediately call them a "kid." Harry Fry never cussed, but would talk to you like you were a third rate South Philly pimp when you messed up. Literally, screaming. I have no problem whatsoever if Akers "cusses at kids." My concern is...the xs and os, the chessgaming of football which is where he's lightyears behind a Houseright, or Mance, or Turner.

Man on man, lol, GC fans have done absolutely nothing to you. I disagree with your comment, especially because you classify all GC fans as knuckleheads.  That's inaccurate and a bit immature.  Perhaps, Hurley can hold GC's beer when it beats your team by about 70 points or wins 2 times the amount of state titles.  I sense resentment, especially in a thread that simply doesn't pertain to you, and not one Gate City fan has lashed out at you or attacked you. 

No grammar police here. I'm a coal miner for most of my life and not a scholar.  I like the wing T. You can throw or run out of it. I like about any offense other than the wishbone. Dude, might as well run power eye. We aren't fooling people with a wishbone formation. Defenses have evolved dude. The 80s have came and long gone. Single wing is a separate beast unique only to a few. If you ask any football fan or coach at the college level, they will tell you option offenses today are at least triple option because of what it requires the defense to do. It's almost UNHEARD of (still exists, but rare) for a team to run the old wishbone. It is a direct and scary reflection of what Akers doesn't know about offense. There is really zero explanation for a team running the wishbone instead of the triple option. There are zero advantages with the wishbone over the triple option, but much more advantages with the triple option. Why is he running the wishbone? Because he was taught it at Graham years ago and it is all he knows. That's why I'm concerned.  He hasn't learned enough about offense to run anything else. My older brother played at TN. High and coached at Emory and Henry as an assistant, then at Memphis as an assistant long before Fuente was there and when it was still Memphis St. 
Look, I think Akers has done an excellent job on discipline, fitness, and the leadership aspects of running a program. I've wrote this before. I have praised and critiqued. My ONLY critique has been the offensive system. It's outdated, and it's concerning about underlying xs and os knowledge. I want GC to win just like you. I also want Akers for a minimum of 3 years...at least 3. 
 

No grammar police here. I'm a coal miner for most of my life and not a scholar.  I like the wing T. You can throw or run out of it. I like about any offense other than the wishbone. Dude, might as well run power eye. We aren't fooling people with a wishbone formation. Defenses have evolved dude. The 80s have came and long gone. Single wing is a separate beast unique only to a few. If you ask any football fan or coach at the college level, they will tell you option offenses today are at least triple option because of what it requires the defense to do. It's almost UNHEARD of (still exists, but rare) for a team to run the old wishbone. It is a direct and scary reflection of what Akers doesn't know about offense. There is really zero explanation for a team running the wishbone instead of the triple option. There are zero advantages with the wishbone over the triple option, but much more advantages with the triple option. Why is he running the wishbone? Because he was taught it at Graham years ago and it is all he knows. That's why I'm concerned.  He hasn't learned enough about offense to run anything else. My older brother played at TN. High and coached at Emory and Henry as an assistant, then at Memphis as an assistant long before Fuente was there and when it was still Memphis St. 
Look, I think Akers has done an excellent job on discipline, fitness, and the leadership aspects of running a program. I've wrote this before. I have praised and critiqued. My ONLY critique has been the offensive system. It's outdated, and it's concerning about underlying xs and os knowledge. I want GC to win just like you. I also want Akers for a minimum of 3 years...at least 3. 
 

No grammar police here. I'm a coal miner for most of my life and not a scholar.  I like the wing T. You can throw or run out of it. I like about any offense other than the wishbone. Dude, might as well run power eye. We aren't fooling people with a wishbone formation. Defenses have evolved dude. The 80s have came and long gone. Single wing is a separate beast unique only to a few. If you ask any football fan or coach at the college level, they will tell you option offenses today are at least triple option because of what it requires the defense to do. It's almost UNHEARD of (still exists, but rare) for a team to run the old wishbone. It is a direct and scary reflection of what Akers doesn't know about offense. There is really zero explanation for a team running the wishbone instead of the triple option. There are zero advantages with the wishbone over the triple option, but much more advantages with the triple option. Why is he running the wishbone? Because he was taught it at Graham years ago and it is all he knows. That's why I'm concerned.  He hasn't learned enough about offense to run anything else. My older brother played at TN. High and coached at Emory and Henry as an assistant, then at Memphis as an assistant long before Fuente was there and when it was still Memphis St. 
Look, I think Akers has done an excellent job on discipline, fitness, and the leadership aspects of running a program. I've wrote this before. I have praised and critiqued. My ONLY critique has been the offensive system. It's outdated, and it's concerning about underlying xs and os knowledge. I want GC to win just like you. I also want Akers for a minimum of 3 years...at least 3.